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 9 Apr 2004 @ 16:19, by jhs. Recreation, Fun
Today I joined Emperor Ming and his daugher Princess Maria-Theresa to the movies.
What is fitting for 'Good Friday' (as the Americans call the day before Eastern - hey, someone MUST have had a good time there after all!!! NOT!?)?
Well, you already guessed it: Mel Gibson's attempt of depicting 'The Passion of The Christ'.
One of the interesting parts (for me), was the way the movie starts with a zoom into the Garden of Gethsemane from outer space & above the clouds... More >
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 3 Apr 2004 @ 12:46, by skookum. Recreation, Fun
Rascal Goes for a Ride?
© April 3, 2004 By Marissa A Spencer
The cool evening air seemed like any other evening. The food was left for the cats and all our cats had come to eat, except one. My daughter and I were about to retire for the night. Every evening our large orange and white shorthair cat would come to the door and request entrance. Without fail, here he would be at the appointed hour. The appointed time came and went. My daughter comes to me concerned.
“Where is Rascal? Is he in the garage or something?”
“I don’t know. Have you looked for him?” I started to walk around the house.
We walked into the back yard and it was obviously deserted. We were calling his name the entire time we searched. We even walked down the street looking for him. An entire hour lapsed and no Rascal. Now, he is our favorite cat. He is a huge animal who loves lasagna and drinking out of your glass. I have always loved his greenish yellow eyes. He always seems to be saying, “I know a secret you don’t know.”
I always call him my best friend, guardian of my home and top mouser. He shuts his eyes halfway as to say, “You are privileged to know me and you are welcome.” I swear sometimes I feel as though he is not a cat at all, but some mysterious being hiding in a cat body to protect me. In a way, I feel he is like a guardian for my home.
Back to the search…we searched inside the house too, just in case he was hiding under the table or sleeping under a bed. It was hard to see the worried look on my daughter’s face. Sure, she was 17, but she loved that cat. She finally went to bed and only my younger son and I were up. The curtains in the back of the house were open and a bright flash caught my attention. I gazed out the back window along with my son and we saw it lit up like bright noonday. Actually it was brighter. It was more a bright, pure white light. The entire yard was illuminated with no shadows at all. The light was not moving in anyway. I thought it rather odd. There was no sound. I figured it was a search helicopter doing the rounds. I rushed to the front of the house and there was nothing. No helicopter, no sound (they are very loud). It was absolutely silent except for the distant roar of the freeway.
My daughter and son came out to see what I was up to. A few moments later, Rascal comes sauntering out of the back yard as if nothing had happened. I told the story of the light to my daughter and she scowled at me suspiciously, until my son piped up and supported the whole story with his version.
You tell me…what is up with that? Sometimes I wonder if he went for a ride. “Rascal, the UFO riding cat.” Now when I look at him in the eyes, he pretends to be just any cat. If I look at him long enough, I swear he’s smirking at me!
I don’t have an answer. I can’t figure out where he was. He is never late for dinner. More >
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 7 Mar 2004 @ 15:09, by ming. Recreation, Fun
Today we drove to Lourdes. Which is a little town in the foothills of the Pyrenées visited by more than 5 million people each year, as it is a major catholic pilgrimage site. It is a beautiful and peaceful place, well placed next to some spectacular mountains. But it is also a strange town. There's almost nothing but lots and lots of hotels and souvenir shops there. And it all leads towards The Grotto. Which is a little cavity in the side of a big rock, in which you find a small spring. And it is the water of that spring that has been reported to produce lots and lots of miraculous healings and miracles in general. And I'd believe that. Well, whether the water really does anything or not, I don't know. But there's an impressive atmosphere set up for the purpose, and enough people who believe it and take it very seriously, that miraculous occurances would quite naturally occur.
On top of the rock where you find the grotto there's a large and spectacular cathedral-like church with an impressive set of stairs leading up to it, and a very impressive entrance. We were obviously there outside the season, as there wasn't really that many people, and it was clear that the whole arrangement was expecting tens of thousands of people at a time. You line up for the entrance into the grotto, where I suppose you'll know what to do if you're a good catholic. The rocks are black and smooth from being touched by millions of people. And you buy large candles that you can light and leave in an area for that purpose, together with a prayer.
So, we did stock up on healing water from Lourdes. You can buy many kinds of containers in the shops, which you fill yourself from the spring, but we didn't go for the 5 liter models, just some little ones. And the water tasted nice and fresh.
For more about Lourdes and the visions of Bernadette Soubirous that started the whole thing, read for example here or here More >
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 24 Dec 2003 @ 07:20, by scotty. Recreation, Fun
I remember this SO well !
I was so overcome with awe that I just couldn't utter a single peep ! My eyes must have been 'fixed' open wide all day long as my Mum took me to visit his cave - full of lights and music and little pixies and elves and ...... Magic ! More >
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1 Dec 2003 @ 11:35, by craiglang. Recreation, Fun
Yesterday, on a beautiful afternoon as we were driving home to Minneapolis from visiting family in Wisconsin, we were treated to one of those rare beautiful, crystal clear late-fall days. A stark blue/white and gray sky, the visibility infinite, and a sharp, cold wind out of the North. Driving along U.S. Highway 10, the road winds in, out, and through the central Wisconsin hills. At times, when the road tops over a hill, you can see forever. It is a beautiful sight - the stark november sky, leafless trees, and brown, harvested fields. It leaves one with a sense of wonder and mystery at this world God has provided for us.
And with wonder is a sense of mystery. Why? Several interesting things occurred in recent weeks that have served to focus my attention on the mysterious and the climactic. At the most general, there is simply the year-end - the approach of the winter solstice, holy days in nearly all religions. Yet there is a more specific sense. As one travels, one can sometimes sense a deep underlying interconnectedness. A sense that each house, each person, each small business along the roadside - each thing is interconnected with all others. One can sometimes sense an almost-visible web of being that interconnects each person, and each work of humanity or nature in an almost-tangible way.
Another mystery is one that perhaps being an anomaly researcher affords, that one might not otherwise notice. This comes from having looked into a number of rural sightings and close encounters in recent months. Among residents of the area, these are seldom discussed - especially with outsiders. Yet, sighting report databases indicate that the area we were driving through has had a bountiful history of recent anomaly sighting/encounter reports. So as I drove through the rolling hills, fields and woods of central Wisconsin, I could only wonder - In which of the farm-homes in the distance, did someone have a truly fascinating story to tell?
Sunset occurred as our car crested the tallest hill in the region. And in an interesting compliment to the mystery of a few moments before, we were rewarded with a spectacular portrait of the works of God. We were afforded a spectacular view of the western horizon - a colorful contrast of red sky and deep-blue clouds. It was a sight to never forget. A delightful dose of mystery and wonder on a Sunday afternoon. More >
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 27 Nov 2003 @ 15:37, by tlangfield. Recreation, Fun
For burnt offerings, preheat to 700 deg C... More >
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 13 May 2003 @ 15:50, by quidnovi. Recreation, Fun
This egoMETER is a device for measuring a test subjects ratio of self-indulgence to communitarian altruism. Clinical trials were conducted by the Significant Ego Litmus Foundation (S.E.L.F.) of Geneva, Switzerland over a two-year period to establish the raw technology used in creating this proto-type device.
The egoMETER was developed with a generous foundation grant from S.E.L.F. to Tesla Neon (Chico) and AXO Design (San Francisco) in an effort to establish an international technical protocol for ego assessment.
The S.E.L.F. foundation works tirelessly to develop worldwide awareness of rampant self grandiosement of modern society leading humanity down a course of cultural and environmental destruction. The egoMETER is critical as a diagnostic tool to identify a test subjects latent tendency toward narcissistic ego development and give a sound diagnosis so they can seek immediate treatment from a qualified ego conselor. Inflated ego is a treatable disease, if it is diagnosed early. Tesla Neon encourages everyone to have their ego tested so they can get on a path of balanced ego development. Save human culture and the environment, get tested today.
This device met all conditions and standards established The International Center for Standards in Psychological Test Apparatus (ICSPTA) Patent Pending Kolorbar.com More >
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 17 Aug 2002 @ 09:19, by ming. Recreation, Fun
I just came back from a very enjoyable vacation in Denmark for a month with my family. Well, I'd sort of have preferred to post a bunch of updates along the way, but I didn't really have the excess energy for that. I can't really just take vaction for a month, so I had to keep my main computer work going, and I had various headaches just getting my computers connected, etc. But at some point I hope to be so comfortably connected that I can report on things as they happen.
We spent quite some time re-discovering our home country, driving around and playing tourists and stuff. But for me it is really the little nostalgic things that make a difference. Walking through a street I haven't seen since I was a kid. Picking up bread from the bakery in the morning. Hearing people talk Danish on the street.
And I ate way too much. But it was worth it I think. More >
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 14 Jul 2002 @ 22:59, by quidnovi. Recreation, Fun
"Being set on the idea
Of getting to Atlantis,
You
have discovered of course
Only the Ship of Fools is
Making the voyage this
year…"
---W.H. Auden
The variety of inventive ideas---and ideologies---that people can come up with never ceases to amaze me... More >
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 15 Apr 2002 @ 15:36, by ming. Recreation, Fun
This is a fun little happening. This fellow bought up text ads at google, connected with various keywords, and he used the space for fairly non-sensical poems. He has some interesting calculations and musings about the cost of a word, and the possibilities in sending people somewhere else than where they expect. More >
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