tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73644048887905874312024-03-05T08:59:45.825-08:00Carlinville LifePopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-65294695923990334892012-06-07T18:31:00.001-07:002012-06-07T18:32:51.966-07:00A Busy SummerIt seems that life for a professor should slow down a little in the summer. This should be especially true for a professor who decides not to participate in the Summer Rep production this summer: Annie. You'd think! Well, somehow I've found myself on the search committee for a new theater professor, on the Take It To Town steering committee, a participant in the church's Lunch Bunch program at the housing project, on the planning committee for next fall's faculty retreat, on Blackburn's PR Advisory Committee, still involved in Summer Rep as Treasurer, and chief contract writer and budget master for Annie, The Boardinghouse (geriatric), Bully (David Sollish's farewll one-man show about TR), and an auditionee for this year's Nutcracker. Oh, yeah, and rewriting Pastor Charlotte Poetschner's contract at church, and updating the church by-laws. And that's not counting my work as an actual professor. I'm switching to a new text book for General Chemistry next year using the 'atoms first' approach, so I need to do some reading and rewriting. I'd also like to inventory and reorganize the stockrooms.
I've also read some interesting books and watched a couple of good TV shows. But more about that later.PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-38249136214796553772011-07-26T19:18:00.000-07:002011-07-26T19:38:35.361-07:00Interesting PictureI've been sorting hundreds of old and not-so-old photos from my parents house. I came across this one, which may be of interest to Dan and Sarah, especially. It's taken on the campus of Kalamazoo College, where my parents had met and married.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully()http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif;} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzAt-368dhF8Brfw5pdywBPkY8kTDZmxFZZXmpyjNGiGm11mwO4QBg7jm6Bm13_3eRBN9Ik50cn20MvMZ4C35vkFV5tzd7dJvLguM4mRyrhEOcEqwntX4CkeRQmeesbigTvEPFOOEFira/s1600/Kalamazoo+50s.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzAt-368dhF8Brfw5pdywBPkY8kTDZmxFZZXmpyjNGiGm11mwO4QBg7jm6Bm13_3eRBN9Ik50cn20MvMZ4C35vkFV5tzd7dJvLguM4mRyrhEOcEqwntX4CkeRQmeesbigTvEPFOOEFira/s320/Kalamazoo+50s.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633853289314345714" /></a><br />From left to right that's my brother Rick, my mother, and me. Behind us is Hoban Hall. Interestingly, I would grow up to attend Kalamazoo College, too, and I would live in Hoban Hall. I would meet my wife-to-be Lynn there. Furthermore my son Dan and his now-wife Sarah would <a href="http://tralfamadoreway.blogspot.com/">visit Kalamazoo</a> in early 2011, and he would take a picture of Hoban Hall from almost the exact same spot.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZbgFl-a6Wsn0mBvq0gBWux9uA17AtVT78aZVEe30rD5HY4qLP59wEnbenqZkMh5ygnt8QLStwQlwrwW2vmOrNTcPPAuN3hKydX8zM6FOSYsQOFLmgr1hTkY83MRum7QtV-L5WxZ5HNw_/s1600/100_0454.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZbgFl-a6Wsn0mBvq0gBWux9uA17AtVT78aZVEe30rD5HY4qLP59wEnbenqZkMh5ygnt8QLStwQlwrwW2vmOrNTcPPAuN3hKydX8zM6FOSYsQOFLmgr1hTkY83MRum7QtV-L5WxZ5HNw_/s320/100_0454.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633855899912314018" /></a>PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-46281503897990732942011-06-06T08:20:00.000-07:002011-06-06T08:54:28.750-07:00More Cicada NewsI decided to mow the yards this morning before it got TOO hot (only in the upper 80's as opposed to the upper 90's due this afternoon). Aphttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifparently the cicadas swarm in the morning, frantically looking for places to light and sing for a mate. So as I'm mowing over the mounds of rotting carcasses around the bases of the trees, the live ones are flying all around me, landing on my shirt, my bare legs, my neck, my forehead, my glasses (!) and my hair. When I knock them off, they fly away squealing like little pigs. So Dan, the joy of cicadas is actually tetra-sensory: sight/sound/smell/FEEL. <br /><br /> In fact I have heard that they are quite tasty as well, consisting of wholesome, high-quality protein and fat. I haven't eaten any myself, but I have heard and read that birds, fish and dogs and a few humans eat them readily. I haven't seen Jack eat any, nor have I seen evidence of it, so to speak.<br /><br />Here's a nice <a href="http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/highlights/periodicalCicada.html">link </a>if you want to learn about the 13- vs 17-year cicadas and when and where each kind emerges. <br /><br /><br /><br />It seems our Chicago friends aren't due for a great emergence of 17-year cicadas until 2024.<br /><br />And finally, here's another clip which may give you an idea of the 6-second period they seem to use in their calling in the heat of the afternoon. (I believe there are actually two calls: the obvious high pitched ululations heard in the clip, and another steady, police-siren-like wail I've heard in some neighborhoods in town.)<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxKL9UgPogZT4yEel7GZahAfjtUbb_9emO_uZUjP-B-Q08-Zc0gjIwc_slJUyzqGdoHjTqqkH6n5e963oi4eQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-47102463193578508192011-06-04T19:52:00.000-07:002011-06-04T20:19:54.285-07:00Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon" and LOSTI picked up a copy of Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon" at Leave it to Beaver and started reading it out of curiosity. Wow! It is really good! It gives an insight into life in the urban black community in the 30's through 60's. It has fascinating complex characters and a hint of fantasy as well. Imagine my surprise when I read the account of young Macon and his sister Pilate being led by their dead father to a cave where they found interesting and useful things! For you non-Losties, that's almost exactly what happened to Jack. I've done some looking, and I can't find any mention of Song of Solomon being a source reference for Lost. Perhaps nobody made the connection except me!PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-20854727511149396632011-05-30T18:48:00.000-07:002011-05-30T18:54:57.570-07:00Cicadas ReduxHere is a clip of cicadas on the telephone pole. (Sorry about the horizontal nature of the pole.) Turn the sound up and you can hear them singing in the tree in the front yard - along with some wind rumbles.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwnACa1Op2wz0j-ozIanfIXwViKi9zp8SfxQYl-vGX3qFucX2wbMQitROCgaUWGj0hJAJCRbQbJdL9Xit7ZGQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-38007564141644875642011-05-28T18:45:00.000-07:002011-05-28T20:31:57.452-07:00Plague of Locusts/Plague of HailGood old Carlinville has been visited with the 17-year cicadas. Dan and Sarah were here the day they emerged. Since then thousands of them have taken up residence all over the tree trunks, sign posts, tall weeds, even doorposts. There are neat little holes all over the ground from which they made their way into the world. They just started singing today, but they'll get much louder through the next month or so as they seek suitable cicadas of the opposite sex. I tried to take some close-ups, because they really are striking insects (when not squished on the driveway in the hundreds). But I couldn't get close enough and also focus. Here's an attempt.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TJoYYf_CssHayK77MAnG1ZpD-nz1DYMJWNXmQbGftuYy4UreuKQhmmzw3_QKaVG9C-65j-LX2luQt-KpkLYogD1QlcBFyex3FyNrOGXmliRGApN3fj0w5JfUe6SLpuJ83isfhjgZ_Mjr/s1600/0521110953-01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TJoYYf_CssHayK77MAnG1ZpD-nz1DYMJWNXmQbGftuYy4UreuKQhmmzw3_QKaVG9C-65j-LX2luQt-KpkLYogD1QlcBFyex3FyNrOGXmliRGApN3fj0w5JfUe6SLpuJ83isfhjgZ_Mjr/s320/0521110953-01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611965750836939842" border="0"></a><br /><br />I would have taken a picture of the stop-sign at the corner, covered with cicadas, but before I could, the hail knocked them all off. Yes, we have been hailed upon twice in the last week. Today we were driving home from Litchfield on the service road, when the car was pinged by a loud crack, like a rock hitting the window. Soon they were hitting us so hard and fast, we couldn't hear each other talk. It felt like we were driving on a gravel road. In addition to the hail, it was pouring rain. The visibility was so bad, we finally had to stop and pull over. The ground looked like it was covered with snow. I truly thought the hail would break a window. As it was, the silver car is now covered with cute little dimples. Here are some pictures.<br /><br />It looks like snow by the side of the road. It's hailstones.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0O7PxMAA_cl6uMnE_Dgf4ZuaQ2Ed5_f9p2-E39S5GkLqqSPGE1TuX8-j_PuIxK55KvLhZQVvoA7HwaUwIHR3gGiQNOaTEWDheoOo32Jogmln9F7VuZQOOm66EDD1CzTULz24Mki6dsS93/s1600/0528111431-00.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0O7PxMAA_cl6uMnE_Dgf4ZuaQ2Ed5_f9p2-E39S5GkLqqSPGE1TuX8-j_PuIxK55KvLhZQVvoA7HwaUwIHR3gGiQNOaTEWDheoOo32Jogmln9F7VuZQOOm66EDD1CzTULz24Mki6dsS93/s320/0528111431-00.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611966553289927010" border="0"></a><br />Taken beside the car just after the storm started.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ev5QbQwUCBO6BLhNEiL1e2jae_dJRBYiDNc-5xM1QPEj0mqIvxNCeXQlwN2YJQioO-wXVnDokCdv4qYbWOBEewvKycDUOODonBfilu4rBdtXbgGYTBAbCO5fkQq-GodsxWIg7OsM179H/s1600/0528111430-02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ev5QbQwUCBO6BLhNEiL1e2jae_dJRBYiDNc-5xM1QPEj0mqIvxNCeXQlwN2YJQioO-wXVnDokCdv4qYbWOBEewvKycDUOODonBfilu4rBdtXbgGYTBAbCO5fkQq-GodsxWIg7OsM179H/s320/0528111430-02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611966544347094642" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBhTyM7btOrMuoCYkSDj940CNXmC6JYtzDqpH7NkKiR3_snHMWDEpWjhyphenhyphencxTPzMT5unfA5zLFMLU0OXWC9PVgjUYEEKJE9pXSZbrVoN0YrFVDi4BZV-QrhslIkvNF_rg3sCOWPKpMw5sd/s1600/0528111430-00.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBhTyM7btOrMuoCYkSDj940CNXmC6JYtzDqpH7NkKiR3_snHMWDEpWjhyphenhyphencxTPzMT5unfA5zLFMLU0OXWC9PVgjUYEEKJE9pXSZbrVoN0YrFVDi4BZV-QrhslIkvNF_rg3sCOWPKpMw5sd/s320/0528111430-00.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611966527182634114" border="0"></a><br />These were taken after we got home, in the front yard. I don't know how long they'd been sitting in the grass, melting.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NxvUvSZax0MEkfjqZ5TWD6TXHYusvuSzajQBdisTrNcD5wQUBI3A8iwazb5XDiLJ1qIfcfgpizvqfLntDsExpQaMwCabCBld2lTjylxn3PL3lx9UDe-a8p-5PRj3BCDej-L1nxCtyqbO/s1600/0528111454-00.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NxvUvSZax0MEkfjqZ5TWD6TXHYusvuSzajQBdisTrNcD5wQUBI3A8iwazb5XDiLJ1qIfcfgpizvqfLntDsExpQaMwCabCBld2lTjylxn3PL3lx9UDe-a8p-5PRj3BCDej-L1nxCtyqbO/s320/0528111454-00.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611966552856370082" border="0"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXezAWI9vsVNuZZ0yHf6T5-z6bZhSaevrHrrrHAhyphenhyphenGtNejMjfzNvJDCguSz8CQM1AhZKgYegB5vFjzSqwwSoiCINKEPWNFzY_LCIciUuUPQsf2xygiZySskJmiewsYIhf2XPxRrrdzp0j/s1600/0528111454-01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXezAWI9vsVNuZZ0yHf6T5-z6bZhSaevrHrrrHAhyphenhyphenGtNejMjfzNvJDCguSz8CQM1AhZKgYegB5vFjzSqwwSoiCINKEPWNFzY_LCIciUuUPQsf2xygiZySskJmiewsYIhf2XPxRrrdzp0j/s320/0528111454-01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611966771849551826" border="0"></a><br /><br />And just for fun, here's a creepy video of a flower pot full of cicadas before they molted.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dww2fQ3mT9lGl3DJNMfN-ErThMABQyoA45AWOOpphgOl34qE4f3xZGeGNkbNWUhZi6XL5R5-jivPe6Ymm6b' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-89427747972030478982011-05-18T17:46:00.000-07:002011-05-18T18:12:00.797-07:00Jack's gardenWhenever we work in the garden, Jack feels he has to do some digging too:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJyqf2LKyw8BxERHCL2ks7urhK9o6NZHIRerbArMh_Fktk4ydYGdjljCl9X_BijHzwc0wPHSgDfxfMTeH3wRs-F7ofUZ2RpC7QPcQH6jrGlVa-Gvo-5bkRSJ_ARg27kH1ZwomvRa9BzsI/s1600/Jack+digs+5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJyqf2LKyw8BxERHCL2ks7urhK9o6NZHIRerbArMh_Fktk4ydYGdjljCl9X_BijHzwc0wPHSgDfxfMTeH3wRs-F7ofUZ2RpC7QPcQH6jrGlVa-Gvo-5bkRSJ_ARg27kH1ZwomvRa9BzsI/s320/Jack+digs+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608225773686682770" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Gpj6CztzQmeowJOopNhvT3lnMgf7toGH3xUfrUY2JDmT5bpjsFRFILdIKdD8i03n8G2NWPtwSe2WW8X3eXy7sFeXod8HARerJZLlrt3H5nVELf_bm-yIos6Huita-HAoSLgP_wQ5MK-j/s1600/Jack+digs+4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Gpj6CztzQmeowJOopNhvT3lnMgf7toGH3xUfrUY2JDmT5bpjsFRFILdIKdD8i03n8G2NWPtwSe2WW8X3eXy7sFeXod8HARerJZLlrt3H5nVELf_bm-yIos6Huita-HAoSLgP_wQ5MK-j/s320/Jack+digs+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608225769716637042" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eOkwx39EgyTc4rAfkj-KMUBH2aqxCjnfBRTs3WsDeu4G1vHtnSBM_CaUYTlZQdVzxDnzglI9qWSCuY9892RuM3hbcLtRrvPfUpXYX7pa23niPCG_-xrZhArnWVWVb8SAyx0sRdsBuurt/s1600/Jack+digs+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eOkwx39EgyTc4rAfkj-KMUBH2aqxCjnfBRTs3WsDeu4G1vHtnSBM_CaUYTlZQdVzxDnzglI9qWSCuY9892RuM3hbcLtRrvPfUpXYX7pa23niPCG_-xrZhArnWVWVb8SAyx0sRdsBuurt/s320/Jack+digs+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608225759988558578" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihA2akZQ-dbuCRNhNxXtBoNLPWSzkXePgN0INUMy9tH4-1gUvcY87vpJaGT055Fd63Q6WSJGIMizK_1rHQi5Vtk90loGemnXLrKrE9meBTM3jCEUXmeJHtYnjt3H94U2HOZWUnc2XqF7Sz/s1600/Jack+digs+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihA2akZQ-dbuCRNhNxXtBoNLPWSzkXePgN0INUMy9tH4-1gUvcY87vpJaGT055Fd63Q6WSJGIMizK_1rHQi5Vtk90loGemnXLrKrE9meBTM3jCEUXmeJHtYnjt3H94U2HOZWUnc2XqF7Sz/s320/Jack+digs+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608223148312931618" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8FHBYRf8RBEb9A2uIr8X_A_mvfuP9OLhZNwjas5zAcNnFi7isY1VvwPSdF3KLoyHxV2bqA-CsaaJPtbiY3ELm0tE-zzpEosmhujbNGavtv2mmv2H7H0E3SHo3KTBzlpsOeCZIHVnSrOR/s1600/Jack+digs+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8FHBYRf8RBEb9A2uIr8X_A_mvfuP9OLhZNwjas5zAcNnFi7isY1VvwPSdF3KLoyHxV2bqA-CsaaJPtbiY3ELm0tE-zzpEosmhujbNGavtv2mmv2H7H0E3SHo3KTBzlpsOeCZIHVnSrOR/s320/Jack+digs+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608222862092934338" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqvgJHGjpNFxePUw5dOIpAEtEpnlZxMczwL8L9AtkzRo0GQ8Y_FgLDP6Iz3PEnm_YIO1X-EBVcNG_JVKP5HGWvDaNw2XsXgTJve7JE53jEzbjPjRohXsT2rALAbcTqSJKB59I7hAmAkOG/s1600/Jack+digs+6.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqvgJHGjpNFxePUw5dOIpAEtEpnlZxMczwL8L9AtkzRo0GQ8Y_FgLDP6Iz3PEnm_YIO1X-EBVcNG_JVKP5HGWvDaNw2XsXgTJve7JE53jEzbjPjRohXsT2rALAbcTqSJKB59I7hAmAkOG/s320/Jack+digs+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608225778213131618" border="0"></a><br /><br />The Heart of the Island:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNufVJ3lEMLdWZ17AqjpQPhG3bq43u9AAlfqg3C05eIz1DCzYup0eZNlR-w_W9bz59FIseLs748JDWdtdoV7aQAMAF-yOwYsV_vb7KZuU2mEJvhf4Gz7al-dOmhcrlZtuK7depql4oMNLH/s1600/The+Heart+of+the+Island.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNufVJ3lEMLdWZ17AqjpQPhG3bq43u9AAlfqg3C05eIz1DCzYup0eZNlR-w_W9bz59FIseLs748JDWdtdoV7aQAMAF-yOwYsV_vb7KZuU2mEJvhf4Gz7al-dOmhcrlZtuK7depql4oMNLH/s320/The+Heart+of+the+Island.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608225781504048482" border="0"></a><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dywGgrq50QNfNQqsbBxsPRbbSsrBZlp_zrlQzdB0qAkDV23G-7NkngFOZsumcJEjpJj3Ac-EOdAKWI7tvWOdA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-29330579905836357142011-03-11T20:48:00.000-08:002011-03-11T20:54:48.623-08:00Rocky Horror Picture ShowBefore a couple of weeks ago, all I knew about the Rocky Horror Picture Show was that it was a quirky, somewhat dirty movie fro the ‘70s involving a transvestite Frankenstein-like figure, and that it had become a cult favorite. I knew that it was shown at midnights on and near college campuses and that people dressed up as the characters and for some inexplicable reason, threw toast during the movie. So of course when Blackburn’s theater honors group told me they were showing it as a fundraiser and “shadow-casting” it, I was intrigued. Then when they asked me to be IN it, I jumped at the chance, not knowing exactly what “be in it” meant. I sort of assumed shadowcasting meant making motions behind a sheet with a spotlight throwing shadows that the audience would see while watching the movie. How wrong I was! I soon learned that I would be “the criminologist”, a sort of narrator. When I told students that, they snickered, said “Just a jump to the left…”, and asked if I would be jumping and dancing on the desk!<br /> So with some trepidation, I went to the first rehearsal and had my eyes opened. It was explained to me that I and my fellow cast members would be on stage in costume, doing everything the characters in the movie were doing, and lip-synching the words. We then watched the movie together. I was amazed by 1. how very naughty it is 2. how weird and wonderful the characters are, and 3. how interesting the plot is (both satirizing and honoring ’50 science fiction and horror movies), and 4. how much I liked the music! While we watched, the director told us what we would be doing on stage. My part was easy: I would sit in an arm-chair on the side of the stage during the entire show, and “speak” occasionally, spot-lighted when the criminologist appeared on screen. Sadly, there would be no desk. It turned out to be the perfect assignment, as I got to watch the whole shadow-casted show, performed amazingly well by the Blackburn theater kids, and also watch the audience, which was equally amazing.<br /><br />The movie<br /><br /> Yes, it is dirty, but at the same time sweetly innocent. And justice is served in the end, heart-wrenchingly and very weirdly. It is a story of innocence, lost and found. It’s also a wonderful tribute to sci-fi movies of the past: Frankenstein, alien invasions… Just listen to the first song below. <br /> Of course, I fall in love with the music from each show I’m in, but I have to say, I really like the music in Rocky. I have a playlist of the songs on Grooveshark, if you want to bother registering and following me. Or just click on the links below, in order.<br /> When I watched the movie that first night I was surprised to see Susan Sarandon as Janet. She does a great job. And guess who plays Eddie: Meatloaf in a small but memorable part, belting out his song Hot Patootie Bless My Soul while riding a motorcycle around inside Frank’s castle. The guy who plays Riff-Raff is named Richard O’Brien. He is excellent, and he also wrote the show. He must have been on drugs! And of course Tim Curry is absolutely stunning as Frank. Barry Bostwick as Brad? Probably the weakest of the actors. The criminologist is played by Charles Gray whom some of you might recognize as Blofelt from Diamonds are Forever as well as Dikko Henderson in You Only Live Twice. He (I) have the final words of the show, which, I believe reveal an interesting secret nobody else seems to have noticed.<br /><br />The Shadow-casting<br /><br /> It was so much fun watching those kids acting their hearts out, without saying a word, prancing around the stage in their outrageous costumes in perfect unison with their counterparts on the screen, not showing the least self-consciousness. I have come to know most of them through my other Blackburn and Summer Rep activities, and several are my students. And of course they learned all the lines in a very short period of time, because they had to lip-synch, something I never did master. I was so proud of them.<br /><br />The Audience<br /><br /> Bothwell was close to sold out for the midnight show, with lots of college kids, and plenty of community members too. About 1/3 were dressed in costumes. For the price of a ticket, they were supplied with a newspaper, rubber glove, Melba toast, playing cards, Glo-stick, party hats, toilet paper. Watching the audience was just as much fun as watching the show. They all seemed to know exactly when to throw the toast (when Frank proposes a toast) and when to throw the toilet paper (when Brad says “Great Scott!”) and all the other actions and phrases to yell almost continuously during the show. Clearly, that kind of behavior would be totally unacceptable during any other show, but fits perfectly with this one. I actually got a bit of a lump in my throat seeing the packed and darkened auditorium, with all the audience members waving their Glo-sticks back and forth and singing along with “Over at the Frankenstein Place”. And when everybody on stage and in the audience, myself included, got up and danced the Time Warp (It’s Just a Jump to the Left…), well, it was amazing.<br /><br /> If you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend you:<br />1. Rent or buy the movie. I got it at Wal-Mart for $5.<br />2. Listen to the music. I have links to the songs in order below.<br />3. If at all possible, go to a midnight showing. If you’re brave, dress up as your favorite character.<br /><br />The Music<br /><br />My favorites are “Frankenstein Place”, “Time Warp”, and “I’m Going Home” followed closely by “Hot Patootie” and “Toucha Toucha Toucha Me”.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFlEIQbmr5o">Science Fiction Double Feature</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBjVBbeqf7E">Dammit Janet</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK2u4y7J58I">Over at the Frankenstein Place</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ff0cOPSpVA">Time Warp</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc80tFJpTuo">Sweet Transvestite</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U4QVCowisY">I Can Make You a Man</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vBrSWZnB9c&feature=related">Hot Patootie Bless My Soul</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yogc001MQws">I Can Make You a Man Reprise</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12wXkBz9UQE&feature=related">Toucha Toucha Toucha Me</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-IeNf8Ablc">Eddy</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhT-_JyhFPQ">Rose Tint My World</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1Xn-DWHuuM">I’m Going Home</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhyClodR780"><br />Superheroes</a>PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-71614750319456961872011-01-05T09:31:00.000-08:002011-01-05T09:35:21.085-08:00Favorite bands - resultsThanks everybody who participated in the “favorite bands” conversation! I enjoyed seeing what diverse tastes we have. I’ve been listening to Edie Carey, Melissa Ferrick, Shawn Colvin, Dierks Bentley, Motion City Soundtrack, Ben Folds, Norah Jones, Soul Coughing, Damien Rice, and Les Claypool on grooveshark.com and enjoying them all. <br /><br />If you’re not familiar with Grooveshark, give it a try. You can find and stream just about any music in a matter of seconds, including playlists. If you register (free) you can save and share playlists.<br /><br />For the record, my favorites: Beatles, Paul Simon and Garfunkel, Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Eagles. The last two are iffy and really tied with (in rough descending order): Moody Blues, Three Dog Night, Neil Diamond, The Who, CCR, Johnny Cash, Beach Boys, Chicago, Queen, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton (inc. Cream), Sting/The Police, Aerosmith, Frank Sinatra, The Carpenters, They Might Be Giants, The Doors, Jethro Tull, Bob DylanPopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-9836414214500657232010-12-23T20:13:00.000-08:002010-12-23T20:18:50.084-08:00LOST Complete Collection!Hey, guess who got the LOST Complete Collection! (Thanks, Lynn!) Besides having every episode in high def and lots of bonuses, the packaging is really cool, with some surprises, mysteries, and even an answer!PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-32494155593000067952010-11-16T19:14:00.000-08:002010-11-16T19:15:42.213-08:00Your Five Favorite BandsOK, guys, I have a proposition. First an explanation: One of the radio stations here is asking listeners to send in their favorite 5 songs of all time. I think that would be really hard. So I’m going to start off slow. I want you to list your five favorite bands/singers/artists. No more than five! One question: Should we include solo artists and the groups they sang in together, or separately? Like is John Lennon a separate artist from the Beatles, or should all his work be considered together? What about Paul Simon with and without Art Garfunkel? To me, John Lennon is a different artist that The Beatles, but Paul Simon’s work should all be considered together. What do you think? I leave it up to you.<br /> In future postings I will ask for favorite Beatles songs, then other artists, then perhaps favorite classical and/or jazz and/or show tunes and/or hymns/carols, then eventually, favorite five songs of all time. So be pondering….PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-27600919520733267202010-09-21T19:44:00.000-07:002010-09-21T19:45:43.124-07:00Hawaii Five-OMy second TV review. I decided to watch the pilot of Hawaii Five-O. Anybody care to guess why? Anyway, here’s my review. The story was non-existent: crime solved in two clues, bad guy found with little effort except a gun battle and car chase, bad guy dispatched in a fist fight and another gun fight. The rest of the story centered on McGarrett ridiculously being named to head a secret above-the-law paramilitary police unit, then equally ridiculously assembling his team. The banter between McGarrett and Danno was cute. The characters are cardboard (see previous post), except Danno, who is actually sympathetic. He’s a New Jersey cop who follows his ex-wife to Hawaii when she moves there with their daughter. The build-up to - and delivery of - McGarrett’s famous “Book him, Danno” was painful. At the end, the team is relaxing with some beers, and trying to come up with a name for their new team. It’ll probably be a hit.PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-41496176409148269772010-09-21T19:06:00.000-07:002010-09-21T19:44:11.718-07:00The EventIt was advertised that The Event was a fix for LOSTies undergoing withdrawal. So, of course I gave it a try. Sadly, predictably, it wasn’t even close. In a supposed tip of the hat to LOST, the story was set up in fits and starts. After the initial scene, they backed up and told the precursor story starting some minutes earlier. Then they did it again, backing up several days, then again, months. The pacing was frenetic, the story wildly confusing, until the end, when it made semi-sense. Of course, there were huge mysterious holes, to be filled in coming weeks, presumably. It was sort of irritating, but the worst part was the lack of character development. The beauty of the LOST pilot was the ingenious way it presented a few of the mysteries of the island in short intense scenes, almost as side events. They introduced the characters in such a way that we loved them or hated them but we cared about them, while hinting at their interesting back stories. Unfortunately, The Event did exactly the opposite, using cardboard characters to introduce a full-blown apocalyptic mystery in a choppy narrative style. I predict this will last about as long as Flashforward did.<br /> I’ll probably tune in next week anyway.PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-25677652847169893712010-08-28T19:08:00.001-07:002010-08-28T19:38:19.145-07:00Enquirer note, and two pics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6dUrYKtpBb2ZY7Q4tC1bQ7DrGL5JyStBLLzhPg_DR7_w2MKRW98cA8HJKMO6fnlaYx0KWIGkcwbxtY01S_Pu1Y-NMbgLjwhUzHDcxVveouu1QAW7-1WTYbk4IPs-pQS1v6oDFcu9SDDJ/s1600/10+years.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 86px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6dUrYKtpBb2ZY7Q4tC1bQ7DrGL5JyStBLLzhPg_DR7_w2MKRW98cA8HJKMO6fnlaYx0KWIGkcwbxtY01S_Pu1Y-NMbgLjwhUzHDcxVveouu1QAW7-1WTYbk4IPs-pQS1v6oDFcu9SDDJ/s320/10+years.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510653969208682498" /></a><br /><br />The above is from the Enquirer-Democrat. I know you can't read it, so I'll quote the last paragraph: Ryan's Pub baseball team was champion of the CISL Eastern Division of the Central Illinois Sports League. Team members were Jon Reid, Dan Armstrong, Jared Benjamin, Greg Burcham, Josh Reece, Josh Manning, Jason Bertinetti, Tim Lambeth, Josh Mahkovzt, Brad Suhling, and Brad Shade.<br /><br />Here are a couple pics I took after the last game of that tournament. Dan got a bit beat up in that game.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_XR-wNuiOH9S-AdgJ6z-1JgBot3vTR-bhMvxhmUtSeo9n_IS9yEAXABclSh_iEivjZaXoK6nYqBIhXs2TLi3D2PoSudprndn6eq0UNKIoIGdGGNR8smXK1C2tGOL_VcqX-UTM5zIcvvW/s1600/After+the+tourney.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_XR-wNuiOH9S-AdgJ6z-1JgBot3vTR-bhMvxhmUtSeo9n_IS9yEAXABclSh_iEivjZaXoK6nYqBIhXs2TLi3D2PoSudprndn6eq0UNKIoIGdGGNR8smXK1C2tGOL_VcqX-UTM5zIcvvW/s320/After+the+tourney.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510648244407821122" /></a>PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-71654164486427372632010-08-06T20:37:00.000-07:002010-08-06T20:47:49.614-07:00Back-yard NatureWhilst mowing Gramma and Gramps's back yard, I noticed this tree trunk<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5c3oUOI9So0157bvXKocXRxieVGkiYwXixluuImzY7-1par5UKp3MTJYdyjT1wzpPIw8hZH28g8kZxfItjxVIjcFFn-GFq1N1Zsn3BiO8VmCAKhSMy-kM0n4PtewdbsExWNTa0aIY2GE/s1600/Moth+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5c3oUOI9So0157bvXKocXRxieVGkiYwXixluuImzY7-1par5UKp3MTJYdyjT1wzpPIw8hZH28g8kZxfItjxVIjcFFn-GFq1N1Zsn3BiO8VmCAKhSMy-kM0n4PtewdbsExWNTa0aIY2GE/s320/Moth+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502507879733615250" /></a><br /><br />So what, you ask? Scroll down...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0rci64zg-IU4mjIguDy-khl7ZXPPyWCzWUTo5YUi6B11lH86RbKZacAotkF1Yr9YcQs6UtrwRfVEC9e07PMsgojZ2wbegItXMbZDpjslEAbQAexHH4jqlgGcTLBN_5Jgl7s6AVeid0wz/s1600/Moth+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0rci64zg-IU4mjIguDy-khl7ZXPPyWCzWUTo5YUi6B11lH86RbKZacAotkF1Yr9YcQs6UtrwRfVEC9e07PMsgojZ2wbegItXMbZDpjslEAbQAexHH4jqlgGcTLBN_5Jgl7s6AVeid0wz/s320/Moth+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502507886013086738" /></a><br /><br />Still don't see it? Scroll down further.....<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfmAwhyphenhyphenn8KemqQm7RmIzkX5_5MZHHTJg54EdfpSy0O4-Mjh15_-7aCUcRgpf60kVJJyc6RjRQaR6bLVJfYMsssIyL58kBjeEKUbmL-CKHQVcQr4F27BbQkqABH1jsJKijuWoz9EB24u5l/s1600/Moth+3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfmAwhyphenhyphenn8KemqQm7RmIzkX5_5MZHHTJg54EdfpSy0O4-Mjh15_-7aCUcRgpf60kVJJyc6RjRQaR6bLVJfYMsssIyL58kBjeEKUbmL-CKHQVcQr4F27BbQkqABH1jsJKijuWoz9EB24u5l/s320/Moth+3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502509373252375714" /></a>PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-79561851818964903652010-08-06T20:21:00.000-07:002010-08-06T20:36:51.393-07:00The Poo RockRecently a student brought me "rock" one of her coworkers asked me to identify. She called it the Poo Rock. See why?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGtXbRJcRLmmwlesxAv2Zql6TyyDHD-IMypae_K5B3WlYPHc9JnSEdEVTmulW1fZzTJnPSBXf3aGlxcztNhnE2bHSZd7Ll8-RyO_vPlDdsBoiOlN9txCZ-ZeITy0PXaZk63dckGs3h9EW/s1600/Poo+Rock+3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRGtXbRJcRLmmwlesxAv2Zql6TyyDHD-IMypae_K5B3WlYPHc9JnSEdEVTmulW1fZzTJnPSBXf3aGlxcztNhnE2bHSZd7Ll8-RyO_vPlDdsBoiOlN9txCZ-ZeITy0PXaZk63dckGs3h9EW/s320/Poo+Rock+3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502505845034645826" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueO2igj0D7mDMRfEnJVNEHXJPLwIyVW5DFI2HEmTm_CKo-hBZqrtuVXhdR0c0fxJLfH8dp13LK5Yz9oYVa0b8GWfUDWNxPs4lCo8uDXmvyqRu-FQ7cuKPecn4ueXAbueoc9IafanA2AQQ/s1600/Poo+Rock+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueO2igj0D7mDMRfEnJVNEHXJPLwIyVW5DFI2HEmTm_CKo-hBZqrtuVXhdR0c0fxJLfH8dp13LK5Yz9oYVa0b8GWfUDWNxPs4lCo8uDXmvyqRu-FQ7cuKPecn4ueXAbueoc9IafanA2AQQ/s320/Poo+Rock+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502505839498265730" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDyKAytRVA2nQlrlAe0oU7b9D_W6_r7z7v9s8VyGaCUvKYuAW-a4IrDl-R6Yo0HIOi3XbiHqcDkpotDfu5KnPpCzasiWt5T2ci714yIXBTS06yrHV6qklELMB9CWk4gcv1_ZAgh_WcP7D/s1600/Poo+Rock+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDyKAytRVA2nQlrlAe0oU7b9D_W6_r7z7v9s8VyGaCUvKYuAW-a4IrDl-R6Yo0HIOi3XbiHqcDkpotDfu5KnPpCzasiWt5T2ci714yIXBTS06yrHV6qklELMB9CWk4gcv1_ZAgh_WcP7D/s320/Poo+Rock+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502505834901260146" /></a><br /><br />So far I've determined it's not really a rock at all, but a piece of metal. It conducts electricity. It's density is close to that of selenium, but it's probably not selenium, but rather an alloy of some sort. My next step is to determine it's specific heat, and try to find an alloy that matches its density and specific heat.PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-45545647072753052492010-08-06T19:39:00.000-07:002010-08-06T20:12:54.781-07:00Pictures and a Video relating to Jeff's visitAs you may remember, I had problems getting pictures and video into my last post. I'm still having problems, in that the "pictures" show up as html code until I hit Publish Post, but then they appear as normal pictures in the actual post. Oh, well, have a look:<br /><br />Here's Jeff and Mie<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKFeltJU8FWC0s-IgieUS2r5QF9cx2jhkiu1vI-sMgk9haGi7fHTDgl5NDnJTAKIgx_hDG62vk-kgxZEiPannCbsIu4_f_wrtkSQDhrb2WtfOHkeG0HolUrdi8IuJLUo4n37ApwFowYxN/s1600/Jeff+and+Mie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKFeltJU8FWC0s-IgieUS2r5QF9cx2jhkiu1vI-sMgk9haGi7fHTDgl5NDnJTAKIgx_hDG62vk-kgxZEiPannCbsIu4_f_wrtkSQDhrb2WtfOHkeG0HolUrdi8IuJLUo4n37ApwFowYxN/s320/Jeff+and+Mie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502495457458214386" border="0"></a><br /><br />Mie and us:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mowslGA1OzqMQbpn-N0P5CRI9MEcJv1hboMgO2i-Ue97Sr6fhUr7F0I5UjXl9pbmMVFVbayj1_rRlC58YIBaPJe8_Fg0R-NoSSzZh8t4oAk7GPFn2M6CR_D2loNbqXr4kOAkqP4vuj2y/s1600/Mie+and+us.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mowslGA1OzqMQbpn-N0P5CRI9MEcJv1hboMgO2i-Ue97Sr6fhUr7F0I5UjXl9pbmMVFVbayj1_rRlC58YIBaPJe8_Fg0R-NoSSzZh8t4oAk7GPFn2M6CR_D2loNbqXr4kOAkqP4vuj2y/s320/Mie+and+us.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502493719416176498" border="0"></a><br /><br />The wonderful lacquered plate Mie gave us:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviJhDmootxkor30dlBrNO84OH99p6Qd2eYiOoK8KPGiVrQW6FLsKsjM-UrgUEKvfJq0vMumkUh2kUTZ0yT5z7-ynbpebPDj0jqVYBO9MMrt1_6KB8e6laYTAwt3R3Pr9EoGq_F5gjNqTl/s1600/Japanese+plate.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviJhDmootxkor30dlBrNO84OH99p6Qd2eYiOoK8KPGiVrQW6FLsKsjM-UrgUEKvfJq0vMumkUh2kUTZ0yT5z7-ynbpebPDj0jqVYBO9MMrt1_6KB8e6laYTAwt3R3Pr9EoGq_F5gjNqTl/s320/Japanese+plate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502498853842357858" border="0"></a><br /><br />One of the place mats she gave us:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6nyThtXNWZcC_tSfwNXyM1jPC9wwpMpm-88XJgRnAg2i0BqoiLV7ODjSQH6TI5qPjrLYaBiqGnU7YYB24fOd6_vXvscOdtdoFeL6fYF_CSo77hcxDMKheqSIy1Xa-KQJzOoYZamQcLaC/s1600/Japanese+mat.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6nyThtXNWZcC_tSfwNXyM1jPC9wwpMpm-88XJgRnAg2i0BqoiLV7ODjSQH6TI5qPjrLYaBiqGnU7YYB24fOd6_vXvscOdtdoFeL6fYF_CSo77hcxDMKheqSIy1Xa-KQJzOoYZamQcLaC/s320/Japanese+mat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502499798907475138" border="0"></a><br /><br />Lamphier Park, Sliders batting:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7-A7ucyzQzqKcmqh0b0l1U3dpIQpbGa5hRlUAj5tYglj0BnPS2HIOGcWAj9Zgf5MvKe25Wg89XML_vw9WgVMvtb9YftL9sOfzfJ5hv135QZqyEyhqDbyEVtQ1Z60uKEesJjGeeCTYoWA/s1600/field+shot+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7-A7ucyzQzqKcmqh0b0l1U3dpIQpbGa5hRlUAj5tYglj0BnPS2HIOGcWAj9Zgf5MvKe25Wg89XML_vw9WgVMvtb9YftL9sOfzfJ5hv135QZqyEyhqDbyEVtQ1Z60uKEesJjGeeCTYoWA/s320/field+shot+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502493255131440642" border="0"></a><br /><br />Man with bucket on his head:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHMYr_NmDE2zfMMUklk7R0UwTG1uFcqp31ft6Nh-aLaQBT8YfONohYrOpUBKIFDaHl7DNbBRinRsiAjce90908x1y8XVxXUHqFf67AjXb3HXLB68rFenJtvW6WzmSHwo_9CSGOZYbgmr7/s1600/bucket+head.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHMYr_NmDE2zfMMUklk7R0UwTG1uFcqp31ft6Nh-aLaQBT8YfONohYrOpUBKIFDaHl7DNbBRinRsiAjce90908x1y8XVxXUHqFf67AjXb3HXLB68rFenJtvW6WzmSHwo_9CSGOZYbgmr7/s320/bucket+head.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502493122917541618" border="0"></a><br /><br />Speedy, the Sliders' mascot:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0m9PEIc29v7bWeqczm2YzZxf7AStnyXCcFqT0XLSe5IWN4qY_fdY_rF12dgFes2zy2_FLz9KoYDFZWVrOHYdPCL9Wg5r_8qRB6PX3NJdMcDrmQkTb-4XgHS1p4KYBD-5YdPnNAc6-Xuj/s1600/Speedy+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0m9PEIc29v7bWeqczm2YzZxf7AStnyXCcFqT0XLSe5IWN4qY_fdY_rF12dgFes2zy2_FLz9KoYDFZWVrOHYdPCL9Wg5r_8qRB6PX3NJdMcDrmQkTb-4XgHS1p4KYBD-5YdPnNAc6-Xuj/s320/Speedy+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502492828807316786" border="0"></a><br /><br />Speedy again:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eM7r2xYOzeEmKoc7WTxQhoIuGSJcn2669kL651H-LpLJHiFzClSD1Di7KBf3jZ0IIZZkBSVc6_6uRk_MEBrIICMalZuJsxQHMSmWnX17y0eUZ1G13JCUZrS1xVEZu4j6cwlPh74P6xrs/s1600/Speedy+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eM7r2xYOzeEmKoc7WTxQhoIuGSJcn2669kL651H-LpLJHiFzClSD1Di7KBf3jZ0IIZZkBSVc6_6uRk_MEBrIICMalZuJsxQHMSmWnX17y0eUZ1G13JCUZrS1xVEZu4j6cwlPh74P6xrs/s320/Speedy+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502492526705872882" border="0"></a><br /><br />There goes Speedy<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip31N51VmvCK_BeWG7ie0Q_KUfeSlFk0Lx6KjG4bpaxULBJyz1lrVLJOsrL5mH09MR3esz-s6Zw9wF0_G5-ZP3T6leOtg4MWULxLqzeIRqILqhsAI768TQXE5gXbz-JoAyVIopIYlPRYTi/s1600/Speedy+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip31N51VmvCK_BeWG7ie0Q_KUfeSlFk0Lx6KjG4bpaxULBJyz1lrVLJOsrL5mH09MR3esz-s6Zw9wF0_G5-ZP3T6leOtg4MWULxLqzeIRqILqhsAI768TQXE5gXbz-JoAyVIopIYlPRYTi/s320/Speedy+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502492183575427394" border="0"></a><br /><br />And finally, Jeff improvising on the piano:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxnPlNejS5aqq1yc4pVnimzW6mNt251kZDA0HvlSWcqlMDEnXJmHgqqfekTVc8kQUjj5xTgYcEhNTbfDHG9bA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-35314911688319986562010-07-30T07:26:00.000-07:002010-08-06T19:39:26.278-07:00Jeff in CarlinvilleSee pictures on next post.<br /><br />It was great having Jeff here. We really did enjoy it. He came in by Greyhound from Philadelphia, mostly without incident. He got here that evening, then had to turn around and head out early the next morning and drive to O'Hare to meet Mie coming in from Japan. They stayed there several days, saw the sights, went to a Cubs game, met up with Mie’s friend from Ann Arbor, went shopping. I’ll let Jeff blog about all that, if he so chooses. Part-way through his stay there, he and Mie drove south to meet us in Bloomington. We all went to the world-famous Avanti’s. Mie is as cute as a button, and very sweet. We exchanged gifts and had a wonderful visit. Jeff was very impressive acting as translator, though Mie did fine with the few sentences she tried in English.<br /><br />After Mie flew back to Japan, Jeff returned here. He helped mow the lawn, both at our house and at my parents’ house. It’s mostly cleaned out now, and on the market. The piano is now here, and Jeff favored us with lots of music, which we loved.<br /><br />Jeff and I enjoyed some superior homemade pecan pie. We watched several Cardinals games on TV, and I enjoyed his comments. We also saw Garza's no-hitter. One day, by happenstance, Diane Van Winkle had two free tickets to the Sliders game in Springfield, so I snapped them up, and Jeff and I attended their game with the Danville Dans (!). I hadn’t realized that Springfield is not even a minor league team, but instead is in an amateur league. The Sliders’ VP for Baseball Operations is Jack Clark (yes, that Jack Clark) and their field manager is Curt Ford (Cardinals 85-88, Phillies 89-90), but the players are mostly freshmen and sophomore players for Division I universities. The Sliders have players from Creighton, Illinois, Purdue, Iowa, Washington State, Pepperdine, UCLA, etc. I was amazed at how mediocre the play was. Makes you appreciate the Cubs and Cardinals! But the game was a lot of fun. Lamphier Park was only about 1/10 full and we could easily have sat right behind home plate. Plenty of kids and other interesting people were milling around. We sat in front of a kid wearing a Blackburn baseball shirt. Turns out his brother is going to BC in the fall. More about him in a minute. The Sliders’ mascot is Speedy the Turtle.<br /><br /> Between innings they do all sorts of fun amusements and contests. A mother and daughter from the audience were dressed in sumo-like fat-suits and ran into each other until one fell down. Two guys spun around with their foreheads on baseball bats until they were really dizzy, then raced to third base. A woman in the stands tried to throw water balloons into a bucket on the head of her husband standing on the field. Because she actually got one into the bucket, she won a used water bottle autographed by one of the players! Two guys raced from home plate to cups of “soda” (actually beer, apparently) positioned about halfway to third base, chug them, then race to two more cups even with the bag, chug them, then race to the finish line down the outfield foul line. They were tied until after the second cup when, for some reason, the one guy (brother of future BC student) turned around and ran the wrong way! It was hilarious. Anyway, the Dans ultimately won the game. There were some pretty good fireworks after the game, the kids got to run the bases, and we all went home. A thoroughly satisfying and fun evening.<br /><br />I drove Jeff to the airport early yesterday morning because he had to tutor that afternoon. We had a great time. I wish his stay could have been longer.PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-21037019405073794082010-07-10T20:16:00.000-07:002010-07-10T20:41:07.493-07:00How awesome are my kids?I have wonderful sons and daughters-in-law (current and future). Here's one reason. First some background: They recently went through the stuff in my mother's house and found a small home made recipe book. It had been made by my second grade class from favorite recipes the kids brought from home. Mine was my mother's recipe for pecan pie. Pecan pie is my favorite pie and close to my favorite food of all time. Well, for a birthday present my kids filled a box with the recipe book, and all the ingredients freshly purchased at the market. Mind you, this is NOT a heart healthy dish. Four tablespoons of butter, a cup of Karo syrup PLUS some sugar. Three whole eggs. Lots of vanilla. Plenty of pecans. Plus two pre-made crusts, ready to bake. So last night I whipped up a pie, took some pictures, and ate a piece. Here are some pictures of the pie, plus Mom's healthy alternative dessert.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgNGmLLgsBz27AgvbNsOnqkRz9AOegOP_Ip4MkSYnA4XSos8HEWlMIifnO038rg2YelgrbK9K4tTrU1ufJiSN-30QCIPxtAOjkeh7h4ZyEqFS8i3RV_4v_hP-3iSN-haXyKsHK4UefxGj/s1600/Whole+Pie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgNGmLLgsBz27AgvbNsOnqkRz9AOegOP_Ip4MkSYnA4XSos8HEWlMIifnO038rg2YelgrbK9K4tTrU1ufJiSN-30QCIPxtAOjkeh7h4ZyEqFS8i3RV_4v_hP-3iSN-haXyKsHK4UefxGj/s400/Whole+Pie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492486785553461298" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdZwSf1koDvZxxVTRn5dtBA2PB-5jwMOx9BYWEJRMzcZmbA5Yh1YGt_PLA0Gh8605FwG_M4GW6mfNv91rmlP1vSaJxqfGokuW2Kjde3N-ifWvF6G97UuWCgP9haoH4XwYAxZwecWhERQu/s1600/One+slice.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdZwSf1koDvZxxVTRn5dtBA2PB-5jwMOx9BYWEJRMzcZmbA5Yh1YGt_PLA0Gh8605FwG_M4GW6mfNv91rmlP1vSaJxqfGokuW2Kjde3N-ifWvF6G97UuWCgP9haoH4XwYAxZwecWhERQu/s320/One+slice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492487819438103090" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Z0CxwBiCKNvY_60EnTLs2GJ2G2TMZQ0N42em23btd9kw2DvBEtRrnGD8ELfhwmllnEmXA3vImDGfTkj7bB5lUZaDxerpgUxjwAIx1l4I_HHcKu5OIOJn9dTPXRRbDjtHaNMZICdIwjVR/s1600/Looks+good%21.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Z0CxwBiCKNvY_60EnTLs2GJ2G2TMZQ0N42em23btd9kw2DvBEtRrnGD8ELfhwmllnEmXA3vImDGfTkj7bB5lUZaDxerpgUxjwAIx1l4I_HHcKu5OIOJn9dTPXRRbDjtHaNMZICdIwjVR/s320/Looks+good%21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492487827279095346" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3_9PB0vGLe3T9K2umLOIQ_RlM68-KiUHpYjXA8pQCJ8Beea4lJTD5YB3eckxgzo4tqnI_OV3sGv-oCxJEv_xuScwEEjMEDFi0w1R6fssNyDmW_za8NxAM4DNrQpoHmNWjXV2nPvlDHA0/s1600/It+is+good%21.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3_9PB0vGLe3T9K2umLOIQ_RlM68-KiUHpYjXA8pQCJ8Beea4lJTD5YB3eckxgzo4tqnI_OV3sGv-oCxJEv_xuScwEEjMEDFi0w1R6fssNyDmW_za8NxAM4DNrQpoHmNWjXV2nPvlDHA0/s320/It+is+good%21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492487837391195122" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8qFqdIDD7RPBgHWyKJxFw_Zs6_Ekwbr_RtfU_RX1AZecShJUdsDXWFY9VDFhfSpVsvklG2iNx0kTcPLOwDNOgmAmwSUBQ453Jo4StkiAYBsqEj1UCNkZ1A1RbEZ55MfqQGDZlJ8bu_xE/s1600/Mom's+dessert.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8qFqdIDD7RPBgHWyKJxFw_Zs6_Ekwbr_RtfU_RX1AZecShJUdsDXWFY9VDFhfSpVsvklG2iNx0kTcPLOwDNOgmAmwSUBQ453Jo4StkiAYBsqEj1UCNkZ1A1RbEZ55MfqQGDZlJ8bu_xE/s320/Mom's+dessert.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492487843387177154" border="0" /></a>PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-32258766580882377252010-05-30T19:27:00.000-07:002010-05-30T19:54:27.374-07:00Requested Photo of Jack and His BurgerHere are a few.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzIBIQv5Lq9IqoSYoDylh8OgE-pPnJfw1FLSLqnf55q-hvvZAv199ni31FPsl2imsphPTIBaUyyQbaWPn6XV5_Rp8XZ7eYRLogXSZ5uC3HVntn5ivqi_8FkocDtbp0ixBhOGpKS13fNx9/s1600/Sniffing.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477259867753116258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzIBIQv5Lq9IqoSYoDylh8OgE-pPnJfw1FLSLqnf55q-hvvZAv199ni31FPsl2imsphPTIBaUyyQbaWPn6XV5_Rp8XZ7eYRLogXSZ5uC3HVntn5ivqi_8FkocDtbp0ixBhOGpKS13fNx9/s400/Sniffing.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477259782030818530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgZe2YfVt0nIFZgQAq8bMTOw_hLmBhuga91uTqp3ROmtFZEhuLds6xU1KMphdPu_WGzH-P3bd2GJtk4aIMTmy0PNFYJEwJqTcrRpzslWOqGGs70GwwmfoZ4ZcB8xag_9xnw_IwRS3_ByT/s400/Cute+one.jpg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbZvIKSGfF0Q4CDHS1dVLNL9xXgTNUI3rlxuVQWibnWzkgwCHBBYzL5_dL0gh7Lxs3OnGIaaYRzTHOsgmUz7bZ5W9WQwzdh7vg-IZy9JOFL1aDpNAdUlo6_0pZ7eKNVBJBCo3FNT1k7Nf/s1600/Break.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477259689345867346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbZvIKSGfF0Q4CDHS1dVLNL9xXgTNUI3rlxuVQWibnWzkgwCHBBYzL5_dL0gh7Lxs3OnGIaaYRzTHOsgmUz7bZ5W9WQwzdh7vg-IZy9JOFL1aDpNAdUlo6_0pZ7eKNVBJBCo3FNT1k7Nf/s400/Break.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilU_fPVODVL0vtfd_Zn0Zcs-fB5o7o9uGMUpiAtBRJ-6JE58v0E1-Z0EH2H9iIT7Ghqia0ZPx8-HsgBWXoRWpWmvF5EF8T_efuFTMc4sDCdrc8VRsKcq8nEa13upW5qnZ3mZMYWazaoNz0/s1600/At+feet.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477259531033671106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilU_fPVODVL0vtfd_Zn0Zcs-fB5o7o9uGMUpiAtBRJ-6JE58v0E1-Z0EH2H9iIT7Ghqia0ZPx8-HsgBWXoRWpWmvF5EF8T_efuFTMc4sDCdrc8VRsKcq8nEa13upW5qnZ3mZMYWazaoNz0/s400/At+feet.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div> </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-86613150957704597192010-05-28T07:52:00.000-07:002010-05-28T07:53:41.638-07:00Last Lost postSorry, non-Losties, one last post. OK, after ruminating a bit, I'm ready to give a reaction to the Lost finale. Interesting (and not surprisingly for die-hard Losties), I found myself viewing the show on two levels. Emotionally, I found it most enjoyable and satisfying. The on-island plot was tied up nicely. The FSW plot was syrupy sweet, with most everybody we care about getting together in the end and fading off into bliss together: I loved it! And most of the questions were answered. Intellectually, the on-island story wasn't far from what I had predicted. I just knew Jack would not be the ultimate protector (I can't lie though: I thought it would be Aaron.) Having it turn out to be Hurley was fitting. I wasn't thrilled with the way Kate, Frank (Told you he wasn't dead!), Miles, Richard (Cool that he's got a grey hair now), Sawyer, and Claire left, leaving Jack and Hurley to fend for themselves. As for the FSW plot ending, I sure didn't see that coming. I like the idea that THAT was a sort of purgatory, since many fans were convinced the ISLAND was going to turn out to be purgatory. I was troubled by the fact that the two story lines ended up having very little to do with each other. I was hoping for some interaction between them. And the explanation of who-was-allowed-to-be-at-the-church was not clear to me: mostly I think it was a matter of which characters were popular, and which actors they could get. That Ben declined to go was a juicy tidbit worthy of future discussion during the long cold days of No Lost ahead. And I actually find the idea that there is no "when" in purgatory fascinating, given recent ideas published about <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-time-an-illusion">time</a>.<br /><br /> If I were the King of Lost, here’s how I would have ended it. After Aaron is born, and our heroes become aware, Desmond, Widmore, and Daniel (and their counterparts on the Island) manage to merge the plotlines. But Aaron gets left behind. He is brought to the island by Eloise. He is protected and trained. Jack’s (or Hurley’s) reign is temporary, just till Aaron can take over. Aaron would seem the logical choice since both he and Jacob were conceived off the island, but born on it. I think the writers may have originally intended for something like that to happen: the whole “raised by another” issue, the psychic’s flip-flop, and the Others’ fascination with the inability of island women to bear children conceived on the Island. Enough for now.PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-24298594136689877562010-05-18T17:58:00.000-07:002010-05-18T17:59:13.540-07:00Across the Sea and GenesisI’ve been pondering last week’s episode almost non-stop since it aired. An excellent episode if only because it makes you think! Before Lost comes on again tonight, I have a few comments about last week’s episode. I have avoided reading Lostpedia or any other Lost related media, because I want my thoughts on that most unusual episode to be mine alone.<br /><br />First, typical of Lost the episode answered some major questions (What were the origins of Jacob and MIB? Who were Adam and Eve? How did the donkey wheel get there?) while posing some more (Is Jacob’s brother really dead? If so, who is MIB/smokey? What is the origin of the goddess figure? [Did anybody else have trouble buying CJ in that role?] Why was the dark brother “special”? Were the other ship survivors the original Others?) Not typical of Lost, the episode had no flashback/forward/sideways parts at all, save a couple of very brief replays of events from the first season. Furthermore, it features NONE of the major characters, again excepting those brief replays. The episode focuses on three characters, two we’ve seen briefly in earlier episodes, and one we’ve never seen before, nor had any clue even existed. And she turns out to be perhaps the most important character of all!<br /><br />Second, the episode was highly mystical, with clear references to Genesis of the Old Testament. I recommend a careful reread of Genesis, it can be quite enlightening. Jacob and his brother display aspects of Jacob and Esau, of Caine and Able, of Isaac and Ishmael, and even Aaron and Moses. The Island Woman seems quite Jehovah-like, and the light under the waterfall seems like heaven. I will focus on the similarities between the ancient Lost characters and the sons of Isaac, ie. Jacob and Esau. Like Jacob and his brother, the Old Testament men were fraternal twins; one was a stay-at-home mama’s boy while the other went off and did his own thing; one was favored by his mother. In Genesis, Jacob had 12 sons, one named Benjamin (the candidates?). One (Joseph) was sent to a distant land before carrying on the family traditions (Aaron?) Unlike the Lost characters, the OT Jacob was born second but claimed the birthright from Esau by trickery. Or perhaps that’s not a difference. Did Jacob claim the role of Island Protector by trickery?<br /><br />Sidenote: Probably coincidental, but in Genesis 26:15 Jacob’s father’s (Isaac) wells were clogged up by the Philistines. Sound familiar?<br /><br />I have lots more thoughts but now it’s time for this week’s episode, the penultimate. We’ll see if any of these thoughts have anything to do with the plot. And now, on with the story…….PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-30465934708217399942010-02-03T12:21:00.000-08:002010-02-04T08:38:22.253-08:00Alternate Universes on LOSTI knew it! I said in an earlier post that I thought Juliet would both succeed and NOT succeed in blowing up the island attempting to reset the timeline, so we would have two alternate universes. I was right....<br /><br />But it was clear from last night's episode that the "reset" universe was not exactly the same as the original from season 1. The internet is already full of postings about the differences, but the most obvious one is: no Shannon. (Also no Michael and Walt, but they could just have been out of camera range. And what was Desmond doing there??? Was he even really there?)<br /><br />Anyway, it occurred to me today that the title of the episode is LA X, not LAX. (Cuse and Lindelof confirmed that that is significant, not a typo, on Kimmel last night.) So I'm theorizing that there are many alternate universes, or at least 10, with LA X meaning LA 10. In universe 10, Juliet succeeds in detonating the bomb in 1977, leaving the remnants of the island under the ocean, allowing Jack et al to land safely in 2004. This is different from the original universe in which Oceanic 815 never crashes, and the island remains undisturbed (LA I?). It is different yet from the universe we've been watching in seasons 1 - 5, in which Juliet fails to explode the bomb and our heroes remain (albeit somehow transferred back to 2007; LA II?).<br /><br />In season 6, we will be watching universe 10, LA X, and also the familiar universe from seasons 1 - 5, LA II . Want to bet we'll see others?PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-70890552927843833762010-01-18T20:10:00.000-08:002010-01-18T20:26:59.541-08:00The Indefatigable FrogIt's been over a month! Wow. But I have been thinking about stuff to blog about. I'm slowly making my way through the Phillip K. Dick story anthology Jeff gave me, between Newsweek and doing New York Times crossword puzzles. As much as I found "The Variable Man" and "The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford" and "The Builder" childish, I loved "The Indefatigable Frog".<br /><br />A pair of professors are arguing about the old conundrum: "If a frog jumps half-way toward the wall on each jump, we he ever get to the wall?" The philosopher says Yes and the physicist says No. (I think Dick got it backwards, but Oh well.) Hilarity ensues when they are forced to work together to invent a device that will let them determine the answer experimentally. Of course one of them ends up in the device, forced to repeat the experiment. I would not have predicted the outcome. It is pure genius. But I'll let you read the story for yourself.PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364404888790587431.post-14735851795693837692009-12-06T19:23:00.000-08:002009-12-06T19:48:14.308-08:00The Variable ManI am reading Philip K. Dick's novella "The Variable Man". Losties take note. Imagine my delight to discover that it is about a man who is dragged into the future, causing unexpected consequences. Faraday uses the term "variable" to describe a human being's ability to change the pre-ordained time line. Is this purely coincidental? A cursory examination of Lostipedia shows no references to Dick's use of the term, or to the novella itself. Lost DOES refer to Dick's uber-strange novel VALIS, about a computer becoming a god. Interesting!PopsArmstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08144542226296769613noreply@blogger.com3