Israelis abruptly cancel Vatican negotiating session

"trollgod's site has been shut down by its owner..."  Wow.  It used to be labeled:

But I guess he's moved on.  He'd indicated in many posts that he was not likely to keep it updated all of the time, or that he might just give it up completely.  And to think that he once offered Trollhallans a chance to earn TVP for having a Xanga.  He still exists in part at Y!360, so I guess that's something.

On St. Patrick's Day Bill and I went to the Arizona Renaissance Festival and Artisans' Marketplace for the Pleasure Feast.  They went all out, decorating the Feast Hall for St. Patrick's Day, offering green beer as one of their beverage options, having Rook dress up as a leprechaun for one bit, and offering an Irish toast with the parting toasts.  The servers were awesome about giving extra portions when you asked, as I always tell people.  Both Bill and Wayne are hesitant to ask, then they are disappointed that they didn't get what they wanted.  It's a busy feast hall.  There's no room for hestitation.  You need to ask the server as soon as they begin to turn towards you.  You can't wait until they've served you.  They're already moving onto the next person. 

Speaking of not getting a chance to do something, I'm stuck with birthday cards for Jayson and Rusty.  I purchased my March and April birthday and anniversary cards back on the 24th of February.  Then the weekends I expected to see each of them were cancelled.  It kind of feels like a waste of money.  Oh well, things don't always go our way.

I've accomplished some spring cleaning last Tuesday and today.  I could still use a lot more time on it.  I'm also catching up on emails and the like.  Sundays are spent with my grandparents, so Tuesdays are the only real day for myself.  So, of course, everyone and their mother wants to steal that time away from me.  I guess I can't blame them, as much as it might annoy me.  I have to go to the Body Worlds 3 exhibit one of the Tuesdays this month before my promotional pass expires.  It's not valid weekends between 12-4pm and all days after 5:45pm, leaving me Tuesdays sometime during the day.  Perhaps in two weeks. 

You Communicate With Your Ears

You love conversations, both as a listener and a talker. What people say is important to you, and you're often most affected by words, not actions. You love to hear complements from others. And when you're upset, you often talk to yourself. Music is very important to you. It's difficult to find you without your iPod.

"I never saw a pessimistic general win a battle." ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, and Alan Lee was brought to my attention by Ealnaatha Vaelmarrri .  I'm rather looking forward to it.  We might already know the story from The Silmarillion, but I've never had a problem with novels that reexamine the same story in a different or more expanded way.  Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern and Nerilka's Story being one kind of example, with The Horse and His Boy, The Silver Chair, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe being another kind of example. 

I have weeks to recap, so I'm likely to forget most of it.  Trollgod invited me to stop by the Hallowed Halls of Literature to pick up my Naked Doom Wacky Racers certificate.  It's rather cool, with an image of Muttley doing his famous laugh.  Of course I left work later than I would have liked, and even passed a car fire on the way to the Halls.  However, the Trollgod was kind enough to guide me through the shelves, and even pointed out one of the newest items in the collection:  the Tarzan / Carson of Venus collected graphic novel.  I just finished it today.  It was rather good.  I don't know that I would have bought the series or the collected novel, but it was definately worthwhile to read and encourage others to read.  I probably would buy A Tale of Mugambi, a one-shot also included in the collection.  In addition to the Wacky Racers certificate, I received a second copy of The Troll Brothers Gruff:  A Trollish Fable (a favourite that I'll be sure to share) and a copy of Oath of Swords.  Way cool, it includes a troll-like race called the hradani.  Thank the Trollgod for his abundant generocity!

Wayne explained to me that he almost called to tell us that he was bringing Eric to MLJ's memorial dinner, but opted against it for a very specific reason.  Michael was a big proponent of inviting people along, and not worrying about where individuals clashed.  He never wanted to see people left behind just because someone thought they didn't belong.  So when Eric wanted to go to dinner that night, Wayne just invited him along.  He saw it as beneficial to everyone, Eric could still go out to dinner with Wayne, Wayne wouldn't have to ride the bus over, and Monte wouldn't have to give Wayne a ride back.  It's all very logical.  He's a lot gutsier than me.  Despite the fact that Michael was like that, I still would have asked permission.  I was just brought up differently than they were.

Speaking of being brought up differently, Monte had us watch Team America:  World Police.  He always wants to be the one to bring the movies for us to watch, and he rails against us providing movies.  Yet he provides us movies with foul language, nudity, et cetera.  Or he goes to the opposite extreme and provides us with cartoons.  He's like so many in his generation and younger, bound and determined to make the offensive so commonplace that we'll become inured to it all.  I have coworkers that purposefully use foul or uncomfortable language around me for the same reasoning. 

My grandmother has since gone back home.  Her collarbone has a two inch gap, which they say might be fixed with surgery.  She's not willing to undergo further surgery, as she feels that the mastectomy didn't stop her development of bone cancer.  My uncle visisted from NY for several days, and helped my grandfather get the house ready for her.  She now has various medications and physical therapies in her home.  She has her better days and her worse days. 

Last week, Cave Creek Road had restricted traffic from 7pm-5am while filming was going on for the upcoming motion picture "Kids in America" between 7:30pm-4:30am, plus road set up and take down.  The filming was occurring in the wash between Just Brakes and Rental Services Corporation.  The wash used to be home to a large transient camp.  That camp isn't there anymore, obviously.  The story must feature a rather busy Labour Day weekend, as they were filming around a stock police car one night as I passed by.  I'll have to check out the film, despite it not being one I'd normal express any interest in, just to see if I can spot that scene and any others set along my commute. 

I have a lot more, but I have a lot of other things to do today.  Maybe I'll post again soon.

I know a lot of people take a look at my hair, mustache, and beard and assume I must be a hippy.  Hah!  I couldn't further from one.  And for those that never believe me, take a look at this quiz:

"The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you." ~ Rita Mae Brown