Updates for Maggi Picayune

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Steve

The big change coming up which you probably won’t notice much its hosting being moved. After nearly a decade, I’m just moving the site to be hosted somewhere more reliable. I just don’t have the time to find out why the server in my house goes deaf nor do I want to spend any money on new hardware locked into the current OS I personally find inadequate for my personal server needs. The old mini will get repurposed to remain our jukebox because I doubt the issue is being caused by QTSS. It might too. I will be erasing it and re-installing 10.6 Server to get it rolling.

Next up will be winding down my contract with AT&T for static IPs while watching for Google fiber to get to Pflugerville later on. Probably not for 2015, maybe 2016, we’ll see. We are on the cusp of Austin which makes me cautiously optimistic.

I want to take the server offline next weekend to back it up one last time before we make the jump to a location with closer to 99.999% uptime. It will make the Tenth Anniversary more satisfying. I may even regain its comments ability back.

Posted in News, The Site | Leave a comment

RIP: Taylor Negron

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Steve

He was never the star in many roles you saw him in but I found him memorable.

  • The son-in-law from Easy Money
  • The terrible mailman from Better Off Dead
  • The muscle, threatening Bruce Willis in The Last Boy Scout
  • The pizza delivery guy in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, you know when he shows up at the classroom for Spicoli

Taylor also had a pretty good run as the spokesperson for E! in the Nineties listing off a bunch of stuff with the punchline, “What was Michelle Pfiefer doing in Grease 2?” Seinfeld fans may remember him too.

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Duplo for Ben (loot given out part two)

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Steve

It is rather comical that he found the ribbon more entertaining initially!

Posted in Pictures | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Meet the (Old) Republic’s 727th Jump Brigade

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Steve

the727onparadeDamn J.J. Abrams and his teaser trailer. He unfortunately re-awakened my latent, deflated Star Wars mojo after George Lucas killed it with the help of terrible acting, a plot written by the eight-year-old version of me (actually, I would’ve done better) and too much emphasis on merchandizing. Well, not all the credit should go to Abrams. Even if there weren’t an episode coming out in Christmas ’15, I think I was really inspired by the Darth Bane trilogy novels I bought last May, Clone Wars getting better after the second season (now I miss Ahsoka), Rebels being good and my recent Lego addiction. OK, and a bit of my competitive spirit kicking in against my mother-in-law.

Back in the Summer, I discovered the joys of shopping for Legos online, namely whenever I could save a few bucks. It’s odd, Target and Toys R Us sell the same things for less online than in their physical stores yet you can then pick them up without waiting for them to be shipped. There was this little set I thought was killer. It contained two Sith and two Republic troopers from the KOTR game/period. Since Lego rarely just sells the minifigs, there’s a flying vehicle the Sith guys uses shoot with. The set goes for $13 retail. Target online it was $10.19! I scored a slug of ’em. After the nephews living in Qatar visited and we spent an afternoon putting together a walker (the full-blown AT-AT), a Mandalorian battlesled and a Z-95 Headhunter, I noticed how the two younger kids (Wyatt and Cannon) dug the minifigs more.

Eventually all these influences came together as I discovered how to make a unique gift for my nephews, their very own, customized Lego Star Wars troopers!

  • The Lego Store sells random body parts; $10 = 15 heads or hairpieces/hats. Although Star Wars minifigs have been flesh-colored for about a decade, I chose to go with the traditional yellow as it should be for Honkies.
  • Various non-Star Wars sets to get variety in heads and hair; Chima, UltraAgents, Ninjago and whatever else was on sale. Star Wars too for the aliens, droids and accessories (lightsabers, guns).
  • Only the first Darth Bane novel was any help covering what the Old Republic’s forces were like for the backstory. For the fans, Darth Bane and the Brotherhood of Darkness lived 1000 years before the movies.
  • The final touch was the best and my favorite…every trooper was built (head, hair and accessory choice), named and given a backstory by any Star Wars fan I could find at work or in my circle of friends. I tweaked bits a tad, like names, homeworlds (everybody can’t be from Coruscant or Naboo, diversity is the key) and assigned ranks at random. I handled the droids, Jedi Knight (she was a last-minute addition), Wookiee and the starship’s skipper was my pick.

The downside is the boys are back in Qatar. I thought my in-laws were going over the holiday to visit, then I was going to have the 727th transported through them. Didn’t happen, there was a miscommunication. I won’t ship the minifigs. Qatar’s postal service is probably outsourced and can’t be trusted. Lastly, Legos have become the new uncut diamond given all the thefts happening.

I sent them this movie to show what they will eventually be receiving. According to Anje, they sounded pretty stoked.

While I wait for an opportunity to get them into the boys’ hands, I am making a d20 set of stats (second edition rules from WOTC, the best rules!) to throw in and recruiting other master builders in designing the 727th’s drop ship, land vehicles and transport ship, the Ki-Rin, probably an Old Republic corvette/cruiser.

Posted in Pictures | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Another downside to Texas that must change

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Steve

onlyonsundayintexas

Where to begin when it comes to illustrating the Idiocracy of the Texas government and its loudmouth, paranoid, racist minority backing it.

  1. You can buy guns on Sunday but not hard liquor. So much for keeping murder off the docket when you’re trying to coerce people into attending church.
  2. This was at a strip mall next to a Justice (‘tweener girl store), World Market (probably to keep those pinkos in line) and a Sam’s Club (no shock there).
  3. Cheaper Than Dirt is a discouraging tag line, methinks on purpose to scare us Libruls from keeping weapons out of the hands of angry under-/unemployed morons who want to play army man/Red Dawn.
Posted in Pictures | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Two thousand miles! No, not the Pretenders song

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Steve

It’s a new year which means a new start on resolutions! My renewal on fitness and weight loss gets a renewed boost this month as expected. I don’t consider it a quitting/starting over thing. More along the lines of regaining my wind/breath to go another lap. Sadly, I seriously crapped out in the home stretch for 2014 making my annual total a meager 400+ miles.

One accomplishment to celebrate as I recharge my drive to keep running toward my ideal weight (190) was crossing the 2000-mile mark today! Not bad, it took nearly four years which gives me an average of 500/year. It does put me closer to 3000.

Next up, the goal you may see in the sidebar. Paizo, LLC’s HQ. I think I can get there before it’s Summer.

Posted in Health, News | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets by Simon Singh

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Steve

simpsonsmath

Last year was the show’s 25th anniversary and luckily I got this fascinating book completed before the year ended. Even the most jaded critic who says, “Oh, the show was better back during [insert season here],” will enjoy the observations and explanations Singh reveals from the show’s lengthy run. As a bonus, there’s two chapters dedicated to Futurama which is even more rife with uber-nerdy jokes.

Since we don’t have cable and I only follow The Simpsons 10 years later through DVDs, I discovered the book courtesy of the podcast Inquiring Minds when the author was a guest. Little did I remember, he had been also on On The Media but for another book called Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts About Alternative Medicine. Singh and his co-author were dragged through the UK’s outdated libel/slander laws for pointing out the bullshit in alternative medicine (chiropractors, acupuncture, homeopathy and herbal remedies). Thankfully, the other book helped become a factor in reforming the UK’s laws because the bar was too low and that nation was a favorite venue for the thin-skinned and professional con artists (Scientology namely).

Back to the Simpsons.

Singh blows through the quick history bringing the show to life and jumps quickly to the key writers who have Mathematical backgrounds…Al Jean and Mike Reiss. While Groening was a cartoonist and James L. Brooks brought in sitcom vets, Jean & Reiss became the first try show runners until the reins were handed over to David Mirkin. The duo sprinkled in the jokes pretty early if you remember the first regular episode “Bart The Genius.” It laid down the precedent continuing to this very day. Thanks to the show and Singh, I now understand and dislike SABRmetrics even more.

It really picked up in the last act, Futurama because this show’s primary writing staff was composed of science graduates: namely David X Cohen and Ken Keeler. Of course Cohen having written for The Simpsons and Beavis and Butt-head helped. Keeler’s run with David Letterman and The Critic weren’t anything to blow off. The most intriguing joke and concept I finally understand is how there can be more than one infinity. If you remember in “Raging Bender” the gang goes to the movies at a Loew’s Aleph-Null Plex. Probably not. I too didn’t understand the aleph-null symbol, infinity is represented by a figure eight lying on its side for me. When I watched the episode again with the commentaries, Cohen explained it yet I thought he said “olive-knot,” keeping me in the dark for many years. Singh explains in plain English; aleph-null represents infinity if you use whole numbers (0, 1, 2, 3…). Aleph-one represents the infinity between zero and one which is larger than aleph-null. Now I understand what scientists mean when they’re discussing different types of infinity. I always thought infinity covered it, there’s no real, practical difference. Oh yeah, I also understand the significance behind 1729. For that, you need to read the book.

Are Singh’s findings for everybody? Probably not. It’s still intriguing and maybe it could serve as inspiration to help motivate kids who hate math. I loved math. I just had trouble understanding how to apply much of it beyond Algebra II.

Posted in Books, Math, Physics, Reviews, Science & Technology | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

RIP: Mario Cuomo

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Steve

This Italian-American governor whose “liberalism” was out of step with the Eighties swallowing Reagan’s load of crap had often been the “what if” scenario of choice until his defeat in 1994. As you may watch from above, Mario gave a really good speech knocking St. Reagan’s “City on the Shining Hill” rhetoric, and I would agree, despite my family having to move twice during his first term, we weren’t living more prosperously. Too bad the best speeches for the Democrats are often given during the presidential elections they lose in; Cuomo in 1984, Clinton and Richards in 1988 and Obama in 2004; I don’t recall anything interesting in 2000.

The whole “what if” probably carried on from 1988 and 1992 because the Democrats were beaten by a blue-blood Republican and then a southern DINO who quickly ran to the center the day he nailed the nomination. I think Mario did the right thing by bowing out. Sure he was ridiculed as the Hamlet on the Hudson plus I loved Phil Hartman’s imitation of him in a skit showing a Democratic debate of who isn’t running for many thought Bush the First was a shoe-in after “winning” Gulf Distraction I.

“Four words on why I can’t run. I have Mob ties!”

No, he saw how Dukakis got ripped a new one and to me it had overtones of Stevenson. Nevermind that the American majority was descended from Germans, Italians and the Irish, it continues to back the WASP minority which has continuously been dragged kicking and screaming into suffrage reforms. The Stevenson element is most Americans hating intelligent leaders, therefore they back people with mediocre intellects: Eisenhower, Reagan and Bush II.

It’ll be a while before the more blunt publications bring up Mario’s actual record (The Nation, American Prospect) and I’m confident there will be back-handed compliments in the royal we from The Economist. Compared to how much the Democrats have handed the agenda to Wall Street, the DLC and NeoLiberals, Mario was too Liberal for America. Translation, he would push for legislation to have the rich pay their taxes while not gutting the nation’s infrastructure.

I think any legacy Mario did have was success for a first generation Italian-American in an era when morons thought we all are involved with the Mafia (Mario wasn’t anyway, it was a cheap/easy joke). The other is what a disappointment his son Andrew is, a mealy-mouthed moderate from the same bullshit mold as Arne Duncan, Obama and the Clintons.

Posted in History, Italians | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Feeling somewhat better, let’s see what Monday holds

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Steve

Other than a sore throat and a developing cavity in a back molar (these things are inevitable in life), I’m mostly over the flu. All the lost time to be productive and enjoy things down the toilet. I did manage to squeeze in an emergency appointment to see the doctor on Monday so I’m composing a review list of what was pissing me off, upsetting me, etc. It’s wise to do some homework given how expensive brain/mental doctors are.

The more annoying element will be jumping through the hoops for Apple’s disability carrier. I doubt any organization/corporation makes it relatively easy which is one of America’s huge downsides…don’t ever get sick here, or do anything that could harm corporate profit. I may just bypass the whole process if it’s less hassle. The money doesn’t matter much since we have emergency funds set aside such events. Believe me, Somara’ needing surgery while being on my insurance was scarier than anything I can recall in recent history.

One element I do enjoy these days over the past…having a portable computer. There’s only so much reading, sleeping and watching TV you can do. It’s nice to have a tool around to flex your brain muscles when there’s opportunity. Tomorrow and later on in the week I’ll find out if I’ll be spending more time with it

Posted in Health, News | Tagged | Leave a comment

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Steve

devilinbluedressLast vacation I picked the perfect book to enjoy, because I started it on the plane out and finished it before we returned! I rarely achieve this on vacation. I either get one started or manage to complete something I was in the middle of.

I wanted to read Mosley’s debut since it was Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins’ (his iconic character) outing/origin story. When I went to the book signing in 2013, Mr. Mosley was promoting the latest mystery Easy had to solve sometime in the Sixties which would make the character getting on in years. The good news is, I loved the book so I will definitely pursue this private detective’s progression through Los Angeles. I just need to find out how many canon stories are between Devil and Little Green.

Most of you all I know probably saw the movie 20 years ago starring Denzel Washington, Tom Seizemore, Jennifer Beals and rather unknown Don Cheadle. Why read the book? Well, Hollywood takes short cuts for time, simplicity and they hate it when the protagonist’s moral compass isn’t ultra-squeaky-clean for a mainstream flick. I’m glad to say the film did stay pretty faithful to Mosley’s novel. Maybe he wrote it with the adaptation in mind. I had a hard time putting it down. Mosley shares the same, tight narrative style his contemporaries Ellroy and Hiaasen. He sticks to the first-person narrative through Easy instead but he does it well unlike Ellroy (trust me, White Jazz gets a tad annoying).

I do recommend Devil. It’s a light read, meaning you could probably accomplish the whole thing over a weekend. It’s definitely a must-read for my friends who love Ellroy. I still think Mosley and Ellroy should do a team-up covering the Black and White perspective of LA during the late Forties, the height of LA Noir. Otherwise I’ll probably have to imagine Easy Rawlins trying to solve a case alongside Sgt. Jack Vincennes or Lt. David Klein.

If you don’t dig reading such stuff, then watch the movie at your next opportunity. I remember it wasn’t as cliché as I feared. I only wished the film had as much punch as LA Confidential or Out of Sight.

Posted in Books, Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

RIP Christine Cavanaugh

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Steve

To the world she’ll forever be known as the voice of the sheep-herding pig Babe, a movie I will never deny made me well up at the end. Sadly, due to a financial dispute EG Daily took her place in the weirder, unnecessary sequel.

For me Christine was the original voices of Dexter from Dexter’s Lab in the Nineties and Chuckie Finster on the run of Rugrats. Her obituary in the Times said she retired in 2001 to be closer to her family; explains why Candi Milo took over Dexter when it was revived under Chris Savino and I think Tress MacNeille handles Chuckie, nope Nancy Cartwright. Her Marty on The Critic was awesome and she definitely made Oblina from Ahh! Real Monsters unique.

The cause of death hasn’t been revealed yet; still, Christine made the world a better place with her voice and participation in what I feel is the Cartoon Renaissance we continue to be living through.

Posted in Diversions, Movies, TV | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Happy New Year?

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Steve

And so the calendar turns over to another year and I got to be ill physically and mentally again for it. Rather annoying too. I plan to move up my appointment with the doc since there have been some rather powerful forces gnawing at me while I’ve been stuck with my thoughts. Not all of it centers on work yet I would say it’s probably the crux, namely given the conclusion that I’ve decided I’m no longer training people who should’ve been trained long before they joined our organization, namely what is called “leadership.” Until I receive some solid proof of them helping me pursue my goals beyond praise, then I cutting back what I do since I’m calling in favors to look into other options. Apple has been decent to me, I would equate it with a marriage although my real one to Somara is working out better. Lately, if matters don’t improve, then I am willing to call it quits with my employer for the last 15 years. Other friends made the move and they often remind me about how stingy Apple is. It’s not the money for me, I often manage to get through with what I earn, it’s just the lack of advancement while I get told how instrumental I’ve been while once again, I have to integrate someone brought from outside. I don’t see how this is a serious compliment, especially given the handful of people they went with who quickly crashed and burned.

I’ll play it by ear…

Meanwhile, I stumbled upon the funny artwork to make this header. Truer words were never spoken when it comes to my former homeland. Recently I bought a book discussing how the US, really North America is 11 distinct nations within the borders of three polities. Illinois is covered by at least three from the map in the book’s opening. Given the illustration’s hair and terrible tastes in music, I would say Appalachia’s influence reigns supreme over Yankeedom or the Midlanders. I couldn’t find a large enough version to fill the entire space so I padded it with three favorite movies celebrating their 30th birthdays in 2015.

My resolutions are up and heading forward, I hope. Sadly, 2014 was a huge year of setbacks, namely my weight. It returned to the same amount it was in late 2007 thanks to illness, stress and general apathy. Financials could be better too yet they’re nowhere as awful as my weight, trust me, we’re looking pretty solid in the upcoming year. Our last time share deed will be paid in full by late Spring, then we can hammer Somara’s last student loan, improving the odds it will join the others in early 2016. I’m off to a roaring start on getting the KMAG archives podcasts back under way (as of now, WMAG1-4 exist alongside XMAS 1992 and a special project I owed a friend on turning 16). After #5, I’m going to give the sequential episodes a rest to resurrect the last great annual collection of hits I bothered to do, Austintatious 1994. I really ran out of gas in 1995 on with those tapes (with the exception of XMAS 1995) due to Austin being a more happening place, filled with better and more interesting distractions.

All those stories I promised near the end obviously fell through. They’re still mentally queued up and I hope to plow through. Meanwhile, the Comments ability on the site broke a few days ago. No idea why or how. I scoured forums but these people could’ve posted their clues/answers in Ancient Greek and I wouldn’t know the difference. Small wonder the majority just give up the ghost to use tumblr and blogspot. I did make arrangements with my friend Jeremy to transfer Picayune over to a more reliable server. Then I can wipe out the Mini in the house to just run QTSS…no wait, I can’t easily do that due to the calendars. Oh wait, I can. The key calendars were removed from the server a couple years ago, Somara and I only share one to keep track, this can be remedied quickly. Let’s see if I can gain greater reliability via Jeremy, then I’ll be ready to ditch AT&T when Google Fiber gets to Pflugerville.

Posted in News, The Site | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Rest in Peace Tim Hauser (belated)

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Steve
From AP/KRLU during their Austin City Limits performance in 1981

From AP/KRLU during their Austin City Limits performance in 1981

I feel like a complete jerk for missing this man’s passing (October 18) and in light of it being the 25th anniversary of when I got hooked on the Manhattan Transfer during a really upsetting time, makes his death even sadder. I only discovered that Tim died from a heart attack this week while casually reviewing those morbid recap stories covering who “we lost” in 2014. Seems he made the major news outlets I read so I blame myself for totally missing the announcements due to my pre-occupation with going to Dallas the following weekend.

Having seen Tim and the Transfer perform many times, plus listening to his funny anecdotes, I think he wouldn’t want to have any sadness. He was a man of great joy because he got the rare opportunity to do what he always wanted…sing, introduce people to old songs by his favorite artists from the past and make millions happy. I’ll readily admit his act was an acquired taste, don’t get my brother started, he has enough hate for the Transfer to fill my house based upon our discussions. However, the album Brasil won me over through WBZN playing on my newly acquired clock radio in 1990. Burglars had broken into my apartment over Christmas 1989 (a horrible memory) and stolen my key stereo pieces so the extra present Carrie gave me was it for music. I was totally burned out/annoyed with Milwaukee’s pathetic excuse for Rock and Pop music on FM, having been an intern at one station contributed. This left little choice since Milwaukee media was dominated by old people and blue-collar types trapped in the Seventies. WBZN, Milwaukee’s attempt at Smooth/Contemporary Jazz was it or the NPR affiliate WUWM. The staff there loved to play tracks from Brasil and Extensions.

Inevitably I became a fan and saw them at the first opportunity I had when the Manhattan Transfer came through Milwaukee after I graduated; for once the city’s older slant worked in my favor! What a show. Despite it being the same evening as New Kids on the Block at the nearby Bradley Center, these guys packed the Riverside Theater.

I never got to see the band again for 15 years because they didn’t visit Austin often and when they did, I was out of town. During my couple years in Bloomington (IL), I tried to catch them in nearby Urbana, asking Brian to assist since he was a junior at Illinois. As you could guess, Brian’s response wasn’t positive and it fell through before it even started.

My second decade in Austin was more fortunate. I got to see Tim and the gang a few times, three times from the first or second row! The last show in September 2013 was the most special because the band was doing a more retrospective showcase with displays of old photos, past costumes, funny stories and digging a little deeper into their catalog. Tim had back surgery recently so he apologized to the crowd for having to be seated for the majority of their performance. After the show, I went backstage to say hello to the music director Yaron, see how he was enjoying Austin. Meanwhile Tim and Janis dropped by on their way to the airport or hotel. Yaron kindly introduced me to them. I thankfully didn’t geek out. Maybe I should’ve if I could predict the future.

Tim is going to be missed enormously. I’m glad that Cheryl, Alan and Janis are going forward. Again, I think he’d want it this way. I do look forward to seeing who Tim’s substitute is. Likely someone who shares their love of Count Basie, Doo-Wop and whatever else suited their mood.

The Guardian did a splendid obituary for him, better The New York Times of all papers. Having a time machine to go back and see them perform for David Bowie in the early Seventies would be a sight. Tim’s in-between career as a New York cabbie would make an interesting movie. Not only did he meet his future bandmate Janis Siegel through this profession, he also met a member of Count Basie’s orchestra and probably a half-dozen other characters. Given how scary NYC was in the Seventies, he was also lucky not to be murdered.

Farewell (belatedly) Tim. Thank you for all the stories (my favorite was when he met Ray Benson at the Grammys), thank you for helping me ease into other genres and most of all, showing me that not all Jazz was boring or elitist.

Posted in Brushes with Greatness, Music | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Richard Horvitz

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Steve

richardhorvitzThis Holiday Season I’m closing out all the Brushes with Greatness I procrastinated about and boy howdy there’s a slew, one that’s a couple years behind that I have no excuse to putting off.

I will start with this gentleman because we have the same birthday and he wished it to me via the autograph from Invader Con 3.

Scanned Document

As you can see from his autographed photo, he is the voice behind numerous cartoon and video game characters you may recognize. Currently I would say the Skylanders game is his most recent gig, maybe some Ben 10 episodes. Invader Zim wouldn’t be the same without Richard’s voice nor Billy.

He was a hoot during the Q&A. Making up songs on his ukulele and covering Herman’s Hermits to quell a crying baby. Richard brought up one of the key requirements I’ve never really heard from other voice actors. You need to be a decent actor first, anyone can do goofy voices, it’s why DJs don’t make the cut. I think Richard’s stronger stage and singing background helped immensely.

Posted in Brushes with Greatness, Diversions, TV | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Here’s the loot was gave out, part one

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Steve

This year is a quick gallery of the gifts the Maggi Republic sent out to our friends’ kids. One thing I was hellbent about in 2014 was not giving money or generic gift cards, namely to the offspring we have closer ties to via their parents, biology or marriage. I’ll kick off with Nelson’s three sons, his daughter Ariana will come later because her stuff has yet to arrive per se. Then comes Sonia’s children who are a little trickier thanks to luggage restraints. So what did I shoot for? Things that’ll last. Gifts with a more personal element to them. I don’t need to receive ongoing thanks but I don’t want to be perceived as some kind of remote ATM who knows little about their interests.

It may be a team I don't care for but Nic wears it well.

Nic wears it well for a team I disdain.

Lucas may receive some boos from fans of a certain 5-10 team but this is what he wanted.

Lucas may receive jeers from fans of a certain 5-10 team but this is what he wanted.

Can't go wrong with Legos and Batman as Marcus demonstrates.

Can’t go wrong with Legos and Batman as Marcus demonstrates.

I totally agree that anything you can label a necessity is a gift but goofy socks was the agreement.

I totally agree that anything you can label a necessity is a gift but goofy socks was the compromise for Julia.

Lucas here made out better than Julia with these Star Wars minifies I sent. I followed up with a short story for three of them.

Lucas here made out better than Julia with these Star Wars minifigs. I followed up with a short story for three of them.

I do want to follow about Julia’s socks. I’m one of the first people who would say these were a lousy gift. However, her mother (Sonia) and I discussed what was feasible in the return luggage (international flights aren’t cheap with baggage). The other concession I did manage was getting something more unique and whacky. I lucked out via Hot Topic, scored three pairs: Harry Potter, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Batgirl. I doubt at least one isn’t known in Switzerland. I also wrote an e-mail to Julia letting her know that I’ll make it up to her when she visits me in Austin in the near future. Maybe when I get my useless Vegas-driven ass in gear and visit Basel, I can take something in my luggage to give Julia in person.

Posted in Pictures | Tagged , , | Leave a comment