The Ghoti Tank

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:27:33 GMT

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:50:18 GMT

Happy Birthday Wykdwolffie

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 02:26:04 GMT

1 – Legion by Dan Abnett (A Warhammer 40K book)
2 – Battle for the Abyss by Ben Counter (A Warhammer 40K book)
3 – Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow (A Dante Valentine novel)
4 - Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
5 - Snake Agent - Liz Williams (a ) The shade of Charlie Chan hovers over Williams's entertaining supernatural mystery, the first in a new series starring Det. Insp. Wei Chen of Singapore Three's 13th precinct. In a near future that allows travel between Heaven and Hell and Earth, "snake agent" Chen finds himself in hot pursuit of ghost-girl Pearl Tang and the father who murdered her to protect his business of "supplying the souls of the virtuous to Hell." Chen is not only a crack paranormal crime investigator but also a licensed feng shui practitioner never without his compass. While the plot might have benefited from a few more action scenes and some martial arts, Williams (The Banquet of the Lords of the Night) provides a sleuthing feast for those with a taste for the exotic Orient.
6 - Glory by Alfred Coppel (A )The age of colonization ended a thousand years ago. Only a few Goldenwings, the huge spaceships which carried humanity from Earth to many colony planets, still remain, still voyaging between the distant colonies carrying the cargoes those societies need to survive. The Goldenwing Gloria Coelis (known as Glory), with the glittering beauty of a sunrise, its huge space sails spread for hundreds of miles, approaches the planet Voerster with an essential shipment of biological materials, ordered 400 years before in local time. And on Voerster, settled by South Africans determined to preserve apartheid, revolution and war threaten, while the conservative ruler Ian Voerster and his wife are locked in a struggle over their sick daughter, whose heart condition will kill her without the advanced medicine of Glory. Filled with action and memorable characters, Glory is a triumph, a far future epic of humanity in space to set beside the works of Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson.
7 - A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (A Sherlock Holmes Story)
8 - The Good Faries of New York by Martin Miller
9 - Moon Called by Particia Briggs The Mercedes Thompson Series is a series of urban fantasy novels written by Patricia Briggs that follow the adventures of Mercedes (Mercy) Thompson, a Native American shapeshifter who was raised by Werewolves. The series is set in the Tri-Cities area of Washington state in an alternate world in which Werewolves and certain types of the fae have been forced to reveal themselves to the public. The series follows Mercy, a VW mechanic by trade, as she learns her true nature and is caught up in the affairs of the local werewolf pack, led by Adam, the Alpha who lives next door, and the local vampire seethe, a member of which she has befriended.
10 - Ravenor Legion by Dan Abnett (A Warhammer 40K book)
11 - The Amazing Mets by Jerry Mitchell

Just got off a call

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:44:31 GMT

...with a very panicky dude.

His wife called, she is coming home early from work. He most definately does NOT want that 4-hour block of porn on the TV when she gets home.

Sucks to be him

Weird Dream

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:10:31 GMT

So, last night I am lying in bed, sound asleep, minding my own business.

Suddenly, I am in a dream (or an alternate dimension).

It seems that spiders from a certain clan kidnapped the daughter of the leader of a rival clan of spiders. In truth, the daughter of the leader and the lowly member of the other clan were in love and this was the only way they could be together.

Of course, except for the two in love and some friends, NO ONE was in favor of this pairing (you know how arachnids can be).

And, for some reason, they decided that I was the only possible being to act as an intermediary, and would not let me go back to sleep until I took care of this issue

Notes on my daughter.

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:52:00 GMT

My daughter works in a Dunkin’ Donuts. She is a popular and (according to her boss) a very good worker. She had intended to join the army as a way to pay for college, but came down with a case of pregnancy, which put her plans on hold for a few years

Anyway:
Some guy comes into her Dunkin’ Donuts yesterday, gets his coffee and looks at the tip jar. Then he turns to my daughter and her co-worker and says “You want a tip? Try college” and walks out.

Anyway:
She is telling me about how she has evenings and weekends off because those hours are reserved for high school students. Or as she put it “I get nights and weekends off because that is when the kids work.” THE KIDS!!!! My daughter is talking about the kids she works with. I am old.

The Book list, 2009

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:30:34 GMT

100 Truths

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 14:53:44 GMT

001. Real name → Michael James Grillo
002. Nickname(s) → Mikel, Ghoti
003. Zodiac sign → Aries
004. Male or female → Male
005. Elementary School → Bicycle Path
006. Middle School → Selden Junior High,
007. High School → Newfield HS
008. Hair color → Dark Brown (what there is of it)
009. Long or short → Short
010. Loud or Quiet → Quiet
011. Sweats or Jeans? Jeans
012. Phone or Camera → Both
013. Health freak → Nope
014. Drink or Smoke? → The occasional wine or beer
015. Do you have a crush on someone? → A Crush? No
016. Eat or Drink → Eat
017. Piercings → Nope
018. Tattoos → Nope

HAVE YOU EVER?
019. Been in an airplane → Yes
020. Been in a relationship → Yes
021. Been in a car accident → Yes
022. Been in a fist fight → No

FIRSTS:
023. First piercing → None
024. First best friend → Mark Savey
025. First award → *shrug*
026. First crush – Jill in Kindergarten
027. First big vacation→ Niagra Falls

LASTS:
029. Last person you talked to → Chrissy
030. Last person you texted → Katie
031. Last person you watched a movie with →Chrissy
032. Last food you ate → Special K
033. Last movie you watched → Dune
034. Last song you listened to → Centerfield
035. Last thing you bought → Humus
036. Last person you hugged → Meighan

FAVES:
037. Food → Italian
038. Drinks → Water.
039. Clothing → Slacks and shirt.
040. Flower - Roses
041. Animal → Dogs
042. Colors → Brown
043. Movies → Classics
044. Music→ 70's, Smooth Jazz, Salsa, 70's rock and disco every now and then!

IN 2008..... I
045. [x] kissed someone
046. [X] celebrated Halloween
047. [X] had your heart broken
048. [ ] went over the minutes on your cell phone
049. [ ] questioned someone's sexual orientation
050. [ ] came out of the closet
051. [ ] gotten pregnant/got someone pregnant
052. [ ] had an abortion
053. [ ] done something you've regretted
054. [ ] broke a promise
055. [ ] hid a secret
056. [X] pretended to be happy
057. [ ] met someone who changed your life
058. [ ] pretended to be sick
059. [ ] left the country
060. [ ] tried something you normally wouldn't try and liked it
061. [X] cried over the silliest thing
062. [ ] ran a mile
063. [ ] went to the beach with your best friend(s)
064. [ ] got into an argument with your friends
065. [ ] hated someone
066. [X] stayed single the whole year

CURRENTLY:
067. Eating → Not
068. Drinking → White Chocolate Mocha
069. I'm about to → on my break
070. Listening to → A customer fumble with her computer
071. Plans for today → Listening to more customers fumbling with computers
072. Waiting for → My ticket north

YOUR FUTURE:
073. Want kids? → No more, but grandkids are fun.
074. Want to get married? → Been there, done that (twice)
075. Careers in mind → Open to a change

WHICH IS BETTER WITH GIRL/BOY?
076. Lips or eyes → Eyes
077. Shorter or taller? → Shorter
078. Romantic or spontaneous → Both
079. Nice stomach or nice arms → Depends
080. Sensitive or loud → Not Loud
081. Hook-up or relationship → Let's see what happens. It is never too late.
082. Trouble-maker or hesitant → Troublemaker

HAVE YOU EVER:
083. Lost glasses/contacts → Often
084. Ran away from home → No.
085. Held a gun/knife for self defense →No
086. Killed somebody → In my thoughts.
087. Broken someone's heart → I certainly hope not.
088. Been arrested → Yes.
089. Cried when someone died → Yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
090. Yourself → Usually
091. Miracles → No.
092. Love at first sight → No question.
093. Heaven → Yes
094. Santa Claus → Yes, his name is Chester
095. Sex on the first date → Depends on the date
096. Kiss on the first date → Depends on the date

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → Hell Yeah

098. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life? → Not even remotely
099. Do you believe in God? → Yes, but not religion
100. Post as 100 truths and tag 10 people → This was an interesting way to start the day. Hope y'all enjoy it.

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:19:32 GMT

In addition to the weight goals (250 by April 6th, 225 by Christmas) I had decided to read one “Classic” a month. I have never in my life, neither voluntarily nor in school, read Dickens, Twain, Hemmingway or any of that ilk.

1 – Legion by Dan Abnett (A Warhammer 40K book)
2 – Battle for the Abyss by Ben Counter (A Warhammer 40K book)
3 – Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow (A Dante Valentine novel)
4 - Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
5 - Snake Agent - Liz Williams (a ) The shade of Charlie Chan hovers over Williams's entertaining supernatural mystery, the first in a new series starring Det. Insp. Wei Chen of Singapore Three's 13th precinct. In a near future that allows travel between Heaven and Hell and Earth, "snake agent" Chen finds himself in hot pursuit of ghost-girl Pearl Tang and the father who murdered her to protect his business of "supplying the souls of the virtuous to Hell." Chen is not only a crack paranormal crime investigator but also a licensed feng shui practitioner never without his compass. While the plot might have benefited from a few more action scenes and some martial arts, Williams (The Banquet of the Lords of the Night) provides a sleuthing feast for those with a taste for the exotic Orient.
6 - Glory by Alfred Coppel (A )The age of colonization ended a thousand years ago. Only a few Goldenwings, the huge spaceships which carried humanity from Earth to many colony planets, still remain, still voyaging between the distant colonies carrying the cargoes those societies need to survive. The Goldenwing Gloria Coelis (known as Glory), with the glittering beauty of a sunrise, its huge space sails spread for hundreds of miles, approaches the planet Voerster with an essential shipment of biological materials, ordered 400 years before in local time. And on Voerster, settled by South Africans determined to preserve apartheid, revolution and war threaten, while the conservative ruler Ian Voerster and his wife are locked in a struggle over their sick daughter, whose heart condition will kill her without the advanced medicine of Glory. Filled with action and memorable characters, Glory is a triumph, a far future epic of humanity in space to set beside the works of Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson.
7 - A Study in Scarlet by Sie Arthur Conan Doyle (A Sherlock Holmes Story)

Wii-Fit Update #33

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:03:22 GMT

Today's Weight: 270.5
Today's BMI: 41.16
Today's Blood Sugar: 78

Wii-Fit Update #32

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:41:34 GMT

Today's Weight: 270.5
Today's BMI: 41.16
Today's Blood Sugar: 70

Wii-Fit Update #31

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:01:20 GMT

OK, I’ve been a wee bit lax about posting this stuff lately, and I know you have come to count on it as a major aspect of your day. Sorry.

So, as a bonus, I give you extra numbers

BP 126/72
Total Cholesterol - 172
Triglycerides - 195
Hgb A1C - 6.2

Feb 6,

Weight - 270.2
BMI - 41.03
Blood Sugar - 98

Feb 5,

Weight - 271.4
BMI - 41.13
Blood Sugar - 118

Feb 4,

Weight - 272.9
BMI - 41.36
Blood Sugar - 96

Feb 3,

Weight - 273.2
BMI - 41.40
Blood Sugar - 89

Feb 2,

Weight - 273.6
BMI - 41.46
Blood Sugar - 104

Feb 1,

Weight - 272.3
BMI - 41.20
Blood Sugar - 104

Wii-Fit Update #30

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:11:22 GMT

Today's Weight: 271.5
Today's BMI: 41.16
Today's Blood Sugar: 75

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:16:32 GMT

Wii-Fit Update #29

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:06:57 GMT

Today's Weight: 270.5
Today's BMI: 41.00
Today's Blood Sugar: 101

If you are jogging and pass the pace setter, you get to follow the dog. Cool!

Wii-Fit Update #28

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:51:17 GMT

Today's Weight: 270.5
Today's BMI: 41.00
Today's Blood Sugar: 94

Today was my first day doing exercises in a few days (I've been sick *cough*cough*). I sucked big time, a lot of my standings were in the dreaded Grey Zone. And ski-jumping was not pretty. I snow-balled in three out of four jumps.

*sigh*

Wii-Fit Update #27

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:36:48 GMT

Today's Weight: 270.5
Today's BMI: 40.55
Today's Blood Sugar: 101

Wii-Fit Update #26

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:45:57 GMT

Today's Weight: 270.40
Today's BMI: 41.16
Today's Blood Sugar: 78

I missed yesterday all together (I was sick in bed). I measured this morning, but no exercising (still under the weather)

Swiped from amishlurker

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 00:03:34 GMT

In response to amishlurker

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 13:35:02 GMT

Yes, I avoid anything that involves me standing on one leg, especially at 5:15 in the morning, which is when I start my work out. I can only fit in about 20 minutes worth in the morning.

I start with Yoga, and have consistently topped out on Half-Moon and Warrior Pose. I’m still a little shaky on Sun Salutation.

Next comes Strength. I have the Lunge down pat, but am not quite ready to increase the reps on that. I have moved Torso Twist from three to six reps.

Next, Aerobics. Thanks to amishlurker advise, I can now catch hula hoops tossed at me from both sides. I can do the step aerobics without missing a step, but am still having an issue with timing..

Finally are the Balance Games, which I consider my dessert. I’ve learned to manage to avoid being hit in the head with the cleats and panda heads, though doing so upsets my rhythm and it takes awhile to get back to that. Just yesterday I up’d the ski slalom to the advanced level, and did fairly well. Ski Jumping is fun, and I can usually top 100-meters on each jump, and rarely fall. I’ve also managed to complete the Tilt Board a few times.

And, obviously, I love the Penguin game

Wii-Fit Update #25

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 11:39:47 GMT

Today's Weight: 270.00
Today's BMI: 40.76
Today's Blood Sugar: 73

Wii-Fit Update #24

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:31:56 GMT

Today's Weight: 269.00
Today's BMI: 40.76
Today's Blood Sugar: 85

Wii-Fit Update #23

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:44:50 GMT

Today's Weight: 271.5
Today's BMI: 41.26
Today's Blood Sugar: 99

Wii-Fit Update #22

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:58:15 GMT

Today's Weight: 272.0
Today's BMI: 41.26
Today's Blood Sugar: 83

Wii-Fit Update #21

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:01:26 GMT

Today's Weight: 272.0
Today's BMI: 41.26
Today's Blood Sugar: 80