%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 Being Retired now, I thought that it was time for a new name to this Blog |
|
Talk about perks, my career had one of the best I can think of! I traveled in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I was a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and taught classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2-way radio communications. I knew that when the time arrived that I would retire, and I have. I've always said that if you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, get out! I can't handle the heat anymore. I was qualified to deliver approximately 32 different classes, but about half of those were 'Legacy' classes, and were not in demand anymore. My students were technicians, those who maintained, programmed, calibrated, and repaired large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I traveled, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where have I been? Some of the places I've been (I can't list them all here, the list would be too long) are pretty interesting. 1. Hawaii - Four times, Oahu, Maui (twice), and the Big Island 2. BangkokThailand, twice 3. Frankfurt Germany, twice 4. Algiers, Algeria 5. Melbourne Australia 6. Bismarck North Dakota, Summer & Winter 7. Los Angeles, Too many times to count 8. Washington DC, Too many times to count 9. Seattle three or four times 10. Texas, all over the state 11. Florida, all over the state 12. New Mexico, HOME! Several times  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
| Long ago I saved a link to this page. It contains different types of prompt to get one started on writing a story. Below are 30 Science Fiction Prompts. The page has 30 prompts for Fantasy, 30 for Sci-Fi, 30 for Dystopian Writing prompts, and so many more. It even has Romance Prompts, if you want to write in that genre. In case you don't choose to venture there, here are 30 Sci-Fi Writing Prompts for you. I'd love to know if you use any prompt from that page! 1. Write about a character who wakes up in a space pod alone…next to a ship so massive it’s actually carrying a planet beneath it. Your character has no memory from before they wake. 2. Write a story about a character who lives in a world where every single person’s DNA is carefully genetically designed for something to help the community. Your main character despises what they were created for. This has never happened before. 3. Write about how your character lives on a planet other than Earth. In fact, they don’t even know Earth exists. Well, they didn’t until some sort of advanced, technical probe crash-landed in their settlement, exposing the fact that they’re not alone. Now they have to decide what’s best for their settlement. 4. Write a book about how the world used to be plagued with war and famine and inhumanity. But after years and years of developing a technical system that is the center of and controls everything, it’s almost completely peaceful. Your character is the engineer keeping the system running and when they uncover how it works, they contemplate abandoning everything they know. 5. Write about the newest advancement in virtual reality that adds a physical sense. Now your characters can even hook up with people through your phone, all while staying at home. But when a glitch alters the mechanisms, what was once pleasure becomes pain and the user gets trapped in a VR state. 6. Write a story about how others have been keeping your character alive for over 300 years because of a secret they know. When someone new finally learns the truth, reality becomes…confusing. Now, with only a short adulthood left to live, your character must ensure nobody else learns of this secret. But, news spreads fast. 7. Write about how they didn’t mean to, but in an attempt to build a time traveling machine, your character actually discovered alternate universes – and then accidentally trapped themselves there. Oh, and this alternate universe hasn’t discovered electricity yet. 8. Write a story about a character who lives in an ancient society. When a shiny, unnatural looking contraption touches down and creatures emerge, everything they once knew changes. 9. Write about how the only reason your character is alive is because of a test device implanted around their heart. It wasn’t supposed to work and now, they’re not only healed, but they’re also changing. Just what exactly was that device made out of? 10. Write about a character who wakes up in a dark, hot room dressed in hardly anything. Their memory is foggy but clearing up, and they have some sort of technical device securing their hands together. They stumble over to a tiny window that gives them a clear view of a world far below them. 11. Write about your character’s sister who is discovered dead and the cause of death ruled an overdose. Your character knows better. She was the only person in the family who never had an issue with drugs. In fact, she was developing a cure for cancer in the most advanced research center in the world. Your character finds that…suspicious. 12. Write a story about how computers are outlawed. Having access to technology is punishable by life in prison. Your character runs an underground cyber center that gets crashed by local law enforcement. But during interrogation, they get hired instead of prosecuted…because something unworldly has touched down. 13. Write about a character who accidentally created a virtual reality software that taps into the user’s psyche and creates their ultimate dream reality. They were on track to become a billionaire until some users became addicted and unable to free themselves from its hold. 14. Write a story about how the world your character currently lives on is nearing its breaking point. While the rest of the world rushes to evacuate everyone to a space pod with a destination of a livable planet, your character remains behind bars, left to die with the rest of the world’s prisoners. The kicker? They’re wrongfully convicted. 15. Write about how disease is finally eradicated. Cancer is nothing more than an old nightmare. Your character spent years working his way into a lab dedicated to making sure it stays that way. Their secret? They’re a hardcore believer in natural selection. He decides to take Darwinism into his own hands. 16. Write a book about a city that’s the first to implement an entirely technological government. It’s under strict surveillance from the outside in order to determine if this is the future of your country…and the world. Your character stumbles into trouble when they discover that technology isn’t in charge at all – a group of people they’ve never seen or heard of are. 17. Write about hot time altering is possible, but fatally illegal. In this world, characters can bend, pause, rewind, and even fast forward time…but at the risk of their lives. Your character, in the midst of panic, accidentally alters time…by going 300 years into the past. 18. Write a story about how the outdoors is plagued with radioactive particles created by a new technology once thought to eradicate airborne diseases. People are confined to the indoors unless they use a special, very expensive suit. Citizens who can’t afford them are driven mad by confinement. Your character wants to find a way for everyone to have a suit – no matter what law enforcement says. 19. Write about a character who invents airborne particles with the intent to eradicate diseases. Unfortunately, they become radioactive, toxic, and severely deadly to anyone who breathes in even a tiny amount. Scientists have created a man-made atmosphere around the planet of Mars in order to make it completely livable. Your character is one of the lucky few who are chosen to be among the first to inhabit the planet. What they don’t know is that there is no atmosphere…and others already inhabit it. 20. Write about your character who lives in a world where the outdoors is plagued with natural disasters daily. Venturing outside is dangerous and rarely done. When they’re forced to leave their home to rush to the aid of someone struggling outside, they learn that those “natural” disasters are completely fabricated. Their new life mission is to find out why. 21. Write a story about how in your character’s world, identity is implanted into your forearm at birth. It’s scannable and contains any information someone would ever need to know, including age, overall health, risk for diseases, and more. Your character, having spent their life in a type of foster care, applies for a job only to realize that now, at the age of 18, their identity is showing two different sets of information. 22. Your character’s job is to lead the mission of colonizing new planets – even if there’s life present. When the truth of how they manage to find habitable planets surfaces, a new recruit shows them just how wrong it really is. Your character’s new goal? To stop it. 23. Write about how oceanic cities have been built for the rich. They float atop the ocean, traveling hundreds of miles a day, all while its citizens go about their everyday life. Unfortunately, your character discovers a superstorm developing below the ocean’s surface, something that has never happened before – something they are wildly unprepared for. 24. Your character develops a new device you implant in your ear that reads the minds of those they focus on. After light testing, they accidentally discover that the local baker has a massive, dangerous, potentially even deadly secret. 25. Write about how in the distant future, magic is discovered as being real…at least for the humanoid creatures inhabiting an Earth-like planet. Your main character is among the few chosen to venture to the planet and study them. They just never expected to discover the source of the magic like they did in the process. 26. Write a story about how oxygen levels on Earth have been plummeting for centuries. Now, with the population dwindling due to suffocation and disease, your main character has to find a way off the dying planet without attracting too much attention from the Keeps, also known as the highly deadly enforcement force tasked with making sure only certain individuals leave. 27. Write a story about how centuries ago, a solar flare damaged the Earth’s atmosphere in the opposite way expected; it actually made it stronger. But now the sun’s rays have difficulty penetrating it and the world is slowly growing colder. Your character is among the many determined to find a way to fix it. 28. Write a story about how centuries ago, a solar flare damaged the Earth’s atmosphere in the opposite way expected; it actually made it stronger. But now the sun’s rays have difficulty penetrating it and the world is slowly growing colder. Your character is among the many determined to find a way to fix it. 29. Happiness is an illusion, as is every other emotion. In your futuristic society, humans are bred in a lab without them as a means of creating equality. The only problem is that your main character was born the natural way…with every emotion intact. If this is discovered, they’ll have to fend for their life. 30. Write about how your main character was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tasked with delivering something seemingly unimportant, they witness something they shouldn’t have and are pulled into a world of secrecy, dangerous weapon manufacturing, and a virtual war the public is blind to. |
CERN And The Discovery Of A Possible Parallel Universe Y'know, I wish I as half as prolific at Blog entries as Robert Waltz   is. I mean that man never misses a day! Plus, he always has a link to an external site of some type, his entries are always interesting. Mine? Meh ...So today, I'll reference an external article that caught my eye, and covers a subject I'm a tad bit interested in. Plus, it's from X, also known as Twitter, so it has to be true, right? I mean I read it here on the web, so it must be true!  I did look up the article's author, Asa Soo on Twitter, he doesn't appear to be a Scientist of any kind, I'm left wondering about all of it now. Also, his post on Twitter, X, whatever, looked an awful lot like the one I initially saw on FB. The author of the article, Asa Soo writes, "Scientists at CERN have stunned the world after a quantum field simulation produced results unlike anything ever recorded. What began as a controlled experiment designed to map subatomic interactions quickly turned into a discovery that could rewrite everything we know about reality. During the simulation, the team observed feedback loops in the data that did not resemble random particle behavior. Instead, the patterns appeared to be structured, deliberate, and remarkably similar to the markers of intelligent activity." Later he writes, "The deeper they looked, the clearer it became that this was not a coincidence. The quantum code appeared to be aware that it was being observed." That's a bit frightening to me, and gave me a tenuous idea for a story. I've written one that delves a little into this subject long ago. "It's Too Late"  OF course that story is pure fiction, a product of my meager imagination.The article also states, "While verification is ongoing, the CERN team has confirmed that all known safety protocols were followed and that the simulation itself remains contained." Uh huh. Do you believe that as much as I do? Also, that line itself tells me that this is just someone's imagination running wild. So I will close this by saying that there is No Proof of a Parallel Universe. Not Yet. But if there is one or more, we'll find it. I just hope that those who discover it follow proper protocols for their actions, and don't initiate something we're not prepared to handle. Then again, can we ever be even partially prepared should this occur? |
The 200 Scariest Movies Of All Time Something different today. I found this list on Rotten Tomatoes: https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/best-horror-movies-of-all-time/ There are 200 movies on this list, I've only included 100 of them. I've seen 46/200 of these movies. How many have you seen? #1: His House (2020) Starring: Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu, Matt Smith, Cornell John Directed By: Remi Weekes #2: Under the Shadow (2016) Starring: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Ray Haratian Directed By: Babak Anvari #3: The Wailing (2016) Starring: Kwak Do-won, Jun Kunimura, Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee Directed By: Na Hong-jin #4: Get Out (2017) Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford Directed By: Jordan Peele #5: The Babadook (2014) Starring: Essie Davis, Daniel Henshall, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney Directed By: Jennifer Kent #6: Let the Right One In (2008) Starring: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl Directed By: Tomas Alfredson #7: Host (2020) Starring: Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova Directed By: Rob Savage #8: The Loved Ones (2009) Starring: Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy, Jessica McNamee, Victoria Thaine Directed By: Sean Byrne #9: Bride of Frankenstein (1935) Starring: Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson Directed By: James Whale #10: Vampyr (1932) Starring: Julian West, Henriette Gérard, Jan Hieronimko, Maurice Schutz Directed By: Carl Theodor Dreyer #11: The Ring (1998) Starring: Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Miki Nakatani, Yuko Takeuchi Directed By: Hideo Nakata #12: Sinners (2025) Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O'Connell Directed By: Ryan Coogler #13: Jaws (1975) Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary Directed By: Steven Spielberg #14: Psycho (1960) Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock #15: King Kong (1933) Starring: Fay Wray, Bruce Cabot, Robert Armstrong, Frank Reicher Directed By: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack #16: Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) Starring: Paola Lara, Ianis Guerrero, Rodrigo Cortés, Hanssel Casillas Directed By: Issa López #17: Halloween (1978) Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes, P.J. Soles Directed By: John Carpenter #18: Rosemary's Baby (1968) Starring: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer Directed By: Roman Polanski #19: Nosferatu (1922) Starring: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schroeder Directed By: F.W. Murnau #20: Eyes Without a Face (1960) Starring: Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, Edith Scob, Juliette Mayniel Directed By: Georges Franju #21: Harpoon (2019) Starring: Munro Chambers, Emily Tyra, Christopher Gray, Brett Gelman Directed By: Rob Grant #22: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) Starring: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Carolyn Jones, Larry Gates Directed By: Don Siegel #23: A Quiet Place (2018) Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe Directed By: John Krasinski #24: The Vanishing (1988) Starring: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gene Bervoets, Johanna ter Steege, Gwen Eckhaus Directed By: George Sluizer #25: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) Starring: Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Marshall Manesh, Mozhan Marnò Directed By: Ana Lily Amirpour #26: La llorona (2019) Starring: María Mercedes Coroy, Sabrina De La Hoz, Margarita Kénefic, Julio Diaz Directed By: Jayro Bustamante #27: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) Starring: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Lil Dagover, Friedrich Feher Directed By: Robert Wiene #28: Repulsion (1965) Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Yvonne Furneaux, Ian Hendry, John Fraser Directed By: Roman Polanski #29: Peeping Tom (1960) Starring: Karlheinz Böhm, Moira Shearer, Anna Massey, Maxine Audley Directed By: Michael Powell #30: Dracula (1931) Starring: Bela Lugosi, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye, David Manners Directed By: Tod Browning #31: It Follows (2014) Starring: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary Directed By: David Robert Mitchell #32: The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine Directed By: Jonathan Demme #33Train to Busan (2016) Starring: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Choi Woo-sik Directed By: Yeon Sang-ho #34: The Love Witch (2016) Starring: Samantha Robinson, Gian Keys, Laura Waddell, Jeffrey Vincent Parise Directed By: Anna Biller #35: Night of the Living Dead (1968) Starring: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Keith Wayne Directed By: George A. Romero #36: Freaks (1932) Starring: Wallace Ford, Olga Baclanova, Leila Hyams, Roscoe Ates Directed By: Tod Browning #37: The Invisible Man (1933) Starring: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, Henry Travers, William Harrigan Directed By: James Whale #38: The Innocents (1961) Starring: Deborah Kerr, Martin Stephens, Pamela Franklin, Michael Redgrave Directed By: Jack Clayton #39: We Are Still Here (2015) Starring: Barbara Crampton, Andrew Sensenig, Lisa Marie, Larry Fessenden Directed By: Ted Geoghegan #40: The Fly (1958) Starring: David Hedison, Patricia Owens, Vincent Price, Herbert Marshall Directed By: Kurt Neumann #41: Dead of Night (1945) Starring: Mervyn Johns, Michael Redgrave, Roland Culver, Mary Merrall Directed By: Alberto Cavalcanti, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer, Charles Crichton #42: Housebound (2014) Starring: Morgana O'Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru, Cameron Rhodes Directed By: Gerard Johnstone #43: Aliens (1986) Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser Directed By: James Cameron #44: Frankenstein (1931) Starring: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Boris Karloff Directed By: James Whale #45: Carrie (1976) Starring: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, William Katt, Amy Irving Directed By: Brian De Palma #46: The Birds (1963) Starring: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Suzanne Pleshette, Jessica Tandy Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock #47: Re-Animator (1985) Starring: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale Directed By: Stuart Gordon #48: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Starring: John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss Directed By: Wes Craven #49: Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) Starring: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz, Roland Topor Directed By: Werner Herzog #50: Suspiria (1977) Starring: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Joan Bennett, Eva Axén Directed By: Dario Argento #51: Weapons (2025) Starring: Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams Directed By: Zach Cregger #52: Us (2019) Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker Directed By: Jordan Peele #53: Alien (1979) Starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright Directed By: Ridley Scott #54: Raw (2016) Starring: Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Rabah Nait Oufella, Joana Preiss Directed By: Julia Ducournau #55: The Host (2006) Starring: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doo-na Directed By: Bong Joon Ho #56: The Devil's Backbone (2001) Starring: Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve Directed By: Guillermo del Toro #57: The Night of the Hunter (1955) Starring: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Evelyn Varden Directed By: Charles Laughton #58: Don't Look Now (1973) Starring: Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania Directed By: Nicolas Roeg #59: The Fly (1986) Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz, Joy Boushel Directed By: David Cronenberg #60: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) Starring: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Veronica Cartwright Directed By: Philip Kaufman #61The Devil's Candy (2015) Starring: Ethan Embry, Shiri Appleby, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Kiara Glasco Directed By: Sean Byrne #62: House of Wax (1953) Starring: Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones Directed By: Andre de Toth #63: The Cat and the Canary (1927) Starring: Laura La Plante, Creighton Hale, Forrest Stanley, Tully Marshall Directed By: Paul Leni #64: Village of the Damned (1960) Starring: George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Michael Gwynn, Laurence Naismith Directed By: Wolf Rilla #65: The Invisible Man (2020) Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid Directed By: Leigh Whannell #66: The Cabin in the Woods (2011) Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz Directed By: Drew Goddard #67: Drag Me to Hell (2009) Starring: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao Directed By: Sam Raimi #68: Shaun of the Dead (2004) Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost Directed By: Edgar Wright #69: Revenge (2017) Starring: Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe, Guillaume Bouchède Directed By: Coralie Fargeat #70: Prevenge (2016) Starring: Kate Dickie, Gemma Whelan, Alice Lowe, Kayvan Novak Directed By: Alice Lowe #71: Demon (2015) Starring: Itay Tiran, Tomasz Schuchardt, Andrzej Grabowski, Adam Woronowicz Directed By: Marcin Wrona #72: Cat People (1942) Starring: Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph Directed By: Jacques Tourneur #73: Dawn of the Dead (1978) Starring: David Emge, Ken Foree, Gaylen Ross, Scott H. Reiniger Directed By: George A. Romero #74: 1922 (2017) Starring: Thomas Jane, Neal McDonough, Molly Parker, Brian d'Arcy James Directed By: Zak Hilditch #75: Nina Forever (2015) Starring: Fiona O'Shaughnessy, Abigail Hardingham, Cian Barry, David Troughton Directed By: Ben Blaine, Chris Blaine #76: The Witch (2015) Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw Directed By: Robert Eggers #77: 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) Starring: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr., Douglas M. Griffin Directed By: Dan Trachtenberg #78: Mandy (2018) Starring: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy Directed By: Panos Cosmatos #79: Attack the Block (2011) Starring: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones Directed By: Joe Cornish #80: The Endless (2017) Starring: Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Callie Hernandez, Tate Ellington Directed By: Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson #81: Bone Tomahawk (2015) Starring: Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Richard Jenkins, Matthew Fox Directed By: S. Craig Zahler #82: Gerald's Game (2017) Starring: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas, Carel Struycken Directed By: Mike Flanagan #83: Misery (1990) Starring: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Frances Sternhagen, Richard Farnsworth Directed By: Rob Reiner #84: The Wicker Man (1973) Starring: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento Directed By: Robin Hardy #85: Creepy (2016) Starring: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Yuko Takeuchi, Masahiro Higashide, Teruyuki Kagawa Directed By: Kiyoshi Kurosawa #86: The Wolf Man (1941) Starring: Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, Ralph Bellamy, Evelyn Ankers Directed By: George Waggner #87: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) Starring: Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart, Holmes Herbert Directed By: Rouben Mamoulian #88: The Lighthouse (2019) Starring: Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe, Valeriia Karaman, Logan Hawkes Directed By: Robert Eggers #89: Hereditary (2018) Starring: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Ann Dowd Directed By: Ari Aster #90: Green Room (2015) Starring: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole Directed By: Jeremy Saulnier #91: The Invitation (2015) Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michiel Huisman, Emayatzy Corinealdi Directed By: Karyn Kusama #92: Ginger Snaps (2000) Starring: Emily Perkins, Katharine Isabelle, Kris Lemche, Mimi Rogers Directed By: John Fawcett #93: The Phantom of the Opera (1925) Starring: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe Directed By: Rupert Julian #94: House (1977) Starring: Kimiko Ikegami, Ai Matsubara, Miki Jinbo, Eriko Tanaka Directed By: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi #95: Rec (2007) Starring: Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terraza, Jorge-Yamam Serrano, Carlos Lasarte Directed By: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza #96: Martin (1978) Starring: John Amplas, Lincoln Maazel, Christine Forrest, Elyane Nadeau Directed By: George A. Romero #97: Julia's Eyes (2010) Starring: Belén Rueda, Lluís Homar, Pablo Derqui, Francesc Orella Directed By: Guillem Morales #98: Ready or Not (2019) Starring: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien, Henry Czerny Directed By: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett #99: Zombieland (2009) Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin Directed By: Ruben Fleischer #100: Let Me In (2010) Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloë Grace Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Cara Buono Directed By: Matt Reeves |
Yesterday's Outside Work I loved getting something done outside yesterday. I'm not as sore as I thought I'd be this morning, I'm sure it's due to taking the Prednisone though. I went to the local Library a bit ago, they're having a book sale. Fill a bag for $5! Wow. I looked for books my grandson's might enjoy, and also found 2 books about New Mexico. You know I had to get those. I managed to find about 7-8 books for them, including Call Of The Wild by Jack London. I suddenly thought of Nancy Drew Mystery books, or even The Hardy Boy's Mysteries, but the ones they had were long gone of course. They were among the first to disappear most likely. My back started aching a little while there, so I came home and took Tylenol, and the Prednisone. The Prednisone was due, which is why I took both. There's still a lot to be done behind the garage, do I have any volunteers? Yep, I thought I'd see a plethora of hands raised.  I'd pay you though, even feed you. Except all we're having tonight are leftovers. Chili, Chicken & Rice, and Turkey/Mashed Taters w/Gravy & Green Beans. Your choice. |
The Surgery Follow-up & Pulling Weeds Wednesday was the two-week checkup after the recent back surgery. I still think of it as minor, I always will. After all, anytime I can check-in at 8 am, and be home by 4 pm, it's minor surgery. Even if he did enlarge the hole that the nerve exits from on my spinal cord at the L5 Vertebrae. I've had a bit of pain on my back, left side, near the Kidney. I know what I did though. Our new Campervan did not have a jack, lug wrench, or the tool used to lower the Spare Tire from beneath the van. I learned this when the shop installed 4 new tires on the van. So, I ordered them from a website, and they arrived about Monday last week. The box weighs about 15-20 lbs or so, and I moved it into the house. Wrong thing to do. In bending over to pick it up, I didn't use proper lifting techniques, plus it was heavier than I should have lifted. I'm not surprised I developed that pain. I did rub it one night, that wasn't good. It hurt a bit afterwards. Now understand something please. This hurt was an ache, more aggravating than anything else. The bad thing was, it would keep me awake. When the doctor examined me, she prescribed a Prednisone Steroid pack. You know, take 6 tablets the first day, then 5, and so on, until you're at 1, and it's done. Because the prescription was never placed, I didn't start them until this morning. But all's well, and I'm on my way in taking them. Today, my bridewife decided we (I)should pull and/or cut the weeds that have taken over the small area behind our garage. (That area is fenced a little to keep Buddy out of it.) Some of her flowers are back there, mainly Lilies. That spot is a jungle! Anyway, I cut until my back pleaded with me to stop. After I stopped cutting weeds, I realized that a lot of them could be pulled. Did I exert more strength that that required to lift 15 lbs? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I did. Still, I worked more until my back begged me to take a break. I stopped for the day and dragged the tarp they are on to the curb. Being sweaty and exhausted, it was shower time. Our bathroom sink drain has been draining very slowly. Third time this year! I decided I would plunger it. What's that you say? You can't plunger a bathroom sink because of the overflow hole? Don't be so easily misled, or defeated. I simply plugged that hole with a finger, and plungered with one hand. I expected it to drain a little faster. I did not expect the drain to 'cough up' a hairball! A hairball with a somewhat hard center. I pulled the hair off and it seemed to be a small hunk of meat! WTH? I know that wasn't in the drain due to me, she claimed innocence too, so I'm putting it down to PFM. But hey, the sink now drains normally! |
Do You Need Help? This entry is not meant to upset anyone at all. It's just my mentality at play here, it's how I think. If I'm trying to get something done and I'm struggling with the task at hand, and someone asks me, "Do You Need Help?" My answer is almost always "No! I'm fine." Now why do I say that when anyone with a brain can see I'm struggling to get it done? Well, here are my thoughts on it. If the person asking if I need help really wanted to help, that question would never be asked in the first place. Instead, they would just pitch in and help in whatever way they could to help complete the task. Now I have to clarify this a little bit and say that this is how my warped mind works. It's how I look at things. I can't say it applies to everyone else who struggles to complete a task, it applies to yours truly only. Now you might ask, "What caused you to write this Jim?" Well, I had brought up Chicken Necks from the Chest Freezer in the basement early this morning. It's one of the items we feed our dogs in the morning. Yes, you read that right, Raw Chicken Necks. They were in a 5 lb zip lock bag and needed to be thawed because we break them down into smaller Quart size bags, about 10 to a bag, enough for 3-4 days. I had done that, then realized we needed to get laundry done, so I grabbed the laundry basket and headed downstairs with it. Along the way, I added the bags of Chicken Necks to it so they could be put back in the Chest Freezer. A load of wash has been started, so all's well here. But this caused me to think about being asked if I need help. Again, this is how my warped mind looks at things like this. Nothing more. |
A New Day Dawns For Me Well, it's a new day, especially for me. Why? Well, in the BBS (BBS=Before Back Surgery), I could do little as far as working around the house here. I couldn't take Buddy for a walk because I had no idea how long or far I could go before starting to limp like crazy. I couldn't even wash dishes without taking a break, even if there weren't many to do. Sometimes, going shopping with Kathy was tough, my back would ache, I'd have trouble walking (pain in my left hip and knee), even pushing the grocery cart didn't help. This morning though, I had things I wanted to get done. There was a 5 lb bag of Chicken Chunks that we purchased from My Pet Carnivore some time ago that needed to be sorted and cut up. That really needed to get done. I started and finished it, without a break! I cut the chunks into smaller pieces because some were pretty large. There was even a complete Chicken Leg in the bag. I ended up putting that, and a few other pieces into a zip-lock bag to be used in making Bone Broth. Our dogs love that stuff. After that was done and the area thoroughly cleaned, I thought I'd make up Breakfast Taco's. Yummmm. I made us 5 of them using a small kit we recently bought. There was enough fixin's left for 4-5 more, but not enough tortilla's in the kit. I said to myself, 'The heck with that', and pulled out our Carb Balance tortilla's and made 5 more. Those I stored in the fridge for the next few days breakfast. During all this, my back never alerted me that I w as in pain! How nice is that? Now, I have a old fashioned back ache, something I haven't had in years! Yesterday there was an Estate Sale in nearby Peoria. I managed to grab two item I really wanted. I've included a photo below. The first is the Gargoyle, which came with the stand, The other one is not the freezer, it's the cane/stool next to it. Folded down, it works like a cane. IF you're in one spot and need a small place to sit, it can be unfolded to make a small stool. I was loaned one when I went to the Balloon Fiesta last month and loved it. Getting this one was a no-brainer, especially since we (my other half) can use it when needed.She bought other things, but I wanted these two items most.  |
Overdoing It, Only On Sunday I mentioned in the Newsfeed yesterday that I thought I'd overdone things Sunday. "Note: I'm pretty sure I overdid things yesterday. ..." It wasn't that I did a lot, I didn't think it was much at all. After all, what's washing a load of dishes, and bringing more dogfood up from the basement? Apparently that was too much. It did take me three shifts to complete the dishes, my back kept yelling at me. So I'd sit a few minutes, then get back to work. I typically avoid pain meds (Tylenol, or Tylenol-3, Ibuprofen, etc), I just don't think to take them. I took them yesterday, and today before we went shopping. Only Tylenol, not T-3 though. Maybe that's why I don't ache right now. As I said in the Newsfeed, I woke yesterday with a new pain, one centered in my left buttock. It was a new type of pain, hard to describe. I finally got rid of it today. We went shopping at Wal-Mart (Wally World), we both rode those electric carts. I knew I wouldn't be able to walk that much, she needs one because she too has a bad back. Aren't we a pair? Somewhere during the day, that pain disappeared. YAY! Now we'll see if it returns when the Tylenol wears off. Other than that, a pretty normal day here. Nothing interesting to write about, though that Comet Atlas/3i still has me curious. Jim |
Comet Atlas 3i This has certainly been in the news lately. I'm someone who wonders about things like this, something strange, out of the ordinary, something to make you think about what our universe really is. Many astrophysicists think that this too may be an interstellar visitor. They're right in that thought, it doesn't seem to be from our Solar System. However, they speculate that it was built using Alien Technology. It's very difficult to determine if you ask me. I have little knowledge of things like this, then again, I'm not entirely stupid either. The following descriptions can be found here: Physicist Avi Loeb lists the nine unusual patterns that may hint at an extra-terrestrial intelligence. To me, the key word there is may. You need that word though because we don't have any proof that it is extra-terrestrial in origin. Those nine anomalies are: 1. The first point that scientist Loeb brought to light is 3I/ATLAS’ retrograde trajectory, which, according to his research, is aligned to within 5 degrees of Earth’s path around the sun or the ecliptic plane of the planets. Loeb argues that there is only a 0.2 percent likelihood of such an occurrence. I'd love to see the mathematics that gave him his answer. 2. The second anomaly is the “sunward jet” or the “anti-tail” of 3I/ATLAS, which scientists observed during July and August 2025. Many other comets in the past have developed an “anti-tail,” an optical illusion caused by the observer’s position as the object travels between the Earth and the sun. However, Loeb argues that so is not the case for 3I/ATLAS. “That is not an optical illusion from geometric perspective, unlike familiar comets,” he wrote. 3. The third anomaly draws attention to the interstellar object’s mass. According to Loeb, 3I/ATLAS is “a million times more massive than 1I/’Oumuamua and a thousand times more massive than 2I/Borisov.” Despite being that big, Loeb noted that 3I/ATLAS moves “faster than both.” Based on the numbers, he argues that for a comet to have such a nature is the likelihood of less than 0.1%. 4. The fourth point of anomaly, according to Loeb, is the object’s “fine-tuned” path, which takes it on a course right past Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and “be unobservable from Earth at perihelion.” Loeb believes the likelihood of such an occurrence is 0.005%. 5. The fifth unusual pattern is 3I/ATLAS’ nickel-to-iron ratio. According to studies, 3I/ATLAS’ gas plume has an “extreme abundance ratio” of nickel and iron, which makes it stand out from other more familiar solar system comets, including 2I/Borisov. 6. With the sixth anomaly, researchers examined the data from the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer to deduce that the gas plume of the interstellar object contains only 4% water by mass. Instead, it carries a higher proportion of carbon dioxide, which Loeb argues makes 3I/ATLAS an outlier. 7. The seventh anomaly shows that 3I/ATLAS has an “extreme negative polarization, unprecedented for all known comets.” “The combination of low inversion angle and extreme negative polarization is unprecedented among comets and asteroids, marking 3I/ATLAS the first object known with such polarimetric behavior and representing a previously unobserved population,” Loeb wrote in a Medium post. Population? 8. Loeb further suggested that 3I/ATLAS may have emitted the “Wow! Signal,” which was detected in 1977by the Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio telescope. The signal led to speculations about extraterrestrial beings, but it has remained a mystery since. Loeb argues it is the eighth anomaly, claiming 3I/ATLAS arrived from a direction coincident with the radio signal. 9. As the last anomaly, Loeb drew attention to the rapid brightening of the object near perihelion and its turning bluer than the sun, which, to him, was “very surprising,” as comets are expected to redden the scattered sunlight, resulting in having a redder color than the sun. However, whether the nine anomalies listed by Loeb hint at a technological origin of 3I/ATLAS remains debatable. On the contrary, NASA’s lead scientist, Tom Statler, while speaking with The Guardian last month, stated that 3I/ATLAS looked like a comet and behaved like one. Consequently, he dismissed alien theories; however, Loeb urged experts to collect as much data as possible and remain open-minded. I didn't bother with paraphrasing this information mainly because I want to have a record of sorts about Scientists initial thoughts about Comet Atlas 3i. Why? Because I don't think they (Scientists, the Government, whoever you want to think of as they) want the general public to know details like this. Again, why? I for one do not think the General Public could handle knowledge of alien intelligence without going bonkers. Just my opinion, I know what it's worth. |
Back Surgery 10/29/25 Well, I had 'minor' back surgery yesterday (is any surgery ever minor?). I say minor because to me, that's what it was. Someone else in this house didn't think so. Even though I felt it was minor surgery, I did send an email to my oldest explaining what was going on, and that Kathy would contact her regardless, but she would definitely contact her if something went wrong. Thankfully, nothing went wrong. Now why did I need Back Surgery in the first place? For months now, I've been limping at times. There were a few occasions where I rolled the Trash Cans to the curb, and wondered how I'd get back in the house. Yeah, I still did that regardless of how bad I felt. That's a small task I don't want my spouse to do. And, there were about 3 occasions where I was forced to use an electric cart at a local store because walking was just too painful. Why was I limping? That's an easy answer. A pinched nerve. What got me, is that I could sit for a minute, get up and walk around normally. That usually didn't last long though. Ten minutes if I was lucky. Then it was back to limping everywhere. Luckily my Oncologist had a complete MRI of my spine done last month. He thought feared that my back pain might be caused by the Multiple Myeloma I have. (It wasn't). The Neuro-Surgeon used that MRI to decide what I needed. It turns out that the nerve that exited at the L5/S1 Vertebrae was pinched. His plan was to access that nerve opening and make the hole it exited through slightly larger. So, surgery it was. I checked in at the Hospital Surgical Ward at 8 am. I was wheeled back for surgery about 10:20 or so. By 10:30, I was out and don't remember anything. I was discharged at 4 pm! In and out in one day. I will say that other than a minor back ache, I've had no problems. The incision is held closed with Surgical Glue, I was prescribed Tylenol 3, I took two of them last night to help me sleep, I don't anticipate needing to take more. There are things I can't do, things I can do. Medicines I can resume taking, as well as some I can't. I am pretty much back to my old ornery self now. I haven't had any leg pain, nor have I limped, since being discharged. I will walk more now, my discharge/recovery document says to take 3-4 walks a day, and I will. Now to see if I can get her to walk with me. That's a completely different story though. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
