Catastrophe Strikes!

03.30.2004

It was only a matter of time before something serious like this happened. It was inevitable, I should have seen it coming.

I walked into my computer room yesterday and sensed something was amiss. I looked at the floor and saw what had triggered my RussSense?. Staring up at me was an arm. A wrestling figure arm. I looked up to the top of the bookshelf and saw an empty spot. A spot that should have been occupied. I looked down to the floor beside the bookshelf and there I found him.

Edge.

The wrestler, not the guitarist from U2.

Poor, sweet, (now one-armed) Edge. I'm not sure what caused this to happen, but there's an in-depth Camtoon in the works to try and get to the bottom of this. Did he just fall off the bookshelf, or was there foul play involved? I've got to get to the bottom of this!

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The Renovations: Part 3

03.29.2004

After an amazinginly swift 2 weeks, my home remodelling project(s?) is now 99% complete! Hardwood laminate is in. Tile shower is in. Faucets, spickets, quarter-round: mostly in. They still have to come back later and finish up putting some quarter-round in closets, but that should be pretty much it. The only other oddity is that when the floor guys came to put down the laminate, the oven light mysteriously came on. And has stayed on ever since. I'm going to try to get them to look at that when they come back to finish up the quarter-round. This all has prefaced my ability to touch things and watch them fall apart on Saturday. I've always had little problems with the garage door. It started back 5 years ago when I dented the door with my head while backing out in the convertible. When the house was struck by lightning and the contractors were here fixing my electrical problems, the big giant spring that attaches the garage door to the wall came out (so I guess I was lucky there was sometone available to fix it). Saturday, a couple of the rollers came off the track when the door was closing, causig the door to kind of warp while bending the track. I think the house is telling me I should replace the garage door. Now I have to track down a garage door guy.

Click on pic to zoom in new window

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Sequels with Bugs

03.26.2004

One of my favorite movies was Starship Troopers. I know, it was heralded all over as "Aliens: 90210", but being a huge fan of the original book drew me to the movie. It's one of the few books I can sit, read, get totally engrossed in, and finish in one sitting. It's a long sitting, but it's a good book. Sticking more to the roots of the book is a CGI animated series that's pretty good.

While browsing around today, I found that they've made a sequel to Starship Troopers that comes to DVD June 1st. Although the cast is comprised of some recognizable names (if you watch enough tv), looking through the website gives the movie a feel that they've gone back and re-used all the CGI footage from the original movie, while setting up a couple of sets in someone's basement to shoot their new scenes. I've just got a ba-a-a-a-ad feeling about this.

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More Rich Email!

03.24.2004

It's been 3 months since I got any good spam, but I finally managed to get another Nigerian Scam email. I like them, they're fun to read. This one doesn't have the chopped English like the last one, which takes some of the fun out of it. So in case you're interested, here's my latest gateway to fame and fortune:

Barrister Prince Cosmos syrilstober
COSZEE Chambers, Solicitor & Advocate,
56 Rue Boulevard Djankasse,
B.P.50214. Lome-Togo.
Dear sir,(So personalized, I love it!)

As it may interest you to know, I got your impressive information in our chamber of commerce and Industry here in Lome-Togo, where I was seaching for a good reliable contact which I will entrust this business oppurtunity into his control. I was elated when I saw your address and I picked a keen interest with confidence to solicit for your help in executing this oppurtunity.(It's nice to know I'm such a power player with the chamber of commerce in Lome-Togo)

However, I was moved to contact you base on the your recomendation by an associate working with our Chamber of Commerce & Industry here in Lome-Togo which I may say that it is God given time offer. (So the chamber of commerce works directly with God in Lome-Togo...) There was this foreigner who lived here in Lome-Togo long ago called Mr. Billings, and it happen that the man registered to me as his private personal attorney.Unfortunately the man died with his wife and their two kids in plane crash which happened on 30th October, 2000.Oddly enough, a Sinagapore airliner crashed on the way to Los Angeles on Oct 31, 2000)

Owing to the death of this man, his bank called on me for his balance with the bank as his attorney since January 2001 (So this guy became Mr Billings attorney 3 months after he died?), to invite his relatives to come and claim the money. I tried all I could to trace his family but all my efforts proved abortive, then from January this year 2003 (Well, January of last year, but that's a mere technicality) till now the bank has been presurising me (I hate when I get presurised!) to look for his family because they realise that a lot of swindlers have been forwarding application to claim the money as his next of kin but it happen that after much verification they will find out that those people were rogues because they cannot provide a enough evidence to prove that they were his relative. (The "I told you so" gambit must not work in Lome-Togo)

However, I have decided to use you as his next of kin to claim the money for my own personal use as it happen that his relatives were not available up till now and I have all his documented memo in my file which will back you up before the bank as his next of kin. I will still obtain a genuine legal backing with your name which will place you in the position of the bonafide "Next of kin" to the deceased. (Luckily all the other people that have been trying to forwarding aplication to claim the money are not knowing of this. Hey, I can speak Lome-Togo-ian!)

Furthermore, the amount involved is ($12.000,000.00) Twelve Million United State Dollars. If my proposal interest you, then you will have to furnish me with your full name and address which I will use to secure the legal documents. And as soon as I received your address, I will form an application which you will submitt to the deceased bank as his next of kin. (12 million? But other people have gotten 15 million, or even 20 million. Why am I being shortchanged 8 million dollars!_

After due verification and clarification by the correspondent branch of the bank where the whole money will be remitted from to your own designation bank account. The money will be remitted to your account.Be rest assured that there is no risk involved as I have perfected and made the neccessary arrangements to back you up in claiming the fund. (At least they know how to get your back in Pago-Taco, or wherever this is...)

Finally, you have to maintain the high secrecy this business demands as the bank does not know that I am using you to claim the money. I will compensate you with 25% of the total money for your help and assistance. I will invest my own part of the money in your country base on your advice. And 10% is mapped out for expences and tax that might be paid to your country on remittance of the fund to your account. (Wait, so not only am I losing 8 million because I got the wrong letter, but I'm only getting 25% of the 12 million? Why, that's hardly worth the trouble! Plus, I guess posting this has blown the whole "high secrecy" aspect.)

You can now forward your address and your full name and I will furnish you with the application as soon as you reply this mail.

Thanks as I await your reply.

Best Regards,

Bar. Prince Cosmos syrilstober

Thanks, to Yahoo, I responded from another alias:

Most Joyous Barrister Prince Cosmos syrilstober,

I am feared to respond to you and yours that I am wishing to have received more information for the workings of your idea. I have heard stories to be wary of people on the interweb, and do not wish to become such.

I will be thanking you for receipt of said such at time of receiving on this matter.

If I receive a most gracious reply, I'll let everybody know.

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The Renovations: Part 2

03.23.2004

Monday morning, while filling out paperwork for the home re-financing, I got a call from the floor people asking if the door was unlocked. This caught me off guard, since the floor people weren't due for another day. But the floor people were able to get in (thanks to tile guy) and get started.

When I got home after work, I found out they had managed to get pretty much exactly halfway done. I got home to a swath of laminate flooring running down the middle of the house. It was a little wierd, but at least I could get a good impression of how everything is going to look. From the 2/3 of the kitchen that was covered, I think the flooring works well with the grain of the cabinets. The hallway looks nice. The great room, which was maybe 1/4 covered, will also look good.

Today they're here (I think) to finish up. They have to lay the rest of the flooring, then put whatever is needed between the rooms with carpet and the hallway with the new floor. Tile Guy is also finishing up the bathroom ("It's a grouting day!").

I'm just ready for the dust to settle. No, literally. There's dust everwhere.

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