My Neck Of The Woods

So, I got up nice and early this morning and went out in pursuit of the extraordinarily elusive ungulate. While I was sitting there, freezing in the snow, at about 10:30 or so, a shot rings out right up above me. It sounded like a .22 or some other small caliber. Nothing unusual. Except that, after he shoots, the guy proceeds to travel around hooting and hollering for the next 2+ hours! I can't figure out what he was doing, he just walked around shouting "Hup-Hup-Ho-Hooey-Ho-Hup" and occasionally howling. He covered some ground two. He started out heading north from where I was (I never did see him, although I'd guess he was no more than about 100 feet from me when he shot), it sounded like he got quite a ways away...But then later, after I had headed south a ways down into a creek bed, I could still hear him carrying on, but now he was quite a ways south of where I was. I'd guess he walked at least two miles hollering like that. The only thing that I could think of is that he had winged a coyote. I had seen a whole bunch of tracks in the vicinity of his shot earlier.

Speaking of my neck of the woods, here's an oddity from my town:

That's right. In TL, you can pull a bottle of Coke out of a dead NASCAR driver's groin.

T.G. Aught-Five. Jagga

Thanksgiving was good as always. I think that the thing I like best about massive turkey dinners is that between the preparation and stuff-yourself-to-the-gills feasting, one can really feel like they've accomplished something. Here's some pictures, but check out Cindy's blog for more.


There is a subtle difference between these two pictures. Can you spot it?

Picture A: Cindy pretends to carve, Ethan looks on...Think "Better Homes and Gardens" cover or something. Picture B: Scruffy Brandon does some actual carving.

I usually don't get to eat in peace. Of course, Cindy never does, and at least cute pictures get taken when I'm being disturbed.

Picture A: Ethan's school "I'm a pilgrim" thing. Picture B: Want a treat?

Love Those 80's

There should have been a movie made in the 80's about a kid who got picked on a lot. But he still kicked a lot of ass, did it with the prom queen, and just wanted to rock out.

And this could have played during the credits.

And he could have worn a decepticon t-shirt throughout most of the film.

Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm A Lumberjack, And I'm Not Okay.

Because I'll be here at work until freakin' ten. With a headache. And I'll miss "Prison Break" (I'm pretty pathetic...). But I did coin a new word today...

"Suckulation."

As in: The water in the special FACS chiller is no longer moving. The pump must have lost all suckulation.

Simon and I tend to make up new words and phrases with some regularity. Unfortunately, it's usually when someone with a less than perfect grasp of the English language is in the lab asking us questions. So we have little doubt that some poor, foreign post doc or visiting scientist has used "binning issues," or "digital signal differential biasing (my favorite - think about it - those combined words = nothing)" in a talk, or suggested that a FACS operator somewhere else try "tweaking a pot." For other imaginary words, e-mail the hell out of Keith. (Okay, probably, don't, but I don't want to sound like too much of a self inflating genius). Keith taught me such useful terms as "torquetion," "grabbity," and "gription."

Woad to your mother.

(Blogger just tried to replace "freakin'" with "foreskin.")

What Does It All Mean, Basil?

As I was puttering around in the yard a week or so ago, something unusual caught my eye. Laying underneath what used to be the day lilies was a pink plastic bubble, of the variety that falls out of the vending machines one finds at supermarkets. Inside of said bubble was the most wondrous piece of plastic I have ever layed eyes on.


Santos...It rolls off the tongue.

Who could this penitent man be? After exhaustive research, I discovered that his name is Santos. Repenting after a life of crime because he is the last of four brothers left alive in the hood.

What does this mean? Why did this small harbinger of greater things appear in my yard? Is it from an errant child, tossing his toys out of the car window in a petulant act whilst traveling past my house? Are the neighbor's trying to tell me something about what they think of my way of life by bombarding my house with cheap trinkets? Am I supposed to get down on my knees and pray, because the shit's about to hit the proverbial fan? I guess it will all be one of life's great mysteries, that will no doubt haunt me until the end of my days.

Sign me,
Fascinated in the ADK's

What In The Samhain?!

Halloween was fun this year. The boy wore the same costume as last - going to a new school has some perks. The little one was a kitty. Much candy was gathered (go to Cindy's blog for a picture of that), very little candy was given out (see Cindy's blog to hear how we got rid of the stuff we'd bought). (Just go to Cindy's blog. You'll only get pictures and crappy humor here). Woad.

Oh, and yes, I'm still alive, employed, not currently on vacation, and handsome (kinda).

The pictoriographical representations of our Halloween celebrations:

I have no freakin' idea where that last picture came from. I don't even remember Flickring it...

Maybe we had so few Trick-Or-Treaters because our front porch was so spooky, in a very Martha Stewartish way.

Cindy got many Halloween related objects that were methodically destroyed by the toddler:

I've got some silent film of this episode if anyone's interested.


We like video games in this house...


He was three things: A kitten, a devil, and an angel.

Connor's interest in candy goes only as far as being fascinated by the garish wrappers.

Not much else new in my world, but boy it sure seems like I've been busy - work's been hectic, I've been going at the attempted deer slaying every morning I have off, and there's always something involving kids, pets, or the house to do.

Tune in next time, same bat-place, same bat-channel.
(By the way, if you're a geek like me, check out Batman Begins. Probably the best bat-movie made yet. If you're a geek like me, you've probably already seen it.)