Pirate of the Outer Hebrides

Bleah.

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:24:03 GMT

Yep, still here.

Things are mostly going well, though I'm feeling a bit blahish at the moment. Hopefully things will clear up a bit at some point.

Woohoo.

Last-minute post

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:56:25 GMT

Went to Alex's school today -- got to meet his new teacher. She seems very nice and eager for the challenge of dealing with him and a number of his friends all in the same classroom. I'm glad there are a number of people he already knows. :)

As we progress...

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:17:37 GMT

Things are good and not so good... not evil, not insurmountable, but not good.

Good things: Alex and I are healthy. We're ready for his school year. He's more talkative and conversational than ever before, which is very pleasant. He's remembering difficult words and putting concepts together -- all in all a series of good signs, given his level of autism.

The bad bit? Self-control issues. He gets angry and disappointed very easily and when he does, he either throws himself to the nearest soft surface and cries or he lashes out. Fortunately, the lashing out is becoming less and less common. The bigger self-control issue is his tendency to get into everything, even if he knows he'll get into trouble for doing it. Today's case in point: I had some paints out for a set of crafts I had been working on. They were sealed and had been there for a few months without him acknowledging it. When I woke up from a nap this afternoon, I found purple spots on the rug. When I questioned Alex about it, he showed me an item he had "painted". I then asked him to show me where the paint bottle was; we eventually found the cap... then the nearly empty bottle on its side. The whole bag of crafts had been hosed. I wasn't real happy at that point -- not angry, but really disappointed. I plan on discussing this with his teachers; they might have a few tips on how to start curbing his instincts.

Every day's a learning experience...

Huh. Well, August was a bit of a wash...

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:09:45 GMT

But what the hey? We can try again now that it's September.

Anyway, still working from home for a while: Alex doesn't start school for a few more days, so we get to spend some quality time together. This has worked with mixed results. We're having fun, but we also are getting on each other's nerves a bit. It will likely be better when he's back around his friends again. :)

Hope folks are doing well and enjoying the unseasonably nice weather...

It's August. Yep, still alive.

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:16:27 GMT

Not much going on. Filmfest this weekend here at Casa del Box, featuring military films. If you're in town and interested, drop me a line so I can make sure there are parking passes available.

Woot.

August

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 17:29:10 GMT

Yeesh. How did this happen? How are we almost done with the year?

Been a quiet week so far. The Moose is down at Mom's enjoying the Nana spa; I'm mucking around with the house bit by bit. Today, I'm heading out for a while to get my hair cut and a new pair of shoes before heading down to meet up with Danny and others for dinner. Tomorrow I brave the crowds to gather up all the items Alex needs for second grade. I don't remember our lists being that long when I was a kid. :P

Hope everyone's enjoying the last of the summer days...

It's not all penguins around here...

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:34:19 GMT

Or is it? :)

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2009/07/28/funny-pictures-for-rest-of-flock/

Somewhat productive day

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:56:22 GMT

Woohoo. :)

1) Got my tire fixed (this time, a screw was embedded in the tire wall, so only a patch. Yay!).

2) Got Elodie inspected. (No problem bits again -- Saturns rock!)

3) Took the boy food shopping.

4) Went swimming. Alex is really trying harder and harder each time we're in the water.

5) Did some laundry. It's not folded yet, but it's done.

All in all, not a bad day at all.

3 posts in a month? Cripes, that's awful. :P

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:32:10 GMT

Well, I suppose the good part of not posting is nothing's gone kablam. :) Alex is doing well; he's almost through summer school and we have to figure when he will be heading down to Mom's for his second summer vacation.

Hope everyone's doing well. :)

Well, this is why I need to post more videos....

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:27:58 GMT

... so that I will use this darn thing for what it's for. :D

Got back from Otakon a few hours ago; it was all right, though definitely not mad moniez by any means. However, we got to see a bunch of folks and meet some new people. I count that part as win. The Moose spent the weekend with his dad and his folks; he brought home a bulldozer and was happy as a clam.

Tomorrow must be devoted to cleaning this place up; it's suffering from con devastation. :P

Sleep well, folks. :)

Happy July!

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:58:40 GMT

Hi, kids -- yes, I haven't been posting, but honestly I haven't had much exciting happen lately. Alex is home and we're off and working on his summer school term. He's excited about it, which makes me happy. Anything that helps him learn is a good thing. Other than that, life is about as it always is.

So, what's up with you? :)

80's music du fromage: Day 22

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:31:04 GMT

Back again to the early days of Michael Jackson's solo career. I always thought he looked fresh from a prom in this one. It could just be the big tie, though. :)

Here's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_hz2am90Hk

80's music du fromage: Day the final

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:55:54 GMT

Thought I would finish out the month with a sweet, but slightly creepy song about love; the video's a little odd, too, but I don't expect anything less from Madness. Here it is - your final song for June: Madness and "It Must Be Love"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnTmRKuMqqs

80's music du fromage: Day 21

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:18:45 GMT

Not only did Michael do duets during the 80's, he also was part of the "let's all get together and record large ensemble pieces for charity" movement.

(This isn't dissing what they did, but my goodness there were a lot of noun-aid concerts during the 80's)

Here's Michael's contribution, co-written by Lionel Richie and sung by a heck of a lot of people -- "We Are the World"...

Wow.

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:27:44 GMT

Well, I was saddened when I heard about Ed McMahon on Monday because he was the king of the second bananas.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQqY5VWief8)

And the Farrah Fawcett news was depressing, but not unexpected. I was hoping she'd make it a little longer, but it's good that she's not in pain anymore.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvkDdSvGJ5s)

However, the Michael Jackson news completely floored me. The first album I ever checked out of a library was a Jackson 5 record. I sung along with all the songs, watched the cartoons on reruns, and had my obligatory copy of Thriller as a teenager. Even over the years and through all his personal weirdness, I still enjoyed listening to his music.

So, in honor of his music, I plan to backfill the 80's days I've missed with Michael Jackson videos. For tonight's current entry, I go way back to 1980. He looks very, very different, but the thing that really impresses me is that he looks so happy in the video. (Not to mention shiny -- it's just as well that he eventually channeled the sequin look into only one glove :D) Here's Michael Jackson and "Rock with You"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hK3Y1Ehv9c

A bit of deja vu...

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:54:05 GMT

So, I dropped Alex off at my mom's this past weekend and, much like last year, I came home with an affliction. Fortunately, this year it's not as bad as before. It's only a cold, but it's enough. I've been hacking and wheezing all day today; I'm working from home tomorrow so that I don't disturb people with my attempts to dislodge my lungs. I'm hoping that by Tuesday I'll be fit to rejoin society.

Hope everyone's doing well...

On the road again...

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:01:27 GMT

Taking the boy down to Roanoke again today -- rapidly scrambling through the house scraping up couch change to fill the gas tank. (Bleah)

80's music days post are going on hiatus for a few days as I will be off the grid until my return on Sunday; I'll backfill when I return.

Have a lovely weekend, folks -- see you on Sunday. :)

80's music du fromage: Day 17

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:49:44 GMT

Tonight's music is a little taste of 1984. Her hair was big, but her legs are oh-so-perfect. Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Tina Turner and "What's Love Got to Do With It?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaQkaY5-OVk

(Sadly, non-embedded, but it's good quality video)

Happy birthday!

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:08:53 GMT

Happy birthday to my partner in crime, impink -- enjoy your day off. :)

80's music du fromage: Day 16

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:00:20 GMT

We're over halfway through the month -- woohoo!

Here's a nice quick one for you all tonight -- a little bit of fun from Peter Gabriel circa 1986: Sledgehammer. :)

80's music du fromage: Day 15

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:46:49 GMT

A few quick things before one quick video. :)

1) Alex only has a few days of school left for the year; I'm a happy camper as he will be moving on to the second grade. The spec. ed. teachers feel that he might be able to handle more of the general ed. classes next year, so that's a very good thing. :)

2) Chris and I have a table in the Otakon Artist Alley. Yay!

Now tonight's quick video: a little ditty by David Bowie. This one was likely the most normal video he ever made. :D Before you go to sleep, here's a little "Modern Love" for you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hDbpF4Mvkw

80's music du fromage: Day 14

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:40:21 GMT

OK, tonight since I've caught up on the backfills, I think I'll include a bonus video. :)

First up, a little confession: I've always liked the next song a lot better than "Total Eclipse of the Heart". Sure, that one is nice and sad and, well, really big (this was the era of big music), but this one is catchier and somehow even bigger. :) However, were I her, I would have been trying to provoke the celestial choir to stop dancing and get a damn fire extinguisher. :D
Here's Bonnie Tyler and "Holding Out for a Hero".

And now, here's your bonus: Robert Palmer's "Simply Irresistible". Fun song -- very catchy, but, folks, a little advice from me to all of you: if you're going to get a bunch of ladies in the background that are meant to be mostly identical and to dance, err on the side of getting dancers rather than similar body types. The body bits can be faked, but there's no hope for bad dancing. ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ-eisHzA84

Well, fibberty floo...

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:42:27 GMT

*sigh* I"m behind in the 80's postings again, but I'll get those backfilled tonight. At least I had a legitimate reason for missing last night. (No, not BLITEOTW) Yesterday was the "Is there a doctor in the house?" fest; for those that might not remember, I've been theming my fests around professions. So far, 2009 has brought us journalists and lawyers; thus, yesterday was the doctors' turn. Here's what we watched:

* Blue's Clues: Blue Goes to the Doctor
* Olivia: Olivia Tends to the Sick
* The Penguins of Madagascar: Needlepoint
* MST3K: Ring of Terror
* A Day at the Races
* Station break for the "Arlington" rap
* Perry Mason: The Case of the Bedeviled Doctor
* The A-Team: The Doctor Is Out
* The Man with Two Brains

My next fest is August and will take on inventors; this should give me a much wider latitude. :)

Hope everyone has a lovely Sunday; see you later for tonight's 80's clip...

80's music du fromage: Day 11

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:53:30 GMT

Ah, the cinematic videos -- how I miss them. It's not really an 80's flashback without a peek at this lady. Enjoy "Shadows of the Night" from Ms. Pat Benatar.

(Sorry, it's another non-embedded one :P)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66aqcOsnP2E

80's music du fromage: Day 10

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:57:06 GMT

A little backdating for tonight, since I slept through my posting time. :) Nice and simple, it's a re-make of a catchy Falco tune. Please enjoy After the Fire's "Der Kommissar"...