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Wednesday, August 30, 2006
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Ruminations on finding a mate...
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Mrs. A and I went out to the local Barnes & Noble bookstore last night. After spending some time there, we paid for our stuff, and headed out the door. As we left, Sue noted that the bookstore seemed to be something of a "spot", meaning a place where people go just to hang around, be seen, and perhaps meet people. Sort of like a nightclub for dweebs, I suppose. (Before you say anything, yeah, I know we were there...) I had noticed the same thing, and opined that it is not really a bad place for such activity, as one would likely meet an entirely different sort of person than you would at a bar or whatever. It also offered one the oppurtunity, with some careful observation, to discern who you might be dealing with before you even spoke to them. The theory is that by noting the sections of the store and the books that someone is perusing, you could gather some very useful info. Some of this is pretty straightforward; if you like golf, a person checking out the golf books would offer readymade ice-breakers and some common interest. But the more we talked about it, the more it became obvious that the technique is much more subtle than that, and in that subtility lies great power. Some general guidelines: -Any guy looking to meet women would be well advised to avoid any that are spending much time in the "Women's Studies" or "Feminist Poetry" sections. -Those of us who have "conservative" political leanings should not waste any time on someone toting a Michael Moore box-set. The same principle applies for liberals and Rush Limbaugh. -Avoid anyone of either gender who is spending an inordinate amount of time in the "relationships" aisle. (Interesting observation - the B&N store we were at had over 3 aisles in that catagory. Not a sign of a healthy society, I suspect) -If someone seems engrossed in the "self-help" section, tread lightly. On one hand, they may actually be trying to improve themselves, and you may have stumbled upon a real diamond-in-the-rough. Far more likely is that they are toting a freight-car of smelly, louse-ridden emotional baggage, that they will prompty dump on you. They are likely hoping to help themselves mostly because everybody else that has tried has either given up, or died in the attempt. (You have been warned). -Women, a man in the "cookbook" section could be very promising, however avoid any man that appears to be past 20 years old who is buying "Chicken for Dummies." -Men reading grooming and/or manicure books are to be dismissed without hesitation. -Be careful with anyone buying lots of medical books. They could be medical or nursing students (good!) but on the other hand they may be hypocondriacs or worse, one of those "Munchausen Syndrome" people that will smother you in your sleep, just so that they can be the one to call 911 (bad!). You get the idea. So with those handy guidelines in mind, we turn the floor over to the vast readership of Fetafilter; in which section of the bookstore would YOU go looking for the perfect mate? Hmmmm? |
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| thus voiced The A, Mistah @ 9:30 PM | |
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Saturday, August 26, 2006
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Just a quickie...
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Just about a week ago, we took the big green van out to Chesterfield Ma., a tiny town in the far west end of the state. It is about a 2.5 hour drive from home. We were on a mission to retrieve Chaz from the Massahusetts Junior Conservation Camp, a 2 week summer camp run by the Ma Fish and Game department and the Gun Owners Action League. It is a great program. There is so much demand to get into this camp, that any one person is only allowed to go one time. Chaz went last year, but being the exceptional guy that he is, was chosen by the staff as a "Super-Camper" and invited back for a second year. Each year they choose only 8 kids out of 125 for that honor. At the closing program each year, the camp staff selectes one of the 8 super-campers, and awards them what they call the "Bob Award", as a way to recognize the best-of-the-best. I'm sure you know where I am headed with all of this. When the winner was called to the front, I snapped this picture:  Way to go Chaz! But honestly, I wasn't a bit surprised. |
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| thus voiced The A, Mistah @ 8:57 AM | |
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Thursday, August 10, 2006
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Van Der Monium!*
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Yikes, it has been a whirlwind around here. While Chaz has been away at camp, missing much of the fun, Markie's family blew in from VA to meet us all and get a taste of Massachusetts. We spent some time visiting lots of the local sights. We spent part of a day at the Boot Mills Museum in Lowell. This is a neat place, lots to see. I remember going in these places when I was a kid, as my mother worked in the Boot Mills for years. Funny how certain things stick in your mind. I distinctly remember the curving stairways, the white painted wainscoting on the hallway and stairway walls and the huge wooden timbers on the ceiling held together with thick iron rods with turnbuckes inn the middle. I love those old buildings. Cass and Mark took advantage of the chance to hone their wool-carding skills. Not sure who that kid behind them is, but he was sort of creeping me out. Tess and Annie tried out a small loom. Annie kept making Goo-Goo eyes at that creepy kid for some reason. Cass and Mark could not seem to stay away from this old lathe, and insisted that I get a shot of them next to it, they mentioned something about using it on wedding invitaions. We went into the room where they have several of the old power looms going. This is most fascinating to watch. I beamed with pride when Cassie, just by watching, was able to correctly deduce the purpose and function of this mechanisim. Not an easy feat, given that this thing moves so fast that it is hard to see. As most of you know, I love old machinery of all sorts. This stuff is just so very photogenic. We even found one of Sheldon's forefathers. How cool is that? Speaking of photogenic, what photoblog would be complete without a gratuitous Teddy picture? Cass even managed to run into someone she recognized. We spent a bit of time perusing Lowell. We met this big-head guy. We spotted Choo-Choo-Drew. Jamie found this canal laborer hilarous for some reason. A few day later, we all went into Concord, to a museum and to the Old North Bridge, where we pretty mutch clogged it up (yeah, that's just us on there). We learned many things at the museum. Mark and Cass learned about this famous piece of wood. Tess and annie were not all that impressed, however. We were roused to revoloution by a preacher giving a firey sermon. We got to imagine how freightening it must have been to face down a charge of the fierce British redcoats. We learned that while some people look funny dressed in colonial era clothing, some just look wierd. I found that when our two families are all in the same place at once, we form a large group that can best be described as a gaggle. The VDH crowd headed back for VA this morning. See y'all in a few months... * Funny title courtsey of Chaz. |
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| thus voiced The A, Mistah @ 9:46 PM | |
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Wednesday, August 02, 2006
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High Heat Alert!!
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Due to the high temperature, Fetafilter is issuing a High Heat Alert warning; It's Really, REALLY hot! Following are a few tips for coping with the dangerously hot weather.  Another helpful public service from the staph of Fetafilter. |
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| thus voiced The A, Mistah @ 6:10 AM | |
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