Future Poltergeist

We crossed 100 degrees today in Minneapolis. Was surprised to hear that it's the first time it's done so in eleven years. That's right, July 13th 1995. And I actually remember that stretch of weather. I'd just moved up here in late May. With Hans as a reference I got a job cooking at Pizza Hut. (That's where I met Jodi for those keeping score.) I didn't have a car, so I walked to and from Dinkytown every day. The air conditioner in our apartment was pitiful at best. There's an excellent chance that on that previous 100 degree day I walked back down to the Hut to do a crossword and have some 'za where it was cool. BTW, I still had my beautiful ponytail (sob).

From the incomparable Lileks . Just read and enjoy.

Had some time this weekend and didn't want to go outside so I rented some movies. Picked up a couple from last year that I didn't get a chance to see in the theater. Howl's Moving Castle I've been a huge fan of Miyazaki's ever since I first saw 'Princess Mononoke'. He creates gorgeous animated landscapes and weaves interesting complex stories. His stories usually feature people with conflicting interests rather than the more conventional good vs evil of most Disney films. This film centers around a young girl who has been put under a spell that's turned her into an old woman. She heads out into the wilderness and finds an scarecrow that hops around pogo style. They find shelter in Howl's mobile machine (castle). It's powered by a fire demon (Billy Crystal!). It turns out that most everyone is under some spell or other. And they must help each other to have them lifted. Loved this one. Broken Flowers This is a Bill Murray movie in the sam...

The FP Gal and I sometimes compare our childhoods. My memories of growing up in Austin are pretty good. I remember biking all over the place. We played football in the streets. We made up elaborate make-believe stories. We played 'gun' games (not cowboys and indians but spies and other spies). When weather was bad we played board games, a love that I still have. I was thinking about all of that while reading this . It's an article about how the parental urge to protect children is going too far. And how that's screwing up children by delaying their adulthood. Adulthood no longer begins when adolescence ends, according to a recent report by University of Pennsylvania sociologist Frank F. Furstenberg and colleagues. There is, instead, a growing no-man's-land of postadolescence from 20 to 30, which they dub "early adulthood." Those in it look like adults but "haven't become fully adult yet—traditionally defined as finishing school, landing a ...

Every year I let this go too late, but not this year. I've already set up the Yahoo Pro Pick'em league for the upcoming season. Go to this page here to sign up. You'll be joining an existing group. The Group ID # is 5098. The password is: ozzieboy. Same rules as last year. Spread the word, the more the merrier.

Inspired by Jodi's heartfelt post , I thought I'd put up a couple of interesting psych games. For this you'll need a pencil and paper. Or a pen. Well, some kind of writing utensil. Ok? Think of your favorite animal. Choose a type of animal, like a chipmunk, rather than a specific animal, like Ozzie. Write down three adjectives that describe that animal. Next think of your favorite color. Write down three adjectives that describe that color. Got it? I'll explain what these mean in the comments. I'd leave my own examples, but knowing what the test measures kind of screws that up. For the record my favorite animal is a tiger and my favorite color is royal blue.

Well, the last three weeks have really sucked. For the sake of marital bliss, I'm toying with a baseball blackout for the next week or so. But...I'm not giving up hope yet. After all, I've got this to keep me sane. (If you ever watched 80's videos, click the link.)

The FP Gal and I are starting to plan us a little road trip. Well, not sure how little it'll end up being. We're both hoping to add a state or two to our personal travel history. Anyway, it made me think of a curious discussion item I ran across a few years back. What's the ugliest state you've been to? Mine is a two way tie between Kansas and North Dakota. Therefore I'm taking them out of contention. Pick a different one Jodi. UPDATE: I must have gotten it from here . Note the times, mine was posted first today!

As I mentioned, the FP Gal and I met online. We both feel it's a good method when it works well. Seems it didn't work out well for this guy (h/t Corner ). Wow, I can only feel pity for any girl that he finally does end up with.

The FP Gal left a nice newsy post on her blog today. Most of it's about our finances and whatnot. But buried within is this little nugget, I made an appointment to get my first ever professional massage (gift from Rachel W.) I'm told it will become an addiction. The FP Gal and I met online back in 2004. My tag was 'Sweetest Guy You'll Ever Meet'. Don't laugh, it worked. Anyway, inside of my bio I added that I was a 'champion backrubber'. This was a bit of fib. I give good backrubs, but they've never been recognized by any kind of judging body. (Er, by 'judging body' I mean a group of people who make judgments.) Well, the backrubs were used more often in the early part of the relationship, I'm sad to say. They don't happen often enough anymore. In fact, she's now looking for outside help with them. I take this as a direct challenge to my skills. Next, she'll find someone else to hog the TV watching baseball and ol...

Just talked to my Grandma. After months (five?) of being in hospitals and rest homes she's finally back home. She's in excellent spirits.

So Sana was spending a long time in the litter box. (No, let me back up. About six months ago we found a really good deal on a automatic litter box. It's a little larger than a regular box. There is a sensor inside of it so ten minutes after a cat leaves it activates a scoop for the cleaning. And the important part for our story is that a privacy tent covers the entire thing.) So, Sana was spending a long time in the litter box. Ozzie was taking notice, hanging out by the entrance. As Sana was finishing up, she started patting the flap on the tent. Ozzie became very alert. Started acting like he was stalking. Finally, Sana popped out. The little bitey one immediately jumped on her. The moral? Don't take too long in the bathroom or the paw of judgment will descend.

So a young Amish mother (Kelly McGillis) and her son (Lukas Haas) are traveling through Philidelphia when the son witnesses a murder. The killing is sudden and brutal. The Amish are pulled into the police system in hopes of indentifying the killer. They are placed under the protection of detective John Book (Harrison Ford). The boy identifies a fellow policeman and everything falls into place. Book must get them out of there. As tries to get the mother and son away he gets into a shootout and becomes wounded. Where to take them? Back to their home and hope that they can get lost within their community. Once he arrives, his wound overcomes him and he's taken in to heal. What follows is a race. Can he heal quickly enough to get away before they find him? Can the crooked police find him in such an alien community? Will love blossom in the meantime? This is a great movie. One of my favorite moments is a barn raising scene with very very good music by Maurice Jarre. Also of...

This movie is set around the turn of the century in the South. It opens with two sisters playing in a field, obviously very much loving each other. As the leave the field we see that one (Celie) of them is pregnant. Soon we learn that her daddy knocked her up. This is her second child by him, both of them were then given to a seperate family. The story shifts and we find that one of the other men in the community has taken a liking to her younger sister. He approaches to ask for her in marriage but her father says no, take the older one. And so the sisters are seperated. But only briefly, as the younger girl quickly joins her to get away from their father's plans. Well, out of the pot, into the fire as they say, Celie's new husband wants his hands on her too. And on and on. The life of black women in the south at that time was far from easy. This movie jumps from injustice to injustice; beatings, adultery, incest and of course, racism. This is a Speilberg film and it...

Don't go to San Antonio .

Slow week from me huh? Just haven't felt like blogging. Three reasons. First it's been hot, humid and still for most of the last two weeks. That combo takes it out of me. Give me some clouds and drizzle. (Actually we had a nice thunderstorm Wednesday morning but I need more.) Second, I've had to fight traffic while coming home from work. 55 minutes to go 11 miles is just wrong. Must be the smalltown boy in me. And thirdly, my White Sox have not been playing well the last couple of weeks. Ugh. But I'm still around and finding stuff I find interesting: I'm jealous of this guy. What an amazing adventure that must have been. (Make certain to watch the video.) When planning a wedding, please be careful of the sports fans. Here's an article that will make that planning go a little easier. (I don't agree with all of it. I'll miss any college football game you want me to. But at the same time, keep your eyes off of the first few Saturdays in Oc...

Last week I mentioned the FP Gal's habit of cooling pop in the freezer. After several mishaps we've put a bit of tuperware in there to protect the rest of the food. Well...we had our first casualty this weekend. The tuperware came through fine but the pop can is ruined. Good news, she got to have a few spoonfuls of Dr Pepper slushie. She'd like to add that it didn't explode after just an hour. It took about eight hours. My question is simple, if you're checking on the pop to time when it explodes why not just take it out? Maybe some kind of science project. Speaking of kitchen happenings, my onion bagels didn't make it through the day. The crime scene was analayzed by the resident wife and it was determined that a team of feline roughians got them. We think Ozzie knocked them down from the counter and then Sana finished them off on the floor. Poor things. Now I have to use the Garlic & Herb cream cheese on something else. I mentioned that I'm ...

Very good post here from Varifrank (h/t Instapundit). It's concerning flight delays and the safety crews that sometime cause them. One of his flights was delayed for eight hours causing him to be four hours late for a meeting. His reaction? Calm. But here's the real reason I am taking a position of peaceful zen like quietness . I want a flight crew who takes the time and effort to look at information and make clear headed decisions about whether we should fly or not. I do not want to help create conditions where the flight crew or the company feel pressure to fly when they probably shouldnt be. I'd love to forward this to every corporate traveler we book for. It's too easy to lose perspective when faced with a flight delay. The safety of the flight must take priority over anyone's meeting. Some things to keep in mind: Delays happen. They happen unexpectedly. They happen because of leaking fluids. They happen because of weather. They happen because the a...