Monday will mark the official start of the Big Mess later referred to as World War One.  A week later, on August 4, I will raise my glass to commemorate the hundredth repetition of International Whoops! Day, which marks the addition of the British Commonwealth to the scrum caused by a jerkwad hypernationalist Serbian goofball shooting the wrong ( Read more... )

This seems as appropriate a day as any for this story ( Read more... )

Six years ago today, Diane and I caught a flight to San Francisco and then a second (and much longer) flight to Beijing.  It was not a merry and fun time had by all, between forgetting to set the alarm, not sleeping well, and assorted other slings and arrows of international travel.  (It was also perhaps the strangest way to see the Elizabeth: the  ( Read more... )

Officially not another twenty-four hours, but I wanted to share this.  It isn't mine.  It was done by one of the moderators of a certain roleplaying forum that I frequent, and it strikes a chord.  Does it ever.

http://youtu.be/KQF9GU3AYMw

While I might bicker a little over some of the wording, and am as guilty as any other cis-male out there of ( Read more... )

It's been busy ( Read more... )

Today marks the 99th anniversary of Britain's decision to throw in over Belgium, thus completing the conversion of a regrettable but moderately contained causus belli between the Dual Monarchy and the Kingdom of Serbia into a general meat-grinder that took far longer, cost far more, and went further than any reasonable predictions could have ( Read more... )

...it's the fifth anniversary of Beijing Day, more or less!

Where these two disreputable scallywags


( Read more... )

By a curious coincidence, I happened to be researching something mostly inconsequential on the 'Net last night not long after 9pm PST, and pulled up google to make quite certain of my sources. There I met the wondrous sight that was the chosen google doodle for March 11, 2013...a lovely little tribute to the same man whose work provided so much ( Read more... )

I am become the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything!

And as my co-workers can attest after Friday, I know where my towel may be found.

Which is to say that today is my 42nd birthday, which for all that and a bag of chips nets me a free cup of coffee at Starbucks and a whole lot of gratuitous Douglas Adams references, particularly those ( Read more... )

And it is, it is, a wonderful thing to be a pirate princess ( Read more... )