Yahoo! News - Moscow bans "morally damaging" Halloween

Yahoo! News - Moscow bans "morally damaging" Halloween

From the article

"The (Russian Orthodox) Church knows from its spiritual experience that you cannot associate with evil forces in jest," said Church spokesman Vsevolod Chaplin."

Yeah, like Rasputin. Man, was he a bad idea.

Friday 5

This week's Friday Five topic, courtesy of Craig:

The biggest advantage to being a teacher is the time off in the summer. Yeah, the annual salary isn't the best, but I get two friggin' months off a year! Not to mention two weeks for Christmas, a week for Thanksgiving, Spring Break, and other assorted days off.

If you were paid for two months of not going to work, what are five things you would do with your time off?

As someone who hopes to enter the teaching field as soon as I can afford the pay cut, I have given this a lot of thought.

1. Make movies. I am training my crew. Merideth is Producer, I direct, Merlin in DP and Gavin is Audio. It will work out great in about 10 years. Making movies, while incredibly stressful and labor-intensive makes me very, very happy.

2. Travel. I really want to go everywhere there is to go and time is short. I also want to go to all the wonderful places I have already been to show my children.

3. Watch Movies. I really hate missing all the films I am missing. If I had my druthers, i would watch every movie that is released. I could easily spend a summer hidding away in a local megaplex or two. When the theatre is closed, I can then head home and watch DVDs.

4. Do Red Cross stuff. I am working to become an official Disaster Relief Volunteer and summers would be great for that. At some point, I hope to become an international aid aid volunteer and go to disaster sites all over the world.

5. Sleep. Sleep. Oh, sweet, sweet mystery that is sleep. I don't recall exactly what you are like, but I know I miss you.

Other F5 participants are: Melissa, Adam, Merideth, , Chris, Gina, Dave, Gord, Adrienne, Nanette, Marvin, Rob and Laura

NaNoWriMo.org Math

So, if Novel (N) = 50,000 words (W), and the plot of N can be broken down to three books (b)

then N=W and b=1/3(W), or b approx. = 16,000.

If b can be further subdivided by Chapters (c), and you have 16 chapters,

then b=16(c)

then

16(c)=1/3(W)

or

16(c) approx = 16,000

therefore

c = 1,000

So, all I need to do is write 1000 words per chapter for 48 chapters for 3 Books to get my novel.

This just can't be the right way to write a novel...

Welcome Laura to the Friday 5

Her blog can be found here.

Curse you, Google

I was checking my Google searches and found that I am 51 if you type in "do you want dirty pictures of my wife."

I would like to categorically state the answer is No. I do not want dirty pictures of your wife. Nothing personal. It just weirds me the freak out.

Go and ply you wife's dirty pictures somewhere else.

like here...

More Fool I...

As you might notice off to the left, I have decided to join the myriad of fools attempting to write a novel in November. 50,000 words. One Month.

Will I fail?

Almost certainly.

But it will be fun to see what I come up with in the meantime.

Yahoo! News - 'Iceman' Grabs Shark to Save Men

Late at night, when all the lights are off and everyone else is asleep, I lay awake and dream I am this guy.

'Iceman' Grabs Shark to Save Men

Captain Sigurdur Petursson, known to locals as "the Iceman," ran into the shallow water and grabbed the shark by its tail. He dragged it off to dry land and killed it with his knife

Friday 5

Dave wisps

I've been reading a lot about Neurology lately, and the rhythm's behind our thought processes. As if by fate, I came across this article yesterday that sums up one of the most insidious kinds of mental loops we all fall into. They're known as earworms.

"Earworm" is the term coined by University of Cincinnati marketing professor James Kellaris for the usually unwelcome songs that get stuck in people's heads. Since beginning his research in 2000, Kellaris has heard from people all over the world requesting help, sharing anecdotes and offering solutions.

"I quickly learned that virtually everybody experiences earworms at one time or another," he said. "I think because it's experienced privately and not often a topic of conversation, maybe people really long for some social comparison. They want to know if other people experience what they experience."

So, what are the top 5 "earworms" you've faced in your life?

1. Triangle Man - They Might Be Giants. The Unber King of all ear worms. The Earworm Master. The Cappo Van tutti cappo of earworms. I will be singing this for the rest of the day.

2. I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones. Ba Bamp Bam Bam Bamp, Ba Bamp Bam Bamp Bamp...

3. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - Mary Poppins. This one can last for days. I can also say it backwards, but that would be going a little too far, don't you think?

4. The Overture to Jesus Christ Superstar. Mainly the guitar riff. Usually when I am doing something I feel is cool, but which naturally is not.

5. Welcome to the Jungle - Big Daddy. If you have not heard of Big Daddy, they are a novelty band from the early 90s that took popular rock tunes and set them to popular 50s music. Guns & Roses Welcome to the Jungle to the Theme of The Lion Sleeps Tonight will haunt your cranium for days.

Also Playing...

Melissa, Adam, Merideth, Will, Chris, Gina, Dave, Colleen, Craig, Gord, Adrienne, Nanette, Marvin, and Rob.

Friday 5

Gina asked:
I don't have children myself, but I love to hear the knee-slappers that my godson, his siblings, and my nieces come out with. Or, for that matter, the "logic" espoused by the adults around them when speaking to them.

To whit, what are the most amusing things you've ever heard in a household with children?

Sorry for the delay, but this has been quite the tough topic for me. I realize this makes no sense, as I have two adorable and vocal children, but I am so accustomed to humorous statements coming from them that I don't remember particular ones very well. But here goes.

1. Any of the almost daily Barbie debates I have with my daughter.

"Daddy, can I have a Barbie"
"No, I told you, I don't like Barbies"
"But I promise I won't think I should look like a Barbie, I just want to play with a Barbie"
"Merlin, I don't like Barbies, they make girls think they should look thinner and act dumber"
"Mommy is thinner and I am not dumb"
"Ahhhhhhhhh"

My discussions with Merlin on the topic of cheerleading do not fare much better.

2. "Gavin, do not play with Daddy's toys"

3. Merlin is currently big on telling Scobby Doo stories to pass the time on car rides. She tells part of the story and then you tell a part, and you go back and forth. The ending is always done by Merlin, "Fred kisses Daphne and Velma and Shaggy and Scooby eat sandwiches". Parse that any way you like, but it sounds illegal to me.

4. Merlin "I want to sing with you, Daddy. You be Little Red Riding Hood, and I'll be the wolf"

5. Gavin, as I am holding a mildly fussy Alec "Daddy, you leave Baby Dumpling alone, put baby Dumpling back in your tummy"

See, I get these things daily...

Other Friday 5ers

Melissa, Adam, Merideth, Will, Chris, , Dave, Colleen, Craig, Gord, Adrienne, and Nanette, Marvin, and Rob.

"Hey Baby, Want to Light My Pyre?"

I have been prowling the forums over at NaNoWriMo.org, the website for National Novel Writing Month, in which thousands of people agree to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. You can't start before Nov 1 and you have to end by the 30th.

The forums are all the writers helping each other move the story along. My two favorite forums are

Crutches. Plot devices to move the story along if you get stuck. Apparently the forum chooses an Official Crutch for the year. Last year, it was having ninjas burst into whereever the character was. Before that, it had something to do with cabbages. Some of this year's nominees for official crutch are

- cannibals WITH time machines
- Velociraptors
- Dust Bunnies

And my favorite forum. Dares. Where authors come up with outrageous, obscure and pointless comments, characters, actions or plot points and dares others to include them in the novel. So, people are daring you to

- Have your main character refer to cheese at least three times, but only as a metaphor to describe another event or person
- to make a cat explode in your novel for no good reason
- have a character use the phrase "Hey, baby, wanna light my pyre?" as a pick-up line
- use the phrase "Jaunt of Terror"
- Make a Monty Python reference at least once every 5000 words.
- Write 2000 words about cooking an egg. Not eating the egg, just cooking it.
- Include a sex scene with one or more NPR figure (Sylvia Poggioli/Carl Castle slash, anyone?)

These should be some great novels...

I love this story

In 1998, Pat Robertson condemned the city of Orlando, Fla., for sponsoring a Gay Days festival, and warned that the city could be torn up during the subsequent hurricane season, as God punishes those who promote homosexuality. Instead, the first hurricane of that season (Bonnie) made a direct hit on Virginia Beach, VA. Home town of Pat Robertson.

And they say there is no God.

Friday 5

Today's Friday 5 is from Chris

People once thought that it was important for boys to study the works of the great Roman orators so that they would develop both their language skills and their sense of honor, duty and propriety. (This was a particular theme in the biography "John Adams," as the love of these boyhood texts stayed with the honor-bound Adams all his life.) I often think about the books that had a profound impact on me as a boy, because I came of age in a post-Watergate world. My tastes tended toward the sarcastic, ironic and humorous, and I sometimes wonder if I would be a different man today if I had read different literature as a boy. What if I was reading Cicero instead of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy? I seldom read biographies, but what if I was reading biographies of Lincoln and Washington and other "great men"? Would that have even made sense? Are the Roman ideals even relevant anymore, in our world of irony and instant gratification? Who are the proper heroes for boys? Should we strive to sustain the old ideals, or look toward a new formulation of them? Where should we find such ideals?

That's the background; here's the question. I want to expose my son to the very best literature as he grows up -- "best" being defined as "engaging his interest, challenging his intellect, and building his character." Based on your own life experiences, what five books would you recommend?


Man, have I been having a hard time with this question. I guess because I never think about whether a book engages their interest or challenges them intellectually or builds his character. I just give books to my kids because I liked them, and I want them to like them. It is all a pretty shallow process. I love stories of all kinds, and I want my children to love stories of all kinds. If the kids like a book, great. If not, we move on to another one and try again. The important thing is not what they read, but that they read at all.

Having said that, here are some suggestions, although this list will have to span over about 15 years.

1. The World's Religious texts. Old Testament, New Testament, The Koran, The Book of Compassion. I recommend finding annotated editions that treat the book as a scholarly text instead of as a religious absolute. These texts give people an understanding of a vast amount of people and can prepare them for the continually emerging global village. A person should know what spiritual paths are available, how they are different and how they are the same.

2. A Book of Mythology. I prefer Bulfinch's Mythology, but any will do. Not only are these great stories, but they are the foundation of understanding the whole of Western Literature.

3. A Midsummer Night's Dream. The gateway Shakespeare. Get him hooked on this and literature and theatre will never be the same in his eyes.

4. The Hobbit. The gateway Tolkien, but also the gateway fiction. My love of fiction springs directly from The Hobbit. This book showed me how a good book is supposed to make you feel. Excited, scared, joyous, mournful. This book taught me that words can create emotion, and that knowledge is what drives a love of books.

5. Lincoln's speech at Gettysberg. The best definition of the American Ideal I have ever heard.

Honorable Mention, and for later in life, include The Declaration of Independence, Killer Angels, A Brief History of Time, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Narnia, Perlandia, and anything uttered by Martin Luther King Jr, or Gandhi.

Other F5 participants are: Melissa, Adam, Merideth, Chris, Gina, Dave, Colleen, Craig, Gord, Adrienne, and Nanette, Marvin, and Rob.

Harry Potter News

Emma Thompson will play Trelawney...

This is ok casting, although I think I would have preferred Joanna Lumley for this role.

Today's Friday 5

By Me...

Melissa's quoting Heinlein a few weeks ago made me think of this topic.

Heinlein's Number of the Beast theorizes that all realities, even ours, come from someone else's imagination. And therefore, if you could learn to travel across dimensions it would be possible to find the worlds where every story occurred. The more fully realized story (and the better the story-teller) the more fully realized the world.

So,

What five fictional worlds would you like to visit once William perfects his inter-dimensional mini-van?

1. Moulin Rouge Baz Lurman. My brain lives in whatever world this movie occurred in. I want my life to be all-singing, all-dancing with astounding color, art and quick editing. I want scant but beautiful costumes, music emanating from nowhere and Kylie Mingoue to show up when I drink Absinthe. I want villains that will kill you, but can also be distracted by a Madonna song. I would love to be the penniless poet, and still have food, drink, a roof over my head and spare change for dancing with the Diamond Dogs. I want love songs to merge seamlessly in my head as I try to tell my wife how much I love her.

2. Middle Earth. . J.R.R. Tolkien. Really, any fantasy setting would do me just fine, but this would be my first fantasy choice. How I would survive, I don't know. I am not big on fighting, not especially quick and not very good at living by my wits. However, there is something to say about fighting something that is evil. 100%, unequivocally, evil. I find it very hard to find people in our world who are 100% evil. I know of many who are evil because of childhood abuse, or because they were taught to hate from such an early age that they know nothing else. But I don't think anyone is born hating people. Whereas Orcs are born hating you and would rather die trying to kill you than live and let you be. I would love for evil to be that black and white, because then I could fight it without reservation.

Also, I think I would look cool with the sword and the bow. Or I might pick a battle axe instead, axes look really cool, and with my beard in a ponytail. That would look sweet.

3. Tellus Tertius Robert Heinlein. This is the Utopia that Heinlein created for Lazarus Long and family. And, not to scare anyone, but the family dynamic on Tertius is ideal to me. A huge family of many people, working and loving together. It sounds great. Work is kept to what you like to do, everything else they have figured out how to automate. And this family helps each other in their diverse pursuits by applying a myriad of different skills. Basically, it is a group of good friends who have taken the next step. Plus, they have basically learned to prevent death from old age, which is a plus in my book.

4. Discworld. Terry Pratchett. In a nutshell, this world lives and dies by narrative structure, and narrative structure is really the only thing I understand. If all the rules of life were dependent on how good a story it would make, I could be king of the planet, until my evil nephew tried to off me, but I think I could take him. I would also like to meet Death, and get him on my side early. Plus, Granny would adore me, I feel certain...

5. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Douglas Adams. Zaphod and I would have one hell of a time...

Runners up include Star Wars and Narnia (which really count as Fantasy variations of Middle-Earth). Luna, Heinlein's Moon based penal colony (TANSSAAFL), which I could probably get to from Tellus Tertius. Harry Potter's world, but only if I were a wizard. Riverworld.

Also playing...

Melissa, Adam, Merideth,Chris, Gina, Dave, Colleen, Craig, Gord, Adrienne, and Nanette.

God Bless America!

I am so glad I live here and not a small town in Russia.

I think I know what Ghosts are.

And I don't like it.

Ghosts seem to be shards of memory that flash into your head for a brief moment. The memory is so quick and so non-descript that it merges with your present reality. What you are looking at and thinking about merge with the memory, and it becomes difficult to tell which is which.

This has been happening more frequently with Casey. I turn my head and for a second I see Casey, more probably, for a second I feel Casey. When this happens my brain shuts down. I see Casey and I get consumed with figuring out why my brain decided to use this time, this place to recall her. All other thoughts leave my head. Anything I needed to do for the day is forgotten. And with this happens more and more, I feel my brain closing. Becoming obsessed with Casey at the exclusion of all else. My life cannot afford this kind of singular obsession, I need to be here now. My family, my children need me in the present, paying attention to them. I have other goals, I want to finish editing my movie, I want to start planning a new movie to film. I want to help Merideth survive Grad School. But then I get a memory of Casey, and it consumes me.

It will get better. I think that the quickly approaching anniversary of Casey's passing has a lot to do with this. Something about being a whole year without her makes the reality of her death sink in a little more.

Until then, I have to focus. And I have to try to put Casey out of my mind, which feels like a betrayal. One she would understand, I know, but the line between never forgetting Casey and remembering that I have to keep living feels much too thin to walk right now.