The Writing on the Wall: Only The Shadow Knows...

Ribbit ribbit!

I feel so bad!

I was an accomplice in the death of an innocent garden frog. Sigh...

WTH? Another flippin' frog trying to sneak in!

Let me explain. It was about 10:30 this morning and I was catching up on blogs and such when I heard my mom scream from her bedroom. I went to see what had happened, and she shouted at me that there was a frog in her bedroom. Now, this was strange in 2 ways. One is that my parents live next to an open field, so field mice, baby garden snakes (about an inch long) and bugs are frequent intruders. Frogs, however, are not. The second way this was strange is that in the 48 years they have lived here, this is only the second time a frog has made its way inside. The first time occurred...get this...yesterday! That's right, 2 frogs in 2 days. Or perhaps it was the same frog both times? I'm not sure.

With the first frog invasion, I was able to catch it and release it outside to go about his froggy business. Today, however, the frog was much livelier and managed to hide under a bookshelf. I had already been trying to herd him somewhere else and was getting frustrated, so I grabbed 2 glue traps (we keep them on hand because of the dang field mice) and placed them by the bookshelf. I figured if he wasn't going to come quietly, I'd just have to play rough.

By the time I washed my hands and sat down in the living room, I was already regretting my decision to use the glue traps. After all, once a critter is stuck in the glue, you can't get it off of the trap. To do so would probably rip off its little legs or something. So, I decided to pick the traps up off of the floor and resume my watch. I returned to my mom's bedroom and what so I see? The little frog struggling to free himself off of the glue! It was horrible. He struggled and struggled, but he only sank deeper into the glue. Then I saw him try to get purchase by pushing with its body, but then its head became stuck as well. Oh my God....

It was bad. And I felt/still feel completely guilty.

Poor froggy.   :-(

The Writing on the Wall: Eyes Open

A Quick Aside

I am watching the Emmy's and enjoying a glass of wine. Which wine, you may be wondering? Only the best for the Doc; a box of Franzia. LOL!

I may be woefully behind the times, but I just discovered the crazy phenomenon of wine in a box! You know that's quality.

5 liters of wine for $9.99. You know that's good stuff!

The Writing on the Wall

*****

You know, I have been tempted to give my spiel on these images, but have decided against that. I think there is a personal message for each of us in them. Who am I to tell you what your message is?

Bits and Bobs

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday at Glenn Beck's moderate and apolitical speech he gave in front of the Lincoln Memorial. With such "illustrious" guests as Sarah Palin on the list, I assumed this would be another rabble rousing affair with the illiterate redneck population holding their misspelled signs and whittling new teeth out of wood.

Apropos of nothing; I just liked this image.

However, I was wrong.

I am not going to give you a Reader's Digest version of everything he said, but rather, I will say that what I took away from the event is that Beck wants us all to return to the times when people loved the country. And I can see where he is coming from. In today's world, it isn't politically correct to love our country. Rather, as the world bashes the United States for its foreign policy, for its failure to give more aid to struggling countries, for the wars we are embroiled in, ad naseum, we the citizens bash it as well. There is no trust towards our government either. We see plots and intrigue in everything that goes on around us. Look at the people blaming the attack on the World Trade Center on President Bush and the CIA, as an example. His main focus, though, was on the US as a whole returning to a place where we act with honor, where we treat others with respect, and where our actions are done in accordance with Christian morality.

I will not comment on the practicality of his words or whether or not I agree with him. All I am saying is that he surprised me.

*****

On another note, I woke up today with my heart pounding a mile a minute. I am extremely anxious today and can't seem to settle down. I have a very small amount of medication left for anxiety attacks; I've been hoarding it since I have no refills on the prescription, but I think I may take a tablet anyway.

The Writing on the Wall: Choose

The Conservitards Strike Back

As I have mentioned a dozen times before, I do not watch a lot of television, and so I only found out today that talk show host Glenn Beck will be "honoring" tomorrow's anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech by delivering a speech of his own. Will he be broadcasting from his studio, you may be wondering. No, he will not be broadcasting from his studio; rather, he will be speechifying on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the very spot, in fact, where Dr. King himself stood so many years ago.

I have to say that I find Beck's audacity to be unbelievable. Dr. King's speech focused on bringing people from different ethnicities and backgrounds together. He talked about all children having the same opportunities and freedoms. He focused on peace, and on building race relations, on erasing hate, and on people coming together to achieve a common goal.

Beck, from the admittedly few times I've seen him, does not focus on any of that. He throws incendiary labels out onto anyone he disagrees with. If someone has a different view from him, then they are socialists, or racists, or morons. He also has this schtick where he makes broad statements about the intentions of the founding fathers, or a program the government is funding, and then he tells his viewers if they don't believe him, they could look up his "facts" for themselves and draw their own conclusions. Ironically, the kind of people who tune in to people like Beck aren't the sort who look up facts for themselves or are capable of drawing their own conclusions. Rather, they are the people who look to someone else for the "answer". Beck's opinions become their opinions, and I find that very scary.

This is a video produced by a group called  Brave New Foundation that points out the extreme differences between Dr. King and Beck. It is very short, and I think you will find it enlightening.




And finally, here are some photos of various Tea Party gatherings that were inspired by the words of Glenn Beck. I think these pictures adequately illustrate the sort of people that dance to his divisive tune.

You may be useing your rights, but you certainly didn't use spell check.

I agree completely! Enoungh is enoungh! Lrn2proofread!

So what precisely is a daugter, and is it pronounced dog-ter? Whatever they are, I hope she has more than one of them, otherwise that apostrophe is misplaced.

As long as you are planning your own healtcare, might I suggest a visit to your optometrist, because your eyes need checking.

Theif? Really? It's not that hard, you know,  i before e and all that...

You are right, sir. There is definitely something here that we can no longer afford, and it's mindless morons like yourself taking a stand on issues that you don't understand.

The Writing on the Wall: Balance

What is this? A new feature here on Sine Logicum? Your eyes do not deceive you, it is, indeed, a new feature.
While popping about on the web, I found this collection of photos that I found very interesting. They feature one or two line sayings that are supposed to be witty, or touching, or thought-provoking. I am planning on putting up one a day until I run out.

I declare that these posts will be known as The Writing on the Wall...and it was good.

*****

Dinner with the Doc

This dish is known as calabasa.

It is sauteed chicken in a broth with onions, corn, and zucchini,

and seasoned with garlic, cumin, and Mexican oregano.

Sides were pinto beans and Mexican rice.

What's Up with the Readers at Glamour?

There is a women's publication by the name of Glamour Magazine that is published in the UK that has recently caught my eye. Why, you may ask? Could it be because of that "u" which is awkwardly placed in the word Glamor? Of course not, dear reader. That "u" is there because it is a British magazine, and everyone knows the Brits have the most awkward spelling patterns ever. Cases in point colour, labour, sour...all victims of that extra "u". Well, ok, maybe not sour, but you get my point.

A few days ago, Glamour released results of their "50 sexiest men" survey, and I was surprised to see that teen pop singer Justin Bieber came in at number 7. Now, perhaps I am being an old prude, but it seems to me that a 16 year old should not have been included in a sexiest men poll. He's not a man; he's a kid.

It reminds me of the Grammy awards several years ago when Lionel Ritchie won so many awards, even taking home Best Male Vocalist. That particular Grammy show has stuck with me because whoever was in charge of it had included a new category that year: Best Black Male Vocalist. Ritchie won that award. Then came Best Male Vocalist. The nominees were all white guys and Lionel Ritchie. Ritchie won that one also. I remember thinking, why was there no Best White Male Vocalist category if there was a Best Black Male category? Or was the Best Male supposed to just be the white guys? And if so, why was Ritchie included in that as well? It was all very odd and I remember there being a bit of a stink for days after.

This is sort of like that. Glamour is not a teen magazine; from what I saw, it is geared towards adults. So then, if adult women (presumably) were the ones voting/nominating for sexiest man, why would a teenager be included in that? I just find that a bit weird. After all, I get no sense of "man-ness" from Bieber at all; he just doesn't project that sense of maturity and confidence that I associate with men. His being barely 16 certainly accounts for that. And not that I am suggesting that is a bad thing, mind you. I just think that he would be precluded from being in a poll about "sexy men".

If I were identifying a sexy man, this would be my definition of one.

Now, it's not as if I have anything against Justin Bieber, in fact, I happen to like him. Not his music, though; I don't much like pop music. Nor do I like his personality; I've seen some of his interviews on talk shows and he comes off as a narcissistic &$$. Actually, I don't much care for his personal style, either. I mean, he usually appears in white pants, a purple shirt, and a white hoodie all year round. Really Justin, white.........EVEN AFTER LABOR DAY?

Wait. Should I have spelled that Labour Day? Meh...whatever...

No, I like him because he is doing what he enjoys doing, he's putting himself out there, and creating a buzz. Generally, the teens stars/singers that create a buzz are the ones being thrown at us via the Disney Machine; and though he is backed by Usher, the circumstances are not the same. He has no television show, the millions of dollars in advertisements, etc. that the Disney stars get; he's simply doing it on his own, and letting his personality talk for him. And you have to like him for that.

So maybe I shouldn't be that surprised that he was ranked 7th in the world for sexiest man. He's got his audience and charisma. Besides, there is nothing wrong with looking at a younger person. It's when people are peeking in his windows at night that things get scary.

Keep It Gay!

For the last 2 nights in a row, I've wanted to blog my opinions about something I had seen on tv. One was a personal commentary on Bill O'Reilly's rant regarding the photo shoot the beautiful Kim Kardashian did with that young pop singer Justin Bieber. Another was a personal commentary on the same singer, Bieber, being named as one of the 50 sexiest men in the world by Glamour Magazine. (I mean, come on. The contest was for Men!) And finally, I wanted to bring to your attention a great show I've been watching on Wednesday's on BBC America.

I held off doing any of them because the ideas all seemed kind of trite and silly. But, just a few moments ago, it occurred to me that I have been putting too much pressure on myself to be witty, or pithy, or "deep". I mean, come on, who am I kidding? I am no longer writing for academic journals; this is just a silly blog to keep me entertained. And suddenly, I had an epiphany: Who wants dreary drama or pedantic prose? To quote Roger DeBris, "Keep it light, keep it bright, keep it gay!



So, what does this mean? It means you will be treated to my inane commentary regarding the events mentioned above. Aren't you the lucky ones?

Be Careful What You Wish For...

I suppose there is some truth to that old chestnut. Just after writing the post where I confessed the fact that I was just sleeping way too much, though I still blame the shadow of depression and not laziness, I told myself that I was just going to have to make myself focus and find things to do. One of the things I promised myself was that I would post here everyday to force my mind to think creatively for a structured purpose. Of course, I still can't get a decent story written, but the Ramblings posts are doing fine.

The other thing I told myself was that the sleeping had to stop. I decided to identify a reason/purpose to wake up in the morning, something to focus on, in an attempt to...what...find a reason to live? I don't know; that sounds a bit dramatic, but I think you know what I mean. Anyway, after making that little decision Wednesday, I haven't managed to sleep yet. Yes, the exact opposite of what had been happening is now happening. The last time I slept was Tuesday night. I didn't fall asleep at all on Wednesday and so got up around 6:00 AM and puttered about. Thursday evening rolled around and I figured I'd sleep like a log.

Nope.

I never fell asleep that night either and so got up around 7 AM-ish and web surfed, wrote some stuff for my "book", etc. I did sleep for 2 hours Thursday afternoon, though, so that was good. But then Thursday night...no sleep. Friday night...no sleep, though I napped from 11-2 Friday afternoon. And now last night, Saturday, I couldn't sleep again, which is why I am blogging at 3:30 AM Sunday morning.

Hell's Bells.

I hear that people can begin hallucinating if they don't sleep properly, but luckily that hasn't happened yet. I guess I haven't lost the amount of sleep necessary to scramble my mind. Or at least, I don't think I have. There was actually an odd occurrence yesterday afternoon, but I don't feel like relating that tale yet. Maybe later. Maybe tomorrow.

*****

While I was popping about the web, I came across a set of really cool photos, I think on one of the many chans I visit, and I saved a few of them. I would have saved more, but the darn thread expired before I could grab them all.

Anyway, putting up pictures of random guys just isn't something I do very often here. I am not comfortable doing it, for one, and showcasing random people isn't what I do here on my blog. But, the photos are well done, kind of arty (like I am any judge of that), and I think some of you guys would be interested in them. I don't know, maybe not. But here they are nevertheless. 

I especially like the first two photos that showcase that beautiful rock wall/sea of shale. And in the last shot, the model standing in front of those deep green trees is just so cool. I wish I knew who the photographer was. He was the one uploading the photos to the thread, but like I said, the thread died before I could get the full set or any of his information. I do think, though, that the photographer might be the same one who shot these photos, because it sure seems like the same model. What do you guys think?

And if I remember correctly, those skateboarder shots were taken by a man who went by the name Thick-Rimmed over at Male General. Well, at least he did until the people there upset him by calling him a pedo and of "grooming"  for using 17-18 year old friends since he was in his 30s. I never saw an issue with that, myself, since the shots were never erotic, but what do I know. So, after enduring a couple weeks of abuse, he deleted his stuff from there and disappeared. Rather Salinger-ish, wouldn't you say? Or Unabomber-ish. You decide.

The World's Worst Pickup Lines

Hey babe. I couldn't help but notice that you noticed me staring at you.

Tell me, darlin', does this rag smell like chloroform to you?

Say, didn't I see you on Craigslist?

You know, you remind me of my mom. Oh, don't worry, though. She is totally a MILF.

Are you wearing space pants because your ass is out of this world!

Did you know there are 206 bones in your body? Would you like one more?

I think if you lower your expectations significantly, you'll be in for a pleasant surprise.

You know, if you were a booger, I'd pick you first.

You: Are your legs tired?
Her: Oh why? Because I've been running through your head all night?
You: No, because I drugged your drink about a half hour ago.

Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to be wearing Cover Girl makeup, would you? Because you look breezy and beautiful, and I'm hoping you're easy too.

Do you work at Subway? Because you just gave me a footlong.

If I said you had a nice body, would you hold it against me?

*****

Feel free to add your own in the comments section!

Dinner with the Doc and Other Assorted Ramblings

I'm not really sure what prompted my spate of posts today. Perhaps it's because of the remarks from you guys telling me to get off of my ass and do something other than moping about, perhaps it's because I never managed to fall asleep last night and have been up for 32 hours and am in a manic mood, or perhaps it's because I made a pan of strawberry jello mixed with fruit cocktail, and who doesn't feel better after a jiggly treat?

Dinner tonight was orecchiette pasta with broccoli, fresh tomato, sausage, garlic, red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese. 

*****

Say, do you guys remember me mentioning the handsome hunks on the HBO show True Blood, the series created from the Sookie Stackhouse novels? (See the side bar ---> for a book sample.) I had wanted to put up some photos of several of the male actors, but never got around to doing it. Well, it turns out that the September issue of Rolling Stone features two of the guys and the actress who plays Sookie, and I stumbled across a photo of the cover just a few minutes ago.

Tadah!

 

 

Admittedly, the red punch concentrate rolling down their bodies is somewhat off putting, but you can still see that the guys are seriously fit. Oh yeah, and Ana Paquin is there too. Meh.

And on a final note, I am not actually afflicted with multiple personalities, though I do appreciate the email from a reader who was concerned about my welfare. That was just a silly joke on my part; well, at least I thought it was funny. Perhaps it lost something in the translation. And by translation, I mean going from my mind to the electronic page.

;^)

Ok, Who Edits These Things?

I am currently reading 3 books at the moment. Yes, I know what some of you are thinking. How can you read 3 books at once, Dr Mandragora? I can barely finish a single book within a reasonable amount of time. Or you may be thinking, 3 books, Dr Mandragora? How do you keep the three stories separate in your head?

The answer is simple, dear reader. I suffer from multiple personality disorder, and 3 different personalities are reading their own story.  The only one not reading anything at the moment is Pierre, but he's dyslexic and it's like pulling teeth to get him to pick up a book.

Anyway, within the space of a few hours, I found two glaring errors in two different books. The first error comes from a book I ordered on Amazon.com a while back. It's titled The Ankh of Isis.(And forgive my pasty white hand; the book wouldn't lay flat.)

In this passage, a teen has just hit his father over the head with a small statue to render him unconscious. Oh no, don't worry, this is not a case of parental abuse. His dad was about to decapitate one of his friends with a saber. (Don't ask.)

If you will look at the paragraph that begins with the name Diedrich (I know, what person in their right mind would think Diedrich is a good character name?), you will see that the sentence says, "Diedrich stepped into the light and stood over his father's prostate form..."

He stepped over his dad's prostate? Yes, I know what you are thinking. Just how much force did the kid use if his dad's prostate came out. Considering the prostate's role in male reproduction, I think it's safe to bet that Diedrich will not be getting a new sibling anytime in the future.

Now, admittedly, prostate and prostrate could be easily missed by an editor's or a print setter's eyes. The second editting error is a bit more egregious.

This one comes from an e-book (hence the screenshot) I downloaded to my iPhone. It's titled The Magickers Chronicles: Book 1.

If you read the page, you will see that the character of Jason refers to the saying, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." However, the author, through the voice of Jason, attributes the quote to Winston Churchill. Hello! McFly? Is anybody in there? Everyone knows that it was Franklin D. Roosevelt who uttered those words during one of his inaugural speeches. Though I like Winston, especially when he makes an appearance on Dr. Who, it was not he who said that. Credit should be given where credit is due.

Ok, so not only did the author not know this, neither the editor nor anyone else caught that? Who are these people that they don't know basic history? Sheesh. I could go on and on about this, but Pierre is knocking at the door in my mind. I think he is muttering something about his morning crepes. Of course, with his dyslexia, he could be saying something about his morning crap, and I do not need another accident in bed, so I'd best be signing out.

Have a great day!

The Doctor Told Them Both...

 

...to stay away from salt.

Shameful

I am so sorry. I had planned a post regarding the Republican-made controversy over President Obama's remarks regarding the mosque planned in the Ground Zero area. It was going to be one of my Republitard joke posts; however, I simply cannot get my mind to focus. I am starting to think that my depression is coming back again and that is what is interfering with my thoughts. I am also sleeping a great deal. In a 24 period, I realized today that I spend between 16-18 of those hours asleep and another couple of hours awake but still in bed. I am up and about very little these days.

Here are the pictures I had gathered for the post and some brief commentary:

People seem to have forgotten that the attack on September 11th were carried out by terrorists, not Muslim clerics.  It was an act of evil done by people who had twisted their religion into one of intolerance and hate; the terrorists should learn to be tolerant and loving as this young woman is demonstrating.

The mosque will be housed in an old Burlington Coat Factory. People are acting like it is going to be a shrine to bin Laden, which it most certainly is not.

I was disappointed to see the Republican hierarchy attacking President Obama over his remarks that private citizens using private funds have the right to build their community center. Freedom of religion is one of the fundamental rights upon which the country is founded; for one of our political parties to step all over that to garner clout amongst the ignorant is shameful.

And Now A Word From Our Sponsors

Since I watch very little television, this commercial is new to me. For those of you who are regular television watchers, you may have seen this already. I think it is extremely cute and rather funny.

Weeeeeeeeeee! Wee wee weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

What?

I found this on one of the chans I frequent and thought it was very witty.

Randomness

I have had several ideas for posts the last week or so and even two ideas for short stories. For some reason, though, I have been unable to gather my thoughts, or perhaps my energy/strength, to sit down at my computer and type out my ideas.

So, instead of putting up the actual posts, I will put up the outlines of the posts instead. As you read through them, imagine that I am being witty and interesting.

*****

1.  I bought the DVD to Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp a few weeks back, and I loved it!  Of course, truth be told, I don't think I can recall a Johnny Depp film that I've disliked. His interpretation of the Mad Hatter was really fun, and Helena Bonham Cater's Red Queen was great. The idea that Alice is a warrior destined to save Wonderland was certainly  different take on the original tale, and the battle scene of armored Alice versus the Jabberwocky was well done. The only complaint I have is Crispin Glover as the Red Queen's guard captain. All I could envision was him as the uber nerd George McFly from Back to the Future. I simply could not take him seriously as a villain. My post plan here was to discuss my childhood obsession with Disney cartoons. And perhaps my secret crushes on the animated male heroes. On second thought, perhaps I should save that for my therapist. ;)

2.  In case you have not noticed on the sidebar, my new guilty pleasure is Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. The books are set in a world where vampires, werewolves, witches, and fairies exist alongside human beings. Sookie is a waitress in a small Louisiana bar, is 1/8 fairy, and has the ability to read minds. As the books move along, Sookie has relationships with vampires and a werewolf. She becomes important to the vampires due to her mind reading ability and so, gets dragged into plot after plot. In this way, she becomes involved in murders, bombings, hiding bodies, wars, etc. To be honest, the story lines have become very convoluted and over the top. I recently became aware that there is an HBO series called True Blood that is based upon the novels. I don't have any premium channels, but have watched many episodes online. The books and series are clearly made for a female audience, so I am not sure why I like them. Except for the fact that I am gay....lol! Anyway, I had meant to put up several photos of the (handsome) actors, but after finding this one, I just pooped out and wasn't up to finding anymore. I've held out for 4 days already, trying to gather the gumption to look around for more pictures, but I just can't. So, enjoy this one at least.

3.  I have been somewhat not myself lately, as I believe I've commented. Apparently the people around me have noticed as well. Well, my godson, who I pretty much raised since he was 3, must have noticed because he surprised me with a gift a few weeks back. My intention was to post about it immediately, but ..... you know. Anyway, he surprised my with the one thing that was guaranteed to cheer me up..a new electronic device! He works for Radio Shack part time since he is still attending college and was able to get me an iPhone 4 on the day of their release. Yea Me! The plan was to post a couple of pictures of my hand holding the phone in silly situations, kind of in a Thing sort of vibe, and talk about my favorite 5 apps. Meh.

4. The final two post ideas are really more short story ideas. The first idea features a spider that is actually a spy. I figured that could be fun. And the other idea is a Dr Mandragora/Greek mythology story where he meets the hero Theseus. I even found this cool picture to illustrate the tale. Of course, I suppose I still could, if I can gather all of my loose threads together.

Oh, and by the way, I received a letter in the mail. My new date is October 11, so, another countdown is underway. Lovely...

Trees

A Tree

The world a blur to most Most see a tree as a tree The day you actually see When the world is not the same world A tree is no longer a tree A tree is something that bears fruit A tree is something beautiful Even in the harshest winds A tree stands its ground A tree with leaves of majestic green No longer just a tree But a tree that is a work of art That is the day you see the world That is the day the world comes into focus That is the day you truly see the tree

by Laura Green

Dessert with the Doc

My brother and nephew came by today for lunch. 

My nephew wanted a chocolate pie, so I made him one.

*****

On another note, I just read the post below this one regarding the Cyber Seduction film and am very embarrassed. I recall watching the film last night, but do not recall making the post. Not a good sign. I almost deleted the post, in fact, but finally decided against it. I really need to stop drinking in the evenings. Lol.

Cyber Seduction

I was having trouble sleeping tonight and so found myself watching a really bad film called His Cyber Seduction starring Jeremy Sumpter.

The film was really really bad. The acting was even worse.

I am fairly drunk and so have no intelligent responses to make.

Jeremy is cute but can't act his way out of a paper bag.

The Womens Channel sucks ass and is a joke of a channel that is,ostensibly, trying to help women.

And I am, apparently, a misogynist.

Whatever.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone