Chickens Are Friends!

I'm loving Robot Chicken now that it's legally available on The Comedy Network. For those of us who put their childhood toys through elaborate and (sometimes) torturous dramas, Robot Chicken brings those imaginings to life through stop-motion goodness.

Oh, and Sean - this one's for you. Cheers!

Suckerpunch Part Deux: Hit Me Again Please

If you're of a certain vintage and spent way too much time with the good folks of Hanna-Barbera, the name "Bad Luck Schleprock" will mean something. For the rest of you, Google is your friend.

It's been a Schleprock kind of week; to the point where I'm really wondering (1) if there is a Supreme Being and (2) why s/he is pissed at me. To wit:

• work (as is in making a living) keeps piling up faster; which makes it difficult for me to maintain my Well-Paid Slacker persona
  
• getting Mom's new-post-stroke-life in order moves at a snail's pace and I still feel like we're 'winging it' most of the time. Dealings with various medical and social service folks this week were decidely unfruitful. My advice: never get sick; but if you must, get really sick. Anything in between and you're on your own, it seems. Also, never lose your income.
• fixing a flat tire in the middle of a freak snowstorm sucks ass.
  
• the downstairs shower (the one I installed 10 years ago before I became the Uber Handyman that you see before you) sprung a mystery leak that may necessitate a complete tear out and re-install. *sigh*
  
• finding out the spare tire is not full-sized and is low on air sucks ass harder.
• got lost in Parkwood hospital twice; once on the way in and once on the way out. Double aggravation points were earned by having a memory-challenged senior in tow.
• BandGeek's school trip (overnight camping at The Pinery) was cancelled because of the snow - after the bus arrived at it's destination, of course.
  
• and now the capper.... found out someone I'm quite close with has developed cancer and started chemo this week. It'll be 2 months before we have a prognosis.

When did life get so damn serious? But as the week gently comes in for a landing on a sunny Saturday morning (when all things are possible), some bright lights:

• Jedi Boy's birthday is almost upon us and I happen to know that one present he'll receive is an EB Games giftcard. This pretty much assures me the opportunity to play Zelda: Twilight Princess the day it comes out.
• after some tinkering, the shower appears to be holding its water. Fingers are crossed.
• my spouse has somehow arranged a family trip to Florida during the Christmas Break (minimum costs, maximum fun). Sheena, I'm bringing you mouse ears!
• bonus fallout from the Florida plans; the logistics will guarantee that the family will not be spending Christmas in the Sudbury area this year! I actually like it there, but travelling at Christmas always seems like a chore.
• BandGeek's camping trip was re-scheduled for next week, when the weather should be a sunnier 16C. She's a happy...errr....camper.
  
• my cancerous friend underwent the first chemo treatment, and did beautifully well. No nausea, no nothing. Hope springs...
  

Here's to 'things can only get better'.

Because Turkey Makes Me Sleepy

If I've noticed anything during my 43 years on this planet, it is this:

On a sunny Saturday morning, anything is possible.

On a gray Sunday afternoon, nothing is probable.

Discuss.

Steal This Meme

Okay, I stole this from Sean aka Kid Dork, but I don't plan to lose any sleep since he stole it, too. Furthermore, I've sitting on this for weeks. By all accounts this should mean the Internet's statute of limitations has expired; so I'm covered there, too.

One Book That Changed Your Life

This is a tough one. As a teenaged, much thinner version of myself, I would say that The Lord of The Rings was likely life-changing; if only because it provided escape from a life that needed an escape hatch. In my twenties, Herman Hesse's Siddartha was somewhat life-changing in that it provided an odd sort of spiritual comfort. There's a pattern here, folks, but no single answer.

One Book You've Read More Than Once

A toughie! I tend not to re-read books, mostly because I'm afraid repeats will spoil whatever magical experience I had the first time round. The Hitchhiker's series is one I've re-visited a few times, but (as embarrassing as this is) the books I tend to read more than once are the ones I've forgotten that I've read before. This happens much too frequently and only supports my theory that being an amnesiac wouldn't be so bad. I mean, really; you'd only need 1 book, 1 movie, etc. etc.

One Book You'd Want On A Desert Island

Hmmm.... Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell. Lengthy and totally immersive, which would help take my mind off starving and talking to volleyballs.

One Book That Made You Laugh

Another tough one! Douglas Adams's The Long, Dark Tea Time of the Soul. I still smile when I think about the part where a newly-minted ghost tries to use a telephone.

Umm, you had to be there, I guess.

One Book That Made You Cry

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. Don't tell anyone.

One Book You Wish You Had Written

Every book I've ever loved, but if I had to pick just one - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell because it's so damn well thought out!

One book that you wish had never been written.

JPod by Douglas Coupland. I copied this from Kid Dork, but he knows how I feel.

One Book You're Currently Reading

The Cobweb by Neal Stephenson and J. Frederick George. Not great, but a page-turner nonetheless.

One Book You've Been Meaning To Read

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. I've always meant to finish it just out of spite.