We came, we saw, we shopped.

Went shopping today in the City (Which, to us means Albany-Schenectady).
Saw Santa.
Seth: "Santa! I know him!"
"Make-A-Memory With Santa!", the sign read. "Deluxe Photo Package, $19.99."
I idly thought about popping up behind Santa's chair and including myself in all the photos. That would certainly give them a memory...
We, the family, ever looking for a bargain, have decided to sneak a camera and tripod of our own into Colonie Center Mall and take our family Christmas portrait in front of the large mall fireplace. Tee-hee.

Favorite story of the day:
Mom asking Dad why there was an extension cord stretched out on the front lawn.
Dad's response?
"Oh, I'm just letting all the electricity drain out so it doesn't freeze when I put it away for the Winter."
...
You know, it's a wonder I turned out to be so serious minded...

Noted Man Accepts Posthumous Award, is Speechless

The enemy of genius isn't idiocy, it is the average.
The main opposition to genius is often brought from people who are actually quite rational and intelligent, who's semi-knowledge is worse than no knowledge whatsoever. Their preconceived ideas, carefully regurgitated to them by the previous generation, comprise of the totality of their reality. Nothing else is possible, and that, my friends is what makes it so maddening. Any brilliant idea is almost always thought laughable by the status quo.
Just ask all the posthumously-recognized geniuses of the past 500 years...
Indeed, genius probably has more in common with insanity than anything. Where do you draw the line?

I do not know, go ask your Dad.

Poem, A

Upon Seeing A Woman Pushing A PULL Door

I smirk, I sneer, I look askance at her stupidity.

How could anyone be so dumb is far beyond me!

I laughingly walk to it, it easily opens,

Now through it, I glance behind as I go.

And with graceful step and blithe face

plant fully in unyielding second door.

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."

Proverbs 16:18

New: The Media Bible!

Exerpt from a conversation from any given movie or tv show when the Bible is discussed.

Hero Type: "Rev, I just don't get the Bible. With my keen intellect that is the product of our Utopian modern educational system, I know it to be scientifically false. It just doesn't make sense!"

Wise Father/Religious Type: "Son, it doesn't have to make sense. The Bible isn't about facts, it's about faith!" he says wisely. "You just have to believe..."

Yeeeaacchh. You might as well tell him to clap his hands, too...

Sorry, I just couldn't take it any more.

Be kind...

Some times it's hard.

When you're trying to reason with someone, and he ignores your obvious insight.
When she and her friends look at all the facts and still come to the wrong conclusion and you fantasize about grabbing them around their necks and shouting
"How on earth can you be such a nincompoop!" and
"The reason you don't see it that way is because you're an ignorant idiot with no capacity for rational thought in that tiny brain of yours!"

Don't do that. =)
One of the most persistently present verses lodged in my head from years of Sunday School says:
"Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."(Eph.4:32)
Whoa. Seems like I need a reminder every now and then.
You know, God didn't say "Be ye smarter then everybody else!".
Simplify.
Be ye kind.
You never know, maybe that person in your life has something to teach you...even if it's patience.

A Jolly Stroll Downtown

Or, How I Walked Around OTR For Hours With Conspicuous Valuables In My Backpack.

It all started with a trip to the CE. The internet in my apt was acting hinky, so I legged down to the land of the free wireless and beautiful coffee.

About closing time (6:00 post mortem) I decided to leave, because although I think I could’ve taken the barista, I’ve learned they tend to frown on that sort of thing, and call names.

Next, since I was roughly in the area, I trotted over to fountain square and snapped a few for later.

It was a beautiful night.

Next, some guy tried to (clumsily) filch my wallet out of my back pocket, but I, experienced world traveler that I am (Dublin, anyone?) had removed it to my hip to prevent just such an event from occurring. I affectionately advised him to “go play in traffic”, and continued on my way.

After stopping in on a few stores and art galleries, I decided it was time to wend my way homeward, and so started back up the Young St. steps. I had gotten as far as Milton St when looking ahead I espied what appeared to be some sort of negotiation on the next level of steps. Due to the lack of light and witnesses, and the presence of my laptop laden backpack, I decided to cut across Milton to Sycamore, and go home that way. On my way I met a lady who was trying to attract the attention of a stray cat, and who informed me in wistful tones that she “Never made it to Milton. They always stop me…”

Who?

The cats?

The infamous ghosts of Milton St.?

I never asked…

A Glowing Study on Lampyridae

(See, "glowing", get it?)

Fireflies are nifty.
I've never met anyone that doesn't like fireflies.
They are one of the select few that never have to pay their light bill, you know? Bioluminescence.
From Wikipedia:
The enzyme luciferase* acts on luciferin, in the presence of magnesium ions, ATP (adenosene triphosphate), and oxygen to produce light.
*Yes, as in Lucifer (light bringer)

"You would not believe your eyes, if ten million fireflies lit up the world..."
This song, entitled "Firefly" by the group Owl City, piqued my interest. How many fireflies would it take to REALLY light up the world? So, with the vast power of the internet gods at my disposal, I determined to find out. Turns out that 1 firefly weighs in at around 1/40 lumens. In other words, you'd need about 40 fireflies to equal the brightness of one candle. Woopee. In contrast the BIG YELLOW ONE which is the SUN, when measured in lumens,(which is a really dumb way of measurement by the way) trickles in at 6,840,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 lumens.

Soooo, if you were to light the world with fireflies, it would take(deep breath): 273,600,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 fireflies!

Better get those old Ball jars out and get busy, because if you catch an average of 1,000 a night it would take you forever-to-the-"nth" power, dude...

Later