The Doctor

Much better today. My spine seems stabilized. That's a damn sight better than anyone will say about my sanity!

My Lady's Cutlass

Sign us up!!

I could rack it up as them being clueless, becasue my garb is decidedly 17th century as opposed the 16th centiry theme of the faire... but I take it as a compliment that the women in the mead and beer booths at the MN Renaissance Festival refused to serve me because they thought I was a performer instead of a patron. My garb can't be too off the mark if the booze nazis get confused!

I'll be looking for you at Mac's Pub, then! :)

My chiropractor made an emergency visit, and corrected a lot of the problem. My body is raising hell with his work, since it's more accustomed to being out of whack than not. As he re-stabilizes my spine, my body is mounting a mutiny. Pure and simple. This time, the mutiny will not prevail.

Stupidity knows no geographical nor political boundries. (Yes, I know Rumba will hang me with that statement.) My team is spread literally all over the known world, and I run into the same brand, make , and model of mouth-breathing dumb. My fault in all of this is having built in a high degree of automation, which lulled the workers into a false sense of not having to think their way through their job. My grand design was to ultimately blow away that shell of automation, and have them think for themselves. But since they've suckled too long at the teat of automation, they can't think for themselves. I've created a monster I can no longer effectively control, not can I kill it. Wow. Is anyone getting a sense of "Metropolis" here? I know you are, Phil. My only hope is to step away, and let it die on it's own. All I have to do is convince a higher manager that I can bring a high degree of automation to his/her delivery, and life will be swell.... Oh, God. This cycle will repeat itself again, and again. But the pay's not too shabby. I can live with it.

Nah, love. Come to Florida. That's the Disney experience I've know since it opened. 2008, you say? Sounds like a good time to take a vacation!

Yeah, that back pain stuff I mentioned? Quadruple it. See ya later.

Hmmm... Maybe he's already an Audio-Animatronic, and his voice track's gotten garbled?

If anyone else is counting; 52 days, 22 hours until gate opening! :)

Way to go, Christine! My back is hurting so much that it's driving me nuts!

So wearing sandals can be Hobbit forming?

There were a couple questions I could go either way on (stop snickering!). So I ended up as either The Charismatic or The Ideal Lover. Either will do... :)

I envisioned someone using it for defense if they were expecting someone wishing them ill. Holed up in their flat, nervously awaiting a rap on the door, linstock and weapon at the ready by a lamp. Or, it could have been a street thug's prop to rob people. The victim wouldn't know if it worked or not. A linkstock and a barrel would have been enough to scare someone into handing over their purse. Even a useless barrel shoved into their back would work. And it could have been an experiment that failed. In any case, it would never be practical as a general-purpose weapon. Could have been a paperweight for all we know.

This photo has me considering going into therapy: Mickey and Marilyn?!

After all the hooplah before the filming pf PotC2, I could care less if he's in it or not. It wouldn't surprise me if it ends up as fake as those photos of Jack Sparrow in Asian armor.

Good to see your lovely face again, Bonny! I hope all is well! :)

Well then, love, we'll do our damnedest to keep a smile on your face! Many hugs, Rumba. And you know kind and warm thoughts are always headed your way. :) And that cargo I procured for you... whenever you're ready to receive it, let me know!

I think Dorain and Red have it. It's probably a 17th century version of the zip-gun. WAY too tiny for a decent bong!

The only thing to keep in mind about Exquemelins' work is the section about Henry Morgan. Morgan sued him for libel and won. Seems Exquemelin had a bit of an axe to grind with the Welshman over money, and painted Morgan in a less than favorable light. Funny how things never really change :)

You make an excellent point, Blackjohn. I've never been able to figure out how they made that work in a boarding scenario without getting tangled up and making the pistols useless in the process. And people see all sorts of odd things in the heat of battle that may or may not have happened. Who knows? I really enjoyed the thoroughness of Little's research and the thoughtfulness of his presentation. No wild conjecture or oddball leaps of logic to make the facts fit preconceived notions (a pet peeve I have with a lot of historians and especially archaeologists). The thing that astionished me the most is that Mr. Little is from my hometown! :)

Ya pays extree fer dem two-holers, ya know! Real fancy-like!

I highly recommend this book for all the reasons already mentioned above. It's on my list to re-read after I get through some other books this summer. :)

Your Birthdate: July 26 You lucked out the the skills to succeed in almost any arena. Put you in almost any business or classroom, and you'll rise to the top. You're driven and intense, but you also know when to kick back and cooperate. Your ability to adapt to almost any situation is part of what's going to make you a success. Your strength: Your attention to detail Your weakness: You can be a little too proud of your successes Your power color: Turquoise Your power symbol: Arrow pointing up Your power month: August