wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)
So this popped up on the Book of Faces today, and immediately resonated with my current state of mind. I shared it, of course, with the comment that this is the sort of thing one gets after spending much of one's childhood in temporary buildings on military bases.

That's only partially true, to be honest; while it is true that I have a ton of memories associated with places on Bolling AFB (which itself technically no longer exists) which have been torn down and their functions moved to new and more permanent structures, I am nonetheless fortunate among my fellow service brats in that I wasn't constantly on the move, shifting from one military installation or garrison town to another every couple of years. I finished elementary school and did high school (junior and senior) while living in the same house in Forest Heights, and I spent most of my time in Minnesota in the same house in south Minneapolis. Even on active duty, the length of my language training meant that I stayed on in Germany past the two years of a normal overseas tour.

The houses on 16th Avenue and Fox Way were sold and foreclosed on, respectively, and it leaves me feeling very rootless and impermanent. I've been essentially living out of a suitcase since I moved out of Foxchase in December of 2012, trying (and mostly succeeding) not to accumulate more things, and feeling very ill at ease about living in someone else's house. Well, six months from now that'll be over; I will be bankrupt and on my way to Las Vegas. Maybe for a couple of years, maybe for the duration. It will be nice to have a place of my own, someplace I can call home again.
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)
You don't realize quite how much work and its schedule drive your life until you're not working for an extended period. The days blur together, and if you're not paying very close attention to the time you look up now and again to realize that an entire week has slipped by you. Minor holidays sneak up on you, because you don't get out every day and fight the traffic, and you don't look forward to the days the Feds take off when it's not quite so awful.

It's one of those things you don't miss until it's gone.
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)
You don't realize quite how much work and its schedule drive your life until you're not working for an extended period. The days blur together, and if you're not paying very close attention to the time you look up now and again to realize that an entire week has slipped by you. Minor holidays sneak up on you, because you don't get out every day and fight the traffic, and you don't look forward to the days the Feds take off when it's not quite so awful.

It's one of those things you don't miss until it's gone.
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)

When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar.


Would you like to know more? )
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)

When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar.


Would you like to know more? )
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)
I hate to do this, but as Poul Anderson's characters were fond of saying, "Needs must when the devil drives."

After five months of unemployment, I'm at the end of my rope with my former employers, who hold the note on my Kia Sportage, sometimes known as the Brave Little Toaster. Because of my persistent unemployed status, I've gotten behind on the payments, and they've decided that if they don't get a payment by Friday, they're going to call out the boys with the hook, and I'll be left without wheels. Which will make it damn near impossible to work as a substitute teacher here in Alexandria, much less in Fairfax County or Arlington.

I'm not going to ask anyone to step up for the whole payment. Times are tough, people are scratching to meet their own bills, and even if they weren't, two hundred bucks is a lot of money at the best of times. What I am going to ask is that you visit my book store at half.com, see if there's something you like there, and buy it. (There's a bunch of newly-surplus SF and manga, including some vintage Harlan Ellison, being added.) If there's nothing there that catches your fancy, or you just want to contribute, here's a PayPal donation button:








All money received will be dedicated to the Toaster Preservation Fund, which only needs $119.
wombat_socho: (unhappy)
I hate to do this, but as Poul Anderson's characters were fond of saying, "Needs must when the devil drives."

After five months of unemployment, I'm at the end of my rope with my former employers, who hold the note on my Kia Sportage, sometimes known as the Brave Little Toaster. Because of my persistent unemployed status, I've gotten behind on the payments, and they've decided that if they don't get a payment by Friday, they're going to call out the boys with the hook, and I'll be left without wheels. Which will make it damn near impossible to work as a substitute teacher here in Alexandria, much less in Fairfax County or Arlington.

I'm not going to ask anyone to step up for the whole payment. Times are tough, people are scratching to meet their own bills, and even if they weren't, two hundred bucks is a lot of money at the best of times. What I am going to ask is that you visit my book store at half.com, see if there's something you like there, and buy it. (There's a bunch of newly-surplus SF and manga, including some vintage Harlan Ellison, being added.) If there's nothing there that catches your fancy, or you just want to contribute, here's a PayPal donation button:








All money received will be dedicated to the Toaster Preservation Fund, which only needs $119.
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)
I can't put this any better than OPFOR: "The most quoted DI in history, also hero of the working man!"

Another fine link from Ace's sidebar of headlines.
wombat_socho: Wombat (selector)
I can't put this any better than OPFOR: "The most quoted DI in history, also hero of the working man!"

Another fine link from Ace's sidebar of headlines.
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)
It was supposed to be raining and dripping all day today, but apparently all the precipitation went else where and we wound up with a really nice day instead. Also, I have leftover pizza in the fridge for dinner. Booya.

books books books )
wombat_socho: Washington (DC)
It was supposed to be raining and dripping all day today, but apparently all the precipitation went else where and we wound up with a really nice day instead. Also, I have leftover pizza in the fridge for dinner. Booya.

books books books )
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)
I'm not going to link to Rolcats, because if I hated anyone on my f-list that badly I'd just defriend and ban them. The basic idea is good: translate Russian LOLcats into English for the amusement of people who can't read Russian in the original KlingonCyrillic. Unfortunately, the morons who put the site together were either too ignorant or too lazy to do actual translations. Instead they ad-libbed "translations" redolent of Cold War jokes about the Soviet Union and Communism that weren't funny even in the 1960s. Even Yakov Smirnov and Oleg Atbashian couldn't get any laughs with these sucky "jokes". No, Rolcats is a good idea rendered useless by the incompetence of the site owner, which ironically (in a way) demonstrates the fallacy underlying Marx's theory of surplus labor.
wombat_socho: (unhappy)
I'm not going to link to Rolcats, because if I hated anyone on my f-list that badly I'd just defriend and ban them. The basic idea is good: translate Russian LOLcats into English for the amusement of people who can't read Russian in the original KlingonCyrillic. Unfortunately, the morons who put the site together were either too ignorant or too lazy to do actual translations. Instead they ad-libbed "translations" redolent of Cold War jokes about the Soviet Union and Communism that weren't funny even in the 1960s. Even Yakov Smirnov and Oleg Atbashian couldn't get any laughs with these sucky "jokes". No, Rolcats is a good idea rendered useless by the incompetence of the site owner, which ironically (in a way) demonstrates the fallacy underlying Marx's theory of surplus labor.
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)
I was inspired to write this after reading Charles Stross' "A Colder War", which is from the American POV. I wondered how it might look from the Soviet side, and this is what came out. Someday I'll get around to writing the front half.
the end of project k )
wombat_socho: SSuiseiseki (SSuiseiseki)
I was inspired to write this after reading Charles Stross' "A Colder War", which is from the American POV. I wondered how it might look from the Soviet side, and this is what came out. Someday I'll get around to writing the front half.
the end of project k )
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.


Luke 2:1-19
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.


Luke 2:1-19
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)
Spent an inordinate amount of time these last couple of days editing the tags on posts so that the "my life" tags have all disappeared, replaced by "domestic stuff", "family drama", "medical stuff" or something else more appropriate to the content. I also browsed through the rather thin "back in the day" category, which I probably need to spend some time bulking up with fresh entries. I'll be wanting those one of these days.
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)
Spent an inordinate amount of time these last couple of days editing the tags on posts so that the "my life" tags have all disappeared, replaced by "domestic stuff", "family drama", "medical stuff" or something else more appropriate to the content. I also browsed through the rather thin "back in the day" category, which I probably need to spend some time bulking up with fresh entries. I'll be wanting those one of these days.
wombat_socho: Wombat (Default)
"Screw this negativity I’m buying."

Words to live by.
Makes me wish I had a couple grand to throw at the Cardboard Box Fund, I tell you.

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