franmag's posterous

Free Comic Book Day at Kapolei Public Library

My son has been reminding me about this day since we met one of the members of the Pacific Outpost, Fighting 501st at the 2nd Annual Geek Meet last month. So yesterday, May 2nd, we made the two minute drive to the library to see what it was all about. He was excited at the prospect of getting a comic book for free, but even more excited about seeing the Star Wars characters in full costume.

Here are the kids with their free comic books and my son with the members of the Outpost that braved the hot day in their awesome costumes.

(download)

Friday 5 for March 6: On This Date

  1. On March 6, 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev presented the first Periodic Table of the Elements to the Russian Chemical Society. What memories do you have of your high-school chemistry course? I remember my teacher was a family friend and when I jokingly asked her at the end of the year to change my B to an A, she did.
  2. On March 6, 1899, the Bayer company registered aspirin as a trademark. When did you last take medication for pain? Hmm, now that you mention it, I can't remember the last time I had to take pain medication. Maybe a month ago. My drug of choice is Ibuprofen.
  3. On March 6, 1853, Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La Traviata premiered in Venice. How do you feel about opera? I love all kinds of music, but I've never been to a live performance of an opera. I'd probably react the way Cher's character did in Moonstruck.
  4. On March 6, 1947, American film director Rob Reiner (Meathead!) was born. Which of these Reiner-directed films have you seen, and what do you think of them? 
    • The Bucket List (2007) No
    • Rumor Has It… (2005) No
    • Alex & Emma (2003) No
    • The Story of Us (1999) No
    • Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) No
    • The American President (1995) Had to look this up on IMDB to make sure I had seen it. It made me wish real politicians had as much integrity as the ones portrayed in movies like this.
    • North (1994) No
    • A Few Good Men (1992) Tom Cruise pre-couch jumping was great in this, I found it gripping and intense.
    • Misery (1990) I'm a big fan of Stephen King and I try to watch all the movies based on his books. I never expect them to be as good as the books. Misery, the book, kept me awake watching shadows in corners after I finished it. Misery, the movie, didn't have the same effect, but Kathy Bates totally creeped me out. Loved the movie.
    • When Harry Met Sally… (1989) Another great one.
    • The Princess Bride (1987) One of my favorite movies ever. I can't quote it line by line like some of my friends can, but it's one of the few movies I can watch over and over again. Also the first movie I ever purchased on DVD.
    • Stand by Me (1986) Have not watched this yet, which is pretty lame since I just said I was a big Stephen King fan!
    • The Sure Thing (1985) I was in college when this came out and pretty much gaga over John Cusack, so what can I say, I loved this movie.
    • This Is Spinal Tap (1984) I don't think I've watched this all the way through, but the parts I've seen were hilarious. It kills me (in a good way) to think they spoofed the "rock-umentary" so well that people thought they were a real band. I'm waiting anxiously for the Spinal Tap reunion movie.
       5. On March 6, 1972, American basketball-player Shaquille O’Neal was born. How do you feel about basketball? I don't pay much attention to sports in general now, but in high school the guy on whom I had a huge crush was on the basketball team, so, of course I was at as many games as I could be. :-)

If you want to see other people's responses, go to this site.

Friday Five - Net Habits

  1. What types of blogs do you usually read? I read a lot of food blogs. A LOT.
  2. What kinds of products do you usually buy when you shop online? I buy music online. Before there was iTunes, I would buy five or six CDs a week from Amazon.com.
  3. What kinds of online videos do you usually spend time watching? I usually watch music or humor videos.
  4. Besides Friday 5, what weekly memes do you particularly enjoy? This is the ONLY weekly meme in which I participate.
  5. Where do you like to go for streaming online music? I like this site, which selects music based on your mood.
If you want to see other people's responses, go to this site.

Friday Five - Wind

  1. Among your friends, who could be blown over by a strong wind? Definitely my friend Mardi.
  2. What’s something in your house you occasionally wind? I can't think of anything except my son's little wind-up cars that were given away at McDonald's as part of their "Cars" promotion.
  3. Is there some significant gossip you’ve recently gotten wind of? It's not that recent, but it's so significant I dare not post anything about it lest the affected parties get wind of it themselves.
  4. Where is the windiest place you’ve ever been? Definitely the Pali Lookout. I'm sure the winds get stronger up there, but the day I'm thinking of, I was able to lean into the wind and stay upright. I was also 15 pounds lighter than I am today, so that might have had something to do with how strong the wind felt. :-)
  5. What do you do, on a typical day, to unwind? I unwind with Sudoku here and word games here.

If you want to see other people's responses, go to this site.

A Christmas Song from Down Under

My good friend Jo from New Zealand sent this to her Facebook friends and I liked it so much I thought I would share it here. The Maori people of New Zealand are Polynesian in origin, so there are many similarities in folklore and language with people in Hawaii.

The other thing we share with New Zealand is we both celebrate Christmas without snow since this time of year is their summer.

Hope you enjoy this Christmas song.

Not on a snowy night by star or candlelight;
Nor by an angel band there came to our dear land.

Te Harinui, Te Harinui
Te Harinui, glad tidings of great joy.

But on a summer day, within a quiet bay,
The Maori people heard the great and glorious word.

Te Harinui, Te Harinui
Te Harinui, gald tidings of great joy.

The people gathered round upon a grassy ground,
And heard the preacher say, "I bring to you this day:"

Te Harinui, Te Harinui
Te Harinui, glad tidings of great joy.

Now in this blessed land united heart and hand,
We praise the glorious birth and sing to all the earth:

Te Harinui, Te Harinui
Te Harinui, glad tidings of great joy, glad tidings of great joy.

Merry Christmas Dear Friends

The Friday 5 - Over

  1. What’s a profession you believe to be overpaid?  Hmm, don't want to offend anyone out there, but I think top executives in big corporations are probably paid too much. Why is it the higher you move up in a corporation and the less work you do, the more you get paid?
  2. Who’s a musician you believe to be overrated?  Wow, where do I start? Two acts that are hugely popular right now that I just don't get are Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. I don't even think I would have liked them when I was fourteen!
  3. What in your life could stand to be overhauled?  My wardrobe could use a complete overhaul right now.
  4. What’s something interesting you recently overheard?  I really can't recall the last time I listened in on a conversation between two adults. Staying home with kids can do that!
  5. Who is the most overextended person you know?  That would have to be my husband. He works a lot of hours at work, then helps me with the kids' baths in the evening, then does DJ gigs three or four times a month, usually going to work the morning after. Just don't tell I said so.
If you want to see other people's responses, go to this site.

The Friday 5 - How?

  1. How’s your health? Funny you should ask that. Recently, my husband and I both applied for term life insurance at a special healthy/non-smoker rate. I got the special rate...his premium had to be bumped up a little. Still, I'm due for a check up as I haven't been feeling 100%.
  2. How was your day? My day was going pretty well until my daughter had a tantrum on the way to pick up her brother at school. Things have settled down since then, so we're back to having a nice day.
  3. How’s the weather? Right now in Kapolei we're overcast with some ominous grey clouds towards the hills. I hope we're looking at a cool night.
  4. How do you expect to get anywhere in life with an attitude like that? I have to admit I'm not as optimistic and happy-go-lucky as I was in my youth, but at least I recognize my pessimistic tendencies and try not to let them affect those around me. Recognizing that I can be somewhat pessimistic helps me see different sides of a situation which will get me pretty far, thank you.
  5. How many people made you smile today? At least three.
If you want to see other people's responses, go to this site.

The Friday 5 - Misuses

  1. When did you last use the edge of a coin (or a knife blade) as a screwdriver? Just last week to open the battery compartment on a blue tooth keyboard, except I think they tell you to use a coin so it wasn't really a misuse.
  2. When did you last use a wire coat-hanger to break into a car?  I haven't had to break into a car for a very long time. The last time was in the Gibson's (in Guam) parking lot while I was still in College. Probably 1987 or thereabouts.
  3. When did you last use food or drink as medication?  I use Coca-Cola all the time to settle a sour tummy. Last time was last month.
  4. When did you last use your cellular telephone as a flashlight?  The display on my cell phone is not very big, so I don't even attempt it. I usually have a couple flashlights around anyway.
  5. When did you last use a paper clip for any purpose other than to clip paper?  We used to keep a half-straightened out paper clip in our laptop bag because our old Compaq wouldn't eject CDs and we had to stick the wire in to activate the manual eject. That computer died two years ago, so that's the last time I did that.
If you want to see other people's responses, go to this site.