Now I have a webpage motherf*cker, Ho Ho Ho

I have recently gotten one of those free webpages...
I am Den... of Earth!

There isn't much by way of content, but there is a little.

I don't know what else I may put up there, as a free webpage there aren't a lot of options. Well, so much for my little self-serving blog entry (hey, aren't they all?)



By the way the title comes from 'Die Hard'

Proprietary Blogging?

A close friend of mine (Richard!) and I were having a conversation recently, and at the conclusion (or thereabouts) he called 'dibs' on it.

This act imparted two related concepts to me. Item number one: that it is possible to call 'dibs' on purely conceptual aspects of existence.

I have always thought of blogging as a fairly referential activity; that is, every blog is about something else. To my mind that 'something else' included other blogs. Everything was fair game and (with proper references) nobody could get too upset and go all 'territorial'.

That, obviously, is not the case.

Which brings us to item number two: I need to be more aggressive in claiming my blogging territory!

Therefore; from this day forward I place a claim on any and all aspects of my life, regardless of the presence or absence of other parties, which may be interpreted by those participating, observing, or learning of it by other means, as 'cool' 'keen', 'neat' or any reasonable derivitive thereof as the sole and continuing provenance of ME! Any violation of this claim, by any means whether intentional or otherwise shall be dealt with via bitch-slapping, legal action or both as deemed appropriate on a case by case basis.

Do you think that would stand up in 'Guy Court'?




(by the way, what's the expiration period on 'dibs'?)

Countries I have visited.

create your own visited country map

A Map of the Countries I have visited.



create your personalized map of europe

And a close up of Europe...

Away Game

A friend of mine, who we'll call Keith (because that's his name), has gone out of town. He and his family went to the aid of his grandmother in Carolina. His family plans to return on Monday but he will be staying indefinitely. This has put a large hole in my social life. Not only is he an integral part of our Role-Playing Games, but he and I go to movies and generally hang out together. So now I must come up with ways to entertain myself!

Richard, Keith's brother Nick, and I will still try to do our once weekly RPG session, but we will have to find some way to explain the absence of Keith's characters or start yet another ongoing campaign. (we have over a dozen unresolved games hanging over our heads just now)

None of this is meant to be a recrimination against Keith, I fully understand that when family needs you, you should be there. I'm just listing all the ways I will miss him and hope circumstances allow him to return soon.

Tonight is the premiere of 'V for Vendetta', I am trying to replace Keith as the coordinator of the movie gang which is a much wider net than the RPG gang. It's tough getting in contact with everyone and syncronizing schedules. We'll see how this goes...

Please sir. I want a job...

I am currently in the application pipeline for a Communications Officer I position here in Virginia Beach. I have already passed the preliminary testing (can you hear, can you type?) and today I went before the interview panel. The panel was three senior Communications Officers and they asked me a series of questions about my attitude and qualifications for the job. I believe it went well, but I wont find out officially until the begining of April! If I am hired I will begin employment in mid May!! (life at the speed of government...) There will be 10-12 weeks of official training then a year of probationary on-the-job training, but pay and benifits begin right away.

The board went well. My zen-like calm exuded a level of confidence which was almost entirely fictional. I didn't come up against any questions for which I had no answer, but I did think of a killer answer to one of them on the way home... Hopefully my reaching/weak answer wasn't a deal breaker. I tend to ramble and move off on tangents in conversation but I think I shut myself up early enough durring most of the questions. The board was scheduled for a maximum of one hour and I took about a half-hour. (is that good?)

I honestly do look forward to getting this job, and not just because it is the only job I have applied for which has deigned to grant me an interview. I don't think I could be a cop, firefighter or EMT but I do like the idea of helping people.

Going on the Dole

As my English friends say...
AKA welfare, or more accurately Unemployment Insurance.
I have decided to apply for money from the government. This is not going to be very much, if I even qualify. It should be enough to keep me in bath soap and hair cuts and keep me from needing to sponge off my friends quite so much. I got the paperwork today and should easily have it sent back in my Monday.

On another topic I recently saw the movie "The New World". I did not expect to like it, but I did. The direction is very odd; the film consists of a series of establishing shots and transitional shots interupted by a sparce sampling of 'scenes' - some of which contained actual dialog! All that being as it is the film is enjoyable to watch, not least because of the sheer beauty of the vistas presented. The story is also well served by the languid pacing and the heavy use of narration by the characters. It gave me the feeling of being truely privy to the 'inner lives' of these people.
Once again it is an unusual but unexpectedly enjoyable film.




(I seem to be turning this blog into a movie review site...)

Munich

I recently saw this movie.

It is fantastic!

It is graphic and honest, and a great depiction of the weight of doing horrible things for the 'right' reasons on a person.

It actually has a somewhat limited 'message' in that it sparks thought and discussion rather than fist pumping rightiousness...

Although it does seem to lean slightly in the direction of the Israelis. (probably because it is hard to be honest while portraying them as the bad guys)



(I also couldn't help but think: "them palistinians are toast, they're going up against Julius Caesar, The Incredible Hulk, and the new James Bond...)

ME!

I know you've all been dying to know what I look like...

Here is a picture of me from a few years ago. I still have the glasses, but alas the beard did not survive... Sad really.


 

Paranoia will Destroy Ya!

Your Social Dysfunction: Paranoid You show pervasive and unwarranted suspiciousness, and mistrust of others. You are overly sensitive and prone to jealousy.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Please note that we aren't, nor do we claim to be, psychologists. This quiz is for fun and entertainment only. Try not to freak out about your results.

Argh! I took an online quiz and it destroyed my self esteem...

Holiday

I hope everyone had a grand holiday season. (whatever holiday you choose to celibrate...)

This was probably the most mediocre Christmas for me in quite a while, maybe forever.

I am still out of work (that library position didn't pan out) and my father was forced to retire this year, so I got virtually nothing and couldn't give anyone anything either.

That being said it wasn't a total washout, I still got to spend quality time with the people who matter most in my life and I am far from being on the street. My father is still alive and getting better. I also still have good friends and we get to see each other pretty much whenever we want.

There is much to be thankful for this year and I remain optomistic. If I could get a decent job I believe that would turn things around and put everything in the plus column.

Happy New Year everybody!