Future Poltergeist

Ten years ago today, I started this little blog.  It grew and then became less but hasn't puttered out.

A pretty good list from Amazon .  I've already read 42 of them and have another 10 or so on my shelf.  I don't know if this link will stay good or not but I hope it does.

Next week the US Olympic Committee will decide if they'll bid on the 2024 Olympics (I'm betting they will) and may decide on which city they'll put forth to host.  There are four cities on the host list: Boston Los Angeles San Francisco Washington DC I've long believed that if the US bids on 2024, they will win.  The US hasn't hosted an Olympics since Salt Lake City in 2002 and no summer games since Atlanta in 1996.  Given the importance that the US has, particularly in funding, a 28 year gap is a huge one. So who gets the nod?  I have absolutely no insider knowledge but I'd like to make some guesses.  Pure speculation to follow. San Francisco is an interesting choice.  The Bay Area is certainly beautiful.  I'm guessing (I haven't checked into it) that there are enough venues in NoCal to satisfy the sporting requirements.  Between the professional teams (six?) and the number of big time colleges, there must be.  Throw in the big mo...

There is a very nice article here , listing some little known Christmas music.  It's heavy on choir music, which is fine for me.  The article includes YouTube clips of the songs and they've been nice enough to put them into a playlist, which can be found here. I don't think I know any of these, but I'm enjoying them.

This is my 30th post in 30 days and I've fulfilled the task.  True, some of the posts have been bare but I got many of the 'ideas' posts out.  I've still got some more so I'll post them in the next week or two. Did this restart my blog?  I doubt it.  It's hard to blog day in and day out without any audience.  And to be honest, almost all of that audience has fled to Facebook or elsewhere.  That's just how it is.

[Sorry, I got nothing.]

I fell asleep on the couch last night while watching a movie.  The cats woke me at 6a so I fed them and turned the thermostat.  I returned to the couch, half listened for the furnace to kick on and fell back asleep.  Around 7a the FP Gal came down and asked if I wanted to head up to the bed.  I did.  About 45 min later she woke me and told me that the furnace wasn't working. It got cold.  The lowest the thermostat read was 52 degrees.  I came down stairs and all three kids were bundled up on the couch, under about fifteen blankets.  The FP Gal called some repair people and made an appointment for the afternoon.  We watched some TV and then I took them to the Y.  After we were done there, the FP Gal told me to take the kids out for lunch. We got home at the same time as the repair guy.  He only needed about twenty minutes or so and he had it fixed.  We need to do a larger repair down the road, but this one wasn't too bad....

We went down to Austin today for Thanksgiving.  (When we told LL this morning he said, 'Austin? I like Austin!'.)  So we loaded up the car for the trip.  Apparently today was the coldest Thanksgiving in decades.  The windchill was below zero.  It made the trip seem much more like Christmas than Thanksgiving.  Hopefully the climate control will be adjusted soon as it's much too cold. We made it down there without any problem.  We could see plenty of tire tracks in the median.  I'm guessing that yesterday was an eventful day for the tow-trucks.  Once we were down to Austin we went immediately to Pop Pop's church.  We missed it on the last trip and DF was very angry with me.  We made up for it here.  The boys love the nursery room there so they played for a bit.  We had some small snacks. Then we headed to David and Donna's for another quick visit and then out to the 3B Eatery for the real meal.  Oh, Amy is such a goo...

It's late in the month and I don't want to break my streak but I don't have the energy to write up another idea.  So please, enjoy this picture from Bavaria.

For the start of the ideas series, go here . We used to have a mini-SUV but when we got pregnant with our third, we had to upgrade to a mini-van.  The van is fine, though it is often too big for simple parking or for mileage concerns.  But we had to go bigger, our car seats mandated it. Those with small children know what I'm talking about so let me explain it for everyone else.  When kids are very young (less than a year old) you can put them in a seat much like a basket.  You strap them in and then carry the basket out to the car.  This basket locks into a plastic base which is strapped in tightly.   The next step up is the more traditional car seat.  It's a full seat that is strapped in place.  It has a full back that extends up to the head and arm rests.  After a certain age (or weight gain) they go to a booster which is a much smaller piece that rests on the car seat and raises them to a height where the regular seat belt ca...

For the start of the ideas series, go here . Sometimes I fantasize about winning the lottery.  If this ever happens, I have some ideas of what to do with the money (including a great one about a giant map that I'm NOT going to share).  This idea would be kind of my way of giving something back to the world at large.  Since I'm unlikely (odds at least 4-1 against) to win the lottery, any wealthy person or group of people can feel free to rip off this idea. This is an idea about a high school for writers all over the country.  The student body would literally be selected from all 50 states and various territories and districts.  Each year of students would be around 220.  This would mean four from each state, two boys and two girls.  One of the intentions of this would be to create something of a support group for each incoming student.  The other twenty students would represent DC and other 'at large' students.  It would be a four year sch...

For the start of the ideas series, go here .  (I'll admit up front that I'm coming at this one from a place of ignorance.  I tried searching to see if this was being done and I couldn't find anything.  If I'm wrong, please let me know in the comments.) Sometimes there are special children who don't fit well in our school system.  I'm talking about the geniuses that skip through school and wind up in college as young teens.  In fiction, this is well represented by Sheldon Cooper but they exist in real life as well. It's my understanding that we don't really have a good set up for these prodigies.  I'm thinking of people like Ted Kaczynski and James Dallas Egbert III here.  Each of them started college very early and their lives became very messed up.  One of the obvious issues here is that college is set up for people aged 18-22.  That's a tough place for a 14 year old, especially if they have some socialization issues (again, think of Sh...

And now my birthday!  Another good year!

A big happy 40th birthday to my dear wife, the FP Gal.  I hope that this next year is simply wonderful!

For the start of the ideas series, go here . This idea was inspired by this story , about a company that uses a 3D printer to make cars.  If I understand it correctly (and I might not), they make a basic framework of machinery and then a shell is created to be on top of it.  And if I don't have that right, well, that's the way I'd do it. The idea is to make about half a dozen different basic car 'frames'.  These would differ a bit in size, with some being longer than others or perhaps a bit wider.  This would allow for smaller cars and recreations of some of the longer cars of the past.  Yep, the past.  Because the inspiration for the shell on top would be the classic cars of yesteryear. Just take a look at these cars from the 30's .  Gorgeous.  Simply gorgeous.  Some of them would have to be updated for safety reasons, no doubt, but the clean outside lines could be kept.  A recreation based on one of these would turn heads and brin...

While driving in the car with the boys... DF: Dad, do bugs poop? Me: Yes. DF: Where? Me: Oh, wherever they happen to be. LL: In their diapers? Me: No. Bugs don't wear diapers. LL: No diapers? Me: No. No one puts diapers on bugs. LL: (outraged) They . . . just have BOTTOMS?

For the beginning of the ideas series, go here . This idea is something of a take on 'American Idol', a show that I've never watched.  It's also inspired by various other shows that a) have people compete on creative output and b) kick one person out each week.  This would include shows that have focused on interior design, clothes making and dog grooming.  Much of the gamut of creative possibilities have been covered but AFAIK there is one big gaping gap. We need a show where commercials compete against each other.  This could go in one of two directions, or possibly both.  In one direction, you'd have aspiring folks that would make commercials for a product.  A panel of judges would talk about what they like and what they don't.  Then the audience would call in and vote for a winner (or a loser, depending on how you look at it).  Each week, one person (or team?) would be ousted.  Eventually a winner is crowned and given a gold ticket of ...

Winter has arrived and I'm having trouble adjusting. 

For the start of the ideas series, go here . Remember back when AFI did their 100 years series ?  They polled their membership, which included a broad sampling of movie people in Hollywood, and created a list of the 100 best movies in American cinema history.  The list generated a lot of interest and many people worked their way through it to see all of the movies.  It was a great idea, but it was only a first step. Someone should make a Movie Hall of Fame.  It would work in a similar way to the various sports HOFs.  Each year, selectors would vote on worthy movies and put them in the hall.  A building would be made and each movie would get its own exhibit.  This could mean a small collection of memorabilia and a poster and plaque.  People would come from all over to see the Hall itself, but the true value would be in the annual selection. Who picks the movies?  How many movies per year?  Would they be in different categories (drama,...