The ravings of a Wolf Ninja

A question of the ages.... answered!

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:02:23 GMT

So, pony_sprite and I were talking in the car this morning. Which, should set off alarm bells to begin with.

But anyways, back to my point.

Santa Clause is based off of a real life figure - St. Nicholas.
pony_sprite then said that it must mean that Santa is a real person.
I replied, that, more accurately, Santa _was_ a real person.
pony_sprite, a bit concerned at this implication, chimes in with 'but his spirit is still alive!'
Which, I wholeheartedly agree - the spirit of Santa is definately alive.

Now, here's where the Ninja / pony logic comes in. So I invite you to come on a journey.

So given that statement, that Santa is a spirit (and for most of you, believing in spirits is either a truism or not that far a strech), then all of a sudden then idea that Santa performing the seeming miracle of delivering toys all across the world becomes a bit more feasible. If Santa, not being bound by an earthly body, travelling at seemingly impossible speeds is realistic. The obsticles of alarms and walls and no chimneys and BEING SEEN are moot.

(I cede the point that etheral beings are not usually know to be able to manipulate physical objects, and delivering presents that can be touched is a flaw in my theory. I also don't have an answer to where the toys come from (eBay, perhaps? ;-) )

pony_sprite also went one step further, and saying that since Santa is a spirit, then it's completely reasonable that over the course of a year, then the knowledge of finding out what everyone wanted (and knowing who was bad and good) could be gathered.

From pony_sprite

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:53:13 GMT

If I came with a warning label, what would it say?

(if you want to play along, post this on your own journal. If you don't want to post this on your own journal, then it's no skin off my nose :) )

Hee Hee Hee

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:23:33 GMT

Relearned something today that I had forgotten for *mumble* years.

echo %VARIABLE%
will return the value of the variable VARIABLE.

What I forgot...

echo %VARIABLE:~0,5%
will return the first 5 characters of VARIABLE.

echo %VARIABLE:~10,2%
will return two characters starting at the 11th position.

echo %VARIABLE:~5%
will return everything from the 6th character to the end.

Oh, how I love DOS and batch scripting :-D

Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:19:52 GMT

No. I can't root for the Nats.

But... Davey Johnson... I...

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AvY2gqEqAsPryTopR0x3c12pu7YF?slug=ap-nationals-daveyjohnson&prov=ap&type=lgns

Nationals hire Davey Johnson as senior adviser
By JOSEPH WHITE, AP Sports Writer
Nov 18, 6:08 pm EST

WASHINGTON (AP)—After years of working with national teams, Davey Johnson is returning to the Nationals.

The longtime major league manager joined the front office of the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. The 66-year-old Johnson will work as a senior adviser to general manager Mike Rizzo.

Johnson has managed and coached several U.S. teams in recent years. He was a coach under manager Buck Martinez during the 2006 World Baseball Classic and guided the U.S. team to the WBC semifinals this year. In between, he led the Americans to a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics, where he managed emerging phenom—and Nationals’ No. 1 overall draft pick—Stephen Strasburg(notes).

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 04:17:31 GMT

Here's a message that I'd love to see others repost - and embody (as a delayed response about the healthcare thing from Facebook from a few days ago)

"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die."

--Ted Kennedy
Democratic National Convention
August 1980

Wow. I had a realization.

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:34:03 GMT

Decoding hex (to decimal to char) is gematria.

Another 12". A whole foot.

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:47:36 GMT

That brings my total up to 67". That's as tall as I am!

Wow.

If it's not clear, it will become clear the next time you see me. *gryns* Or if someone asks nicely ;-)

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:08:12 GMT

babymako would be proud.

This morning, a guy in a huge Ford F350 passed by me, and I caught him shaking his head at me.

My initial response was to speed up to catch his gaze and give him whatfor, but instead I calmly said to myself that my existence in the world allows for people like him to exist as well, all in balance.

So, despite rumors to the contrary, I am still alive and well. Things have been busy at work, and that's where most of my LJ useage has been, so I haven't been checking in at all.

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:39:48 GMT

David Eddings passed away on June 2.

He, and his late wife Leigh, wrote several fantasy series. Of which, ~~I think~~ I enjoyed the most was the Belgariad / Mallorean books.

For me at least, their books are able to spin a very vivid and rich world. And this says something because I usually have a hard time visualizing.

Also, what makes the books very memorable is that in my great trek from NY to San Francisco (and then the reverse trip 5 years later), my ex wife read them to me while I was driving the U-Haul across Interstate 80.

To this day, I have a grey colored wolf in World of Warcraft that's named Belgarath. And at one point, I had a white owl named Poledra.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8085289.stm

Fantasy author Eddings dies at 77

Eddings said he was "a storyteller, not a prophet"
Best-selling US writer David Eddings, who wrote a number of heavyweight fantasy novels, has died aged 77.

Inspired by the success of the Lord of the Rings, Eddings penned The Elenium series, which follwed the adventures of crooked-nosed knight Sir Sparhawk.

His wife Leigh, who died two years ago, played a pivotal role in the creation of his work.

Publisher Jane Johnson said Eddings was "a towering force of modern commercial fiction, a master of the epic".

She added that the arrival of a new manuscript from the author at the offices of HarperCollins was "a grand event".

"In the 90s, each one was guaranteed a number one position on the Sunday Times hardback bestseller list," said Ms Johnson.

Eddings' other works included The Redemption of Althalus and The Dreamers series.

The author worked on secret US missile programmes until his first book, a contemporary adventure story, was published in 1973, after which he switched to fantasy literature.

He built his reputation on doorstep tomes, and once said: "I'm never going to be in danger of getting the Nobel Prize for literature."

"I'm a storyteller, not a prophet. I'm just interested in a good story," he added.

Fri, 15 May 2009 21:05:22 GMT

Well, I'm not sure if this story has made it to LJ or not, but...

Marriage Equality Bill Passes in the Assembly

On Tuesday, New York took one step closer to becoming the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage, when the Assembly passed the Marriage Equality Bill. Governor Paterson, a passionate advocate for expanding equal rights, introduced the bill in April.

Of the bill, Speaker Silver said: "This is a matter of equity and justice. New Yorkers should have the right to marry whom they chose. Partners unable to enter into a civil marriage, and their children, lack basic legal protections taken for granted by married couples," said Silver (D-Manhattan).

Yesterday, the Albany Times-Union called for New York to “seize the moment” and legalize same-sex marriage. You can read the entire editorial here.

For all the gamers...

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:25:46 GMT

Especially since most of my characters these days are clericish ;-)

Yay! Wait, what? Where? Yay!

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:31:46 GMT

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=asJflT83023w

April 3 (Bloomberg) -- The Iowa Supreme Court unanimously struck down a gay marriage ban as unconstitutional, making it the third state after Massachusetts and Connecticut to allow same sex couples equal access to the union’s legal protections.

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:33:58 GMT

Email seems to be back and working again (but only from webmail, and not through an IMAP connection - weird).

So to be safe, sending me email to both addresses would be aprpeciated.

Thanks!

Voice Post

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:24:01 GMT

Voice Post

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:14:27 GMT

I don't have my phone on me today.

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:36:05 GMT

So if anyone needs to get in touch with me, email or IM is gonna be your most reliable way.

LJ will work too.

yoink Stolen!

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:40:53 GMT

- Describe me in one word... just one single word. Positive or negative.
- Leave your word in a comment before looking at what words others have used.
- Then post this meme to your own journal, if you feel like it.

OK. I can get with this. :)

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:28:51 GMT

Your Ideal Vacation is Prince Edward Island

On an island vacation, you'd really like to immerse yourself and get to know the locals.

You enjoy the idea of spending time in a small, remote locale... especially a beautiful one.

Whether you're sipping tea or enjoying the beautiful countryside, Prince Edward Island is perfect for you.

It's so authentic and homey, you won't mind that you're not in the tropics.

What's Your Ideal Island Vacation?

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:16:29 GMT

There are few places that I trust to cook a rare hamburger. But Clyde's (of Columbia) is one of them.

It's a wonder why I don't do this more often...

(and yes, I understand the risks of eating partially raw meats; I've had sushi, tartare, and Ethopian food - loved it all - and am still sitting upright. That's why I'm selective about where I'll get a rare hamburger from)

It's 8oz ground chuck, and comes with lettuce and tomatom and fries.
The choice of cheeses are Cheddar, Muenster, Provolone, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Bleu, Mozzarella and American.
If you're so inclined, you can get it with bacon.
Or, you can get it as turkey or bison meat instead of cow.

There's something... thrilling... about getting a piece of meat, and that first bite... the cow blood mixed with spices and grease exploding in your mouth... tasting that... unique taste that comes with raw meat... feeling your ~~fangs~~ teeth sink into it...

Hmm?

Dukes of Hazzard lied!

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:46:06 GMT

Writer's Block: Found

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:50:58 GMT

As the old saying goes, one person's trash is another person's treasure. What's the best thing—chairs, roller skates, old electronics—you've ever found that someone else had thrown away?

View 501 Answers

Simple. The best thing that's ever happened to me. Del.

Not saying that Del is a thing to be grouped with chairs, roller skates or old electronics, but you sentimentalists out there know what I mean :-D

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:03:03 GMT

As we run out of hours in 2008, and anxiously await the arrival of 2009 (may the Universe decide that it be better than 2008), I wanted to wish my friends and family a new year that is filled with more joy than sorrow; more laughter than tears; more pleasure than pain (well, unless of course the two can go hand in hand), more simchas and nachas than tsuris.

I've had a year that has been filled with darkness, but also with glimmers of hope that, if the stones fall out in the right order, will continue into the new year.

I consider myself so lucky to be surrounded with people that have such a capacity for love and friendship.

Farewell, 2008. Your time (heh. no pun intended) is honored as a part of my past.
Welcome, 2009. I look forward to what you bring for the future.

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:32:53 GMT

Everyone's been getting updates from Del directly from the source, so I haven't been posting about her being in the hospital.

We are truly blessed by the community that stands up and supports us through difficult times. Almost everyone has wanted to do something to be helpful. For those that have sent good thoughts, and energy and prayers, we are very thankful. Healing thoughts, and restful thoughts (and energies that go torwards "convincing" the doctors that when Del is sleeping, to let her sleep is also a Good Thing (TM) ;) ), are always welcomed.

I know that there are many that have expressed interest in visiting with Del. As of right now, if there is anyone that is interested in visiting, either in the hospital or in the Dojo, please comment here, or get in touch with me via email.

One thing to note: Del has a PICC line that is in her arm. Without going into details, it's a direct line for IVs to get right to her heart. For those of you that are brave enough for medical specifics... But, this also means that if there are any live infections or viruses in her proximity, there is a MUCH increased risk of infection, and that infection going right to her heart. If you are planning to visit or come for the New Year's Eve party, please know that we want you here. But if you are sick, please think twice or three times about coming; a simple cold or sniffle might turn into complications that can be much more serious.

As of today, the New Year's Eve party is still going forward :) There will be more on that later.

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:51:52 GMT

Possibly one of the nicest electronic holiday cards that I've gotten this season

So thanks to everone that contributed for this cause - whether it be money, support, energy... every little thing helps.

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:27:17 GMT

I'm home sick today.

And yes, I did call the doc. ;P

The ravings of a Wolf Ninja

A question of the ages.... answered!

From pony_sprite

Hee Hee Hee

Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow. I had a realization.

Another 12". A whole foot.

For all the gamers...

Yay! Wait, what? Where? Yay!

Voice Post

Voice Post

I don't have my phone on me today.

*yoink* Stolen!

OK. I can get with this. :)

Dukes of Hazzard lied!

Writer's Block: Found

yoink Stolen!