He orders his coffee Cubano and is suddenly aware of his accent. With its broad, rural vowels and hard, Norgie consonants it sticks out in this place like an rusty farm tractor on the Plaze de la Constitucion. He has been in Saint Aggie for 3 summers, wears the faded linens and burnt skin of a true Floridano, but when he opens his mouth he still sounds like a tater-eater from Fort St. Anthony.

He hands a pound note to the coffee girl and takes his coffee. He finds a table near the window, with a view of the boulevard, and sits. Removes the lid from the coffee, and takes a sip. Makes a slurping noise, but doesn't care if anyone notices; this is his ritual, and he enjoys it. He sees folded up newspaper on the adjacent table, and he takes it. The front page is all about troop movements and politicians' threats, but he doesn't want to read about the Texians today. He turns to sport section and checks the football scores.

Random band album cover

From Know Your Meme:

About

If you’re on Facebook, you’ve probably done it or seen your friends do it plenty of times. Popularly known as Make Your Own Album Cover (or shortly “album cover”), this DIYgame first began as a Flickr group project circa early 2008 and subsequently crossed over to other social networking sites like Facebook through the following year.

Origins of CD Cover Meme [Incomplete]

In February 2008, the Flickr group “CD Cover Meme” was created and it currently holds the largest collection of randomly generated album covers with 2000+ submissions. Once again in early 2009, fake album covers leaped beyond its own expectations when Facebook users quickly caught on by posting their album covers as tagged notes, inviting their friends to create their own artworks as well.

How to Make Your Own Album Cover

1 – Go to “wikipedia.” Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 – Go to “Random quotations”
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 – Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 – Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

Happy Halloween

Spotted outside a noisy bar on Tatooine...

Noah Singing

Noah Laughing

T-Shirts I Have Known

Diary of a Minion

http://diaryofaminion.blogspot.com/

Grand Navy of the Imperium
Imperial Third Fleet, Ninth Squadron
Gunstar-Class Battlecruiser "Vengeance"

Plasma Cannon Technical Team VTT-10
CT2 Armin Shale

Technician's Log
SID 23109.27
---------------------------------------------------------

More fallout today from that disappointing weapons test last week. The guys in the Gunnery Cell have been looking at the tapes from the mock engagement, and now they're screaming that the targeting problem was due to mech-fail with PC19, and not due to human error. They claim that the tapes show clearly that the gun was slow to respond when the X-drones were targeted by the computer, which is why PC19 was unable to hit any of the X-drones (we call them "X-drones" because the practice ships are always painted with big, red crosses on their hulls, presumably to make targeting easier). I say that the guys in Cell 19 are just pissed that Cell 18 is the one that gets to have the pizza party, and, that, anyway, you can't rule out human error just because no one in Cell 19 is technically human. 

Whatever. I guess we're used to being the scapegoats. Looks like Sikes is going to have us run a full diagnostic of #19, like we don't have enough crap to do already. We're still working our way through the report from last week's audit, trying to correct all the DNCs that the helmet-heads found, plus, we just found out today that the Vizier is coming next week, so, holy gakk, you know, gotta get everything squared for that. So, yeah, just add "full plasma cannon diagnostic" to the stack.

Kind of a weird thing happened this afternoon. I was in the lounge, grabbing my afternoon coffee and bearclaw, when this dude bumps into me, nearly makes me spill my coffee. I'm all like, "Dude," but he just keeps on truckin', so, whatever. Then, later, when I'm back at my workstation, I reach into the chest pocket of my coverall for a stylus, and I find this little pamphlet. I don't know where it came from; the guy that bumped me must've stuck it there. I look at the cover: "The Good News About The Confederation". Aw, crap. I quickly wad some paper around the pamphlet and walk it over to the incinerator slot, where I toss it in. Don't want to be caught with something like that, not here. And, now I'm wondering if I should report the guy who bumped me. I mean, I don't want to; he's probably just a harmless hippie or something, but what if he's Imperator's Legion? What if he slipped me the pamphlet as a test of my loyalty?

Naw, he was probably just a hippie. Kind of smelled like patchouli, come to think of it.

Diary of a Minion

Grand Navy of the Imperium
Imperial Third Fleet, Ninth Squadron
Gunstar-Class Battlecruiser "Vengeance"

Plasma Cannon Technical Team VTT-10
CT2 Armin Shale

Technician's Log
SID 23109.21
---------------------------------------------------------

Snap audit today of the entire PC department; we found out, like, 30 minutes ahead of time. Sikes was freaking out, ordered Leeson and me to throw on some suits and do a quick EVA to make sure the GUN WAS CLEAN (seriously). As if it takes only 30 minutes to clean a Mark VII quad-chambered, multi-inductive plasma cannon, but, whatever- we suited up, did the walk, tried to hit the dirtiest parts of the gun. Got back inside just in time to greet Chief Belz and the black-helmets from Fleet. Chief and Sikes led the three auditors around the department, pointing out the metrics board (good thing we updated it last Monday) and the document library (fully compliant with Imperial SOPs, thanks to yours truly), the auditors muttering to one another behind their face-plates and tapping on their wrist-PADs all the while.

After the little tour was over, the three auditors split up and poked around for another hour- never asking questions, just observing, muttering, and tapping. We tried to get on with our morning duties, but it was kind of hard, what with the helmet-heads looking over our shoulders the whole time. I considered stepping out under the pretense of needing to visit the Gents', but quickly nixed that idea. I knew the auditors would bio-scan me on my way out, and I didn't want the helmets to catch me in a fib. I have anough demerits as it is. In the end, I just waited them out.

Around breaktime, the auditors left with Chief Belz and Sikes, so I ran to the lounge to get a couple of coffees for me and Leeson. On the way back, I bumped into Ignazipom, that gakko from Navigation. He was whining about climate control issues at the K-section terminals, and I had to remind him that I'm not with VTT-4 anymore. He said he was aware, but that he hadn't been able to get anyone from CC on the horn and he was desperate. "We're sweating our lobes off down there," he said, "and I've already had to send two guys to the infirmary to have theirs reattached." So, what could I do, turn the guy down? I dropped of Leeson's coffee, ran down to K-section, fixed the climate control (stuck co-processor, of course), then made it back to Plasma in time for the morning weapon test. It's called multi-tasking, people. Some of us can do it, and some can't walk and chew gum at the same time (Graeme?).

Diary of a Minion

Grand Navy of the Imperium
Imperial Third Fleet, Ninth Squadron
Gunstar-Class Battlecruiser "Vengeance"

Plasma Cannon Technical Team VTT-10
CT2 Armin Shale

Technician's Log
SID 23109.20
---------------------------------------------------------
Graeme was on me again today. First thing this morning, he was bitching about the column widths on the Weapon Test Report. I was all, like, "Graeme, I didn't realize the JWI for the WTR specified Imperium-preferred column-widths." Idiot. Then he gave me a hard time for ducking out in the middle of mid-morning department meeting. I'm like, "Dude, you should be glad I didn't hang around. Trust me. When I run out like that, there's usually a good reason," which, then, just led him to start whining about how long it had taken me. I'm like, "Uh, yeah, sometimes it takes a while, Graeme. It's not like I can plan these things." I swear, I hate that guy.

I don't hate that new blonde tech in AG, though. I don't hate her at all. Why'd she have to be in AG, though? "Most important tech team on the ship" my ass. Yeah. We get it. If the artifical gravity craps out, we all float around. Nobody can pilot the ship. The Star Lord gets pissed off, probably has someone executed. Ok. Look, I'm not denying that artificial gravity is important, but, hey, guess what else is important on a GUNSTAR? Yeah, that's right, the frelling GUNS. If the guns on a Gunstar don't work, well, then it's just, what, a medical frigate? Tugboat? So, yeah, cannon techs are pretty important, too. Anyway, maybe the dickishness of the AG group hasn't infected the pretty blonde yet. Maybe she'll get a clue that she works with a bunch of jerks and put in for a transfer.

Oh, yeah, there was kind of a commotion this afternoon. Some Confederation losers snuck onto the ship, apparently planning to spring a prisoner that we picked up last week (a former big-wig from Kamalos, supposedly). Anyway, these geniuses somehow made it down to the brig, where they ran smack into 2 platoons of Ghataki, as well as the Star Lord himself (he was "interrogating" the prisoner). So, anyway, long-story-short- big gun battle, corridors blown to bits, 3 service bots smashed, plus these guys get away! With the prisoner! I don't know, man. I guess they're not cloning Ghataki like they used to. On the bright side, I guess there are now two new openings for Ghataki platoon commanders! Yeah, thanks, but no thanks. I'm not interested in any job where being reprimanded involves a quick trip to the nearest airlock. On the other hand, at least I wouldn't have to deal with Graeme.

Also awesome

Awesome

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/star-wars-pancake-mold/?pkey=x|4|1||4|star%20wars||0

That is all.

Feeding the birds...

Poo Poo Junction

Mr. FiddyBo vs Mr. GoGo

Biker

Snow Day

Interesting fact: Auld Lang Syne means "old long since" in the Germanic dialect of lowland Scotland. Well, at least I think it's interesting...

2010 is a blank canvas, a fresh start. 2010 is my chance to do better, to try not to screw up so much. 2010, if you'll give me a break, I promise I won't let you down.

Or, at least I'll try not to.

2009 wasn't really a bad year. It was, in fact, a pretty good ride. Noah turned 3, we sold a house and bought another house, Chauntelle got an iPod AND a stand mixer...all in all, not too shabby.

Still, I find myself a bit disappointed at the missed opportunities and dropped balls, at all the failures and half-successes and dead-ends. I feel like plenty of things happened TO me in the past year, but I didn't accomplish much myself. I'd like for 2010 to be different.

So, here's a list of benchmarks for 2010. I don't think of these items New Year's resolutions, exactly. There more like markers or signposts. If I'm meeting my goals, or even coming close to meeting my goals, then I know I'm moving in the right direction.

+Decide what to call the new year. Okay, this one I've pretty much already worked out: it's Twenty Ten, not Two Thousand Ten, or whatever.

+Lose 2 pounds of weight per month. I think this is do-able.

+Assemble a design portfolio containing 20-25 STRONG pieces. If necessary, ask for help with assembling it (and help will be necessary, I'm sure).

+Plan a celebration for every month. Ok, so this one may seem kinda weird, but I was just thinking that it would be nice to have a party, or cookout, or festive get-together every single month. Obviously, birthdays and holidays lend themselves to these sorts of events, but even during months where there is no natural celebratory occasion, I want to have one. (Happy August Day 2010!)

+Go to Walt Disney World in September. Several things have to align for this to become a reality, but I think this will be the first year that Noah would truly appreciate the experience, and so I'd really like to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

+Cook at home. We kind of got out of this habit during the summer and fall (i.e., the period when we were fixing up the old house and working to sell it), but we've got a great new kitchen, Chauntelle has a beautiful new stand mixer, and we both like to cook (certain) things, so it should be a snap to start doing this again.

+Be more patient. Ok, so the two personality defects that poison my life and make it impossible for me to succeed are my low self-esteem and my difficuly "right-sizing" my reactions to events that frustrate me. What I have determined this past year is that my angry, frustrated behavior is really just a manifestation of my severe lack of patience. This is one that I really need to conquer, especially now that we have a 3-and-a-half-year-old who likes to draw on the furniture and poop in his pants. I can't be lashing out every time Noah paints the cat. I need to maintain my patience and respond appropriately.

I'm sure I can think of other resolu-, er, benchmarks, but I'm pretty sure these are the biggies, and if I can meet them in 2010, maybe I won't feel like quite so much of a loser come December 31. At least I can try.