greyduck.net

Looking For Quacks In The Pavement

Month: February 2003

  • Past, Present, Future – Round Two

    Getting right to the point:

    PAST: The term “rebellious teenager” is sort of redundant, when you get right down to it. It’s probably safe to assume that you made a nuisance of yourself more than once during those years. Tell us about the most memorable stunt you pulled. It’s okay, I’m sure the statute of limitations has run out by now.

    PRESENT: You can’t have completely lost your desire to do absurd and silly things. Fantasize for a moment (but not too long) about a silly stunt you wish you could get away with today. Yes, this very day. And then, of course, share your fantasy with the world.

    FUTURE: Hauling more cliches out of the closet we have the phrase “going out in a blaze of glory.” You’re 110 years old, give or take a couple of decades. Having made the solemn decree that you will go out with a bang instead of a whimper, what crazy scheme have you come up with to make your entrance to the afterlife the stuff of legend?

    I’d like to thank Lilith for her list of seed ideas, from which I picked this week’s concept. If you have some seed ideas to share, let me know via the email link right there below the duck logo. Remember, if you answer these on your website, please leave a comment so people can find ’em. And when you link to Past, Present, Future please use this URL: http://greyduck.net/ppf/

    Thank you!

    (update: my answers are in the comments. so there.)

  • Folks who need your support

    First off we have newly-linked proofchick.com, where Belle could really use some cheering up. A few steps through her most recent entries will tell you all you need to know. Go show the girl some love, mmmkay?

    Then there’s returning fave Snappy the Clam. Our friend the bivalve is going through a sort of post-traumatic stress, or something like it. You see, he linked to something, and used that something’s title as the title of his link entry. Through a quirk of fate (or Google’s PageRank system, one of the two) he became the #1 Google search for the phrase, “Why do you hate America so much?” A simple entry with a simple link has spawned… well, see for yourself. Let’s just say he could use some intelligent conversation for a change. Anybody want to help a clam out?

    Last but far from least, the redsugar muse has seen enough of the Grim Reaper in the past few months to last anyone a few decades. She’s changing hosts at the moment so she won’t be posting for a little while, but that shouldn’t stop you from paying a visit, reading a bit and saying something nice. Should it?

    It’s just part of the service we try to provide here at greyduck.net, folks.

  • RoboTussin

    So Wendi brought home some store-brand “Tussin” liquid cold medicine yesterday. Great idea, since we were totally out of such. I took a dose in the morning, took another dose right before taking my five-hour nap (during which I did not sleep) and I took one more right before going to bed at night.

    I did not sleep at all last night, nor in fact have I slept in the last 24 hours. I have, however, engaged in a lot of twitching, sweating, tossing and turning.

    “Honey, that Tussin stuff… it’s non-drowsy isn’t it?”

    “Oops.”

    I’m at the office today, yes. But I’m wobbly, woozy and generally in less than peak condition. Conversation with me may be Twilight Zone in quality. You’ve been warned.

    Tonight, no strange liquids. I am so tired.

  • Bah. Stupid cold.

    The cold that I’d thought was mild, that I thought I’d beaten, has decided to settle into my throat and lungs for another go-’round. Yippee, fun.

    I’ll be online intermittently through the day, because hey, what else am I going to do with my time? I’m sure as hell not watching daytime broadcast television.

    My only true worry today is that it’s the 24th. For the last two months on this date the Snap! Server has crashed. I’m hoping that I don’t get any panicky phone calls from the office.

    Stay tuned for some tidbits of randomness, including (*gasp*) my answers to the PPF…

  • Tidbits on a sickday, and my PPF answers.

    I just wanted to rattle off some quick and silly tidbits, but first I’d better appease those who say that I need to answer my own silly survey. Fine then.

    Past – My first “serious” kiss took place outside Dad’s apartment as my very first girlfriend was about to leave for home. Ah, Megan Webb, where are you now? If I had to speculate, I’d say she married that Tim guy she dumped me for and probably lives in Longview somewhere. Yeah, that’s about it.

    Present – Romance, to me, is an unexpected warm-and-fuzzy. Impractical and silly, yes, but whatever it takes to put a smile on her face. That’s what drives me, folks; I have to make people smile. A therapist would probably go on about my need for validation, but to hell with therapy. I’m not that poorly adjusted, dammit.

    Future – What does one do with money but spend it? I can see her coming home, seeing giftwrapped presents placed strategically around the house, each one with her name on it. The practical gifts are first, like towels and tools and that griddle she’s been wanting for just about forever. Later come dolls and pictures, and last comes jewelry and some sort of big-bang present to end all presents. No, I don’t know what that would be. I’m a firm believer in inspiration when it comes to romantic giftgiving.

    To elaborate, I’ll tell you about Abigail. A few years back we had the Christmas blowout, which is to say we spent way, way more money than we had any right to. I was given a bit o’ cash with which to hunt down a good present for Wendi, and I wandered up and down the length of the mall. I could have picked out any number of things along the way, but I wanted inspiration.

    And then I noticed the Geppeddo doll kiosk. Wendi loves dolls, so I took a closer look at the available selections. All kinds of adorable doll designs caught my eye, but I wasn’t inspired… until I saw this one design.


    “A doll in a plain white wedding gown,” you ask, “when there were more colorful and intricate dolls on display?” Yes indeed. You see, Abigail there reminded me so much of how Wendi looked on our wedding day that I couldn’t not choose her as the perfect Christmas present.

    That’s what I mean by inspiration.

    Okay, some tidbits.

    • This makes three attempts to find the perfect “now-playing” feature, but I’m now using Currently Hearing to display my Winamp usage.
    • On a related note, I rearranged a few things on the site. I removed the “freshness date,” tucked the music display and blogchalk under the calendar, and so on. What do you think, sirs (and madams)?
    • Yes, I have an Amazon wishlist now. Think on it as the bastard offspring of wishful thinking and pure untainted evil.
    • I’ve made a couple of lame attempts at night photography with the camera, but so far I don’t have anything worth sharing. Don’t worry, I’m still playing with the thing. The Gallery will expand anon.
    • While the idea of spending March tweaking my novel has some appeal, I don’t think I’m going to participate in NaNoEdMo. Sorry. I’d much rather spend my time working on a new, better novel. And this time, I’m going to actually plan the damned thing in advance. For one thing, I’m going to read and re-read Holly Lisle’s Forward Motion and actually follow some of the advice found therein. Good stuff, that.
    • And last but not least… it’s almost 1:00pm and my phone hasn’t beeped at me. Here’s hoping the Snap! Server lasts the day. For that matter, here’s hoping I last the day.

  • Past, Present, Future – Round One

    I threatened to do it, I agonized over doing it, I was too busy to do it last week, I agonized over doing a special website for it, and now I’m just going to do it and damn the consequences.

    Here you are, folks. Welcome to the first incarnation of Past, Present, Future. It’s going to live right here in the middle of my journal for the first stage of its existence. What I have done, however, is create a quaint little link for when you want to share the love with the rest of the Blogosphere.

    http://greyduck.net/ppf/ will bring you to the most-recent PPF entry automagically. It’s just that easy. Please note that if I’ve created a new PPF on Thursday night you won’t be able to see it until after midnight. If you see “No items returned,” you know to check back later.

    Oh, you actually wanted the questions? All right then. Here’s how it works. I take a seed idea and develop three questions or challenges, one each relating to (you guessed it) the past, the present and the future. My goal is to be relatively non-obvious and at least mildly challenging, to offer something a bit more fun than, “What are your plans for the weekend?” or, “How long have you been a homo sapiens?”

    You know the drill: Answer the questions on your own site or in the comments (“wisequacks”) if you’re so inclined. Use the link I just showed you to send interested parties to the current PPF. Please leave a comment, including your web address, so the rest of us can find your answers (and so I can get that lovely ego boost as I count how many folks choose to waste their time on this).

    And so, without further ado and to permit those holding their breath to breathe, I present the very first Past, Present, Future.

    PAST: I’ll bet you occasionally wonder whatever became of the very first person you kissed in a romantic sort of way. You may not know where they are now, but you could spend a couple of amusing minutes speculating. Go ahead and share that speculation with us.

    PRESENT: Our idea of “romance” changes over time. The giddy, heart-pounding energy of youth gives way to the soft, warm glow in a more mature heart. I’m not really going anywhere with this, I just like to play with words. Your chance to show me up comes when I tell you to offer your own definition of “romance.”

    FUTURE: You’ve come into a fairly decent sum of money, and the prime object of your affections doesn’t yet know. Wouldn’t it be fun to do something hopelessly, adorably romantic? This is the sort of thing you don’t get to do very often in a lifetime, so the romantic surprise should be appropriately memorable. Tell us how you’re going to bring that sparkle to the eyes of your one true love. We can keep a secret… for a price.

    (I offer no kudos for seed ideas this week, due to getting carried away with my own cleverness. It happens. If you want to plant an idea seed in my mind, use the email link just below the duck logo. Thanks!)

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