one.o.eight

In honour of Arbor Day here in the United States, I present this lovely tree. The original image was shot in IR (infrared) by my dear friend over at (pretty pretty) pandafish.org, and colourized by moi. Check out his work. Is nice!

Posted by Tacitus at 11:48 AM | Comments (2)

February 18, 2007

Ernk Ernk

Happy New Year!

Posted by Tacitus at 09:54 AM | Comments (0)

February 14, 2007

HFVD

Happy F***ing Valentine's Day. It's raining sideways here, everything is covered in icy slush, trees are falling on cars in the parking lot, and I'm the only idiot member of my team to show up to work today!

But worst of all is that I have friends out there who are alone on this romantic holiday day. I want nothing more than to be there for them, with them, near them; laughing, crying, drinking, eating, dancing, just being, hanging out, having fun.

Oh cruel fickle finger of fate! Why do you diddle me so? Man, I'm in a weird mood today. lol

*snoops around empty office*
... <.< ...
Hellooo?
... >.> ...

Ok, this blows. I'm cutting out and going home at lunchtime.

Posted by Tacitus at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)

November 07, 2006

Szczęśliwy Dzień Urodzenia!

Ooo! I don't know how this got into my calendar, but there it is... *points* Happy Birthday, Truskawka!

Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji urodzin!

Please tell me the online translator got that right! *braces for embarrassment* For all I know, I just wished bananas to grow from you ears! lol Curse my family for assimilating!

Hope your day is a happy one. :)

Posted by Tacitus at 11:10 AM | Comments (1)

October 22, 2006

Touch of Death!

Mastering the Touch of Death is quite easy if you follow these simple steps:

1. Ready your hand for the touching (or hands if you're feeling saucey). I personally have perfected the single tickle-finger technique.
2. Touch your intended victim. Anywhere will do, but should be appropriate to the respective time, place, and degree of familiarity.
3. Proclaim in some appropriate voice (pirate, demon, learned sage, lemon merchant, or whatever), "Touch of Death!"
4. Repeat ad nauseum.

It's a big hit at parties, and kids love the Touch of Death too! In fact this technique was perfected on small children, all of whom died* laughing.

* Disclaimer: No children were actually killed in the perfection of the author's own Touch of Death technique.

Posted by Tacitus at 06:52 PM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2006

A Midsummer's Day Picnic

My company's annual picnic was this past Saturday. We went despite the rain. It poured the whole trip out to the day camp where the picnic was hosted. But just as we arrived, the rain surprisingly subsided, and within an hour or two the sun came out and shone for the remainder of the event albeit through cloudy skies. It was a pleasant affair with food and drink and the activities of the day camp available to us (and everyone else who's companies were having their picnics that day as well). There were paddleboats, a moonbounce and slide, a miniature train, playgrounds, sports fields, go-carts and more! The kids had fun, and we left before they got too tired, so the day ended well.

Posted by Tacitus at 07:23 PM | Comments (2)

July 11, 2006

Play It A-Genghis, Khan

Today marks the beginning of the Nadaam Festival in Mongolia and the 800th anniversary of the establishment of the Mongolian Empire (1206-1368) by Genghis Kahn. The world outside of Mongolia has mixed views of Genghis Khan, but within the nation he is viewed its a founding father. Celebrations have been going on all year and have included much fanfaire.

Posted by Tacitus at 04:54 PM | Comments (0)

July 04, 2006

When in the Course of Human Events...

Today is/was Independence Day in the USA. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence; the formal proclamation of independence by the thirteen colonies of North American from the Kingdom of Britain. Of course formal independence would not come until after eight years of open civil war against Britain and the signing of the Treaty of Paris (of 1783), signed September 3, 1783, and ratified by U.S. Congress on January 14, 1784.

To commemorate this day we did nothing. We lounged and loafed and generally lazed. What better way to spend a day celebrating independence than to do nothing at all?

Okay, we actually watched TV for the first time in months, and got sucked into re-runs of the second season of Project Runway. I'm still stunned at how much of the time was consumed by television advertisement! There must have been barely twenty minutes of show presented in each hour! Glad I don't do this sort of thing regularly. Where did the day go?

Happy 4th of July!

Posted by Tacitus at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)

June 19, 2006

Father's Day

We put fish in our pond this weekend; ten little feeder goldfish from the local pet store. It’s not really a pond, I suppose. It's more like a large plastic bowl about 3' (c. 1m) across and half as deep. We added plants the week before, and water the week before that. Soon it will be established and beautiful. Not a bad activity for a forgotten Father's Day.

Posted by Tacitus at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2006

Lordi Lordi Lordi

Congratulations to Lordi, winners of the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest!

Not since ABBA-- They're nothing like ABBA! They're cinematic horror and meets melodic metal!

Relax, they're out to entertain you, not make you wet yourself in terror… Okay, well maybe just a little wetting. ;)

Rock on Lordi!
Rock on Finland!
Kippis!

Posted by Tacitus at 12:04 PM | Comments (2)

March 27, 2006

Party in Pennsylvania Sector

Saturday we piled into the car and headed to a party in Morgantown, PA; home of the sister and attached in-laws of Kathleen (of our friends Dave and Kathleen). It was a joint-birthday celebration for their son and his cousin.

You can never be too sure how you're going to get along with your own in-laws, but someone else's in-laws? Well what could be easier? They're not your family right? So you're free to be as obnoxious as you want to be: get drunk, kick their cat, barf in their aquarium, and basically be an all-around jackass! Woohoo! Party time! *BELCH*

Ha! As if I would ever be so gauche! We were all very well behaved and so were they. It was a kids' birthday party after all. In fact the party and the company were all pretty cool. I think they liked us. We certainly liked them. So much so that should we have a party of our own this summer, they'll surely be on the guest list.

A summer party: what better incentive to install a door from the house to the backyard? Presently you have to walk through the garage to get there, and the garage is hazardous to navigate. It wouldn’t be proper to require guests to take their lives into their own hands just to move from the inside to the outside. Sure there's the front door, but we’re not far enough south* to be partying on the front porch.

Though you don't have to head much farther south to find a party in a front yard. Maybe just a block or two. ;)

* We are to my father's dismay (albeit jokingly) positioned some 18.5 miles (~29.8 km) north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Posted by Tacitus at 02:00 PM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2006

Matter: Look at a Brick

Happy Birthday, Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 - 18 April 1955)

Posted by Tacitus at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)

February 14, 2006

Becoming

Ritual is a cornerstone in all cultures. Through ritual we mark milestones and achievements, and ascribe ourselves to and differentiate ourselves from others. Rituals anchor us and provide us a measure for success (or failure) within our cultural identity. The importance of ritual is present in each an everyone of us. Taking things particularly to heart are children for whom the concepts of the right and wrong ways of doing things seem held near-sacred.

My daughter celebrated her birthday recently, and her fascination with the trappings of the birthday ritual were simply startling. Cake, candles, ice cream, silly hats, singing, and presents: it all had to be there. All her acculturation sources on the matter demonstrated to her that this was how birthdays are marked. To celebrate any other way simply would not do.

The funny thing is, she herself only exhibited a passing interest in eating the cake and ice cream, or even in the gifts she had received; though she did take great delight in unwrapping her presents. No, for her the most important thing was to blow out the candles on her cake. This single act within the entirety of the birthday celebration was the defining moment that marked for her completeness. With one concentrated puff of air, she became another year older. The ritual had been satisfied.

Posted by Tacitus at 09:51 AM | Comments (1)

January 29, 2006

Woof!

Happy Lunar New Year!

Posted by Tacitus at 01:58 PM | Comments (0)

January 17, 2006

Charge Forth for a Birthday Run!

We celebrated our son's birthday this past weekend. He opted for a party in Gnomeregan and dinner at the Outback Steaskhouse. Ah big thanks to Norcen and NS for escorting us down into that wacky gnomish city! The boy enjoyed all his phat loot both in WoW and at the steakhouse, as we also discovered that the Junior Ribs kid's meal comes with more ribs than the Drover's Platter!

Posted by Tacitus at 08:19 PM | Comments (0)

December 31, 2005

Wait For It!

Three...
Two...
One...
One... Happy New Year!

Wow! What a difference a leap second makes!

Posted by Tacitus at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)

November 30, 2005

Happy Birthday to Me

Oh yeah, it was my birthday this month. Another year older. Whoop-di-doo! Didn't do anything significant (played WoW most of the day and throughout the holiday weekend). Didn't get anything (except some nice cards and eCards). The nicest thing was that a bunch of my friends remembered! Sadly none live nearby, so a party would have been pointless. My parents remembered this year too, so that was a pleasant surprise.

Hum-dee-dum... another year older, but not deeper in debt; (Heh) another first. Only took me... how many years to break even? *shrugs* I'd have to take my and your shoes off to count. :P

Posted by Tacitus at 03:17 PM | Comments (2)

November 24, 2005

Thanksgiving in the USA

Spent Thanksgiving at home this year; no travel, no extended family, no in-laws. All seemed pretty normal until the moment we sat down to dinner. The table seemed strangely empty.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Posted by Tacitus at 10:24 PM | Comments (0)

October 15, 2005

Beware the Ides of October

Firstly, happy birthday to my love! <3

It had been raining here for eight days and nights. I do not exaggerate. From torrential downpour to light drizzle and back again, water had been falling from the sky for over a week without pause. There was major flooding north of here, but not us; the sandy soil letting the water run almost straight down rather than stand were we live.

Then this morning we were awoken early by none other than sunshine streaming through our bedroom window. My love's birthday arrives and we get sunshine! The clouds had parted in the early morning hours and the sun was shining through.

Ugh!

*stuff head into pillow*

So... despite the blasted sunshine our day started as they almost always do on a Saturday; late. Then off for a semi-spontaneous (i.e., unprepared) adventure to Barney, the Barnegat Bay Lighthouse, on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. I would have pics but the stupid camera decided it had just enough power to perform all of its available functions save recording images to memory.

Hulk smash! Well not exactly; though believe me I wanted to do just that!

Stupid camera.

It did capture two images though... of the inside of the lighthouse. Ooo wow! Look at...

what is that?

I'm not sure... um...

*shrug*

Stupid camera.

So up the lighthouse stair (217 steps, 172 feet up) we climbed; thirty-eight pounds of three-year-old held in one arm... OMFG am I ever out of shape!

There was a time I could launched myself over the heads of full-grown adults and land safely on the other side; tucking and rolling of course, but not now. All this time sitting at a desk has taken its toll. :( I'm not fat, but I've lost a lot of muscle mass... but still weigh the same. ;_;

Anyways, after experiencing the fierce winds atop the lighthouse, and the only slightly less exhausting decent of the lighthouse stair, we strolled leisurely along the nearby jetty enjoying the spectacle of the sea, sand, and nearby salt marshes. Jet skiers where zipping about in the inlet launching themselves off the tops of cresting waves; mildly entertaining for a time, but eventually becoming annoying as the buzz of their engines was unceasing.

Then it was back to the car for the return trip home and possibly a nice celebratory dinner... but then things went horribly wrong.

Horribly? Well maybe not horribly? But they could have been horrible, had we not had the fortune of finding our way to the Manahawkin Shell Station.

As we arrived on the mainland over the bridge from Long Beach Island, the instrument panel in the car went dead... (suddenly we were hurtling along at 0 mph but keeping apace of 50+ mph traffic) ...then the transmission started trying to shift (automatic) without the benefit of computer guidance. Very scary feeling. Imagine riding along at 50-ish mph and having the drive train feel like it's going to lock up and rip itself out from under you. An exaggerated sensation no doubt, but still. Scary!

Like a golden beacon in the distance peeking up through the trees stood the Shell Oil sign. We made it into their parking area as the car died.

3:30 pm on a Saturday.

First let me say, the people at Manahawkin Shell on Route 72 are freakin' awesome!

They were busy as hell, but they still had time to inspect our car and determine the alternator had died. Which came strangely as no surprise to me. Telltale signs had been manifesting over the course of the past few months... signs that in hindsight foretold the impending doom of the alternator.

4:00 pm on a Saturday.

Then came the unexpected...

"If we can get the part today, we can have you out by 5:00 pm."

*blink*

Cool!

4:57 pm we were back on the road and heading home.

I wish I lived closer to these guys. If I did, they'd get all my automotive business from here on out. I highly recommend them.

Anywho... a trip to the Outback Steakhouse for dinner on the way home and then a little gaming and sex (not at the Outback, mind you) to round out the evening and our day was complete!

So a very happy birthday to you and yours whenever that may be, but beware the Ides of October for they are rife with hardships for all devices electrical in nature, be they cameras or cars.

Posted by Tacitus at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)

October 05, 2005

A Grand 100 Grand!

My hats off to our little Subaru Impreza for crossing the 100,000 mile mark today. It's the first car I've ever had that's made it this far. My little truck isn't far behind and should cross into the 100K+ realm in about three thousand miles. It took almost $700 to get her across this "finish line," *cry* but she made it! And you know what? I still love this car!

Sure the all-wheel-drive is a drain on the fuel economy, and it lacks a turbo so it's not uber powerful... and the interior is warn out... and the windshield is fogged over from nearly ten years of air pollution...

But you know what? I still love this car!

Posted by Tacitus at 07:47 PM | Comments (0)

October 04, 2005

Thar She Blows!

Ooo! Ooo! Me! Me! Me! I did that! *points at freakin awesome whale exhibit*

Whales: Voices in the Sea (produced for the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, USA) took Silver at the 2005 MUSE Awards in the Science Category.

I programmed the voice recording and playback feature including the nifty spectrum data visuals -- Woot! Yay me! -- while a friend designed and built out the rest of the project. Kudos to you, Jim-mey!!!

This will look nice alongside all my other awards! hehe Pity I didn't get a spiffy certificate to hang on my wall. But I believe I am at least listed in the credits so that'll have to do.

*happy dance*

Posted by Tacitus at 02:44 PM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2005

Missed Me Boat

Curses!!! Yesterday be International Talk Like a Pirate Day and I missed it!

Woe is me! Shame burns in me breast like the red ragin' inferno of a stubborn merchant prize bein' razed to her waterline for refusin' to strike and heave to! Me cheeks flush with embarrassment liken to a rosy fog of one too many a tankard of rum! Me brain be achin' like a...

Well blow me down! I can talk like a pirate any ole day o' the week! I don't be needin' no special day to be celebratin' talkin' like a pirate with acts of public drunkenness, arson, and fornicatin'! Arr!!!

I be declarin' everyday Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Arr!

Arr!

ARR!!!

Posted by Tacitus at 01:24 PM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2005

The 40th of July

This past weekend we attended a 40th Anniversary surprise party for my parents. All went swimmingly. They expected nothing and were completely surprised. The fact that their actual anniversary isn't until December played heavily in our favour!

Hey! You try getting people to come to a barbeque with Winter in the wings!

Posted by Tacitus at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2005

I'll Say It Again... We love the Moon!

And now you can get directions to it!

Posted by Tacitus at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)

June 14, 2005

An Apple for the Speaker

Steve Jobs' Stanford University commencement speech (presented June 12): inspiring words on hunger, foolishness, dots and dieing.

Posted by Tacitus at 05:29 PM | Comments (0)

May 07, 2005

I'm Going to Make a New Character and Kill You

Those were my love's very words on the eve of our anniversary after my son, upon hearing of it, gave me a hug before heading off to bed. Of course there was that teeny little comment I made about how much I appreciated his conciliatory hug, and how glad I was that he understood my pain (from all the grueling years of… um… wedded… bliss). LOL

When… out of the blue… bam!

"I'm going to make a new character and kill you."

Can you believe it? I mean, it's one thing to threaten to kill me, but my character?! What did sh-- er… it ever do to you?

C'mon people! Let's keep our real-life grievances where they belong: buried deep inside us to fester and frustrate; not vent them into a gameworld to bring others down. Jeez! Kill my character indeed…

We both know I'd totally pwn your ass! :P

[Hehe… Happy Anniversary, hunny bunny. ^_^ Luv you!]

[OOPS: Had this one set as a Draft for the past two days! *smacks forehead* Doh!]

Posted by Tacitus at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)

May 05, 2005

Recordar la Batalla de Puebla (or Happy Cinco de Mayo!)

[FYI: My knowledge of Spanish is vestigial at best. Other than learning a few cuss words as a kid, four years of Latin under the merciless tutelage of a Hungarian priest is the closest I've come. Thus I defer to my trusty Babel Fish to translate my desired title: Remembering the Battle of Puebla.]

So… it's 1862 and you are General Ignacio Zaragoza. You've been ordered to stop an advancing army of some 6000 French soldiers with your ill-equipped force of some 4000 peasant troops. The French Army is reputed to be the best in the world, and rightly so: they haven't suffered a defeat in almost fifty years; not since Waterloo. What are you going to do?

Forget too, that your own national army, loyal to an aristocracy that feels put out at the reigns of power being handed to a democratically elected native Mexican (i.e. Mexican Indian), stands ready to welcome the invading French forces. Forget too that that same aristocracy has practically invited the French to overthrow the government (and restore them to power). What are you going to do?

Need a hint? (The suspense is killing you isn't it?)

You will man the forts at the City of Puebla on the 5th of May… and when the French engage, you will kick their ass!

So what if three days later they will send in their Foreign Legion to roll over you, and march on to Mexico City, seize control of your country, install an Austro-Hungarian prince as Emperor (instead of restoring the Mexican aristocracy - oh the irony!), and be in control for a few years? For that one shining day in May, the best army in the world will be halted, forced to withdraw and re-estimate its adversary: an army of peasants; an ultimate underdog!

Ok, so it may not have been an ass-kicking per se; more like a battlefield bitch-slap. The Mexicans won the battle, but not the war. But no one on earth would have expected such an inexperienced assembly to have caused more than half a step's delay to the advance of such an experienced professional force.

So raise a glass to this brief triumph of the human spirit in the face adversity, and give a cheer, "Happy Cinco de Mayo!"

Posted by Tacitus at 05:09 PM | Comments (1)

April 25, 2005

On This Day in 1915

Today is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand, and while I am neither Australian nor New Zealander, I always find myself in a somber mood on this day, and thinking of those who fought and died (or survived) that most terrible chapter in human history: the First World War.

I shall not pontificate on the horrors of war, nor the unmitigated gall and stupidity of those who would lead people down such hellish paths for profit, pride or prejudice, nor assail you with the lyrics of Eric Bogle's "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" (though I would encourage you to give it a listen -- here's a snippet of a Pogues cover). I will simply leave you this:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
-- last verse, Laurence Binyon's "For the Fallen"

Requiescat in pace, lads. Steady on.

Posted by Tacitus at 02:30 PM | Comments (2)

April 08, 2005

My Romantic Tragic Dream (or Why one.o.eight?)

108 is my favourite number. It has been so since I first mastered my times tables in the third grade. My love is three years older than I and her favourite number is 112. As morbid as it may seem to some, we think these would be the perfect ages for us to leave this world for the next.

Through "careful" analysis of the Gregorian calendar we have determined we can actually go together both aged to our favourite numbers in years. The span of time betwixt our birthdays in the year she would turn one hundred twelve would be our window of opportunity to mete out this vision.

Hence we will die (weather permitting) between the Ides of October and November 2076. We have foreseen it. It is our destiny.

So mark your calendars. You’re all invited to attend our joint wake and funeral. Wear something tragically festive in the colour of death for your culture: black, white or whatever.

For death is not the end: it's only a reboot of the soul. And you can quote me on that.

Posted by Tacitus at 09:55 AM | Comments (3)

April 01, 2005

Happy New Year!

I for one am looking forward to the new year ahead. With the Vernal Equinox come and gone -- Oh by the way, Happy Ostara (belated) to you! I meant to post something on Ostara, but true to form I missed it. Maybe I'll fold time and space and retro-post something and pretend it was there all along. I can do that you know. I have the power!!! *gesticulates wildly in a time-bending, pseudo martial artsy display of… well… time-bending, pseudo martial artsy power* Yeah!!! But I digress. With the Vernal Equinox come and gone Spring is in the air and a new year is upon us. At least that would be the case if this was April 1, 1563. Ah, the good old days, back before Pope Greg 13 decided to keep a kickin' Xmas party going and have "them" move up New Years to January 1. (You know, that means that 1563 was only eight months long.) Anyway, I think it's high time somebody steps up and honours the traditions of olde -- you know, the good honest, wholesome traditions that don't make a bit of difference -- and declares, "Happy New Year!" on its proper day! If that makes me a fool then so be it, I am a Fool! Maybe even a dancin' fool! Peace out. Happy New Years.

Posted by Tacitus at 11:18 AM | Comments (2)

March 17, 2005

Heinasirkka, heinasirkka menetaalta hiiten!

Happy St. Urho’s Day (belated) and St. Patrick’s Day to you all! A toast to the saints of pest control: Patrick and his snakes and Urho and his grasshoppers!

People at my office were sorely disappointed that I did not dye my hair green today. I had almost seriously considered it, but had only a blue hair colour readily available so I let it slip my mind. I’m now tentatively committed to dying my hair purple for St. Urho’s Day *and* green for St. Patrick’s Day next year: assuming I haven’t shaved it all off by then. lol

Posted by Tacitus at 12:38 PM | Comments (7)