MindlessChatter

Somebody once said "necessity is the mother of invention."   Our childhood was filled with events and games that required us to amuse ourselves   using only the materials at hand. This was usually because our parents didn't think we needed the latest shiny toys; instead they taught use to make due with what we had.   It wasn't until years later when I was trying to explain some of these games to Bibliowife did I realize how strange some of the games were.   Some games were completely thought out prior to starting, other times the game would evolve mid game as new rules were added to make it more difficult to score points.   Indoor hockey I can't remember if this game came about during a particularly rainy day   or we were just too lazy to go outside.   The equipment consisted of 1 tennis ball and lots of furniture.   We were not allowed to move the furniture around so we had to make due with the natural layout of the room.   The "goal...

So... I drive faster now. I recently (like five months ago) purchased a new head unit (CD player/stereo thing) for my car and have just now installed the thing. Listening to my own music seems to make my average MPH increase just a little (10-15). I feel as if I am sixteen again, zipping around corners, rolling stop signs, etc. I'm sure that just by installing this little unit will get me a ticket sooner or later. I remember when I was ~12 years old and Biblio had been driving for a number of years. There are so many stories I could tell (jumping railroads in the Astro Van...) but the thing that sticks out to this day was a couple of comments he made when we used to travel together on the way to church or youth group. I recall two things: 1. Rage Against the Machine will cause one to drive 10-20 miles an hour faster than usual, probably why it was one of the first CDs that was lost in my room (stolen from Biblio's). 2. Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight is the song that one s...

I was trying to explain a concept to my co-worker yesterday.   At the same time I was browsing through my daily interweb readings and happened upon a picture of a baby holding a giant spoon.   Being easily distracted, I came up with the following analogy on the fly: Imagine a baby.   Now imagine a delicious bowl of fruit loops.   The baby wants the fruit loops but the bowl is at the other end of the table and he can't reach it.   The baby REALLY wants those loops of imitation fruit . You can see it in his eyes, there is a special glint that seems to say "I'm going to get that bowl and enjoy the hell out of those rings of fruity awesomeness. "   No matter how hard he tries, he can't reach the other end of the table.   He starts to pout, cries a little, screws up is face and generally just works himself into a frenzy trying to get what he can't have.    This behavior continues until someone comes along and provides a giant spoon.  ...

I almost bought a light saber umbrella today. The only reason I didn't was because I could not decide whether or not I wanted the Obi-Wan or Vader (I already ruled out Anakin, by default). I usually don't use umbrellas, they tend to be somewhat cumbersome when not deflecting rain away from my delicate head and instead pouring it directly onto the back of my pants and shoes because I either walk funny or don't know how to hold an umbrella properly. Either way I think it primarily has to do with the fact that it rains every day in Hawaii and you start to get tired of carrying the thing around, except that I always felt a bit safer with it and wished that I had one with a hidden sword to ward off evil-doers (I have my own superhero fantasies but I won't get into that now). I remember one night I was stuck on the wrong side of the island and had no way home, the drinks still ran through me, keeping me warm for a while. The realization that I would be spending the ...