FrankL

The Crying Game of Thrones

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”- GK Chesterton
 
But I suppose i've derailed the thread.
 
In unrelated news An Unmanned Russian Spacecraft is plunging to Earth ,
Superhero origin time kids!

Read a story yesterday that Arizona governor has just signed a law that will make it so that assets seized will not remain the police department's property unless a guilty verdict. I can still see ways to abuse, but that should have been the way all along.

Never trust an atom, they make up everything.
 
Biologists take a lot of cellfies
 
I lost an electron, and yes I am positive.
 
we make horrible science puns but only periodically
 
I'm trying to think of an electricity pun, but my head hertz.
 
I can't organize a space party. I'm too scatter brained to planet.
 
My sons wanted to bring home a penguin from the zoo, but I told them it wouldn't fly.
 
All the good science puns argon.
 
And finally, I told a chemistry joke but there was no reaction.

When it was discovered that my middle sister's first husband had been having an affair, he almost got a lesson in theological differences. As a Pentecostal, I am Arminian. The rest of my family are Calvinists. Family discussions can be interesting, to say the least. I wanted to tell him, "See, those guys over there are Calvinists. They believe this beating you are about to receive was predestined from the beginning of time.* I'm Arminian and believe this beating you are about to receive is the result of choices made under your own free will.** However, from your perspective, it really doesn't matter, does it?"
 
Before it came to the come-to-Jesus meeting, he agreed to get out of her life.
 
*A gross oversimplification of Calvinist Theology
**A gross oversimplification of Arminian Theology

When it was discovered that my middle sister's first husband had been having an affair, he almost got a lesson in theological differences. As a Pentecostal, I am Arminian. The rest of my family are Calvinists. Family discussions can be interesting, to say the least. I wanted to tell him, "See, those guys over there are Calvinists. They believe this beating you are about to receive was predestined from the beginning of time.* I'm Arminian and believe this beating you are about to receive is the result of choices made under your own free will.** However, from your perspective, it really doesn't matter, does it?"
 
Before it came to the come-to-Jesus meeting, he agreed to get out of her life.
 
*A gross oversimplification of Calvinist Theology
**A gross oversimplification of Arminian Theology

When it was discovered that my middle sister's first husband had been having an affair, he almost got a lesson in theological differences. As a Pentecostal, I am Arminian. The rest of my family are Calvinists. Family discussions can be interesting, to say the least. I wanted to tell him, "See, those guys over there are Calvinists. They believe this beating you are about to receive was predestined from the beginning of time.* I'm Arminian and believe this beating you are about to receive is the result of choices made under your own free will.** However, from your perspective, it really doesn't matter, does it?"
 
Before it came to the come-to-Jesus meeting, he agreed to get out of her life.
 
*A gross oversimplification of Calvinist Theology
**A gross oversimplification of Arminian Theology

"Atlas Slugged."

I like lamb. My mother refuses to eat for part of the same reason that I like it. We used to raise the smelly things. She still thinks of lambs as the cute clouds in the pasture. Eating lamb now is payback for the times I got drug through the mud, knocked over into the mud, and the times I just wound up smelly.
 
There was a place in town here that just closed a couple of months ago. Best gyros I've ever had. The owner, chef, and most of the staff (family run restaurant) were Greek immigrants. I was very sad when they closed.

Last night I dreamed I was an employee of Monster Hunter International. Though usually a research man (down in the archives, looking through tomes), I was on a field rotation (to keep my senses sharp). We didn't know what we were tracking, but we were loaded for bear and then some. Earl, Owen, Julie, and I were in formation going through a large basement with a lot of boxes. Earl was on point, Julie was back guard, Owen and I were side-by-side and between them (a diamond formation). My specific task was to figure out what we were up against. We knew it was big trouble.
 
"Find anything yet, Luke?" Earl asked.
 
"Not yet. It's not a vampire or werewolf, but there's still a lot it could be."
 
"That doesn't help much," Julie said.
 
"I'm still looking. They always leave clues somewhere."
 
"Like that?" Owen pointed at a scrap of paper on the floor. The rest of the basement had no litter anywhere. Everything was in boxes, so this stood out like a sore thumb.
 
"Good eye, Z," I said, picking up the paper. It was torn in half, and when I saw what I could, I was glad of that. "Nobody move. Keep calm. I know what we're up against."
 
"That being?" Earl and Julie asked at the same time.
 
I showed Julie the paper with half a yellow sigil. "Hastur. The King in Yellow."

Okay, that's good. I expected they were going to be going on and on with their shared stories and then they get in a fight because they like different soccer teams.

Two women were sitting next to each other in a bar. 
 
After a while, one looks at the other and says, 'I can't help but think, from listening to you, that you're from Ireland.' 
 
The other woman responds proudly, 'Yes, I sure am!' 
 
The first one says, 'So am I! And whereabouts in Ireland are ya from?' 
 
The other woman answers, 'I'm from Dublin, I am.' 
 
The first one responds, 'So, am I!! And what street did you live on in Dublin?' 
 
The other woman says, 'A lovely little area. It was in the west end. I lived on Warbury Street in the old central part of town.' 
 
The first one says, 'Faith, and it's a small world. So did I! So did I! And what school did ya go to?' 
 
The other woman answers, 'well now, I went to Holy Heart of Mary, of course…' 
 
The first one gets really excited and says, 'And so did I! Tell me, what year did you graduate?
 
The other woman answers,'well, now, let's see. I graduated in 1964.' 
 
The first woman exclaims, 'The Good Lord must be smiling down upon us! I can hardly believe our good luck at winding up in the same pub tonight! Can you believe it? I graduated from Holy Heart of Mary in 1964 me self!' 
 
About this time, Michael walks into the bar, sits down, and orders a beer. 
 
Brian, the bartender, walks over to Michael shaking his head and mutters, 'It's going to be a long night tonight.' 
 
Michael asks, 'Why do you say that, Brian?' 
 
Brian answers, 'The Murphy twins are drunk again.'

Been there. Not fun. Whoever said "getting there is half the fun" wasn't talking about the wait between job interview and job offer.

Read a story yesterday that Arizona governor has just signed a law that will make it so that assets seized will not remain the police department's property unless a guilty verdict. I can still see ways to abuse, but that should have been the way all along.

Read a story yesterday that Arizona governor has just signed a law that will make it so that assets seized will not remain the police department's property unless a guilty verdict. I can still see ways to abuse, but that should have been the way all along.

Read a story yesterday that Arizona governor has just signed a law that will make it so that assets seized will not remain the police department's property unless a guilty verdict. I can still see ways to abuse, but that should have been the way all along.

I got a new job!

My mother, a retired elementary school teacher, has a penance stare that still works. At a recent high school basketball game, some kid behind her was kicking the seat of her best friend (also an elem teacher). The friend turned and stared at the kid. He laughed and kept going. My mother turned and gave him the full "teacher's look" she calls it. He gulped, stopped kicking, and then pulled his feet up under himself.

That's not what she said. From the article:
 
"Early Wednesday, one of the shop's owners Crystal O'Connor said she would refuse to cater a same-sex wedding as the shop was a "Christian establishment.""
 
She didn't say if they come in they will be refused service. She said she would not participate (even by being paid to be there) at a same-sex wedding. That's a contract job and not part of her normal business. That's her freedom of association. As a business owner, it should be her right to reserve the right to refuse contract service to anyone for any reason. And likewise the person requesting her service should simply bow out when it becomes stated that the service provider does not want to be involved.
 
It's also worth noting this lady was "ambushed" by a journalist. She didn't release a press statement. She was in her shop, someone came in, and asked a question. She answered.
 
Let's say there's a Muslim photographer in my town, and he's the absolute best around. Let's say that I want to hire him for my son's birthday party. I want him to come and take pictures of everyone and everything. Oh, and as part of the celebration, all the friends are bringing their dogs. I promised every parent a picture of their child with their dog. Oh, and we're serving pulled-pork sandwiches. The photographer has to take pictures of us eating. And some of the dads will be drinking beer. I want those pictures taken too.
 
When I explain the party to him, he says, "Oh, no. In Islam dogs are unclean, we don't eat pork, and we don't drink beer. I would be very uncomfortable in such a setting and could not take good pictures. But I know a great guy who wouldn't be offended at all. Here's his card."
 
At this point, I have two choices: 1) Sue him for not accepting my business. 2) Thank him, walk away, and call the name on the card he just gave me.
 
What's the adult thing to do?

I thought you were joking. Amazon search for "Bussell" has "But... You're a Horse" as the top result and has that cover. Published Dec 1, 2014. Am not opening the page. The thought of a Look Inside gives me the heeby-jeepies.
 
Brain bleach anyone?

Caligula vs. Ghost Rider
 
What happens when Ghost Rider unleashes the Pennance Stare on this guy?
 
".....that sick, twisted bastard seems to be enjoying it!"
 
 

Three logicians walk into a bar. The bartender asks if they'd all like a beer.
 
The first logician says "I don't know."
 
The second logician says "I don't know."
 
The third exclaims "Yes!"

Yesterday at work I was telling a friend (L) about the CoC solo, stand-alone adventure. He's part of a Pathfinder table. Another guy from the table was also in the pod. We will call the second man "J".
 
Me: I had exactly 1 hit point left and was peddling like crazy away from the cultists. No way am I looking back over my shoulder.
 
J: Wait. What? Cultists and bicycles? That makes no sense.
 
L: Did you ever play Paperboy on the old NES.
 
J (confused): Original NES? Yes, I did.
 
L: That was a hard game. If you missed the box, people would unsubscribe from your route.
 
J (still confused): What has this to do with cultists?
 
L: In Paperboy 2, the unsubscribers and those for whom you break a window join together in a cult. Frank's been doing some retro gaming lately.
 
And I'm thinking, "The Cult of Shattered Glass actually sounds like a CoC cult."

I finished the solo CoC adventure "Alone Against the Flames" and learned some very important things about CoC:
 
1) put points in Spot Hidden. It doesn't matter how you justify it in the backstory, do so! When taking my character's personal skills (not professional), I choose stealth, violin, fighting (brawl), and archeology. Why violin? I wanted Harold to be a little more well-rounded as a person. Forget that! Next run, those 20 points are going into Spot Hidden. Spot was the most common check. I made several spot hidden checks (I passed two and missed two). One of the misses would have been a success if I had taken it before. NOTE: consider playing as a police detective and thus justify Spot Hidden as a professional skill.
 
2) if a crazy, homeless man teaches you a chant "to be used only if all else fails," speaking it is never a good idea, even if all else has failed. I stopped the cultists, but there's a 16-mile diameter barren place in the Connecticut landscape now and "my spirit floats amongst the stars."
 
3) Being a hero takes second place to living (I already knew this one, but it was reinfornced). I rolled back the last bit to try a different escape plan. That worked and I got away from the bonfire, singed and hurt. Without the sacrifice (me), something or things descended on the town. I found a bicycle in an alley and sped away. The book then said this. "You hear screams behind you and what sounds like the rush of wings high above. If you look back at the bonfire, turn to __. If you keep going, turn to __." I said, "I've got 1 HP left. This is no time for heroics. I peddle like crazy!"
 
Even though I plan on running the adventure again, I'm keeping Harold's sheet. I found a book of poetry that gave me 4 points to the Mythos skill. Professor Matthers might have other adventures, and a professor of chemical engineer has great potential. He was on his way to take a seat at Miskatonic U when he got stranded in the village of Emberhead.

I really like how this scene takes place at Lou's Bar & Grill, a location in my stories. With Greywind's permission, two of his characters are making an appearance in a different set of my stories, Joshua's Pawn Shop.
 
Walk Away Joe
 
Cindy high stepped over a puddle that Joe hadn’t thought to go around. The rain had stopped several hours ago, but the cold stayed on like it always did this time of year in San Jose. Even in her heavy coat she shivered as they walked down the sidewalk. Their car was right behind them. Cindy wished they had been able to park closer, but this would have to do. Pawn shops were never crowded but this one was smack between two busy bars.

“No worries, baby,” Joe said to her. “I’ve got everything under control.”

“That’s what you always say,” she muttered.

He stopped suddenly and spun her around to face him. His fingers gripped the sleeves of her coat. “And it always works out just fine. Don’t it?”

Cindy nodded, her bangs flopping in front of her eyes. “Yeah, Joe. Always!” She could tell his smile was forced. His eyes flicked from side to side as he let go of her.

“Just remember that. Come on.” He roughly took her hand, and they resumed their walk to the pawn shop.

With her free hand, Cindy brushed her dark blonde hair back. She liked the bangs, but they were just getting too long. She’d snip them tonight. Her younger sister had an emo hair style, the bangs covering over one eye, and Cindy never wanted to look like her.

Cindy and Joe stood about the same height. She was tall for a woman, and he was short for a man. Cindy looked at him from the corner of her eye. He had the same military-style cut the whole time she had known him. He wasn’t in the military or even going in. He just liked his hair short.

A bell tinkled against the glass as they pushed the door open.

“Be right with you,” said a short man behind the counter. His name tag read “Joshua.”

Cindy’s eyes bulged in surprise. He was several inches shorter than Joe! She hadn’t expected that. She couldn’t help staring. Joshua had dark curly hair, and looked well-built. Muscles rippled from the short sleeves of his blue-striped white shirt. He had a jeweler’s scope attached to his glasses but swung away for the moment. His hair hung down to his chin and a full beard fell past his Adam’s apple.

A woman and a man stood at the counter with him. “Seriously?” the man asked. “You want to just give it to us?” Cindy wondered why they were in the shop. They were dressed too nicely to be from this neighborhood.

Joshua nodded. “It’s not mine to sell.” He turned to the woman. “This is the watch that you lost, isn’t it?”

Ah. Cindy realized they were looking for something specific.

“It certainly looks like it. Where did you find it?” She played with her necklace while she talked. The pendant held a black-star sapphire set in gold. It went well with her strawberry blonde hair.

Joshua placed the watch on the counter. “The finder sold it here yesterday.”

“So we at least owe you that much,” the man said, pulling out his wallet. “What did you pay for it?” He was much taller than Joshua, but Joshua had a bigger presence. The man took off his sunglasses.

Cindy gasped. “Joe! That’s the guy from the society pages! Jason Scott! Oh, is that Marlene with him?”

Joe pulled her back amongst the comic book aisles. “That jumped-up secretary that he signed his daddy’s company over to? Well, we certainly don’t want them to see us then. Act like you’re checking out the books.”

Cindy grimaced but faked interest in the covers. These kind of stories had never appealed to her. She just wanted this night to be over and done. She tried to listen to the conversation at the counter.

“No,” the woman said. “We insist on paying for the watch. Whatever you paid, we’ll add something for your trouble.”

“Oh, it was no trouble at all, miss, but if you insist, I paid the woman who brought it $500.” Joshua slid the watch to them. “It’s high quality, and she needed the cash for her rent money.”

Jason counted out some bills from his wallet. Joshua took them and said, “God bless you and have a nice day.” Jason paused for just a moment at the door, then the couple left, the woman obviously happy to have her watch back.

Joe stepped out from the aisles, reaching into his coat.

“Wait there, young man,” Joshua said. “You’re still not next.” He walked around the counter and went down one of the aisles. He called to the back of the store. “Little brother! I’m going to help Mrs. O’Donnell pick out a new handgun. Can you take the front?”

“Sure thing, big brother,” said a man in a messy apron coming from the back. His name tag read “Jacob.” He wiped his greasy hands on the apron, took it off, and threw it behind some boxes. His pants were clean but very faded at the knee. He looked to Joe and Cindy. “Are you two next? Pardon my hands. I was cleaning some car parts we just got in.”

Jacob was a couple of inches taller than Joshua and built just the same. Even if they hadn’t called each other ‘brother,’ Cindy would have guessed they were. They had the same hair, beard, and eyes.

“We’re just browsing,” Joe said, stepping back amongst the titles.

“Okay. Maybe I can help you, miss?” Jacob smiled. His whole face lit up when he did so.

Cindy started to say no but changed her mind. “I’d like to see your rings and necklaces.”

Joe hissed at her. “Cindy!”

She ignored him and walked to the counter. “What have you got in silver?”

Jacob pulled out a tray from under the glass and placed it on the counter. “This is our silver for sale. We have several more pieces that might become available on Tuesday if nothing suits your fancy.”

“Might?”

“They were left as collateral.” He shrugged. “Terms of the loan are up on Tuesday.”

“Oh, that’s right. That’s how pawn shops work. Silly me.” She looked at the tray. “I like that one with the emerald.”

“Good eye.” He picked it up for her and held it out so she could try it on.

“It’s fits perfectly!” She held it close to her face. “What do you think?”

“It goes very well with your eyes, but there’s one here you might like even better.” He pointed to one on the tray.

“I don’t see anything special about that one.” She frowned.

“Look closely. You’ll see. I got my wife one just like it for her birthday last month.”

Frowning, she leaned over the counter. The ring looked just like any other. The stone was a ruby with an emerald on each side. “Pretty, but…”

Jacob leaned over the counter so his mouth was close to her ear. “You don’t have to do this, you know,” he whispered. “There’s still time to call it off.”

Cindy jerked back from the counter and looked over her shoulder towards Joe. Joe was back amongst the comic books and couldn’t see her. “Call off what?” She kept her voice low.

“The robbery. Even though it was Joe’s idea, you’ll be an accessory.”