Blog Story - Role Call

I printed out the story in MS Word and it now fills 10 pages. WOW! So, as things progress, I thought I would try and capture the list of characters that have been introduced. My fellow writers, please let me know if I am inaccurate in the following profiles or if their is a difference of opinion. There are three main grouping of characters; The Company, The Police and The Feds. Here goes:

The Company - An apparent secret organization involved in recruiting people for and undisclosed project.
Winchell - first name unknown. Also known as Winch. Winch works for The Company and has been chosen for a "special project".
Jackie - A woman that works with Winchell. They have partnered up to try and locate a missing colleague. Also works for The Company.
Mikal Rosakoff - The missing colleague
Amalee/Andrea - Working for, or hired by, the Company, Amalee is a mysterious character who is also Andrea, Mikal's ex-wife. She is a killer/operative. How the Amalee characters or persona are related in unknown. Code Name: Darkhorse
Supervisor X - Possibly Winchell's boss or someone high up in The Company. Appears to be the Supervisor for the Special Projects team. Nothing else is known.
"201" - Unnamed Company Operative assumed to be higher up than Alderson. It's who Alserson reports to.
Dirk - Works with Amalee. Killer? Tactical? Wheelman? Lackey? Works for, is is hired by, The Company.
Jack & Jim - Two hitmen. They enjoy their work. Nothing else is known.

Police
Detective Gordon - A Philadelphia Detective. First day on Homicide.
Detective Simmons - Work on the floor above Gordon.
Detective Schlitzman - Another Philadelphia Detective
Detective Murray - Philadelphia should have so many Detectives

Government
LT Ambler - Work for an undisclosed military or Government entity. Is performing surveillance on Rosakoff or The Company. Involved in the "Sureshot Protocol".
Col. Hart - Ambler's superior.
"Mister" Firestone - works with Ambler and Hart. It is unclear whether he is part of their organization or not, but he appears to outrank Col. Hart.
Alderson - A Government Operative keeping tabs on the Police and their involvement with the Company. Uses disguises.
"Cabbie" - Unnamed Character. Driving Alderson around in a cab. Also a Government Operative.

Other
Mrs Patterson - Deceased neighbor of Mikal Rosakoff.

EDITORS REMARKS:
The only change I made to the story was to a "THE" in front on the discussion about Mikal's exwife "Since she now had her perfect husband, THE 2 kids, and white picket fence. . . ." The makes the kids ambiguous as to who's kids they are.

Writers - Please review and comment

The Day Before Man's Weekend

H/T: Burnsy

But Enough About Meme. . . . .

Tag! I'm It! RT hit me with her best Meme. (I must not have spent enough time talking to her at Wyatt's . . .Punished by the teacher)

So her it is:

"Books are scarce in the world. They are illegal in some provinces. They are not easily replaced, if not impossible to replace if lost in many if not most circumstances. If you can replace a book or buy one, it is usually through the black market at astronomical costs that you cannot afford. Yet you have been able to maintain one of the best collections in the world. If your entire library was about to burn up and you could only have one* book to take with you other than the Bible, what would that be and why?"

Simple Rules: Answer the question.
Offer one quote that resonates with you.
Tag five people whose response is of genuine interest to you and inform him or her that they have been tagged.
*and it cannot be an entire series of something, that’s cheating.

Truthfully, I would probably burn trying to decide.

Between the autographed Asimov book and the leatherbound collection. I mean, i can't even bring the Incarnations of Immortality with me (Although Asimov's foundation trilogy has a lot more books to it. . .)

Hmmm. . . .Lord of the Rings or Hitchhiker's Guide. (both of which I have in a complete leatherbound version, so it is ONE BOOK!) I would have to go with the Rings. I would go with the Hitchhiker's radio show over Lord of the Rings, but I will take THE TRILOGY over the HHGG books. (I might even try to pretend that Ringworld is part of the Lord of the Rings. . . .NAAAAHH!! Also, if I had to start quote the Guide, we would be here all day.

I don't have any "one liners" or quotes that jump out. It's just a great story and has and will always stand the test of time.

I will tag
Zippychik
Mrs. Grim
80s Girl
Exilian
Grimjack

Disappearing Dollar

Three guys go into a hotel and ask for a room.

The Hotel owner says, "I only have one room left, but you guys are welcome to share it. It’s $30 a night."

They are desperate so they take it for the night and they each give him $10.

As they go up to the room the owner tells the bellboy, “I accidentally overcharged them. The room is only $25. Here, give them $5 back to them." and hands him 5 singles.

The bell boy puts $2 in his pocket and says "Excuse Me, Gentlemen! You were accidentally overcharged. He is your change." and hands each guy a $1 bill.

With each receiving $1, they have now paid $9 each for the room. $9 * 3 = $27.

The Bellboy has $2 in his pocket. $27 + $2 = $29

???????????????

Where is the other dollar???

???????????????

Wake Up Your Brain!!

This is a 5th grade math problem. If you can open the spreadsheet, you'll
see it's a very small list of people who have gotten the correct number.
This is not a trick question. This is a real math problem so don't say that
a bus has no legs. There is no bus driver.

There are 7 girls in a bus.
Each girl has 7 backpacks.
In each backpack, there are 7 big cats.
For every big cat there are 7 little cats.

Question: How many legs are there in the bus?

Note: Exilian got the right answer. Do you math before you peek.

One Game At A Time!

Flyers vs Penguins - Game 4

The wife and I went to the game last night and it did not disappoint. The teams motto of "One Game At A Time" seemed like the rantings of a team setting an early tee time. But No! One Game! That's what it was. And they dominated. DOMINATED!

You would never know that Hatcher has a broken leg. He's pretty damn awesome! For getting thrown into a high profile game, Ryan Parent didn't look at of place. Even Thorosen, who was scratched the last two, showed why he should be there instead of Steve Downie. We won't see him again this year.

The kill the Penguins picture seemed like fun so we went for it. And, yes, if you look closely, you will see face paint on both of us. what ever works! They won!!. . . and won BIG! AND. . .I got Mrs. D to spring for funnelcake. Yummy!

Game 5 will supposedly bring the return of Timonen AND Coburn. The bad news is that my golf weekend tee time is at 2:00 on Sunday with the Flyers at 3:00. The good news is that my hand hurts so bad after picking up the sand filter (which weighs exactly 15 lb more than I can lift), so I will probably be drinking at the bar (or Hooters) watching the game.

I Live!

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

And on day 56, I can go over to Wyatt's house and cut him up for an additional week or so.

Double Duty Tonight!

Tonight I have to take care of two things. the second is to attend the Flyers game and HOPE that there isn't a sweep! I hate the PENS and I hate the WINGS, but they both look very good and a PENS/WINGS Final looks to be a good series.

Show some grit tonight guys.

On the way there, I have to go and scope a crime scene. Last week, I had to go and exchange play tickets because they were for tonight (see above). So I went up to the Walnut Street Theatre and exchanged my tickets for THE IRISH AND HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY! the reviews are very very good and I cannot wait until June 24th now.

My daughter went with me. As a treat, I decided to take her for a Jim's Steaks steaksandwich. We go to South Street, make the turn on 4th and there is a guy pulling out of a spot. SWEET! I wrangle the Caravan into the spot sucessfully avoiding the only tree in center city Philadelphia. After 10-15 minutes we are full of Cheez Whizzy goodness and off we go. half way to the bridge, i notice something on my windsheild. YES! It's a ticket. For What? Well, it looks like a ticket for parking in a handicapped spot. A minor fine of a mere $301. $301!!!. So I go back and there, sure enough is a handicap parking sign. I didn't see it. I think that it was hidden behind the tree. Tonight I will go and check before the game. $301!! The Philadelphia Parking Authority is legalized mafia. The city that I grew up in, has turned into Sodom and Gomorrah and I'm getting the sodom.

Fuck You Philadelphia Parking Authority!! Die A horrible and painful death.

Don't Go To England!

According to CBS2 and YahooNews:

Dennis Farina Arrested At LAX For Concealed Gun Cop, Turned Actor, Says He Is 'Embarrassed' Over His Own 'Stupidity'

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Actor Dennis Farina has been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after a loaded gun was found in his carryon luggage.

When the weapon was discovered at a security checkpoint around 8 a.m. Sunday, police say the 64-year-old actor told them that he'd forgotten the .22-caliber handgun was in his luggage. In a statement released Sunday evening, Farina said he was blaming his "own stupidity" for the situation and that he was "more embarrassed" than anyone.

Police Sgt. Dennis Beacham of the LAPD's Pacific Division says Farina was booked for investigation of carrying a concealed weapon, before police found out the weapon was unregistered.

Because the weapon was unregistered, the charge against Farina has been upgraded to a felony.

Bail was set at $35,000.

Through his publicist, Lori De Waal, a contrite Farina said "I apologize to anyone and everyone that I have caused any embarrassment or inconvenience to. It is my own stupidity to find myself in this embarrassing situation."

He added, "I don't put the blame on anyone else but myself. I want to apologize to my friends, family and business associates who I'll explain to privately later."

Farina also will do a little self flagellation concerning the matter. "I'll be spending the next few days kicking my own a--. No one is more embarrassed than myself."

Farina's latest film, the Ashton Kutcher-Cameron Diaz comedy "What Happens in Vegas," opened Friday.

Farina, a former Chicago cop, has starred in TV's "Law & Order" series and in such movies "Snatch" and "Get Shorty."

Assumedly, he wasn't going to London.

I Like To Call It "LOST WAGES!"

Recently, I purchased the first season of Frisky Dingo, the cartoon shown during the Adult Swim portion of Cartoon Network. A while back, I posted a clip from the show, which is no longer accessible.

Based on that clip, I thought that I would drop the $15 for Season 1.

It not only did not disappoint, it surpassed expectations. It was hysterical!!

You can catch a few clips on YouTube, but with the release of the DVD, I think they had to take most of them down.

While I was watching it, my wife came in the room and before you know it we were watching the season together. Afterward, I lent the disc to Exilian who also thought it was worth it. We have been discussing it ever since. . . . .and by discussing it, I mean reciting lines from it.

Netflix this and you will be happy that you did.

Are You Kidding Me?!?!

The Flyers Website has just reported:

(Pittsburgh, PA) – Flyers all-star defenseman Kimmo Timonen will be out of the lineup indefinitely with a blood clot in his left foot, club General Manager Paul Holmgren confirmed via a conference call on Thursday evening.

The Flyers begin the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night at Mellon Arena (7:30 p.m., Versus, MOJO HD).

Timonen was hit with a shot by Montreal’s Andrei Markov late in Game 4 of the Flyers’ second round series with the Canadiens. He played through the pain in Game 5, but felt numbness in the foot throughout this week.

He was given an MRI on Wednesday that did not reveal anything, but a vascular surgeon, Dr. Ronald Fairman at the University of Pennsylvania, on Thursday found a small blood clot. Timonen will go on blood thinners, but his return for the series against Pittsburgh is doubtful.

“We have to view this as he’s not a player for us in this series and we have to march on,” said Holmgren. “We have to deal with it. It gives somebody else an opportunity to step up. Obviously you can’t replace a player who does what Kimmo does for us.”

“It’s a huge disappointment, obviously,” said Timonen via a separate conference call. “I wasn’t expecting this result. It’s the most disappointing thing in my life, hockey wise.”

Timonen asked the doctor what the risks were of trying to play through the injury.

“He said if you get hit there again, the blood clot might break up and go down to your toes and then we’d have to cut off your toes. That’s not a very good scenario.”

The only hope for Timonen to return this season, he said, is that if a follow up visit to the doctor at the end of next week shows that the blood thinners are working more quickly than expected.

In 12 playoff games, the 33-year-old blueliner has six assists and a +5 rating.


That's the way we want to go into this series. . .Down our top defenseman. A good player, but I don't think that Parent is going to replace Timonen. Damn!

BRILLIANT!

http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2008-05-04-beer-coffin_N.htm?POE=click-refer

USAToday reports (above link):

SOUTH CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) — Bill Bramanti's favorite beer is Pabst Blue Ribbon. He loves it.
Really loves it.

So much so that he's already had his coffin specially made, and it's designed to look like a can of the trendy brew. Bramanti isn't sick, so he doesn't plan on needing it just yet. For now he plans to use it as a cooler.

At 5-feet-9 inches tall and weighing 280 pounds, Bramanti has tried it out though.

"I actually fit, because I got in here," Bramanti, 67, of South Chicago Heights said. He threw a party Saturday for friends, featuring his coffin filled with ice and, what else, Pabst Blue Ribbon.

"Why put such a great novelty piece up on a shelf in storage when you could use it only the way Bill Bramanti would use it?" Bramanti's daughter, Cathy Bramanti, 42, said.

Bramanti ordered the casket from Panozzo Bros. Funeral Home in Chicago Heights and Scott Sign Co. of Chicago Heights designed the beer can.

The silver coffin is designed with red, white and blue, just like a Pabst can.

I'll bet after a few months, he becomes skunky. the real question is, Does it come in a Guinness style?? I want to be buried in a Guinness coffin next to my wife . . .who will be in a Jameson bottle.

H/T: Burnsy

Sci Fi Guy!

	I received 85 credits on The Sci Fi Sounds Quiz How much of a Sci-Fi geek are you?
Quiz by SheGoddess: Quick Weight Loss

Hockey 101 - Part 1

As a public service to the uninitiated, I bring you HOCKEY 101. This will hopefully explain some of the finer points of the game for anyone watching the Flyers/Penguins and RedWings/Stars this coming week.

I will assume that the basics are known like "what's a puck?" "Who's the goalie?" Of course being old and surgically repaired once too often, I can't PLAY the game like Wyatt and his Goon Squad, but we know who had more points at the end of my last season with the team. . .don't we? Anywho. .. .

My friend Mario called the other day. He has just started watching hockey and is quite intrigued, but confused. He asks: What is ICING. Besides a yummy frosting, Icing in hockey is:

Icing is a rule in hockey designed to prevent a team from dumping the puck deep into its opponent's zone in order to use up the clock or to avoid playing defense. A team is guilty of icing when a player on his own side of the red line dumps the puck all the way past the opponent's goal line without the puck going into the net. In the National Hockey League (NHL), icing is not called until the puck crosses the goal line and an opposing player other than the goaltender touches the puck with his stick. In international play and in most European leagues, there is what's called "no-touch" icing, in which icing is called and play is stopped as soon as the puck crosses the goal line, regardless of whether an opponent touches it.

There are instances in which icing can be "waved off." This is most common when a team is shorthanded (short handed is when the team has a player in the penalty box and the other team has an additional man on the ice. . also know as being on the Penalty Kill). If the opposing team is on a power play (the team with the additional player is considered on the Power Play), the shorthanded team is allowed to dump the puck at any time from any point on the ice without icing being called. Also, during even-strength play, icing can be waved off if the referee determines that an opposing player could have touched the puck before it crossed the goal line or that the icing was the result of a pass that was missed but could have been reasonably completed. When icing is committed, play stops and a faceoff is held in the defensive zone of the team that iced the puck.

ADVANCED ICING 201

The icing rule is generally successful in preventing teams from running down the clock by dumping the puck, but the NHL felt that a team stuck in its own defensive end for a long period of time would often ice the puck just to be able to make a line change and get fresh players on the ice. In 2005, the NHL modified the icing rule to state that the five players on the ice for the offending team must remain on the ice for the subsequent faceoff. This modification helped to reduce the number of icing penalties by making the penalty for icing stiffer. It also helped to speed up the game by reducing icing calls and reducing the line changes made between an icing call and the subsequent faceoff.

Any questions? Any other hockey topics? Just ask?

I AM THE 80s

I was Righteous!
I scored 100% on the

Take the 80s quizby SheGoddess: How to lose weight

2 Men Getting Good Reviews

Wednesday night Mrs Deathlok and I went to see the Flyers defeat Montreal 4-2 in game 4 of the series. At the game, there was a fan who had a sign that had a picture of Iron Man on it with a big B in front of it. Biron Man! Appropriate. Marty is playing VERY well and I am looking forward to watching Game 5 here at the Casa de Self tomorrow night.


Last night, the family went to see an early showing of IRON MAN. What a great movie. There is SO much that you can do with this character and the movie lays the ground work for some of it. Go! And when you go, do yourself a favor and sit through the credits. . .it is well worth it. Robert Downey Jr is Tony Stark. He's a very good actor. Despite the die job, Gwyneth Paltrow was a very good redhead. Even Jeff Bridges, who I always thought was a little tetched, puts on a good performance. I highly recommend this movie. It has the action and the drama and it still carries a sense of humor with it that makes it the complete package.


STOP!

Not Spoilers, but things to look for:
1. When Iron Man is loading up his armor with software, one of the things uploaded is the schematics for the Blackbird, the plane from the X-Men.
2. There is a glimpse of Rhodey's WAR MACHINE armor that will be in the next movie.
3. The post credit clip shows a definite trend in the franchise. It is rumored that Downey makes an appearance in the INCREDIBLE HULK.