May 27, 2009 at 7:55 pm (Filk, Jason, Jonathan, T-Bob)
I got a call today to take T-Bob home and wash him. That’s not what they said, they said he had body odor. I went to pick him up and while I didn’t stick my nose in his pits or anything, I could smell his feet. Ew.
So we went to Walgreens and got foot products and, while we were there, got other hygiene products (body spray and shower gel). I powdered his shoes and added “odor-eating” insoles for good measure. The powder cut way down on the smell all by itself. He bathed (I am sure they expected that, so I insisted) and put on a clean shirt and went back to school.
Now, I agree people shouldn’t have smelly feet, but When I Was In School…
***
In other news, I wrote a song for my two best friends in the world, Jonathan and Jason. I really love these guys and they have been there for me, in different ways, for years. I posted it here. The amazing thing about it, from my perspective, is that someone offered to write music for it (It scans to Snowbird, which doesn’t fit the mood). I am overwhelmed. Melody has always been the tough part for me. This is the same someone who semi-regularly performs my pitching shanty. Go, me, go!
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May 23, 2009 at 2:13 pm (Baseball, Sim Leagues, Writing)
Over the last few years, starting in November of 2006, I’ve been writing blogs for my players. Even some in leagues that didn’t “make”. I have fifteen bookmarked plus a couple more.
Some of these blogs have over fifty entries. Everything from how to throw specific pitches to recipes, to soft core porn. But one thing most of them have is a story about being drafted into a baseball league. I’m thinking of going through and collecting these stories and maybe creating a compilation of some kind. I’m not sure what I would call it. Or who, if anyone would be interested in it.
I’m trying to join a writers group — I’ve e-mailed them but have yet to hear back. It’s been a couple days only so I should be patient. Some people only check e-mail once/week. But I expect these people would have ideas on what I could do with something like that or if it would be worth the effort of organizing it.
I’m working on the chaptered thing. It’s a series of puzzles. How do I…? And the solving of one makes it breed into two or three other things I have to solve. I’m stuck right now on the technology of something. I’ll get it, but probably not today. That’s okay, I have to get my protagonist through dinner first.
When I blogged for my players, I was graded and the grade was based on length so I would keep an eye on the word count and keep going until I hit the magic 350 words. I’d go past occasionally but generally, the blogs are about that long. It’s weird to not have to worry about that here.
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May 22, 2009 at 2:49 pm (Weight)
That’s About the Size is a song from Sesame Street about perspective.
I guess that’s where I want to start today. I’m smaller than I once was and bigger than I’ll be. But it’s a matter of perspective. If I say I weigh 238 pounds, it sounds a bit big. When I say I’ve lost 18 pounds, that puts another spin on it. In practical terms, I can pull my jeans up and down without opening the fly. I can wear size XL again but it’s still a little snug. That’s *mens* XL.
Women’s sizes to be intended to inflict harm on the self esteem of poor women. My bra from Lane Bryant, a “mall store” is a size 40DD but the ones that fit me at Walmart are 42DD. And I wear a 3x women’s blouse/shirt, though it’s looser. I remember 20 years ago my feminist friends telling me this, but I sorta scoffed. It’s not that I didn’t believe them, it’s that I didn’t think it was particularly important. I also heard that the number sizes worked the same way. So a size 6 at Macy’s is a size 8 or 10 at Walmart.
***
How am I losing weight? I’m eating less. An ultimate meal replacement shake has 170 calories. On a 1500 calorie diet, you could drink 9 of them. Not that I am, but that’s a comparison.
I drink one for breakfast when I remember — I grew up not eating breakfast and it’s a hard habit to learn. I drink one for lunch. Then I have a reasonable portion of dinner, plus a little snacking off what I’m making while I cook (last night I had some bell pepper from Bayou Stew). About an hour before dinner I take a hoodia supplement. Sometimes, in the morning or afternoon, I’ll have a 100 calorie snack thingie.
Bayou Stew is a sorta fake New Orleans recipe. No okra. You serve it over rice. It has sausage and chicken and peppers and some onion.
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May 21, 2009 at 5:06 pm (Andromeda, Baseball, Bring the Heat, Graphics, Iker)
I made two sigs yesterday. Jessica Scott and Jorge Vincenzio. I really like Jorge’s sig.
For those who don’t know what those are, they’re for use as a signature on an online forum. They are pictures of real people with the names of fake simulation league baseball players attached. They’re supposed to represent, graphically, the fake players.
The league these are is called Bring the Heat.
I started doing one for Tommy Primeaux, my third player, but I can’t get it how I want it.
***
I need an idea for a song to work on but don’t have any right now. I have a couple of half-ideas but nothing ready for tinkering with.
So I’m working on the geode project. For those who don’t know, it has chapters so it may evolve into a book. I had to tear out a chapter and throw it away and write an all new one. (That is not the same as revision.)
***
I called the court to find out whether we had to appear or whether we could pay a ticket. There is no record of her case yet. This reminds me a lot of the Gonzales County issues with Andromeda. The clerk told me to try again next week and also I may be sent something in the mail.
Speaking of Andromeda, she wanted me to purchase packing peanuts for her. And I have no money. I just put a bunch into Iker and T-Bob’s lunch accounts. So I suggested she pop some popcorn and put it in zipper bags. She’s going “Ew, gross!” but I explain that she isn’t going to eat the popcorn and the bags would keep the popcorn from getting into whatever she’s packing. So what did she do? She had her boyfriend in California buy packing peanuts and have them sent here. Wow. They cost as much to ship as they cost to purchase.
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May 21, 2009 at 4:19 am (Baseball, Filk, Iker)
Iker is a truant. I have the piece of paper demanding my court appearance with her (well, either me or Jonathan and he has a paying job…). I’d like to get indignant about it but mostly I’m just tired of the whole school year. I’m tired of nagging people about homework and making sure they get on the bus and putting money in their lunch accounts.
In other news today, I was correct about Iker’s award being for her presence on the honor roll. At the ceremony, I’m afraid I was distracted. I wrote a filk of Billy Idol’s White Wedding called Hey Batter-Batter. I couldn’t come up with something reasonable for the bridge so I just left it out.
Over on rec.music.filk, Arthur T posted a real nice elegy for a filker to be sung to the tune of The Rose as performed by Bette Midler. It’s absolutely lovely. But I was reading it and something snapped in my mind and I heard the tune for Sink the Bismarck. There are were a few syllables that don’t quite match if you cross those songs but they fit remarkably well.
Someone I know who professes English says I write dialog well. I’ve heard from other sources that dialog is difficult for most people so I think that’s a cool thing. She read a story I’m submitting for a contest, but none of what I’m workng on now.
The story I’m working on now features the opening of a geode and I have reached a dilemma with how to proceed. Certain things will depend on what method I use to open it. What I really need is an hour with someone who knows. I’m corresponding via e-mail with someone but I think my questions are falling into their spam folder. Blech.
Okay, when I started, I wasnt’t tired but I am now.
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May 20, 2009 at 2:02 pm (Andromeda, ApolloCon, Family, Iker)
I intend to write stuff here that no one’s going to read in a place no one can find.
That’s exaggeration. I’m not sure what I’m going to write here but I’m going to try to write a little something everyday. We’ll see how that holds up.
Today I’m writing about Iker’s awards ceremony. Iker is receiving some kind of award and all I have is a brief three paragraph letter. One paragraph is about the where and when. The second is about appropriate attire. The third is a one-sentence expression of their hope that we attend.
I imagine it’s related to Iker being on the honor roll. Needless to say, I’m very proud of her.
Andromeda got the word on her plane tickets to California. And she got her new phone but it won’t be activated until she’s talked to her dad.
I’m thinking we might celebrate by going out to a real restaurant, though that may not be feasible with it being ApolloCon month.
If you’re reading this and have not checked it out, visit the ApolloCon web site.
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