...that my grandfather passed away.
i just got back home a couple nights ago and was up 'til all hours. without much surprise i needed a couple days recuperation time on top of getting ill from pushing myself so hard, but i'm getting ahead of myself...
on saturday, august 29th, i went over to see my grandfather for a weekly visit, dinner, and movie (video) as weve been doing for the past several months since my grandmother passed away last year. his health had been deteriorating worse in the last few months with multiple cases of aspiration pneumonia, delirium, and non-coherent speech. in essence we could see he had changed his mind once again and was giving up on life (something he had been deliberating for a while, off and on). unfortunately with his disease (inclusion body myositis), he just couldnt afford to be negative about such things- although he probably had little choice in the matter anyway.
shortly after we arrived, he became clinically unresponsive. he passed away shortly after nine on the following night. we watched him die. hospice was there giving him morphine regularly and everything was done to make hime as physically comfortable as possible and we helplessly sat there and watched him die. it was fairly peaceful for him. it was hard to take and still is from time to time.
we had planned a nice evening and even invited my grandmother's younger brother for a special dinner and a movie. sensing the end coming, we took special consideration to prepare my grandfather's more favorite meals so he could enjoy is last days as best as possible. my mom had even taken to hand-feeding him; he had become so weak. we chose movies that we felt he would enjoy. we ate with him in his bedroom so he could be apart of things virtually from start to finish since he couldn't move anymore. we also tried to get my uncle down more regularly and fortunately he was there when my grandfather passed. things probably couldn't have transpired better than they did in regards to how he passed away and yet my family is heartbroken with sorrow, remorse, and even some regret.
the aftermath was very difficult. we lived in their facility apartment during this past entire month. a lot of things needed to be done and a lawyer did most of it. the rest was left up to us and it was a strain, emotionally and physically. even now there are still a few remaining loose ends, such as canceling various subscriptions and whatnot. we successfully vacated the apartment by the end of the month, but after filling a 10x10 storage unit we still have so much that it was piled on the back porch at home with drop clothes pulled over. so that it can be brought inside in a more accommodating fashion. the lighter side is very little bickering was done over belonings- mostly my mother simply told my uncle he could have whatever he asked for (when he bothered to ask; mostly he just grabbed). since i don't have a home of my own yet i felt i had no place asking for any of the things that i spent more of my life growing around than they had, to which my mother disagreed with that line of thinking saying that i had just as much right if not more so than them as i grew up with all those possessions and dedicated a lot of my life helping them, interrupting things like college, work, and living at home off and on over the years to help both of my grandparents with their various needs. i felt more like a hyena that needs to wait after the lions are through. i didn't want to fight over stuff and i didn't really feel like divvying it up, either.
he was cremated a couple weeks ago as per his wishes. initially he wanted to be buried at sea since he was in the navy, but my grandmother wanted him to be resting with her so that was his concession, however after the way her body was handled/prepared, he decided emphatically that cremation was what he wished for himself. he will be receiving a full military honors service this winter; it was the earliest that could be offered. i feel like a lot of this is far from being over. being the rock of my family has been wearisome so i'm not surprised i became ill as soon as i got home. i hope maybe things can make a turn for the better now, but in all honesty i feel a little sad...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
health, health, and more health...
...or the lack thereof.
this month has seen more immediate medical needs than i care to see in a year. two weeks ago, i had to get a root canal- asap! yes, i have been putting off some dental work for over a couple years, but i had been managing pain control relatively well and then all of a sudden i could no longer manage it and i was tending to it practically on a minute by minute basis. i guess one tooth in particular just couldn't withstand anymore, so started coaxing my family to help me out with dental expenses, transportation, and that sort of thing. finally, i got an appointment and like magic the worst of it was over, however i am still suffering as a result of putting it off for so long (bone inflammation is slow to recuperate).
last friday saw a completely unexpected health matter. i spent the night at the emergency room to learn i had a kidney stone. i was in pain like i had never felt before and i cant remember the last time i was so ill. fortunately i don't have an infection, but it took forever til i was able to supply a specimen for analysis. i was fairly dehydrated although their charts didn't indicate it. i might add i am glad i didn't have to coax people into helping me with this situation. as it was i had suffered for hours before my mother got home from work. fortunately the hospital they took me to was pretty awesome (as far as that sort of thing is concerned) and i hope that if i have an emergency again that i am fortunate enough to go there.
now i have to take new meds, see new doctors, juggle appointments, and recuperate as best as possible. unfortunately i hadn't planned on any of this, but this is one of life's curve balls. i just have to learn to accept it and move on to the best of my ability.
this month has seen more immediate medical needs than i care to see in a year. two weeks ago, i had to get a root canal- asap! yes, i have been putting off some dental work for over a couple years, but i had been managing pain control relatively well and then all of a sudden i could no longer manage it and i was tending to it practically on a minute by minute basis. i guess one tooth in particular just couldn't withstand anymore, so started coaxing my family to help me out with dental expenses, transportation, and that sort of thing. finally, i got an appointment and like magic the worst of it was over, however i am still suffering as a result of putting it off for so long (bone inflammation is slow to recuperate).
last friday saw a completely unexpected health matter. i spent the night at the emergency room to learn i had a kidney stone. i was in pain like i had never felt before and i cant remember the last time i was so ill. fortunately i don't have an infection, but it took forever til i was able to supply a specimen for analysis. i was fairly dehydrated although their charts didn't indicate it. i might add i am glad i didn't have to coax people into helping me with this situation. as it was i had suffered for hours before my mother got home from work. fortunately the hospital they took me to was pretty awesome (as far as that sort of thing is concerned) and i hope that if i have an emergency again that i am fortunate enough to go there.
now i have to take new meds, see new doctors, juggle appointments, and recuperate as best as possible. unfortunately i hadn't planned on any of this, but this is one of life's curve balls. i just have to learn to accept it and move on to the best of my ability.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
dealing with dead relatives...
Sometimes you know them, sometimes you don't, sometimes you love them, and then again sometimes you don't. Most of my relatives are buried in the same place. Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my grandmother's death. It seemed all of a sudden to be too fresh for everyone. It's left me with plenty to chew on since.
My grandfather decided he didn't want to go after all. I think several thought motivated his last minute change of heart. I think my uncle was a little reluctant to go and had lowered expectations as a result. My mother went and had a dramatic reaction that I once again wasn't expecting from her. It was all very non sequitur from my point of view.
I wasn't satisfied with the end of the funeral last year. We were rudely ushered away several times. The tomb stone wasn't ready, The coffin was wrong. My grandmother had been prepared poorly in advance. I wanted to leave a parting gift- a mere token offering, which I couldn't do because nothing was ready and we had to leave. At least I got to do that much this year.
This year, I also took photos of all the grave markers. Both sets of my maternal great grandparents are buried in the same place as is a great uncle and my grandmother. My grandfather will be laid to rest here as well, when his time comes. Setting out some incense and taking a moment to have a few thoughts at each marker was enough for me. Things could have been better. Grass had not yet grown in the time that had passed since my grandmother's burial. I think we were all disconcerted by this fact, but my mother was particularly affected by this. All of her past feelings came rushing back to her. My uncle, who was seeking some sort of final closure, didn't find what he was searching for, either. The stone for her place didn't look right to me; I felt there were aesthetic errors. It also looked way too fresh and clean for my preference. Perhaps "fresh" is an apt word to describe how each of us had unhappily come to terms with the day's excursion. I think everything was just a little too fresh for everyone.
Then we went on to another cemetery where another great uncle of mine has been placed to rest. (I do not say "laid" as he was cremated and no longer had a whole body to lay.) His resting place is beautiful, peaceful, and serene. There is a wonderful calming scent that is both earthy and sweet. My uncle remarked that it smelled like his grandparent's house as a child. There is no stone present but rather a plate in the ground and my great uncle's ashes are in an urn placed under the plate. I think visiting his place last may have been a good way to end the day. I think it calmed everyone down and made them think of better things. Again I took some photos and left more incense.
It was a tiring day and we finished by reconvening at my grandfather's apartment and had dinner together. It stormed badly, just like it did last year and at about the same time as well. It seemed too close for comfort- like it was more than mere coincidence. Who knows? I felt tired and ill because I had exceeded the limits of my current sleeping pattern and I had been more active than I am accustomed to, not to mention I was feeling very motion sick as a result of all the driving around and sitting in the back seat. Not being in a car much anymore has made it worse, but particularly not being the driver is what makes me prone to feel ill like that every time. After a certain point all I wanted to do was get home, but it seemed like time still had to drag on another hour or two.
In conclusion, I think my uncle will eventually develop a sense of closure, but it probably won't transpire as he expects. I think my mother may never really get over my grandmother's death; I think it was just way too traumatic for her. She retains every thing with its corresponding emotion intact. Unfortunately, this causes her prolonged suffering when it comes to negativity in her life. I think my grandfather may never see her/their grave again. There is a chance we won't see it again either until he passes away and then after that I have no idea. Maybe no one will go to visit again. It took my grandmother's death to go this year and last year. Last time I was there was possibly more than two decades ago. With my plans to eventually leave the country, I should try for at least one more time. And with that thought in my head, I am left once again with the thought of how I might die, and what I wish to be done with my body and estate upon my death. Such thoughts are rather sobering...
My grandfather decided he didn't want to go after all. I think several thought motivated his last minute change of heart. I think my uncle was a little reluctant to go and had lowered expectations as a result. My mother went and had a dramatic reaction that I once again wasn't expecting from her. It was all very non sequitur from my point of view.
I wasn't satisfied with the end of the funeral last year. We were rudely ushered away several times. The tomb stone wasn't ready, The coffin was wrong. My grandmother had been prepared poorly in advance. I wanted to leave a parting gift- a mere token offering, which I couldn't do because nothing was ready and we had to leave. At least I got to do that much this year.
This year, I also took photos of all the grave markers. Both sets of my maternal great grandparents are buried in the same place as is a great uncle and my grandmother. My grandfather will be laid to rest here as well, when his time comes. Setting out some incense and taking a moment to have a few thoughts at each marker was enough for me. Things could have been better. Grass had not yet grown in the time that had passed since my grandmother's burial. I think we were all disconcerted by this fact, but my mother was particularly affected by this. All of her past feelings came rushing back to her. My uncle, who was seeking some sort of final closure, didn't find what he was searching for, either. The stone for her place didn't look right to me; I felt there were aesthetic errors. It also looked way too fresh and clean for my preference. Perhaps "fresh" is an apt word to describe how each of us had unhappily come to terms with the day's excursion. I think everything was just a little too fresh for everyone.
Then we went on to another cemetery where another great uncle of mine has been placed to rest. (I do not say "laid" as he was cremated and no longer had a whole body to lay.) His resting place is beautiful, peaceful, and serene. There is a wonderful calming scent that is both earthy and sweet. My uncle remarked that it smelled like his grandparent's house as a child. There is no stone present but rather a plate in the ground and my great uncle's ashes are in an urn placed under the plate. I think visiting his place last may have been a good way to end the day. I think it calmed everyone down and made them think of better things. Again I took some photos and left more incense.
It was a tiring day and we finished by reconvening at my grandfather's apartment and had dinner together. It stormed badly, just like it did last year and at about the same time as well. It seemed too close for comfort- like it was more than mere coincidence. Who knows? I felt tired and ill because I had exceeded the limits of my current sleeping pattern and I had been more active than I am accustomed to, not to mention I was feeling very motion sick as a result of all the driving around and sitting in the back seat. Not being in a car much anymore has made it worse, but particularly not being the driver is what makes me prone to feel ill like that every time. After a certain point all I wanted to do was get home, but it seemed like time still had to drag on another hour or two.
In conclusion, I think my uncle will eventually develop a sense of closure, but it probably won't transpire as he expects. I think my mother may never really get over my grandmother's death; I think it was just way too traumatic for her. She retains every thing with its corresponding emotion intact. Unfortunately, this causes her prolonged suffering when it comes to negativity in her life. I think my grandfather may never see her/their grave again. There is a chance we won't see it again either until he passes away and then after that I have no idea. Maybe no one will go to visit again. It took my grandmother's death to go this year and last year. Last time I was there was possibly more than two decades ago. With my plans to eventually leave the country, I should try for at least one more time. And with that thought in my head, I am left once again with the thought of how I might die, and what I wish to be done with my body and estate upon my death. Such thoughts are rather sobering...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
(repost) goodbye yahoo 360...
Having received word today that Yahoo 360 is finally shutting down, I thought I would pop on over here and see if there was anything lingering that I needed to transfer elsewhere. As things are, I have already reposted these blogs to a central blog I keep for everything now.
http://djsquelchandphaseshifts.blogspot.com/
Any blogging that I might do would go here first before being posted any sub-blog. How ironic I chose to do that for posterity. Also, my most pertinent photos and art are archived on flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/djsquelch/sets/
I have been a Yahoo member since 02/98. A lot has happened over the years and I have blogged so little of it, particularly here. I hope you will take the time to stay with the links I have posted in this entry. These are slices of my life and I hope you enjoy them as they come about. Thank you for sticking with me. Words cannot express my appreciation effectively. Goodbye to all things Yahoo 360 and see you later on the other side...
http://djsquelchandphaseshifts.blogspot.com/
Any blogging that I might do would go here first before being posted any sub-blog. How ironic I chose to do that for posterity. Also, my most pertinent photos and art are archived on flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/djsquelch/sets/
I have been a Yahoo member since 02/98. A lot has happened over the years and I have blogged so little of it, particularly here. I hope you will take the time to stay with the links I have posted in this entry. These are slices of my life and I hope you enjoy them as they come about. Thank you for sticking with me. Words cannot express my appreciation effectively. Goodbye to all things Yahoo 360 and see you later on the other side...
of goals and destinations...
While my life may be a work in progress, I do set goals for myself along the way such as completion of chores, accomplishing projects (which sometimes sit around for a bit first, gathering lots of potential energy), and short/long-term work that I wish to do for a living. Anyone who's followed me for a while knows of my pursuit in and commitment to music (spec edm) and most likely equally aware that I am working towards a goal of teaching English in Japan. I recently came across a blurb discussing flexible careers that also pay well and I was intrigued that teaching was actually one of the options. I have always considered teaching as an underpaid and thankless job meant only for those with a passion or at least a genuine interest for such a thing. I think that reservation may only hold up to certain levels, i.e. i imagine an inner-city elementary teacher will make less than a private tutor, who will make less than an undergraduate college professor, who will make less than post secondary teacher, for instance. I am sure there is a breakdown on salary rank based on various contingencies that is more clear, but I don't have that information on hand at the present time. The article I found did actually specify a level of teaching that is more monetarily rewarding and it gave me food for thought that while I am aiming for teaching that maybe i might give consideration to seeing how far I can go in such a field (a bit of a personal challenge, as it were).
"Post Secondary Teachers
Did you know that many college teachers and university professors are retiring? You'll work on a school calendar, with summer, spring, and winter holiday vacation time if you want it. Some professors only report to campus two days a week. They make up for it by the work they do at home, but not reporting to campus every day can lead to flexibility.
You'll need a master's degree to teach at the community college level and a doctorate in your field to qualify for tenure-track professorships at four-year colleges. Positions for post-secondary teachers are predicted to rise by an exceptional 12 percent through the 2006-2016 decade. 2007 salary averages were $98,974 for professors, $69,911 for associate professors, and $58,662 for assistant professors."
Source: http://education.yahoo.net/degrees/articles/featured_six_flexible_careers_that_pay_70k.html
On a side note, I would like to reiterate that I still have no intention o giving up on music and think that pursuing teaching will be rewarding in multiple ways, including financially facilitating my pursuit in music, which is also an underpaid career field- hey, why do I keep choosing underpaid fields as career choices!?
"Post Secondary Teachers
Did you know that many college teachers and university professors are retiring? You'll work on a school calendar, with summer, spring, and winter holiday vacation time if you want it. Some professors only report to campus two days a week. They make up for it by the work they do at home, but not reporting to campus every day can lead to flexibility.
You'll need a master's degree to teach at the community college level and a doctorate in your field to qualify for tenure-track professorships at four-year colleges. Positions for post-secondary teachers are predicted to rise by an exceptional 12 percent through the 2006-2016 decade. 2007 salary averages were $98,974 for professors, $69,911 for associate professors, and $58,662 for assistant professors."
Source: http://education.yahoo.net/degrees/articles/featured_six_flexible_careers_that_pay_70k.html
On a side note, I would like to reiterate that I still have no intention o giving up on music and think that pursuing teaching will be rewarding in multiple ways, including financially facilitating my pursuit in music, which is also an underpaid career field- hey, why do I keep choosing underpaid fields as career choices!?
Friday, May 29, 2009
beware of unauthorized transactions...
Today, I was checking my bank account online and came across a transaction I did not recognize.
05/27/2009 ACH Transaction - Web Revenue Svc 4242390433 $14.95-
Some of you may have seen this before. Some of you may see it soon. I ran a few searches online. The White Pages reverse phone number search didn't turn up any results, but Google said the area code 424 is Santa Monica, California. I also turned up a very interesting search result for "Web Revenue Service."
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-424-239-0433
Guess what? Some creep is randomly conducting unauthorized account transactions. Guess what else? People are irate and I figure it won't be long before this criminal is brought to justice. Banks in particular do not take this sort of garbage lying down. My bank has already heard from me twice about this. I expect a satisfactory resolution and that is not negotiable.
So check your statements and your caller id's regularly! I have no idea how this person is getting everyone's account number, but s/he is currently actively stealing money on a frequent and regular basis! Let's put an end to criminals like this...
05/27/2009 ACH Transaction - Web Revenue Svc 4242390433 $14.95-
Some of you may have seen this before. Some of you may see it soon. I ran a few searches online. The White Pages reverse phone number search didn't turn up any results, but Google said the area code 424 is Santa Monica, California. I also turned up a very interesting search result for "Web Revenue Service."
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-424-239-0433
Guess what? Some creep is randomly conducting unauthorized account transactions. Guess what else? People are irate and I figure it won't be long before this criminal is brought to justice. Banks in particular do not take this sort of garbage lying down. My bank has already heard from me twice about this. I expect a satisfactory resolution and that is not negotiable.
So check your statements and your caller id's regularly! I have no idea how this person is getting everyone's account number, but s/he is currently actively stealing money on a frequent and regular basis! Let's put an end to criminals like this...
Thursday, May 28, 2009
trigun...
I pulled a couple images I liked from the Trigun manga, dropped them into Photoshop, and hand-colored them. One image is of Legato Bluesummers and the other is of Vash the Stampede and Nicholas D. Wolfwood. I used to do stuff like this quite a bit a long time ago. Seems I still enjoy doing it...
unexpected tears...
this week, i was told about the passing of an old family friend. i havent seen her in over a decade, most of which she has been in a rest home (which i barely even recall). my family and her family have been next door neighbors since well before i was born. taking into account recent considerable detachment, i wasn't phased initially when i first heard the news (other than realizing it was rather sad). however within a short while, i found myself tearing up while preparing my meal. i had started digging into old memories...
this woman was good friends with my grandmother. she was a sweet lady and indeed the majority of her family and my family were friends with each other. we have seen many things happen to each other over the years- death, marriage, and birth as well as everything in between. even after i was in my twenties, she was still favoring me as if i were one of her own. you could say she was like a grandmother to me and i enjoyed that very much. i wish i had more opportunities to share time with her.
i have lost several friends and family over the years- teachers, distant relatives, and other family friends. for some reason, i think this loss has struck me harder than all the others; perhaps because she was so personally special to me and nothing had a chance to damage any of those memories. i think it is in that last thought that explains why the tears i couldnt find for my grandmother i had found for this lady. last year, i said goodbye to my grandmother; this year to her, and i know my grandfather wont be living much longer either. i am tired of digging out my funeral clothes to say goodbye...
this woman was good friends with my grandmother. she was a sweet lady and indeed the majority of her family and my family were friends with each other. we have seen many things happen to each other over the years- death, marriage, and birth as well as everything in between. even after i was in my twenties, she was still favoring me as if i were one of her own. you could say she was like a grandmother to me and i enjoyed that very much. i wish i had more opportunities to share time with her.
i have lost several friends and family over the years- teachers, distant relatives, and other family friends. for some reason, i think this loss has struck me harder than all the others; perhaps because she was so personally special to me and nothing had a chance to damage any of those memories. i think it is in that last thought that explains why the tears i couldnt find for my grandmother i had found for this lady. last year, i said goodbye to my grandmother; this year to her, and i know my grandfather wont be living much longer either. i am tired of digging out my funeral clothes to say goodbye...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
cooking with dog...
Yeah, I know: "with dog," right? Only it's a play on words. Allow me to elaborate further...
For those of you familiar with YouTube (a site featuring videos of various topics), someone is using the medium to release a short feature cooking series and guess what? Dog isn't the ingredient- he is the host! Francis, a French Poodle, hosts every video which teaches the viewer how to cook Japanese meals (one meal per video since each video is about 5 minutes in length). An excellent mix of humor and instruction keeps even the most contemporary attention span glued just long enough to learn how to make something simple and amazingly delicious (yes, sometimes acquired tastes apply, but substitutions often work in a pinch). Ingeniously, a recipe is also provided in the info area to the right of the video for those curious enough to want to try any of the recipes on video. I gave them a "Stumble" and I was glad to find I wasn't the first to do so. I think you might enjoy their videos as well, if for nothing more than sheer entertainment value.
Here is the main link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/cookingwithdog
For those of you familiar with YouTube (a site featuring videos of various topics), someone is using the medium to release a short feature cooking series and guess what? Dog isn't the ingredient- he is the host! Francis, a French Poodle, hosts every video which teaches the viewer how to cook Japanese meals (one meal per video since each video is about 5 minutes in length). An excellent mix of humor and instruction keeps even the most contemporary attention span glued just long enough to learn how to make something simple and amazingly delicious (yes, sometimes acquired tastes apply, but substitutions often work in a pinch). Ingeniously, a recipe is also provided in the info area to the right of the video for those curious enough to want to try any of the recipes on video. I gave them a "Stumble" and I was glad to find I wasn't the first to do so. I think you might enjoy their videos as well, if for nothing more than sheer entertainment value.
Here is the main link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/cookingwithdog
music article and commentary...
I haven't posted a news article with commentary in a long time. In fact, I used to do it on my MySpace musician page fairly often about things that caught my eye which I felt were noteworthy. Yes, lots of things in the news are noteworthy. I realize that. Many people do not realize that a person cannot buy things such as books, music, videos, etc. just because they live in a certain country- or rather because they do not live in a certain country. Policies like this actually hurt global economy more than they offer protection (against what is something I don't even wish to bother discussing). The one major flaw I see in economy is when consumers are not granted relevant rights- or worse yet, when their rights are not observed. I'm starting to encroach upon a tirade I'd rather steer clear of for now since it is something I have more than sufficiently touched upon in the past. If you're familiar with my past posts, chances are you already know what I'm hinting at. Anyway, anytime I see an article discussing the music industry it naturally catches my eye, esp. if it involves even a remote attempt to put the industry in its place- trust me, they need it. At some point, this world is going to see more global policy being implemented to some extent in various fields. I think it's a smart step in the right direction. Some people's standards are too low while others are too high. I have always felt a happy medium is a good thing to strive for since there are so few in this world, let alone in our lives. So yeah, you take an article about one thing and pretty soon you can see some basic concepts covered that can be applied to other things in life. Pretty neat, huh?
---------------------
EU pushes music industry to open up online rights
by AOIFE WHITE, AP Business Writer
Tue May 26, 2009 7:02AM EDT
BRUSSELS -
EU antitrust regulators told the music industry Tuesday to move quickly and change licenses that currently restrict online music stores such as iTunes from offering the same songs for sale across Europe.
Internet music downloads in Europe lag behind those in the United States, pulling in just a fraction of revenues the record industry is losing from falling CD sales.
Part of the problem in Europe is that music rights are sold separately in each country, which has prevented Apple Inc.'s iTunes from setting up a single store to service all of Europe. Instead, it has to seek licenses from each EU member state where it wishes to sell and to set up separate national stores with different music selections.
EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said regulators' talks with the music industry mean that French collecting society SACEM and record label EMI were now willing to license their music to rights managers across Europe.
Apple has also said that it would offer music tracks to all European customers if it was able to license EU-wide rights.
"There is a clear willingness expressed by major players in the online distribution of music in Europe to tackle the many barriers which prevent consumers from fully benefiting from the opportunities that the Internet provides," she said.
She urged publishers and music copyright groups — also called collecting societies — "to move quickly to adapt their licensing solutions to the online environment," saying she would review progress.
This carries more than a hint of a threat. The European Commission told collecting societies last July to end a system of contracts that allow artists to collect payments only from an agency based in their own country.
It found the 24 European collecting societies guilty of breaking EU antitrust rules, but did not impose any fines. The collecting societies are members of CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors of Composers.
Musicians make money from their music after they register copyrights with collective rights managers. Those managers then license songs to online services, radio stations, nightclubs and other outlets.
Some artists have complained that altering current licenses could see them shortchanged and miss out on income from increased sales.
Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090526/ap_on_hi_te/eu_eu_online_music
---------------------
EU pushes music industry to open up online rights
by AOIFE WHITE, AP Business Writer
Tue May 26, 2009 7:02AM EDT
BRUSSELS -
EU antitrust regulators told the music industry Tuesday to move quickly and change licenses that currently restrict online music stores such as iTunes from offering the same songs for sale across Europe.
Internet music downloads in Europe lag behind those in the United States, pulling in just a fraction of revenues the record industry is losing from falling CD sales.
Part of the problem in Europe is that music rights are sold separately in each country, which has prevented Apple Inc.'s iTunes from setting up a single store to service all of Europe. Instead, it has to seek licenses from each EU member state where it wishes to sell and to set up separate national stores with different music selections.
EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said regulators' talks with the music industry mean that French collecting society SACEM and record label EMI were now willing to license their music to rights managers across Europe.
Apple has also said that it would offer music tracks to all European customers if it was able to license EU-wide rights.
"There is a clear willingness expressed by major players in the online distribution of music in Europe to tackle the many barriers which prevent consumers from fully benefiting from the opportunities that the Internet provides," she said.
She urged publishers and music copyright groups — also called collecting societies — "to move quickly to adapt their licensing solutions to the online environment," saying she would review progress.
This carries more than a hint of a threat. The European Commission told collecting societies last July to end a system of contracts that allow artists to collect payments only from an agency based in their own country.
It found the 24 European collecting societies guilty of breaking EU antitrust rules, but did not impose any fines. The collecting societies are members of CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors of Composers.
Musicians make money from their music after they register copyrights with collective rights managers. Those managers then license songs to online services, radio stations, nightclubs and other outlets.
Some artists have complained that altering current licenses could see them shortchanged and miss out on income from increased sales.
Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090526/ap_on_hi_te/eu_eu_online_music
botan calrose rice...
Interestingly enough this is a product of the US which features Kanji as well as a little mascot sporting a hachimaki (headband) indicating his toukon (fighting spirit). Not sure if he is supposed to be a single grain of gohan (cooked rice) or perhaps an onigiri (riceball). However, I do know that this is oishii (delicious) even if it isn't as sticky as some generic brands I have had over the years. It is particularly good with sushi rice seasoning and soy sauce. I thought the packaging was very nice both in terms of graphic and industrial design. Sometimes I get to try a specific product only once so I wanted to retain an image for posterity- you know, 'cause I'm such a sentimentalist...
Monday, May 11, 2009
tohato tyrant habanero...
a snack straight out of japan. very thin and crispy, but round like the letter o. it is also hotter than blazes. i could feel it burning in my mouth for about ten minutes afterward and another twenty or so sizzling away in my stomach. while i love spicy stuff, this truly blew me away. i am still debating as to whether i will purchase another bag as it was quite tasty.
Friday, April 24, 2009
easter haiku...
this was off the top of my head and sent to my cousin and uncle on easter.
neither of them ever acknowledged it so i guess it wasn't very good...
easter
the rabbit brings eggs
you eat some yummy candy
this is a nice day
neither of them ever acknowledged it so i guess it wasn't very good...
easter
the rabbit brings eggs
you eat some yummy candy
this is a nice day
Thursday, April 23, 2009
fewer posts often indicate a busy mind...
...or at least it is often what my situation is.
typically, i might have had an entry last month in regards to my birthday and my various insights toward life and whatnot- believe me, there was (and still is) plenty to write about. i could have even even had a post at easter for similar reasons. perhaps because there has been so much transpiring on an emotional level that I just couldn't bring myself to start writing and it's in the advent of seeing so little entered recently that i finally feel compelled to the point of writing.
my birthday passed without a word, literally. i had fought with family enough that nothing happened on that day. no words were exchanged at all. it took mentioning my birthday online for strangers and a few friends and extended family to whom i barely speak to actually comment at all. i'm sure a few were sincere in their wishes, but it irked me that automated reminders weren't enough- i actually had to prompt people via wishing myself a happy birthday. i found out the next day a few presents were waiting for me, but i hadn't been told of this nor was i really in a present opening mood by that point.
because my grandfather's health has been deteriorating rapidly -- especially since my grandmother passed away -- i felt my family should be with him. i've already discussed this concept in previous posts so i won't bother with all the various details, except to say that my mother's ex is an absolute pig and i was dismayed we had to rely on him for transportation and subsequently his presence at our little family event. he got presents and to eat dinner and eat all the leftover meat and was still displeased about being there- not that he had any better offers because he did not. unfortunately, my uncle and cousin were unable to attend due to schedule conflicts, but my uncle said they would be able to come two weeks after that (yes, they will be in town this evening and we will all gather tomorrow for dinner). i would also like to get my great uncle more involved in our family. i think making invitations only on holidays is a back-handed compliment. i would like to see him during other times of the year which have no importance whatsoever. he is a special man to me regardless of his profession or familial relation. i simply enjoy his presence and i feel like i never get to see him enough. i am trying to get him more involved. i don't know how all this will pan out, but i am hoping for the best.
so there you have most of the familial junk going on, but there is more (oh no), but i won't get into it for now (oh phew). what i will mention is that two of my best friends, who quite ironically share the same first name, are both having very difficult times in life right now. one is emotionally unstable to very serious proportions and is having troubles arriving at her goal of marriage. the other is having serious troubles with her marriage and has been emotionally affected by most of her family passing away over the course of the past decade or so. so even their situations are ever so slightly flip-flopped as well. neither one talks to me much anymore, but when they do the alway seem to have a boat load of bad news. it's sad to hear such things from friends. i wish i could help them. as it is i can barely help myself...
maybe i will have something better to offer next time i write. the best i can do now is say that i am still interested in all things japanese and my studies are actually showing results. i have a small investment which isn't doing as much as i would like so i am considering not renewing it into rollover, but rather using some portion of it to advance aspects of my life. at my age, progressing at a snail's pace is an extremely poor option for me and i need to feel some personal growth and development because right now i am feeling very little.
typically, i might have had an entry last month in regards to my birthday and my various insights toward life and whatnot- believe me, there was (and still is) plenty to write about. i could have even even had a post at easter for similar reasons. perhaps because there has been so much transpiring on an emotional level that I just couldn't bring myself to start writing and it's in the advent of seeing so little entered recently that i finally feel compelled to the point of writing.
my birthday passed without a word, literally. i had fought with family enough that nothing happened on that day. no words were exchanged at all. it took mentioning my birthday online for strangers and a few friends and extended family to whom i barely speak to actually comment at all. i'm sure a few were sincere in their wishes, but it irked me that automated reminders weren't enough- i actually had to prompt people via wishing myself a happy birthday. i found out the next day a few presents were waiting for me, but i hadn't been told of this nor was i really in a present opening mood by that point.
because my grandfather's health has been deteriorating rapidly -- especially since my grandmother passed away -- i felt my family should be with him. i've already discussed this concept in previous posts so i won't bother with all the various details, except to say that my mother's ex is an absolute pig and i was dismayed we had to rely on him for transportation and subsequently his presence at our little family event. he got presents and to eat dinner and eat all the leftover meat and was still displeased about being there- not that he had any better offers because he did not. unfortunately, my uncle and cousin were unable to attend due to schedule conflicts, but my uncle said they would be able to come two weeks after that (yes, they will be in town this evening and we will all gather tomorrow for dinner). i would also like to get my great uncle more involved in our family. i think making invitations only on holidays is a back-handed compliment. i would like to see him during other times of the year which have no importance whatsoever. he is a special man to me regardless of his profession or familial relation. i simply enjoy his presence and i feel like i never get to see him enough. i am trying to get him more involved. i don't know how all this will pan out, but i am hoping for the best.
so there you have most of the familial junk going on, but there is more (oh no), but i won't get into it for now (oh phew). what i will mention is that two of my best friends, who quite ironically share the same first name, are both having very difficult times in life right now. one is emotionally unstable to very serious proportions and is having troubles arriving at her goal of marriage. the other is having serious troubles with her marriage and has been emotionally affected by most of her family passing away over the course of the past decade or so. so even their situations are ever so slightly flip-flopped as well. neither one talks to me much anymore, but when they do the alway seem to have a boat load of bad news. it's sad to hear such things from friends. i wish i could help them. as it is i can barely help myself...
maybe i will have something better to offer next time i write. the best i can do now is say that i am still interested in all things japanese and my studies are actually showing results. i have a small investment which isn't doing as much as i would like so i am considering not renewing it into rollover, but rather using some portion of it to advance aspects of my life. at my age, progressing at a snail's pace is an extremely poor option for me and i need to feel some personal growth and development because right now i am feeling very little.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
djsquelch and phase shifts header...
I needed to have a header for my justin.tv account so I borrowed one of my photos of myself and edited it a tad. I may do more with it later, but I'm pleased with it for now...
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
just to set the record straight...
i generated this image as well as most of the info presented for the kabuto ova page on anime news network. crunchyroll is now posting the same image for their page on the kabuto ova. i just wanted to set the record straight that i scanned the vhs art provided from the kabuto ova and used four images from that scan to create the final image.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
e-prime and other languages of interest...
ok, raise your hand if you have heard of e-prime. no, it isn't a robot fighting for the side of good. no, it isn't a computer language either, but it is a language so i might give you half-credit for that guess. this is a term that has stuck with me for generations and i have never found a practical use for it yet other than conversation topic. guess where i heard it... give up? a raver brought it up online back in the day when hyperreal was at its peak and vrave was still running under the hyperreal domain. oh you're curious now, right? guess what- it's covered over at wiki! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Prime
here is an excerpt just to get you started on a very interesting article:
"E-Prime, short for English-Prime, is a modified form of English. It uses very slightly simplified syntax and vocabulary, eliminating all forms of the verb to be: be, is, am, are, was, were, been and being (and their contractions). Sentences composed in E-Prime seldom contain the passive voice, which in turn may force the writer or speaker to think differently (compare the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). By eliminating most uses of the passive voice, E-Prime encourages writers and speakers to make explicit the agent of a statement,[1] possibly making the written text easier to read and understand.
E-Prime is used as a mental discipline to filter speech and translate the speech of others.[2] For example, the sentence "the movie was good", translated into E-Prime, could become "I liked the movie". The translation communicates the speaker's subjective experience of the movie rather than the speaker's judgment of the movie. In this example, using E-Prime makes it harder for the writer or reader to confuse a statement of opinion with a statement of fact."
"Contents:
* 1 History
* 2 Different functions of 'to be'
* 3 Rationale
* 4 Discouraged forms
o 4.1 Allowed words
o 4.2 Allowed words with prohibited homophones or homographs
* 5 Examples
* 6 Examples of literal translation vs. translation "in the spirit" of E-Prime
o 6.1 First example of literal translation
o 6.2 Second example of literal translation
o 6.3 An example of translation "in the spirit" of E-Prime
* 7 Criticisms
* 8 References
* 9 Footnotes
* 10 See also
* 11 External links"
as you can gather, it's actually a very interesting article. however, this wouldn't be the only unusual formulation of language in existence. Who's heard of esperanto? no, it isn't a coffee, car, or bean. it's an auxiliary language and guess what- there's more than one kind of auxiliary language. check it out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Esperanto and while you're at it, look up auxiliary languages here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_auxiliary_language. these are very interesting reads, folks. seriously!
here is an excerpt just to get you started on a very interesting article:
"E-Prime, short for English-Prime, is a modified form of English. It uses very slightly simplified syntax and vocabulary, eliminating all forms of the verb to be: be, is, am, are, was, were, been and being (and their contractions). Sentences composed in E-Prime seldom contain the passive voice, which in turn may force the writer or speaker to think differently (compare the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). By eliminating most uses of the passive voice, E-Prime encourages writers and speakers to make explicit the agent of a statement,[1] possibly making the written text easier to read and understand.
E-Prime is used as a mental discipline to filter speech and translate the speech of others.[2] For example, the sentence "the movie was good", translated into E-Prime, could become "I liked the movie". The translation communicates the speaker's subjective experience of the movie rather than the speaker's judgment of the movie. In this example, using E-Prime makes it harder for the writer or reader to confuse a statement of opinion with a statement of fact."
"Contents:
* 1 History
* 2 Different functions of 'to be'
* 3 Rationale
* 4 Discouraged forms
o 4.1 Allowed words
o 4.2 Allowed words with prohibited homophones or homographs
* 5 Examples
* 6 Examples of literal translation vs. translation "in the spirit" of E-Prime
o 6.1 First example of literal translation
o 6.2 Second example of literal translation
o 6.3 An example of translation "in the spirit" of E-Prime
* 7 Criticisms
* 8 References
* 9 Footnotes
* 10 See also
* 11 External links"
as you can gather, it's actually a very interesting article. however, this wouldn't be the only unusual formulation of language in existence. Who's heard of esperanto? no, it isn't a coffee, car, or bean. it's an auxiliary language and guess what- there's more than one kind of auxiliary language. check it out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Esperanto and while you're at it, look up auxiliary languages here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_auxiliary_language. these are very interesting reads, folks. seriously!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
creative envisioning...
last month, i received an unsolicited letter from an artist. her name is soojung cho and you can check out her website here: http://www.soojungcho.com/home.htm and over in my "check it out" section as well. whether she knew it or not, we are contemporaries as i spent a lot of time painting as well, not to mention all my other activity in the arts. i enjoyed having the chance to go to her site and see what she had to offer, so much so that i have been back a few times already and plan to visit again in the future.
not only do i encourage you to view her portfolio, but also her statement page as well. i could relate to her thoughts on her artistic expression and why she chooses to paint in the way that she does. i am refreshed to see such gallery quality work on display. i enjoy her recurring themes and her color choices. i think her work sets a peaceful, ambient mood in its softness. i look forward to seeing more of her works.
not only do i encourage you to view her portfolio, but also her statement page as well. i could relate to her thoughts on her artistic expression and why she chooses to paint in the way that she does. i am refreshed to see such gallery quality work on display. i enjoy her recurring themes and her color choices. i think her work sets a peaceful, ambient mood in its softness. i look forward to seeing more of her works.
online activity...
i was randomly giving thought the other day regarding my online activity. sure, i am online all the time. just ask my isp. specifically, i am referring to when i choose to join new sites. it's been years since i was a regular user of forums or taken an active interest in e-communities; after enough bad experiences, i am a tad gun shy about taking part in such places. however, that doesn't keep me from joining altogether.
what was capturing my interest the other day was my membership tracking. it seems a lot of sites keep a record of how long i have been a member, at least down to the month and year. it suddenly occurred to me that i have a tendency to join websites more during the winter months, and more specifically during february. case in point, i joined at least three sites last month and only a couple this month. its completely a subconscious action on my part. i have no idea why i follow this particular pattern, but i did think it was interesting.
so yeah, that's all i had to offer...
what was capturing my interest the other day was my membership tracking. it seems a lot of sites keep a record of how long i have been a member, at least down to the month and year. it suddenly occurred to me that i have a tendency to join websites more during the winter months, and more specifically during february. case in point, i joined at least three sites last month and only a couple this month. its completely a subconscious action on my part. i have no idea why i follow this particular pattern, but i did think it was interesting.
so yeah, that's all i had to offer...
contemplations and speculations...
perhaps it is the winter slump, perhaps it is my grandfather nearing death so soon after my grandmother's passing, or perhaps it is a culmination of things that has left me lethargic, unusually uninteractive, and generally disinterested. that doesn't mean that i have lost all interest in everything, but it has been narrowed to a slightly limited range.
the weather has been crazy, alternating between a chilling gray and a warm blue sky, it's like spring is trying desperately hard to come out, but winter is still clinging to the area. i quickly tire of winter, especially when there isn't any snow. i suppose i'm one of those folks who needs those special yellow-tinted lenses to keep my mood up. however, that isn't all that has been bothering me...
my grandfather's health has been getting progressively worse and my family bickers about it instead of doing something about it. the other day he stopped breathing for a while and it took some effort to get him to resume breathing again. this could happen to him at any time and he doesn't always have someone watching over him. i find it troubling because after personal experience, i know i am not qualified to tend to all his needs. aside from that i have taken my life off-track so many times for my grandparent's needs that it isn't even funny to consider the state i am in these days. few fully understand all this entails. however, that, too, isn't all that has been bothering me...
extenuating circumstances can put a person into a bad place in life. after two back surgeries, surgery on each foot, scratching both corneas, becoming unemployed and not qualifying for unemployment, moving to a place where i cannot walk to a job, nearly totaling my car and slowly repairing it over the last five years, losing a relative, watching the deteriorating health of other relatives, etc. etc., there is very little i am able to do now emotionally, physically, and financially speaking. I was trying to work at home by making music and and as a dj, but critical hardware failure and a most crucial juncture virtually shut down my home business since i cannot afford to repair the damages as of yet. i have adjusted my goals since then in hopes that a pursuit of interests my lead to some future stability. i am referring to learning japanese fluently and doing what is necessary to teach english. this has been giving me hope, but it is not always enough to carry my spirits...
lately i have been trying to train my ear to be more receptive to the japanese language. in addition to my lessons, i have been listening to japanese music, watching anime, reading manga aloud to get my pronunciation accurate, and i have been exposing myself to more japanese culture through my online stumbles and ordering various food products and other merchandise. the packaging has plenty to learn to read and the cuisine itself is a broadening experience. this is something i value if i should end up going to japan as i am hoping to do. i figure every little thing should help...
as i said earlier, this isn't enough to always keep my spirits rejuvenated as there are plenty of other things to enter my mind on a daily basis and weigh me down. i accept the responsibility of this emotional burden, but i wish i had a way of better dealing with many of my situations to leave my daily life feeling a little less... challenged, shall we say.
at this point in my life it seems everything revolves around finances whether i like it or not. food costs money. shelter costs money. transportation costs money. education costs money. clothing costs money. medical and dental needs cost money. there's no escaping it- living costs money, even by the most modest means. if i could secure my financial situation i feel everything else would fall neatly into place. however, that is a mighty big "if." i am still recovering from declaring bankruptcy more than seven years ago. that wasn't when everything started to fall apart, but rather upon hitting rock-bottom and things still continued to get worse in other aspects of my life. just because i am no longer in debt doesn't make things alright. i still have expenses i need to meet and i won't always have poor family members to help me when possible. this weighs heavily on my mind. i want to establish financial security before i find myself looking for a cardboard box as a home. i would like to work from home doing something i like. it should be possible. i really didn't want to sell things, collect debts, and so forth by phone, nor did i want to spend my days copy writing or data processing.
with my 35th birthday coming up this month, i am feeling especially reflective. not having a grasp on living properly as of yet is definitely regurgitated food for thought. unfortunately, answers to problems like this never come easily to me...
the weather has been crazy, alternating between a chilling gray and a warm blue sky, it's like spring is trying desperately hard to come out, but winter is still clinging to the area. i quickly tire of winter, especially when there isn't any snow. i suppose i'm one of those folks who needs those special yellow-tinted lenses to keep my mood up. however, that isn't all that has been bothering me...
my grandfather's health has been getting progressively worse and my family bickers about it instead of doing something about it. the other day he stopped breathing for a while and it took some effort to get him to resume breathing again. this could happen to him at any time and he doesn't always have someone watching over him. i find it troubling because after personal experience, i know i am not qualified to tend to all his needs. aside from that i have taken my life off-track so many times for my grandparent's needs that it isn't even funny to consider the state i am in these days. few fully understand all this entails. however, that, too, isn't all that has been bothering me...
extenuating circumstances can put a person into a bad place in life. after two back surgeries, surgery on each foot, scratching both corneas, becoming unemployed and not qualifying for unemployment, moving to a place where i cannot walk to a job, nearly totaling my car and slowly repairing it over the last five years, losing a relative, watching the deteriorating health of other relatives, etc. etc., there is very little i am able to do now emotionally, physically, and financially speaking. I was trying to work at home by making music and and as a dj, but critical hardware failure and a most crucial juncture virtually shut down my home business since i cannot afford to repair the damages as of yet. i have adjusted my goals since then in hopes that a pursuit of interests my lead to some future stability. i am referring to learning japanese fluently and doing what is necessary to teach english. this has been giving me hope, but it is not always enough to carry my spirits...
lately i have been trying to train my ear to be more receptive to the japanese language. in addition to my lessons, i have been listening to japanese music, watching anime, reading manga aloud to get my pronunciation accurate, and i have been exposing myself to more japanese culture through my online stumbles and ordering various food products and other merchandise. the packaging has plenty to learn to read and the cuisine itself is a broadening experience. this is something i value if i should end up going to japan as i am hoping to do. i figure every little thing should help...
as i said earlier, this isn't enough to always keep my spirits rejuvenated as there are plenty of other things to enter my mind on a daily basis and weigh me down. i accept the responsibility of this emotional burden, but i wish i had a way of better dealing with many of my situations to leave my daily life feeling a little less... challenged, shall we say.
at this point in my life it seems everything revolves around finances whether i like it or not. food costs money. shelter costs money. transportation costs money. education costs money. clothing costs money. medical and dental needs cost money. there's no escaping it- living costs money, even by the most modest means. if i could secure my financial situation i feel everything else would fall neatly into place. however, that is a mighty big "if." i am still recovering from declaring bankruptcy more than seven years ago. that wasn't when everything started to fall apart, but rather upon hitting rock-bottom and things still continued to get worse in other aspects of my life. just because i am no longer in debt doesn't make things alright. i still have expenses i need to meet and i won't always have poor family members to help me when possible. this weighs heavily on my mind. i want to establish financial security before i find myself looking for a cardboard box as a home. i would like to work from home doing something i like. it should be possible. i really didn't want to sell things, collect debts, and so forth by phone, nor did i want to spend my days copy writing or data processing.
with my 35th birthday coming up this month, i am feeling especially reflective. not having a grasp on living properly as of yet is definitely regurgitated food for thought. unfortunately, answers to problems like this never come easily to me...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
joke...
***a friend sent me this joke the other day. i tidied it up a bit. still makes me grin. enjoy...
A woman takes a lover home during the day while her husband is at work. Her 9 year old son comes home, unexpectedly sees them, and hides in the bedroom cupboard to watch.
Just after getting into bed, the woman's husband also comes home. She puts her lover in the cupboard, not realizing that the little boy is in there already.
After a little while the little boy says, "Dark in here..." The man, who obviously got a real fright not expecting to hear anything, let alone from a little boy, replies, "Yes, it is."
Boy: I have a soccer ball.
Man: That's nice...
Boy: Want to buy it?
Man: No, thanks.
Boy: My dad's outside...
Man: *sighs* Ok, how much?
Boy: $250.00
In the next few weeks, it happens again that the boy and the lover are in the cupboard together.
Boy: Dark in here.
Man: Yes, it is.
Boy: I have soccer cleats...
Man: *sighs* Ok, how much this time?
Boy: $350.00
Man: Sold.
A few days later, the boy's father says to the boy, "Grab your cleats, soccer ball, and let's go outside and have a game of soccer." The boy says, "I can't, I sold my ball and boots." The father asks, "How much did you sell them for?" The boy replies, "$600.00." The father says, "That's a terrible thing, overcharging your friend like that. That's four times what they cost when they were new. I'm going to take you to church and make you confess your terrible sin."
They go to the church and the father makes the little boy sit in the confession booth and he closes the door. The boy says, "Dark in here..." The priest says, "Don't start with that nonsense again, you little jerk. You're in my cupboard now!"
A woman takes a lover home during the day while her husband is at work. Her 9 year old son comes home, unexpectedly sees them, and hides in the bedroom cupboard to watch.
Just after getting into bed, the woman's husband also comes home. She puts her lover in the cupboard, not realizing that the little boy is in there already.
After a little while the little boy says, "Dark in here..." The man, who obviously got a real fright not expecting to hear anything, let alone from a little boy, replies, "Yes, it is."
Boy: I have a soccer ball.
Man: That's nice...
Boy: Want to buy it?
Man: No, thanks.
Boy: My dad's outside...
Man: *sighs* Ok, how much?
Boy: $250.00
In the next few weeks, it happens again that the boy and the lover are in the cupboard together.
Boy: Dark in here.
Man: Yes, it is.
Boy: I have soccer cleats...
Man: *sighs* Ok, how much this time?
Boy: $350.00
Man: Sold.
A few days later, the boy's father says to the boy, "Grab your cleats, soccer ball, and let's go outside and have a game of soccer." The boy says, "I can't, I sold my ball and boots." The father asks, "How much did you sell them for?" The boy replies, "$600.00." The father says, "That's a terrible thing, overcharging your friend like that. That's four times what they cost when they were new. I'm going to take you to church and make you confess your terrible sin."
They go to the church and the father makes the little boy sit in the confession booth and he closes the door. The boy says, "Dark in here..." The priest says, "Don't start with that nonsense again, you little jerk. You're in my cupboard now!"
Thursday, February 26, 2009
candy...
as much as i adore savory foods, i still have a lingering sweet tooth form my childhood. in particular, i still enjoy the things i ate then, but it gets difficult with the passage of time to find some of those things. sure, you can go online to special order many of them or even go to specialty shops, but some things are no longer regularly accessible (which i suppose defines these rarities a "treat" more so than other sweets). ive also discovered geography also plays a part in where you can find things- even within your own country, state, or town.
recently, my mother went out of town for astronomical observation and while she was a away, she happened across a specialty shop dealing in retro merchandise- including candy! it was a great surprise to get a massive bag of goodies full of retro candies including tootsie rolls, unicorn pops, zotz, hard candy sticks, nonpareils, and more. a lot of these candies are associated with fond childhood memories which make them all the more special to me. i love the sensation of nostalgia and when i have something tangibly associative, it gives me a very happy feeling. i even considered pulling out ma camera to photograph some of the packages not knowing when i might see them again, if at all, but i resisted the urge. maybe i might some other time- documenting for posterity isnt such a bad thing after all...
recently, my mother went out of town for astronomical observation and while she was a away, she happened across a specialty shop dealing in retro merchandise- including candy! it was a great surprise to get a massive bag of goodies full of retro candies including tootsie rolls, unicorn pops, zotz, hard candy sticks, nonpareils, and more. a lot of these candies are associated with fond childhood memories which make them all the more special to me. i love the sensation of nostalgia and when i have something tangibly associative, it gives me a very happy feeling. i even considered pulling out ma camera to photograph some of the packages not knowing when i might see them again, if at all, but i resisted the urge. maybe i might some other time- documenting for posterity isnt such a bad thing after all...
Saturday, February 21, 2009
to be or not to be...
...is often a pretty common question in regards to various things in our lives. recently i deliberated whether or not i would pursue further work on 1974central.com or not. the only real reason i see do do it is that it is somewhat enjoyable; i like learning and sharing. however as i believe i mentioned before the site is fairly dead, the only traffic has been spam, the only contributor has been me, and the admin never replies to anything i write (or at least thats the way things have seemed). i just wrote the admin again after spending the better part of 12 hours working on the site today. i did some good things, but i messed up a bit as well and then couldnt correct my mistakes. i think part of that is that i suspect that i dont have full control over things as she does. im hoping that the good i have done will be taken into consideration. i would like to see the site take off and do well, but it needs a lot of work and it needs serious contributors who are willing to put in some time to make it nice. its all about personal passion driving this site to better places. i think it could happen. however, i also kind of doubt that it will because the odds are so highly against its success as things stand now. im actually a little surprised i did bother to accomplish what i did with that site today considering i have nothing concrete to base my work upon; i have no guarantees. it was more of an act of self-indulgence. go figure...
Friday, February 20, 2009
being productive, sort of...
something i have been wanting to do for a while is make a banner for my myspace pages to direct profile viewers to come here for my blogs since everything will be posted here first from now on if not exclusively. i had already saved and edited a screen capture of this blog's banner which i had made. the only thing left was to make it a convenient size to fit within my myspace layouts that would still be legible. for that all i did was drop my banner into photoshop, drag the text in to more appropriate positions, adjust the banner frame, and save it. after that, i uploaded the newly saved banner to an image host that i typically use for such things, copied the hyperlink text, and popped on over to myspace to drop it into each of my accounts (remember, i have two?). The hyperlink text is never exactly what i need but it gives me the structure so i dont have to type everything from scratch, since im a tad lazy in that department. since i still remember oldskool web lingo, i was able to modify the code in a short amount of time. after previewing and double-checking my work, i felt it was spiffy enough to add to my flickr account, a link which you may find in my "Check It Out..." section, and added a little blurb about it while i was there. in retrospect, i almost never supplement my photos/work with text, but perhaps with some of the more technical things it might be useful if i added some detail so the viewer might understand more about what they are looking at. otherwise sometimes things might seem less intriguing to some who dont understand what efforts went into something or simply the purpose behind sharing such an image.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
radio stations i enjoy online...
itunes supplies me with some pretty fantastic internet radio stations to tune in to, but sometimes it would like to listen to something else. perhaps my tastes in music are more eclectic or diverse- or maybe as large as the itunes offering may be, it just isn't large enough. who knows?
subjection aside, i thought i would share the stations which i like to occasionally listen to (which are not offered on itunes, or that i know of as of yet). i will try to group them since my list is alphabetical, that way you can peruse by grouping. i hope you find some enjoyable stations in my list. since some of these sites offer more than one listening link and/or server, i will simply post the main page for you. by the way, i will post some pertinent links in my "Check It Out..." section on my main page here.
anime soundtrack, j-pop, j-rock, edm, etc.
these stations are basically anime related. some focus on one genre more than another. that being said, the majority of the music will be in japanese. the remainder will be either english or instrumental.
anime seed radio
http://www.animeseed.com/
animeamaze radio
http://www.animeamaze.net/
animenfo radio
http://www.animenfo.com/
armitage's dimension
http://www.armitunes.com/
kawaii-radio
http://www.kawaii-radio.net/
keiichi.net ex² extreme anime radio
http://www.radio.keiichi.net/index2.php
shinsen radio
http://www.shinsen-radio.org/
toon radio
http://www.toonradio.net/
aznv.tv radio
http://aznv.tv/?p=home
edm, alternative, etc.
the main reason i tune into these stations is for some excellent edm (electronic dance music) broadcasts. a few of these stations also broadcast non-edm-related programs, which aren't so bad if i happen to be curious enough to catch them.
lowercasesounds radio
http://www.lowercasesounds.com/
lunacast radio
http://www.lunacast.com/
wfmu
http://www.wfmu.org/
wmbc
http://www.wmbc.umbc.edu/
wmuc
http://www.wmucradio.com/
wber
http://www.wber.monroe.edu/site/html/index.php
subjection aside, i thought i would share the stations which i like to occasionally listen to (which are not offered on itunes, or that i know of as of yet). i will try to group them since my list is alphabetical, that way you can peruse by grouping. i hope you find some enjoyable stations in my list. since some of these sites offer more than one listening link and/or server, i will simply post the main page for you. by the way, i will post some pertinent links in my "Check It Out..." section on my main page here.
anime soundtrack, j-pop, j-rock, edm, etc.
these stations are basically anime related. some focus on one genre more than another. that being said, the majority of the music will be in japanese. the remainder will be either english or instrumental.
anime seed radio
http://www.animeseed.com/
animeamaze radio
http://www.animeamaze.net/
animenfo radio
http://www.animenfo.com/
armitage's dimension
http://www.armitunes.com/
kawaii-radio
http://www.kawaii-radio.net/
keiichi.net ex² extreme anime radio
http://www.radio.keiichi.net/index2.php
shinsen radio
http://www.shinsen-radio.org/
toon radio
http://www.toonradio.net/
aznv.tv radio
http://aznv.tv/?p=home
edm, alternative, etc.
the main reason i tune into these stations is for some excellent edm (electronic dance music) broadcasts. a few of these stations also broadcast non-edm-related programs, which aren't so bad if i happen to be curious enough to catch them.
lowercasesounds radio
http://www.lowercasesounds.com/
lunacast radio
http://www.lunacast.com/
wfmu
http://www.wfmu.org/
wmbc
http://www.wmbc.umbc.edu/
wmuc
http://www.wmucradio.com/
wber
http://www.wber.monroe.edu/site/html/index.php
Monday, February 16, 2009
poem...
the will of love
when we pass on,
time goes on.
would you still love me
from where we lie?
will our souls entwine;
would our essence combine
for one last time?
there's a chance
we might dance
on the leaves of trees,
waltzing in the breeze
in love, endlessly;
you and i, eternally,
in dust and snow
as seasons come and go...
would you be mine
til the end of time?
when we pass on,
time goes on.
would you still love me
from where we lie?
will our souls entwine;
would our essence combine
for one last time?
there's a chance
we might dance
on the leaves of trees,
waltzing in the breeze
in love, endlessly;
you and i, eternally,
in dust and snow
as seasons come and go...
would you be mine
til the end of time?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
valentine's day...
or should i say, "meh..."
i've never really been one to favor this day since my early elementary school days. back then it was really fun. every one passed out really cool valentines and candy. in fact, it was about as fun as easter in terms of candy factor. i also enjoyed creating hand-made valentines in class for friends and family. however, all that stopped after the second grade. the next school i went to, didn't do that sort of thing, neither did the school after that, which was also boy's only. i was in yet another school during grades 7-8, but by that point you didn't have valentines, you had dances and most everyone sat in opposite corners or in small groups until at least the first hour of the dance had crawled by. ah yes, teens and their hormones. i didn't see girls again until my last two years of high school, and by that point it certainly wouldn't have been cool to do valentines then, if you dig my lingo. not only that but socialization with the opposite sex was a real issue for a lot of kids, including yours truly.
ever since my late teens/early twenties when i finally got into relationships i've seem to have nothing but bad luck around valentine's day, usually taking the form of girls girls dumping/breaking up with me. i've also found myself alone while other family members have had plans or other spontaneous activities. then there's also finding out the hard way that an ex of mine was married whom i had pledged my love two shortly before valentine's day. frankly i'm tired of the day.
one should express their love all year long and not just one day of the year. to focus such strong feelings of togetherness on one day of the year is very harsh for those who are alone. even worse if you actually feel alone; loneliness can be a real killer-even worse if someone suffers from depression. there are already other holidays that focus on togetherness without having to drag love into the whole thing. when i am alone such holidays are cruddy. when i am with someone, its fine, but i still feel empathy for those who aren't.
the commercialization of the holiday is a real kicker, too. restaurants tend to be booked solid and they are too noisy. sometimes their planned valentine meals are price higher than normal. it's exploitation at its finest. it makes me tired...
i've never really been one to favor this day since my early elementary school days. back then it was really fun. every one passed out really cool valentines and candy. in fact, it was about as fun as easter in terms of candy factor. i also enjoyed creating hand-made valentines in class for friends and family. however, all that stopped after the second grade. the next school i went to, didn't do that sort of thing, neither did the school after that, which was also boy's only. i was in yet another school during grades 7-8, but by that point you didn't have valentines, you had dances and most everyone sat in opposite corners or in small groups until at least the first hour of the dance had crawled by. ah yes, teens and their hormones. i didn't see girls again until my last two years of high school, and by that point it certainly wouldn't have been cool to do valentines then, if you dig my lingo. not only that but socialization with the opposite sex was a real issue for a lot of kids, including yours truly.
ever since my late teens/early twenties when i finally got into relationships i've seem to have nothing but bad luck around valentine's day, usually taking the form of girls girls dumping/breaking up with me. i've also found myself alone while other family members have had plans or other spontaneous activities. then there's also finding out the hard way that an ex of mine was married whom i had pledged my love two shortly before valentine's day. frankly i'm tired of the day.
one should express their love all year long and not just one day of the year. to focus such strong feelings of togetherness on one day of the year is very harsh for those who are alone. even worse if you actually feel alone; loneliness can be a real killer-even worse if someone suffers from depression. there are already other holidays that focus on togetherness without having to drag love into the whole thing. when i am alone such holidays are cruddy. when i am with someone, its fine, but i still feel empathy for those who aren't.
the commercialization of the holiday is a real kicker, too. restaurants tend to be booked solid and they are too noisy. sometimes their planned valentine meals are price higher than normal. it's exploitation at its finest. it makes me tired...
Friday, February 13, 2009
networking is nice...
Last month, I was contacted by another website. They wanted to know if they could make a link to my blog because they thought it was something that would interest their customers. I gave it some thought and looked at their site. They sell shoes, Nike's to be specific. They also have a page full of links to sites that they think their customers might enjoy, not to mention other cool pages to browse through. Ironically, another sneaker site specializing in custom kicks recently wrote to conduct the same sort of exchange of links. I think this is great; it allows a mutually beneficial exposure to each party- something that everyone wants. You will notice I have posted the links as "Nike Shoes" and "Paint or Thread." Hey, everyone needs some new sneakers to kick around in at some point. Why not do it with a little flair...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
commentary...
*** this is probably the only other time i have made any attempt at international socio-political commentary. it is a reply to something posted in the china digital times (http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2008/04/my-friends-what-do-you-want-from-us/#comment-1354). i would rather not be in a position to speak of things particularly close to my heart as i don't like getting involved in situations where i have to defend those beliefs from those who disagree. i should also add that this probably should have been posted with the back-words series, but it slipped through the cracks as it is nor a blog, but rather a public posting.
i personally do not make any demands nor have any expectations of china or its people. however, it seems to me this is a world of extremes and china is living those extremes to one degree or the other. one does not need to live life to an extreme in order to be happy or successful. one can truly find contentment balanced within a happy medium. somewhere in the middle, most people, businesses, and countries find a mutually beneficial success.
i think china is a wondrous land, full of beauty. years ago, i was lucky to find friendship in a chinese girl. we have been pen pals on and off the internet for over five years and she is a very special person to me. if i could choose a future with someone, it would be with her. unfortunately, she lives in china and i live in the usa and aside from the physical distance between us, i do not feel i would have the same opportunities and freedom in china if i were to live there. unfortunately, she does not want to leave china, as she is already a long way from her family and does not want to be any further from them. i cannot blame her for feeling that way; family is very important and i have similar concerns.
is it possible china could change enough for a person such as myself to feel comfortable with living there? would i ever feel comfortable expressing my thoughts and living a life the way i choose under such a tightly controlled superpower? anything is possible, but such a change from china is not probable and it disheartens me. however, one can only hope that some day, all nations can see a little more eye to eye on level ground.
By djsquelch | April 14th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
i personally do not make any demands nor have any expectations of china or its people. however, it seems to me this is a world of extremes and china is living those extremes to one degree or the other. one does not need to live life to an extreme in order to be happy or successful. one can truly find contentment balanced within a happy medium. somewhere in the middle, most people, businesses, and countries find a mutually beneficial success.
i think china is a wondrous land, full of beauty. years ago, i was lucky to find friendship in a chinese girl. we have been pen pals on and off the internet for over five years and she is a very special person to me. if i could choose a future with someone, it would be with her. unfortunately, she lives in china and i live in the usa and aside from the physical distance between us, i do not feel i would have the same opportunities and freedom in china if i were to live there. unfortunately, she does not want to leave china, as she is already a long way from her family and does not want to be any further from them. i cannot blame her for feeling that way; family is very important and i have similar concerns.
is it possible china could change enough for a person such as myself to feel comfortable with living there? would i ever feel comfortable expressing my thoughts and living a life the way i choose under such a tightly controlled superpower? anything is possible, but such a change from china is not probable and it disheartens me. however, one can only hope that some day, all nations can see a little more eye to eye on level ground.
By djsquelch | April 14th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
poem...
my good wish
my good wish reaches out
from the ether to touch my heart.
the feeling, profound as always,
sends my emotions soaring.
sometimes i wish that good wish
was for me and me alone,
but i know that wish is selfish
and is easier said than done.
my good wish is adoring,
kind, gentle, and searches for ways
to bring happiness while we're apart.
my good wish is special, without a doubt.
my good wish reaches out
from the ether to touch my heart.
the feeling, profound as always,
sends my emotions soaring.
sometimes i wish that good wish
was for me and me alone,
but i know that wish is selfish
and is easier said than done.
my good wish is adoring,
kind, gentle, and searches for ways
to bring happiness while we're apart.
my good wish is special, without a doubt.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
old friends...
recently i've been in search mode for old friends again after having a few find me. some of my results have been wonderful and some have been quite sad, but today it's left me smiling as i stumbled across a particular group of friends i held dear to my heart for many years, and still do. just because i haven't been in touch with them doesn't mean they've been forgotten and it seems i've been remembered as well. life pulls people in different directions and after 20 years, it's understandable when you realize your only method for keeping up to date recently was a school mailer. that's wen you start reaching out on your own for something more substantial. fortunately there are places like facebook and myspace which help facilitate that endeavor. i guess most of the time i've only used those sites for networking and keeping up with a few current friends, but i'm glad to have awakened to the notion that i can find some very special people from my past on there as well. it's my hope that i will be a better friend and maintain somewhat more regular contact with the people who still are important to me.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
moving on...
one of my blogs is completely gone as the site where it was located crapped out and the admin said everything was lost. unfortunately, it was some of my earliest blog work and was possibly the most emotionally impacting work i had written. it had even been given the nickname "mental meatloaf," which was never really explained to me, but i think in all honesty it may've been a back-handed compliment (or just back-handed).
i have plowed through my other blogs, sifted through cross-posts, and i think i may've tapped every original blog-worthy post. of course there's my stumbleupon account, but most of that isn't blogging, however i did transfer the blog-like entries over to here. if there's anything i missed, i'll post it if i come across it. therefore, all posts past this point should be completely new and current.
thanks for reading thus far and i hope to further provide you with quality future reads...
i have plowed through my other blogs, sifted through cross-posts, and i think i may've tapped every original blog-worthy post. of course there's my stumbleupon account, but most of that isn't blogging, however i did transfer the blog-like entries over to here. if there's anything i missed, i'll post it if i come across it. therefore, all posts past this point should be completely new and current.
thanks for reading thus far and i hope to further provide you with quality future reads...
back-words... just a thought or two...
*** this excerpt accompanied a photo and between the two, i had a fairly strong reaction. btw, the city is called shinjuku. here is the image link: http://www.androniki.com/images/homeless/01-Sinjuku.jpg
November 24, 2008
just a thought or two...
"Homeless in Tokyo - Tokyo
A homeless man in front of the lockers outside Keio department store. Sinjuku is a very busy area with a lot of department stores and a lot of people passing from there every day. While the shops are still open homeless people just wonder around waiting till they close so that they can lay their paper mattresses outside them and sleep. There is usually no interaction between the homeless and people passing by as homeless people don't usually beg and passers by try to ignore their presence. Tokyo, © Androniki Christodoulou"
The way homeless people are treat across the world is much the same. During the Great Depression many people were homeless due to no fault of their own. Sometimes that is still the case. Sometimes I wonder how it would be if ever I were to become homeless. That's why I try to help when I can- even when I haven't had an income. My mother and my great uncle also do what the can, each in their own way (she gives food and he is a minister at a homeless shelter). I know charity begins at home first, but sometimes I feel like my poverty may be a king's wealth to another, so I try to help when it doesn't absolutely break me because I, too, am usually hurting for money. I would be one of those people, silently hurting, never asking for help. To be in such a position is embarrassing enough as it is without having to as for help as well...
November 24, 2008
just a thought or two...
"Homeless in Tokyo - Tokyo
A homeless man in front of the lockers outside Keio department store. Sinjuku is a very busy area with a lot of department stores and a lot of people passing from there every day. While the shops are still open homeless people just wonder around waiting till they close so that they can lay their paper mattresses outside them and sleep. There is usually no interaction between the homeless and people passing by as homeless people don't usually beg and passers by try to ignore their presence. Tokyo, © Androniki Christodoulou"
The way homeless people are treat across the world is much the same. During the Great Depression many people were homeless due to no fault of their own. Sometimes that is still the case. Sometimes I wonder how it would be if ever I were to become homeless. That's why I try to help when I can- even when I haven't had an income. My mother and my great uncle also do what the can, each in their own way (she gives food and he is a minister at a homeless shelter). I know charity begins at home first, but sometimes I feel like my poverty may be a king's wealth to another, so I try to help when it doesn't absolutely break me because I, too, am usually hurting for money. I would be one of those people, silently hurting, never asking for help. To be in such a position is embarrassing enough as it is without having to as for help as well...
back-words... joke...
September 20, 2008
joke...
here is an old favorite joke of mine. i told it years ago and recently had a chance to tell it again, so i thought i would share...
There once was an Indian whose given name was "Onestone". So named because he had only one testicle. He hated that name and asked everyone not to call him Onestone.
After years and years of torment, Onestone finally cracked and said, "If anyone calls me Onestone again I will kill them!" The word got around and nobody called him that any more.
Then one day a young woman named Blue Bird forgot and said, "Good morning, Onestone." He jumped up, grabbed her and took her deep into the forest where he made love to her all day and all night. He made love to her all the next day, until Blue Bird died from exhaustion.
The word got around that Onestone meant what he promised he would do. Years went by and no one dared call him by his given name until a woman named Yellow Bird returned to the village after being away for many years. Yellow Bird, who was Blue Bird's cousin, was overjoyed when she saw Onestone. She hugged him and said, "Good to see you, Onestone."
Onestone grabbed her, took her deep into the forest, then he made love to her all day, made love to her all night, made love to her all the next day, made love to her all the next night, but Yellow Bird wouldn't die! What is the moral of this story?
Well, you just can't kill two birds with one stone...
joke...
here is an old favorite joke of mine. i told it years ago and recently had a chance to tell it again, so i thought i would share...
There once was an Indian whose given name was "Onestone". So named because he had only one testicle. He hated that name and asked everyone not to call him Onestone.
After years and years of torment, Onestone finally cracked and said, "If anyone calls me Onestone again I will kill them!" The word got around and nobody called him that any more.
Then one day a young woman named Blue Bird forgot and said, "Good morning, Onestone." He jumped up, grabbed her and took her deep into the forest where he made love to her all day and all night. He made love to her all the next day, until Blue Bird died from exhaustion.
The word got around that Onestone meant what he promised he would do. Years went by and no one dared call him by his given name until a woman named Yellow Bird returned to the village after being away for many years. Yellow Bird, who was Blue Bird's cousin, was overjoyed when she saw Onestone. She hugged him and said, "Good to see you, Onestone."
Onestone grabbed her, took her deep into the forest, then he made love to her all day, made love to her all night, made love to her all the next day, made love to her all the next night, but Yellow Bird wouldn't die! What is the moral of this story?
Well, you just can't kill two birds with one stone...
back-words... recipe...
September 19, 2008
recipe...
Congo Bars
Makes about 15 dozen
Cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, or pecans are all fine substitutes
for the macadamia nuts.
6 cups macadamia nuts
1 one-pound box graham crackers
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1.5 cups packed sweetened shredded coconut
Caramel for Cookies
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spread macadamia nuts on a baking sheet, and
bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Set baking sheet on a wire rack to cool.
2. Line an 11-by-18-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Using a food processor or rolling pin, finely crush graham crackers. Place in a medium bowl. Stir in melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of prepared
baking pan in an even layer. Sprinkle the chocolate over the graham crackers. Sprinkle the coconut over the chocolate. Sprinkle the reserved nuts over the coconut.
3. Using a microwave or double boiler, heat the caramel until liquid. Drizzle caramel over macadamia nuts. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Cut into .75" x 1.25" pieces.
recipe...
Congo Bars
Makes about 15 dozen
Cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, or pecans are all fine substitutes
for the macadamia nuts.
6 cups macadamia nuts
1 one-pound box graham crackers
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1.5 cups packed sweetened shredded coconut
Caramel for Cookies
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spread macadamia nuts on a baking sheet, and
bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Set baking sheet on a wire rack to cool.
2. Line an 11-by-18-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Using a food processor or rolling pin, finely crush graham crackers. Place in a medium bowl. Stir in melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of prepared
baking pan in an even layer. Sprinkle the chocolate over the graham crackers. Sprinkle the coconut over the chocolate. Sprinkle the reserved nuts over the coconut.
3. Using a microwave or double boiler, heat the caramel until liquid. Drizzle caramel over macadamia nuts. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Cut into .75" x 1.25" pieces.
back-words... recipe...
September 19, 2008
recipe...
Martha's CONGO BARS
Martha's version of the Congo Bar varies slightly from traditional
recipes in that she prefers to use Valrhona chocolate chunks instead of
chocolate chips. The fine-quality Valrhona chocolate makes them taste
better than ever.
Congo bars became popular in the 1950s, back when cacao beans were
imported from Central Africa, which, in those days, was known as the
Congo. But bar cookies have been around since at least 1896, when a
recipe for them appeared in that year's edition of the "Fannie Farmer
Cookbook." Bar cookies are just that much quicker to make than drop
cookies, which can mean a world of difference if you're pressed for time
but are still inclined to give your family home-baked cookies. They are
deliciously dense, rich, and moist in the center and perfectly crusty on
top. You can substitute chocolate chips for the Valrhona, if you like,
and you can use walnuts, almonds, or peanuts instead of the pecans.
CONGO BARS
Makes 18 two-and-one-quarter-inch bars
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for
buttering the baking dish
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
Vegetable oil spray for spreading dough
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9x13" glass baking
dish, reserving butter wrapper. Set aside. Sift together the flour,
baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a wooden spoon, beat butter and sugar in a medium bowl until
light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time,
mixing well after each addition. Add sifted flour mixture, and mix until
just combined. Add chopped nuts and chocolate, and mix to combine.
3. Place the dough in the prepared baking dish. Using the reserved butter wrapper, spread dough evenly. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove to rack to cool slightly before cutting, about 20 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut into 18 2 1/4-by-3-inch bars. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.
recipe...
Martha's CONGO BARS
Martha's version of the Congo Bar varies slightly from traditional
recipes in that she prefers to use Valrhona chocolate chunks instead of
chocolate chips. The fine-quality Valrhona chocolate makes them taste
better than ever.
Congo bars became popular in the 1950s, back when cacao beans were
imported from Central Africa, which, in those days, was known as the
Congo. But bar cookies have been around since at least 1896, when a
recipe for them appeared in that year's edition of the "Fannie Farmer
Cookbook." Bar cookies are just that much quicker to make than drop
cookies, which can mean a world of difference if you're pressed for time
but are still inclined to give your family home-baked cookies. They are
deliciously dense, rich, and moist in the center and perfectly crusty on
top. You can substitute chocolate chips for the Valrhona, if you like,
and you can use walnuts, almonds, or peanuts instead of the pecans.
CONGO BARS
Makes 18 two-and-one-quarter-inch bars
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for
buttering the baking dish
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
Vegetable oil spray for spreading dough
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9x13" glass baking
dish, reserving butter wrapper. Set aside. Sift together the flour,
baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a wooden spoon, beat butter and sugar in a medium bowl until
light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time,
mixing well after each addition. Add sifted flour mixture, and mix until
just combined. Add chopped nuts and chocolate, and mix to combine.
3. Place the dough in the prepared baking dish. Using the reserved butter wrapper, spread dough evenly. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove to rack to cool slightly before cutting, about 20 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut into 18 2 1/4-by-3-inch bars. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.
back-words... recipe...
September 19, 2008
recipe...
Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
brownie batter:
4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
cheesecake topping:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 tablespoon sugar
confectioners sugar, for sprinkling Brownies (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter and flour a 13" x 9" baking pan.
Make brownie batter:
In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter stirring, and cool. Whisk in sugar and eggs, 1 at a time, and whisk in vanilla and salt. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
Make cheesecake topping:
In a bowl with an electric mixer cream together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy and beat in lemon juice, egg, vanilla, and salt. Beat in flour and spread mixture in an even layer over batter. Scatter raspberries over topping and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake brownies in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is puffed and pale golden and a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it. Cool brownies completely in pan on a rack and chill, covered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Cut brownies into bars and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
recipe...
Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
brownie batter:
4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
cheesecake topping:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 tablespoon sugar
confectioners sugar, for sprinkling Brownies (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter and flour a 13" x 9" baking pan.
Make brownie batter:
In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter stirring, and cool. Whisk in sugar and eggs, 1 at a time, and whisk in vanilla and salt. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
Make cheesecake topping:
In a bowl with an electric mixer cream together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy and beat in lemon juice, egg, vanilla, and salt. Beat in flour and spread mixture in an even layer over batter. Scatter raspberries over topping and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake brownies in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is puffed and pale golden and a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it. Cool brownies completely in pan on a rack and chill, covered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Cut brownies into bars and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
back-words... funeral...
*** i wrote this after 10pm. it was a hell of a day. since my dog, pogo, has separation anxiety due to being weened from his mother much too early and because i think of him as family, it was my choice to bring him along rather than leave him at home. my great uncle conducted the memorial and funeral services. i wasn't allowed in with pogo and i wasn't going to leave him in the car alone. so we stood outside of the chapel while the memorial service was conducted. later we went to the plot where the funeral service itself was conducted. there was no wake; the casket was closed. there was no tombstone present at the time; it wasn't ready yet. afterward some cemetery authorities shooed us away rudely several times. we couldn't even see her lowered into the ground. i had wanted to light incense at her grave, but circumstances didn't allow for it then.
since then, i have slowly eased my way back into doing things. some things still remain. i had been researching buying a new car to replace my current 14 year old car, but that will have to wait even longer. i had also looked into schools to resume and complete education so i could make a career shift/adjustment, but at this point i'm not sure if its time to resume that effort quite yet since i scratched the other cornea this month. i have resumed studying japanese, but i need to study more diligently.
time is no longer on my side for certain things, and yet i still feel like i need more time. i always felt more comfortable about moving on when there is nothing left to leave behind, but it's hard to move on when you are also leaving things behind. what concretely marks a point of separation/moving on, or is there even such a point in every situation? lately i think maybe such a point doesn't always exist and you have to make one for yourself while forging your way. i think maybe that has always been a difficult thing for me to do.
July 25, 2008
funeral...
today was my grandmother's funeral. it was a difficult day for many in different ways. i came home and crashed afterward yet i am still tired... tomorrow my family celebrates my uncle's birthday early before he and my cousin leave town to return home. i should find some time to talk to her since we almost never have that opportunity. next week, i should think about easing my way back into life and routine again. what a long strange trip its been...
since then, i have slowly eased my way back into doing things. some things still remain. i had been researching buying a new car to replace my current 14 year old car, but that will have to wait even longer. i had also looked into schools to resume and complete education so i could make a career shift/adjustment, but at this point i'm not sure if its time to resume that effort quite yet since i scratched the other cornea this month. i have resumed studying japanese, but i need to study more diligently.
time is no longer on my side for certain things, and yet i still feel like i need more time. i always felt more comfortable about moving on when there is nothing left to leave behind, but it's hard to move on when you are also leaving things behind. what concretely marks a point of separation/moving on, or is there even such a point in every situation? lately i think maybe such a point doesn't always exist and you have to make one for yourself while forging your way. i think maybe that has always been a difficult thing for me to do.
July 25, 2008
funeral...
today was my grandmother's funeral. it was a difficult day for many in different ways. i came home and crashed afterward yet i am still tired... tomorrow my family celebrates my uncle's birthday early before he and my cousin leave town to return home. i should find some time to talk to her since we almost never have that opportunity. next week, i should think about easing my way back into life and routine again. what a long strange trip its been...
back-words... still dealing with death...
*** my grandmother's passing was not instantaneous; it was a long and extensive process full of suffering and emotional trauma. the day they took her off life support proved to not give her a peaceful death. instead, her body struggled, but wasn't strong enough to keep her alive on its own. my mother suffered the worst of all my family members. its ironic because she and my grandmother weren't close at all, but they had made their peace in the end, so that changed how she would feel about things. she continued to stay at the apartment for a bit longer, but eventually came back home...
July 8, 2008
still dealing with death...
i'm slowly getting back into stumbling again, with the help of a few precious friends. My grandmother's funeral won't be til the end of the month, so i'm kinda holding off on life's guilty little pleasures- to some extent... once that has come to pass, i feel like then i can get back on track with things i withdrew from shortly before she passed away.
on an additional lighter note, my grandfather is out of the hospital and his pneumonia is starting to clear up. i am glad he didn't throw in the towel upon my grandmother's death. we know he doesn't have much time left in this world due to an incurable longterm illness which he has had for decades, but we aim to make him as comfortable as possible while he is still here. after all, the point is he should be happy...
July 8, 2008
still dealing with death...
i'm slowly getting back into stumbling again, with the help of a few precious friends. My grandmother's funeral won't be til the end of the month, so i'm kinda holding off on life's guilty little pleasures- to some extent... once that has come to pass, i feel like then i can get back on track with things i withdrew from shortly before she passed away.
on an additional lighter note, my grandfather is out of the hospital and his pneumonia is starting to clear up. i am glad he didn't throw in the towel upon my grandmother's death. we know he doesn't have much time left in this world due to an incurable longterm illness which he has had for decades, but we aim to make him as comfortable as possible while he is still here. after all, the point is he should be happy...
back-words... dealing with death...
*** this was posted to stumbleupon, hence "stumbling." my grandfather has been in and out of the hospital a couple more times since then with the same problems. the help isn't helpful and i think they will be replaced, or at least they should have been when things started to disappear from my grandparent's apartment at the facility. my grandmother's funeral was july 25th, 3 days before my uncle's birthday and less than a month before my mother's birthday. her passing was less than a month after my grandfather's and cousin's birthdays. everything has moved on to some extent since then and yet it also hasn't. most of the family has been permanently affected in some way to this loss. i, for one, never got to prove to her that i am not a failure, as she once deemed me to be. i hope i show some sign of change to my grandfather before he passes. mostly it doesn't matter to me anymore. i finally made peace with those sorts of issues long ago...
June 23, 2008
dealing with death...
i just figured maybe i should drop a blog since i havent really been stumbling for a while... my grandmother's health has been getting worse over the last few months and she finally passed away tuesday, june 3, 2008 at 7:00 pm, est. her services will be in late july. since then my grandfather's health has significantly deteriorated. it seems maybe he has given up on life. he is in the hospital with pneumonia- a kind that can be fatal to people either in his age range or with his kind of medical condition. as he has both counting against him, this is a very serious situation. he has also recently lost control of his mental faculties and in their place, is dementia, hallucinations, and memory issues which all seemingly transpired over night. its possible that it will clear up when the pneumonia is gone, but there are no guarantees. he also has a wound on his ankle which hasnt healed for over a year even with skin grafts and now the doctors are discussing amputation. the remainder of my family is at odds with each other. i feel alone more than ever and have postponed most things until life gets better, which includes stumbling. i hope to be back soon...
June 23, 2008
dealing with death...
i just figured maybe i should drop a blog since i havent really been stumbling for a while... my grandmother's health has been getting worse over the last few months and she finally passed away tuesday, june 3, 2008 at 7:00 pm, est. her services will be in late july. since then my grandfather's health has significantly deteriorated. it seems maybe he has given up on life. he is in the hospital with pneumonia- a kind that can be fatal to people either in his age range or with his kind of medical condition. as he has both counting against him, this is a very serious situation. he has also recently lost control of his mental faculties and in their place, is dementia, hallucinations, and memory issues which all seemingly transpired over night. its possible that it will clear up when the pneumonia is gone, but there are no guarantees. he also has a wound on his ankle which hasnt healed for over a year even with skin grafts and now the doctors are discussing amputation. the remainder of my family is at odds with each other. i feel alone more than ever and have postponed most things until life gets better, which includes stumbling. i hope to be back soon...
back-words... jung at heart...
*** there will definitely be more on this later. i have about 4 different results on the jung myers briggs personality test- most saying i, not e, but i am sure i feel a little e in me...
April 9, 2008
jung at heart...
why i dont test the same every time, i dont know. however i do have my suspicions the tests just arent adequate enough to fine tune the gray areas- now jung says im an enfj, however i know while i may have occasional social tendencies, i vastly prefer remaining home. go figure- an introverted former raver who still works with music...
April 9, 2008
jung at heart...
why i dont test the same every time, i dont know. however i do have my suspicions the tests just arent adequate enough to fine tune the gray areas- now jung says im an enfj, however i know while i may have occasional social tendencies, i vastly prefer remaining home. go figure- an introverted former raver who still works with music...
back-words... holiday greeting...
March 23, 2008
holiday greeting...
happy easter to all near and far.
get some chocolate and rub it all over someone who deserves it!
just kidding...
maybe.
holiday greeting...
happy easter to all near and far.
get some chocolate and rub it all over someone who deserves it!
just kidding...
maybe.
back-words... unreliable technology...
*** oddly enough, i can't find a blog anywhere that specifies the date of death of my eternal hard drive. this blog would be the earliest to mention it and while i know it was right around this time frame, i'm a little surprised i didn't mention anything sooner, except perhaps i was hoping to acquire more concrete information in regards to a solution. many times i will not post about a problem until i am aware of how to resolve it, unless i am searching for feedback.
March 10, 2008
unreliable technology...
After owning a couple LaCie drives and having them both die, I finally understand it wasn't my fault. Upon searching for a replacement drive, I found reviews on Amazon for the exact product I had which just died after a little over a year. I have never seen more negative than positive reviews for a product before. This was really enlightening and I just wanted to share this with anyone considering a LaCie product.
March 10, 2008
unreliable technology...
After owning a couple LaCie drives and having them both die, I finally understand it wasn't my fault. Upon searching for a replacement drive, I found reviews on Amazon for the exact product I had which just died after a little over a year. I have never seen more negative than positive reviews for a product before. This was really enlightening and I just wanted to share this with anyone considering a LaCie product.
back-words... updates...
February 7, 2008
updates...
updates:
snocap store is set up and posted to several sites.
soundclick store is up to date.
remastered a collaborative album into a solo effort and loaded it to all stores.
set up an account with tunecore to distribute works to several online retailers.
set up accounts with shoutlife, reverbnation, purevolume, & scriggleit.
still resolving issues with last fm regarding former label association.
one thing i have learned through all this was that even though i didnt sign any contracts things quickly became legal in the end. regaining control of my rights has been a challenging process. further more, i discovered i was once again a victim of identity theft, which has been a great burden. I am working hard to make everything right and remove or gain control over all fraudulent accounts. progress continues...
updates...
updates:
snocap store is set up and posted to several sites.
soundclick store is up to date.
remastered a collaborative album into a solo effort and loaded it to all stores.
set up an account with tunecore to distribute works to several online retailers.
set up accounts with shoutlife, reverbnation, purevolume, & scriggleit.
still resolving issues with last fm regarding former label association.
one thing i have learned through all this was that even though i didnt sign any contracts things quickly became legal in the end. regaining control of my rights has been a challenging process. further more, i discovered i was once again a victim of identity theft, which has been a great burden. I am working hard to make everything right and remove or gain control over all fraudulent accounts. progress continues...
back-words... music update...
February 3, 2008
music update...
a reply from apple:
Dear Scott Cherry,
Thank you for your interest in iTunes.
After careful consideration of your application, we believe that the most efficient way to get your content up on iTunes in a timely fashion would be for you to deliver the content through one of the several digital service providers with whom we currently work.
______________________________________________
ive been approved! hooray for me! =)
music update...
a reply from apple:
Dear Scott Cherry,
Thank you for your interest in iTunes.
After careful consideration of your application, we believe that the most efficient way to get your content up on iTunes in a timely fashion would be for you to deliver the content through one of the several digital service providers with whom we currently work.
______________________________________________
ive been approved! hooray for me! =)
back-words... music update...
February 2, 2008
music update...
from snowcap:
Thanks for joining SNOCAP!
Your artist account has been created and you should receive an email message from us shortly.
Next steps:
* Follow the link provided in the email to activate your account.
* Log in to SNOCAP with your email address and the password you created during signup.
* Upload your mp3s, set your track prices and get your store on the web!
Thanks again for choosing SNOCAP. We look forward to working with you!
music update...
from snowcap:
Thanks for joining SNOCAP!
Your artist account has been created and you should receive an email message from us shortly.
Next steps:
* Follow the link provided in the email to activate your account.
* Log in to SNOCAP with your email address and the password you created during signup.
* Upload your mp3s, set your track prices and get your store on the web!
Thanks again for choosing SNOCAP. We look forward to working with you!
back-words... music update...
February 2, 2008
music update...
this from apple:
You have submitted your application. You're done!
Thank you for submitting your application to the iTunes Store.
We will review your application and contact you about getting your music in the iTunes Store. We will also keep your application on file, so there's no need to submit it more than once.
_________________________
i will be keeping my fingers crossed as i can use any avenue of sales available...
music update...
this from apple:
You have submitted your application. You're done!
Thank you for submitting your application to the iTunes Store.
We will review your application and contact you about getting your music in the iTunes Store. We will also keep your application on file, so there's no need to submit it more than once.
_________________________
i will be keeping my fingers crossed as i can use any avenue of sales available...
back-words... info update
*** my feb. 1st entry stated i had parted company with a label. stumbleupon was the only place where i apparently blogged a follow up update.
February 2, 2008
info update...
both myspace pages have been corrected,
my soundclick store is up to date,
and i will be loading more mixes to lowercase sounds.
have a good weekend...
February 2, 2008
info update...
both myspace pages have been corrected,
my soundclick store is up to date,
and i will be loading more mixes to lowercase sounds.
have a good weekend...
back-words... poem...
January 16, 2008
sweat
over here, over there
cuff you to a chair.
give you a mouthful,
pull your hair.
nibble on an ear,
taste a salty tear-
can't get enough
of that sexy stuff
called lovin'...
sweat
over here, over there
cuff you to a chair.
give you a mouthful,
pull your hair.
nibble on an ear,
taste a salty tear-
can't get enough
of that sexy stuff
called lovin'...
back-words... fruitcake recipe...
December 27, 2007
Fruitcake Recipe
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups dried fruit
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
lemon juice
nuts
1 gallon whiskey
Sample the whiskey to check for quality. Take a large bowl.
Check the whiskey again to be sure it is of the highest quality.
Pour one level cup and drink. Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer; beat 1 cup butter in a large, fluffy
bowl. Add 1 teaspoon sugar and beat again.
Make sure the whiskey is still OK. Cry another tup.
Turn off mixer. Break 2 legs and add to the bowl and chuck in the
cup of dried fruit. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets
stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the whiskey to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift 2 cups
of salt. Or something. Who cares? Check the whiskey.
Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table.
Spoon. Of sugar or something. Whatever you can find. Check the
whiskey... repeat...
Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don't forget
to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out the window.
Check the whiskey again.
Go to bed. Take the rest of the whiskey with you. Who the hell likes
fruitcake anyway?
Fruitcake Recipe
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups dried fruit
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
lemon juice
nuts
1 gallon whiskey
Sample the whiskey to check for quality. Take a large bowl.
Check the whiskey again to be sure it is of the highest quality.
Pour one level cup and drink. Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer; beat 1 cup butter in a large, fluffy
bowl. Add 1 teaspoon sugar and beat again.
Make sure the whiskey is still OK. Cry another tup.
Turn off mixer. Break 2 legs and add to the bowl and chuck in the
cup of dried fruit. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets
stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the whiskey to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift 2 cups
of salt. Or something. Who cares? Check the whiskey.
Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table.
Spoon. Of sugar or something. Whatever you can find. Check the
whiskey... repeat...
Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don't forget
to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out the window.
Check the whiskey again.
Go to bed. Take the rest of the whiskey with you. Who the hell likes
fruitcake anyway?
back-words... holiday greeting...
November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends!
Eat well, be happy, and be thankful for all the little things in your life. :)
Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends!
Eat well, be happy, and be thankful for all the little things in your life. :)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
back-words... surprise...
November 7, 2007
today i found myself with the surprise of updating my information all over cyberspace. why, you ask? because my record label gave their site a face lift. among many additions of features includes a collective page for the artists they endorse. we no longer have individual pages, so i no longer have a specific page that is just mine. i am, as the pet shop boys put it, one of the crowd. i also have to toss out my business cards since they feature a homepage that is no longer mine- in fact, it now shows videos made by other artists. life happens and you move on...
today i found myself with the surprise of updating my information all over cyberspace. why, you ask? because my record label gave their site a face lift. among many additions of features includes a collective page for the artists they endorse. we no longer have individual pages, so i no longer have a specific page that is just mine. i am, as the pet shop boys put it, one of the crowd. i also have to toss out my business cards since they feature a homepage that is no longer mine- in fact, it now shows videos made by other artists. life happens and you move on...
back-words... 1974 Central - apology…
*** this was my last post to 1974 central. nobody replied. sometimes i debate if i want to post any further to this site, but i feel like everything has been falling on deaf ears thus far. i would like to see 1974 central really take off and become an amazing archive to the world for the year 1974, but somehow i kind of doubt that will ever happen. i'm just not sure how to make it work on my own, plus while it may be my desire, it really isn't my place; i don't think i even have all the controls the admin does. additionally, this is very draining to do with such limited resources that one really needs a team to work on such a project...
June 17th, 2008
Apology…
I would like to take a moment and apologize for not posting anything in recent weeks. Things have been very difficult here as my grandmother passed away recently. My family has been doing many things to try to keep each other going. Unfortunately, it has left me physically and emotionally drained on a perpetual basis. It’s difficult to carry on with many things recently, but rather than keep you hanging as to what happened to my regular posts, I felt I should offer an explanation. We were in hopes she might survive, but her health continued to decline. I have felt the need for a little time off from this while I get family arrangements sorted out. I was in hopes to feel motivated to post trivia sooner, but I am still lacking the drive and have had to put many things off while things are still being resolved. I hope to return with more posts as soon as possible. Thank you…
June 17th, 2008
Apology…
I would like to take a moment and apologize for not posting anything in recent weeks. Things have been very difficult here as my grandmother passed away recently. My family has been doing many things to try to keep each other going. Unfortunately, it has left me physically and emotionally drained on a perpetual basis. It’s difficult to carry on with many things recently, but rather than keep you hanging as to what happened to my regular posts, I felt I should offer an explanation. We were in hopes she might survive, but her health continued to decline. I have felt the need for a little time off from this while I get family arrangements sorted out. I was in hopes to feel motivated to post trivia sooner, but I am still lacking the drive and have had to put many things off while things are still being resolved. I hope to return with more posts as soon as possible. Thank you…
back-words... 1974 Central - Trivia Post #6...
May 19th, 2008
Trivia Post #6
QUESTIONS:
1. Which Premier Russian dancer defects to Canada and joins the American Ballet Theatre?
2. Feb. 27: People magazine debuts, with ____ gracing the cover as Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby. Who was that actress?
3. Jan. 21: The U.S. Supreme Court decided that pregnant women of which profession could no longer be forced to take long leaves of absence?
4. Feb. 8: The three-man crew of ____ space station returned to Earth after spending 84 days in space. Which space station was this?
5. Who was the first black model on the cover of a major fashion magazine (Vogue)?
6. Which world renown life-saving maneuver was developed to save choking victims?
7. Which English classic rock group formed the new label Swan Song Records with their manager Peter Grant?
8. Who resigns as premier of Israel?
9. April 3-4: The second worst storm of the 1900’s struck America’s heartland, killing 315 people and injuring over 5,000 people. What was this storm “event” called?
10. How many tornadoes occurred during The Super Tornado Outbreak?
RANDOM FACTOID:
The Super Outbreak is the largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period. From April 3 to April 4, 1974, there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 US states, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and New York; and the Canadian province of Ontario. It extensively damaged approximately 900 square miles (1,440 square kilometers) along a total combined path length of 2,600 miles (4,160 km).
(Source: Wikipedia)
ANSWERS:
1. Mikhail Baryshnikov
2. Mia Farrow
3. teachers
4. Skylab
5. Beverly Johnson
6. the Heimlich maneuver
7. Led Zeppelin
8. Golda Meir
9. The Super (Tornado) Outbreak
10. 148 tornadoes
Trivia Post #6
QUESTIONS:
1. Which Premier Russian dancer defects to Canada and joins the American Ballet Theatre?
2. Feb. 27: People magazine debuts, with ____ gracing the cover as Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby. Who was that actress?
3. Jan. 21: The U.S. Supreme Court decided that pregnant women of which profession could no longer be forced to take long leaves of absence?
4. Feb. 8: The three-man crew of ____ space station returned to Earth after spending 84 days in space. Which space station was this?
5. Who was the first black model on the cover of a major fashion magazine (Vogue)?
6. Which world renown life-saving maneuver was developed to save choking victims?
7. Which English classic rock group formed the new label Swan Song Records with their manager Peter Grant?
8. Who resigns as premier of Israel?
9. April 3-4: The second worst storm of the 1900’s struck America’s heartland, killing 315 people and injuring over 5,000 people. What was this storm “event” called?
10. How many tornadoes occurred during The Super Tornado Outbreak?
RANDOM FACTOID:
The Super Outbreak is the largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period. From April 3 to April 4, 1974, there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 US states, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and New York; and the Canadian province of Ontario. It extensively damaged approximately 900 square miles (1,440 square kilometers) along a total combined path length of 2,600 miles (4,160 km).
(Source: Wikipedia)
ANSWERS:
1. Mikhail Baryshnikov
2. Mia Farrow
3. teachers
4. Skylab
5. Beverly Johnson
6. the Heimlich maneuver
7. Led Zeppelin
8. Golda Meir
9. The Super (Tornado) Outbreak
10. 148 tornadoes
back-words... and you thought you were a Tiger…
May 16th, 2008
and you thought you were a Tiger…
Have you ever been out to eat Chinese food and you see one of those Chinese Zodiac placemats at your seat? It tells you what what your Chinese sign is based on what year you were born. Guess what? The Chinese year is based on the Lunar Cycle, not the Gregorian calendar followed by most civilizations. Therefore, just because you were born in a specific year, 1974 in the case, doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a specific sign, such as a Tiger. Huh???
OK, show of hands- who understands the Chinese Zodiac? and who doesn’t? I’ll explain some things to bring everyone up to speed.
The Chinese Zodiac is a 12 year cycle. Each year of the 12 year cycle is named after one the original 12 animals. The Chinese zodiac refers to a pure calendrical cycle; there are no equivalent constellations like those of the occidental zodiac.
That was pretty simple, right? Sure it was. Now here’s where things get interesting…
The 60-year cycle consists of two separate cycles interacting with each other. The first is the cycle of ten heavenly stems, namely the Five Elements (in order Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) in their Yin and Yang forms.
The second is the cycle of the twelve Zodiac animal signs (生肖 shēngxiāo) or Earthly Branches . They are in order as follows: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (ram or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and boar .
This combination of 5 elements × 12 animals creates the 60-year cycle, which always starts with Wood Rat and ends with Water Boar. Since the zodiac animal cycle of 12 is divisible by two, every zodiac sign can also only occur in either Yin or Yang: the dragon is always yang, the snake is always yin, etc.
It’s a little mathematical, but still fairly comprehendable. Now let’s get a bit complicated…
Since the (traditional) Chinese zodiac follows the (lunisolar) Chinese calendar, the switch over date is the Chinese New Year, not January 1 as in the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, a person who was born in January or early February has the sign of the previous year.
Are you scratching your head yet? sort of? not really? Let me explain further…
Feb. 3, 1973 - Jan. 23, 1974 is the year of the Ox (Water).
Jan. 24, 1974 - Feb. 10, 1975 is the year of the Tiger (Wood).
Therefore, my fellow 1974′nians, if you were born between 1/1/74 & 1/23/74, you are an Ox. If you were born between 1/24/74 & 12/31/74, you are a Tiger. Can you dig it? Sure, it’s no sweat! Next time you’re out having Chinese with your friends and/or family you can blow their minds while waiting for your meals.
and you thought you were a Tiger…
Have you ever been out to eat Chinese food and you see one of those Chinese Zodiac placemats at your seat? It tells you what what your Chinese sign is based on what year you were born. Guess what? The Chinese year is based on the Lunar Cycle, not the Gregorian calendar followed by most civilizations. Therefore, just because you were born in a specific year, 1974 in the case, doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a specific sign, such as a Tiger. Huh???
OK, show of hands- who understands the Chinese Zodiac? and who doesn’t? I’ll explain some things to bring everyone up to speed.
The Chinese Zodiac is a 12 year cycle. Each year of the 12 year cycle is named after one the original 12 animals. The Chinese zodiac refers to a pure calendrical cycle; there are no equivalent constellations like those of the occidental zodiac.
That was pretty simple, right? Sure it was. Now here’s where things get interesting…
The 60-year cycle consists of two separate cycles interacting with each other. The first is the cycle of ten heavenly stems, namely the Five Elements (in order Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) in their Yin and Yang forms.
The second is the cycle of the twelve Zodiac animal signs (生肖 shēngxiāo) or Earthly Branches . They are in order as follows: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (ram or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and boar .
This combination of 5 elements × 12 animals creates the 60-year cycle, which always starts with Wood Rat and ends with Water Boar. Since the zodiac animal cycle of 12 is divisible by two, every zodiac sign can also only occur in either Yin or Yang: the dragon is always yang, the snake is always yin, etc.
It’s a little mathematical, but still fairly comprehendable. Now let’s get a bit complicated…
Since the (traditional) Chinese zodiac follows the (lunisolar) Chinese calendar, the switch over date is the Chinese New Year, not January 1 as in the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, a person who was born in January or early February has the sign of the previous year.
Are you scratching your head yet? sort of? not really? Let me explain further…
Feb. 3, 1973 - Jan. 23, 1974 is the year of the Ox (Water).
Jan. 24, 1974 - Feb. 10, 1975 is the year of the Tiger (Wood).
Therefore, my fellow 1974′nians, if you were born between 1/1/74 & 1/23/74, you are an Ox. If you were born between 1/24/74 & 12/31/74, you are a Tiger. Can you dig it? Sure, it’s no sweat! Next time you’re out having Chinese with your friends and/or family you can blow their minds while waiting for your meals.
back-words... 1974 Central - Trivia Post #5...
May 13th, 2008
Trivia Post #5
QUESTIONS:
1. February 19: BRMB (now 96.4 BRMB) begins broadcasting to which area?
2. January 6: ____ Radio Mystery Theater (1974-1982) debuts and is broadcast on 218 stations. Which major broadcasting company owned this serial?
3. Which American comedian, vaudeville performer, musician, and radio, television, and film actor passed away on December 26, 1974 (aged 80)?
4. February 8: After 20 years, ____ airs its 5195th and final episode on CBS Daytime. What was the name of this epic serial?
5. August 5: For the first time on a preschool children’s program, the UK show ____ covers the death of the main character, Inigo, as the actor who played him (George Woodbridge) had died & the show is renamed Pipkins. What was the name of this serial?
6. Which popular British sketch comedy which aired its final episode this year, is first shown in the US on KERA-TV in Dallas, Texas?
7. May 6: The $10,000 Pyramid moves to ABC with whom as the host?
8. September 11: Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983) starring whom, premieres on NBC?
9. Name That Tune premieres on ____ daytime with Dennis James hosting, and in nighttime syndication with Tom Kennedy hosting. Which major broadcasting company hosted this series?
10. January 7: ____ debuts in a 90-minute special on NBC daytime. The episode shows the first nudity (which was merely simulated and not visible) on American daytime television. What was the name of this series?
RANDOM FACTOID:
March 11: The children’s special Free to Be… You and Me, produced by comedic actress Marlo Thomas, airs on ABC. Free to Be… You and Me is a record album and illustrated songbook for children, first released in November 1972, and later in 1974 as a television special, featuring songs and stories from celebrities (credited as “Marlo Thomas and Friends”). Using poetry, songs, and sketches, the basic concept was to salute values such as individuality, tolerance, and happiness with one’s identity; a major thematic message is that anyone, whether a boy or a girl, can achieve anything one wants. The album has become a cult classic across the United States amongst many who were children in the 1970s.
(Source: Wikipedia)
ANSWERS:
1. Birmingham, England
2. CBS
3. Jack Benny
4. The Secret Storm
5. Inigo Pipkin
6. Monty Python’s Flying Circus
7. Dick Clark
8. Michael Landon
9. NBC
10. How to Survive a Marriage
Trivia Post #5
QUESTIONS:
1. February 19: BRMB (now 96.4 BRMB) begins broadcasting to which area?
2. January 6: ____ Radio Mystery Theater (1974-1982) debuts and is broadcast on 218 stations. Which major broadcasting company owned this serial?
3. Which American comedian, vaudeville performer, musician, and radio, television, and film actor passed away on December 26, 1974 (aged 80)?
4. February 8: After 20 years, ____ airs its 5195th and final episode on CBS Daytime. What was the name of this epic serial?
5. August 5: For the first time on a preschool children’s program, the UK show ____ covers the death of the main character, Inigo, as the actor who played him (George Woodbridge) had died & the show is renamed Pipkins. What was the name of this serial?
6. Which popular British sketch comedy which aired its final episode this year, is first shown in the US on KERA-TV in Dallas, Texas?
7. May 6: The $10,000 Pyramid moves to ABC with whom as the host?
8. September 11: Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983) starring whom, premieres on NBC?
9. Name That Tune premieres on ____ daytime with Dennis James hosting, and in nighttime syndication with Tom Kennedy hosting. Which major broadcasting company hosted this series?
10. January 7: ____ debuts in a 90-minute special on NBC daytime. The episode shows the first nudity (which was merely simulated and not visible) on American daytime television. What was the name of this series?
RANDOM FACTOID:
March 11: The children’s special Free to Be… You and Me, produced by comedic actress Marlo Thomas, airs on ABC. Free to Be… You and Me is a record album and illustrated songbook for children, first released in November 1972, and later in 1974 as a television special, featuring songs and stories from celebrities (credited as “Marlo Thomas and Friends”). Using poetry, songs, and sketches, the basic concept was to salute values such as individuality, tolerance, and happiness with one’s identity; a major thematic message is that anyone, whether a boy or a girl, can achieve anything one wants. The album has become a cult classic across the United States amongst many who were children in the 1970s.
(Source: Wikipedia)
ANSWERS:
1. Birmingham, England
2. CBS
3. Jack Benny
4. The Secret Storm
5. Inigo Pipkin
6. Monty Python’s Flying Circus
7. Dick Clark
8. Michael Landon
9. NBC
10. How to Survive a Marriage
back-words... 1974 Central - contributions & submissions…
*** since i have admin duties and capabilities i took it upon myself to make an additional request for contributions and submissions, neither of which has ever happened since my request, that i know of...
May 6th, 2008
Contributions & Submissions…
I would like to reiterate the desire for materials to post to the site. We would love to see photos, specifically of 1974, to post for nostalgia sake. Many of us have little or no visual documentation of our birth year and all that was important and popular. I handle our trivia section and it would be great if people sent links of their favorite nostalgia sites. While I have by no means exhausted my sources of information, I would like to keep a strong variety of information so that I may continue posting 1974 trivia as long as possible. Additionally, we would also like to see other documentation from the year 1974- video, sound bites, etc. Please contact our hostess or me if you have anything to contribute. Together, we can shed light on what happened throughout the world during this spectacular year. Thank you…
May 6th, 2008
Contributions & Submissions…
I would like to reiterate the desire for materials to post to the site. We would love to see photos, specifically of 1974, to post for nostalgia sake. Many of us have little or no visual documentation of our birth year and all that was important and popular. I handle our trivia section and it would be great if people sent links of their favorite nostalgia sites. While I have by no means exhausted my sources of information, I would like to keep a strong variety of information so that I may continue posting 1974 trivia as long as possible. Additionally, we would also like to see other documentation from the year 1974- video, sound bites, etc. Please contact our hostess or me if you have anything to contribute. Together, we can shed light on what happened throughout the world during this spectacular year. Thank you…
back-words... 1974 Central - Trivia Post #4...
May 6th, 2008
Trivia Post #4
QUESTIONS:
1. March 3: Turkish Airlines Flight 981, a DC-10, crashes into a forest near Ermenonville, ____, killing 346 people. At the time, it was the worst aviation disaster in history. In which country is Ermenonville?
2. May 1: Who creates the first draft of what would eventually become Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope?
3. August 7: Peter Wolf, lead singer of the J. Geils Band marries which actress?
4. November 1: Which corporation ceases its legendary dye-transfer printing process?
5. March 17: A freight train on which railway is derailed when it hits a rock slide near Spences Bridge, British Columbia?
6. August: The Seoul subway opens in which country?
7. February 8: After 84 days in space, the last crew of the temporary American space station ____ return to Earth. Which space station was this?
8. Which robotic space probe had three scheduled flyby’s- Venus (Feb. 5), Mercury (March 29), and Mercury again (Sept. 21)?
9. March 25: the United States division of Service Games changes its name to ____. What is that company name which is still in use today?
10. The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics was founded at Naropa University in 1974 by which two Beat Generation poets?
RANDOM FACTOID:
Mariner 10 was a robotic space probe launched on November 3, 1973 to fly by the planets Mercury and Venus. It was launched approximately 2 years after Mariner 9 and was the last spacecraft in the Mariner program (Mariner 11 and 12 were redesignated Voyager 1 and Voyager 2). The mission objectives were to measure Mercury’s environment, atmosphere, surface, and body characteristics and to make similar investigations of Venus. Secondary objectives were to perform experiments in the interplanetary medium and to obtain experience with a dual-planet gravity-assist mission.
(Source: Wikipedia)
ANSWERS:
1. France
2. George Lucas
3. Faye Dunaway
4. Technicolor
5. Canadian Pacific Railway
6. South Korea
7. Skylab
8. Mariner 10
9. Sega
10. Allen Ginsberg & Anne Waldman
Trivia Post #4
QUESTIONS:
1. March 3: Turkish Airlines Flight 981, a DC-10, crashes into a forest near Ermenonville, ____, killing 346 people. At the time, it was the worst aviation disaster in history. In which country is Ermenonville?
2. May 1: Who creates the first draft of what would eventually become Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope?
3. August 7: Peter Wolf, lead singer of the J. Geils Band marries which actress?
4. November 1: Which corporation ceases its legendary dye-transfer printing process?
5. March 17: A freight train on which railway is derailed when it hits a rock slide near Spences Bridge, British Columbia?
6. August: The Seoul subway opens in which country?
7. February 8: After 84 days in space, the last crew of the temporary American space station ____ return to Earth. Which space station was this?
8. Which robotic space probe had three scheduled flyby’s- Venus (Feb. 5), Mercury (March 29), and Mercury again (Sept. 21)?
9. March 25: the United States division of Service Games changes its name to ____. What is that company name which is still in use today?
10. The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics was founded at Naropa University in 1974 by which two Beat Generation poets?
RANDOM FACTOID:
Mariner 10 was a robotic space probe launched on November 3, 1973 to fly by the planets Mercury and Venus. It was launched approximately 2 years after Mariner 9 and was the last spacecraft in the Mariner program (Mariner 11 and 12 were redesignated Voyager 1 and Voyager 2). The mission objectives were to measure Mercury’s environment, atmosphere, surface, and body characteristics and to make similar investigations of Venus. Secondary objectives were to perform experiments in the interplanetary medium and to obtain experience with a dual-planet gravity-assist mission.
(Source: Wikipedia)
ANSWERS:
1. France
2. George Lucas
3. Faye Dunaway
4. Technicolor
5. Canadian Pacific Railway
6. South Korea
7. Skylab
8. Mariner 10
9. Sega
10. Allen Ginsberg & Anne Waldman
back-words... 1974 Central - Trivia Post #3...
April 28th, 2008
Trivia Post #3
QUESTIONS:
1. February 18: The rock group ____ sells out the first of two nights at Madison Square Garden, without a bit of advertising for the show. Which group was it?
2. March 12: John Lennon is involved in an altercation with a photographer outside the Troubador Club in Los Angeles, California. Lennon and friend Harry Nilsson had been heckling comedian ____ and were forced to leave the club. Who was the comedian?
3. Who leaves Genesis and begins solo career?
4. The original Alice Cooper group breaks up. The band’s leader, ____, changes his name to Alice Cooper and goes on to a solo career. What was Alice Cooper’s original name?
5. Who released the album Autobahn?
6. Who released the album Natty Dread?
7. Which artist had the #2 hit Seasons in the Sun?
8. Which comedian/musician was born on September 19, 1974?
9. Angel and the Snake formed in 1974, but changed their name to what in 1975?
10. Who released her debut recording, “Hey Joe”, which many consider to be the first punk rock single?
RANDOM FACTOID:
In 2007, Fallon wrote the song “Car Wash for Peace” with all the proceeds donated to charity. He performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The View and dedicated a MySpace page to the cause. Around the same time, a video circulated on various Internet sites called LonelyFallon32, in which Fallon parodied YouTube celebrity Jessica Rose (a.k.a. lonelygirl15) and later performed the song.
(Source: Wikipedia)
ANSWERS:
1. Yes
2. Tommy Smothers
3. Peter Gabriel
4. Vincent Furnier
5. Kraftwerk
6. Bob Marley
7. Terry Jacks
8. Jimmy Fallon
9. Blondie
10. Patti Smith
Trivia Post #3
QUESTIONS:
1. February 18: The rock group ____ sells out the first of two nights at Madison Square Garden, without a bit of advertising for the show. Which group was it?
2. March 12: John Lennon is involved in an altercation with a photographer outside the Troubador Club in Los Angeles, California. Lennon and friend Harry Nilsson had been heckling comedian ____ and were forced to leave the club. Who was the comedian?
3. Who leaves Genesis and begins solo career?
4. The original Alice Cooper group breaks up. The band’s leader, ____, changes his name to Alice Cooper and goes on to a solo career. What was Alice Cooper’s original name?
5. Who released the album Autobahn?
6. Who released the album Natty Dread?
7. Which artist had the #2 hit Seasons in the Sun?
8. Which comedian/musician was born on September 19, 1974?
9. Angel and the Snake formed in 1974, but changed their name to what in 1975?
10. Who released her debut recording, “Hey Joe”, which many consider to be the first punk rock single?
RANDOM FACTOID:
In 2007, Fallon wrote the song “Car Wash for Peace” with all the proceeds donated to charity. He performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The View and dedicated a MySpace page to the cause. Around the same time, a video circulated on various Internet sites called LonelyFallon32, in which Fallon parodied YouTube celebrity Jessica Rose (a.k.a. lonelygirl15) and later performed the song.
(Source: Wikipedia)
ANSWERS:
1. Yes
2. Tommy Smothers
3. Peter Gabriel
4. Vincent Furnier
5. Kraftwerk
6. Bob Marley
7. Terry Jacks
8. Jimmy Fallon
9. Blondie
10. Patti Smith
back-words... 1974 Central - Trivia Post #2...
April 22nd, 2008
Trivia Post #2
QUESTIONS:
1. October 30: The “Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman takes place where?
2. November 24: A skeleton from the hominid species Australopithecus afarensis is discovered and is given what name?
3. December 24-December 25: Darwin, Australia is almost completely destroyed by what?
4. Volkswagen’s ____ automobile first enters production. VW will go on to sell 22 million, and the model is still in full scale production as of 2008. What model was unveiled?
5. The world population reached ____ billion people. How many billion?
6. April 9: Which American actress and adult industry queen is born?
7. Which infamous British graffiti artist touted to have been born in 1974?
8. Which “Mama,” an American folk rock and classic rock music vocalist (b. 1941) passed away on July 29?
9. Which American jazz pianist and bandleader (b. 1899) passed away on May 24?
10. Restrictions on holding private gold within the United States, implemented by Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, are removed on what date?
RANDOM FACTOID:
Australopithecus afarensis is an extinct hominid which lived between 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago. In common with the younger Australopithecus africanus, A. afarensis was slenderly built. From analysis it has been thought that A. afarensis was ancestral to both the genus Australopithecus and the genus Homo, which includes the modern human species, Homo sapiens.
(Source: Wikipedia)
ANSWERS:
1. Kinshasa, Zaire
2. Lucy
3. Cyclone Tracy
4. Golf
5. 4 billion people
6. Jenna Jameson
7. Banksy (aka Robert Banks)
8. “Mama Cass” Elliott
9. Duke Ellington
10. December 31, 1974
Trivia Post #2
QUESTIONS:
1. October 30: The “Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman takes place where?
2. November 24: A skeleton from the hominid species Australopithecus afarensis is discovered and is given what name?
3. December 24-December 25: Darwin, Australia is almost completely destroyed by what?
4. Volkswagen’s ____ automobile first enters production. VW will go on to sell 22 million, and the model is still in full scale production as of 2008. What model was unveiled?
5. The world population reached ____ billion people. How many billion?
6. April 9: Which American actress and adult industry queen is born?
7. Which infamous British graffiti artist touted to have been born in 1974?
8. Which “Mama,” an American folk rock and classic rock music vocalist (b. 1941) passed away on July 29?
9. Which American jazz pianist and bandleader (b. 1899) passed away on May 24?
10. Restrictions on holding private gold within the United States, implemented by Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, are removed on what date?
RANDOM FACTOID:
Australopithecus afarensis is an extinct hominid which lived between 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago. In common with the younger Australopithecus africanus, A. afarensis was slenderly built. From analysis it has been thought that A. afarensis was ancestral to both the genus Australopithecus and the genus Homo, which includes the modern human species, Homo sapiens.
(Source: Wikipedia)
ANSWERS:
1. Kinshasa, Zaire
2. Lucy
3. Cyclone Tracy
4. Golf
5. 4 billion people
6. Jenna Jameson
7. Banksy (aka Robert Banks)
8. “Mama Cass” Elliott
9. Duke Ellington
10. December 31, 1974
back-words... 1974 Central - Trivia Post #1...
April 14th, 2008
Trivia Post #1
QUESTIONS:
1. The year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on which day of the 1974 Gregorian calendar?
2. In response to the energy crisis, Daylight Saving Time commences nearly 4 months early in the United States. What day did this take place?
3. February 8: The debut album from KISS is released. What was it called?
4. March 29: Mariner 10 approaches which planet?
5. April 24: Stephen King publishes his first novel under his own name. What was that novel?
6. May 18: Under project Smiling Buddha, _____ successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon, becoming the sixth nation to do so. What was that nation?
7. June 6: A new Instrument of Government is promulgated, making which European country a parliamentary monarchy?
8. August 9: Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office, an action taken to avoid being removed by impeachment in response to his role in which scandal?
9. Which professional stunt man fails to cross the Snake River Canyon in Idaho, when a drogue parachute deploys prematurely on his rocket-powered Skycycle X-2?
10. October 20: Ending nine years of nearly constant touring, which group began an extended hiatus after finishing their Fall U.S. tour at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco?
RANDOM FACTOID:
A common year is a common type of calendar year. It has exactly 365 days and so is not a leap year. More generally, it is a calendar year without intercalation. A common year of 365 days has exactly 52 weeks and one day, so consequently the next new year is one day of the week later. In the Gregorian calendar, 303 of every 400 years are common years. By comparison, in the Julian calendar, 300 out of every 400 years were common years.
(Source: Wikipedia)
ANSWERS:
1. Tuesday
2. January 6, 1974
3. KISS
4. Mercury
5. Carrie
6. India
7. Sweden
8. Watergate
9. Evel Knievel
10. The Grateful Dead
Trivia Post #1
QUESTIONS:
1. The year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on which day of the 1974 Gregorian calendar?
2. In response to the energy crisis, Daylight Saving Time commences nearly 4 months early in the United States. What day did this take place?
3. February 8: The debut album from KISS is released. What was it called?
4. March 29: Mariner 10 approaches which planet?
5. April 24: Stephen King publishes his first novel under his own name. What was that novel?
6. May 18: Under project Smiling Buddha, _____ successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon, becoming the sixth nation to do so. What was that nation?
7. June 6: A new Instrument of Government is promulgated, making which European country a parliamentary monarchy?
8. August 9: Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office, an action taken to avoid being removed by impeachment in response to his role in which scandal?
9. Which professional stunt man fails to cross the Snake River Canyon in Idaho, when a drogue parachute deploys prematurely on his rocket-powered Skycycle X-2?
10. October 20: Ending nine years of nearly constant touring, which group began an extended hiatus after finishing their Fall U.S. tour at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco?
RANDOM FACTOID:
A common year is a common type of calendar year. It has exactly 365 days and so is not a leap year. More generally, it is a calendar year without intercalation. A common year of 365 days has exactly 52 weeks and one day, so consequently the next new year is one day of the week later. In the Gregorian calendar, 303 of every 400 years are common years. By comparison, in the Julian calendar, 300 out of every 400 years were common years.
(Source: Wikipedia)
ANSWERS:
1. Tuesday
2. January 6, 1974
3. KISS
4. Mercury
5. Carrie
6. India
7. Sweden
8. Watergate
9. Evel Knievel
10. The Grateful Dead
back-words... 1974 Central - frippery pursuit…
*** last year, i was asked to take part on a website based on the facebook group 1974 central. the website is actually a blog which allows its members to contribute various data specifically regarding the year 1974- births, deaths, discoveries, awards, achievements, world events, etc. officers were appointed for each month and i was appointed for trivia, since i suggested it and the month of march was already being represented by someone else.
to tell you the truth, the site is kind of dead and has been since mid-'08. the last ten posts were by me from april to june. no one posted since or even in between. none of the monthly officers have posted; nobody has posted at all. i took a hiatus when my grandmother passed away and haven't posted since, but i have been to the site a few time to check on things and sift through the comments awaiting approval. tonight i spent a few hours clearing out 105 pages of spam-ridden comments. the only traffic to this site since i last checked in has been spam. now that's amazing. for a while the site was offline, but i guess i have the admin to thank for that. funny thing is she doesnt ever reply to my messages anymore, so i guess she is pretty busy. i'm not sure if the site is worth maintaining further or if it will even stay up for much longer.
i would like to keep a record of the posts i have made while i am busy transferring old blogs so i will include a small 1974 central section within the back-words series. i hope you will enjoy reading these posts...
April 14th, 2008
Frippery Pursuit…
Welcome to the trivia section! I hope to shake things up a bit for you and provide an entertaining and (*gasp*) educational experience. Some things you may already know, some not so much. I’d like to keep it fun and not too much of a brain buster for everybody.
I would like to try a couple different formats and see what everyone prefers. Our lovely admin and hostess has given me carte blanche to Run this section as I best see fit. First, I will present a regular trivia posting regarding things that transpired during 1974. Second, I would like to present random 1974 factoids which may or may not be educational which will usually pertain to one or more questions I have posed in a given trivia post, but should certainly be interesting. Finally, a lot of consideration has gone into how to present you the questions and answers to the trivia posts:
How often do I present new trivia- daily, weekly, monthly?
How many questions should I pose per trivia posting- one, five, ten?
Do I present the answers below the questions within the same post?
Do I present the answers a week later?
Do I use invisible ink so you have to wipe your screen with lemon juice to reveal the answers? — well, that one is a bit of a stretch, but trust me, I have been interested in enhancing your trivia experience to the fullest.
So how about upside down text? No, just kidding… maybe.
I figure I will start off with a weekly posting of ten questions and I will present the answers below the questions. If that works well for most of you, I will maintain that format.
With this introduction out of the way, I will commence on some trivialities for your cerebral pleasure. I hope you enjoy the section. If you have any feedback, send me a note. I can’t make any promises, but I will do my best to run a decent section. Thank you.
to tell you the truth, the site is kind of dead and has been since mid-'08. the last ten posts were by me from april to june. no one posted since or even in between. none of the monthly officers have posted; nobody has posted at all. i took a hiatus when my grandmother passed away and haven't posted since, but i have been to the site a few time to check on things and sift through the comments awaiting approval. tonight i spent a few hours clearing out 105 pages of spam-ridden comments. the only traffic to this site since i last checked in has been spam. now that's amazing. for a while the site was offline, but i guess i have the admin to thank for that. funny thing is she doesnt ever reply to my messages anymore, so i guess she is pretty busy. i'm not sure if the site is worth maintaining further or if it will even stay up for much longer.
i would like to keep a record of the posts i have made while i am busy transferring old blogs so i will include a small 1974 central section within the back-words series. i hope you will enjoy reading these posts...
April 14th, 2008
Frippery Pursuit…
Welcome to the trivia section! I hope to shake things up a bit for you and provide an entertaining and (*gasp*) educational experience. Some things you may already know, some not so much. I’d like to keep it fun and not too much of a brain buster for everybody.
I would like to try a couple different formats and see what everyone prefers. Our lovely admin and hostess has given me carte blanche to Run this section as I best see fit. First, I will present a regular trivia posting regarding things that transpired during 1974. Second, I would like to present random 1974 factoids which may or may not be educational which will usually pertain to one or more questions I have posed in a given trivia post, but should certainly be interesting. Finally, a lot of consideration has gone into how to present you the questions and answers to the trivia posts:
How often do I present new trivia- daily, weekly, monthly?
How many questions should I pose per trivia posting- one, five, ten?
Do I present the answers below the questions within the same post?
Do I present the answers a week later?
Do I use invisible ink so you have to wipe your screen with lemon juice to reveal the answers? — well, that one is a bit of a stretch, but trust me, I have been interested in enhancing your trivia experience to the fullest.
So how about upside down text? No, just kidding… maybe.
I figure I will start off with a weekly posting of ten questions and I will present the answers below the questions. If that works well for most of you, I will maintain that format.
With this introduction out of the way, I will commence on some trivialities for your cerebral pleasure. I hope you enjoy the section. If you have any feedback, send me a note. I can’t make any promises, but I will do my best to run a decent section. Thank you.
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