Some people hustle pool, some people hustle cars…

Greetings, greetings fellow star gazers!

Hee…I crack me up.

Tonight is the Perseid meteor shower; I usually do try to get at least a glimpse in, but I have a full 24-hour day tomorrow, so I may give it a skip. :-D Or I could make a video and play it back *next* weekend, when I expect to have more time.

Ok, kidding about that.

But on a space-related note, we have a new galaxy! I think we should name it after me. Or Romeo. Or Squooshable. I really love the way that they make this sound almost corporate, I mean, check this quote out:

"When this merger is complete, this will be one of the biggest galaxies in the universe," said study team member Kenneth Rines of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Heavens! He makes it sound as if we can expect the arrival of a new big-box galaxy, like a merger between Wal-Mart and Target. Screw Earth; I am looking into it as the future site of my Mall of the Universe. I wonder if they need any cats there…

I was supposed to drive out to visit my father today – I had semi-promised to do so – but I frankly do not feel like the drive right now; I am enjoying being at home and just vegetating and spending time with my cats, to be honest. And watching bad movies. And believe me, there are some bad movies out there.

Right at the moment, it is 8mm. I actually feel bad about making fun of 8mm, or anything with Nicholas Cage in it, 'cos Nurse Betty's such a huge, drooling, lust-filled fan of Cage's (which is really funny in a way, 'cos although NB claims to not see much of a resemblance, in my estimation, her husband looks very similar to Cage; I tease Betty that she does not actually lust after Nic Cage, she just picked someone who looks like Mr Betty cos she's in love with her husband), but 8mm is…well…slightly bad in some places. And a little hokey, acting-wise at times. And kind of like Reefer Madness for the BDSM set…but whatever. I went with some friends to see it back when it was in the playing in theatres (can you believe that was about *eight* years ago? It may not be a full eight, since I think I remember that is was still slushy and cruddy outdoors, but still…that is a Long Damn Time), and I have to admit that I was laughing (albeit to myself) in several places. I love Betty, and I am sure Cage is a nice guy, but his acting is, well…not all that great at times. Like a lot of the time. Put the bunny back in the box…uhhh…oh, don't get me started. Butsoanyway. Ancodia's Golden Rule was fully-formed that very night in fact, and I do not believe in all these years here I have ever shared Ancodia's Golden Rule™. Listen up; this is important:

Ancodia's Golden Rule™

If there is plastic on the floor and you're not in on it, leave.

I even wrote a blues song about it with harmonica accompaniment to make it easier for Young Minds to remember. Doo-de-doo-do…ba-ba-ba-ba..

I am sure you get the idea.

And really, this is an important principle as long as one remembers that we are speaking about all manner of drop cloths, not just plastic. It may not be bad; it may not be ominous; you may be only being tricked into helping a friend paint their condo; regardless, leave. Seriously. You can see violations of Ancodia's Golden Rule™ all over, and no good ever comes of it.

Butsoanyway.

In a never-ending effort to get me to prove I love her more than my father, I just – as in this second; I had to leave mid-post – got back from having dinner with Mom; she wanted to take me to this Mom and Pop pizza parlour-type place by her home, and it was not too bad. :-) She spoke with her older sister today and was, thusly, full of family gossip. My psychotic televangelist cousin is doing well, and his Daughter Whom I Cannot Stand ('cos she is a fake hoor) has moved to another state in the Northwest under the guise of finishing school, but I guarantee she is still doing her ministry schtick (promoted by my cousin, she thinks that she is quite the little ministerette; I'll eat my hat should anyone else ever agree that she is that great). But my psychotic cousin does not take care of his mother at *all* in the sense of looking after her in her old age, making sure she is at least OKAY on a daily basis, and that is something I find nauseating; my aunt has her issues (as does farking everyone on Mummers' side of the family), but she has never done anything overtly bad. Mom and I decided we would get her something really nice this Christmas, even though Mom still blames her for my grandmother's death, saying my eldest aunt *murdered* her mother.

Sigh. This is, I think, a story for another day; I am too tired.

Butsoanyway.

So I am home now, fed, and all caught up on gossip from the maternal side of the family. I decided to finish this post off and send a few pre-meeting emails before going to sleep, and so I turned on the TV and My Cousin Vinnie is on; it just got to the part where the owl is outside the cabin, and Squooshable and Cookie actually sat down and started watching the movie when the owl screeched! :-) Too cute! Cookie also likes all the movies in the Star Wars series; I think she likes Chewbacca, or wants to be Princess Leia, or something.

I also spoke with Meg, finally, as I was driving home; she says that she is on a huge losing streak again, poor girl. I bought a pendant for her that has a Chinese dragon on it; the dragon represents Squooshable (to Meg and I, not the Chinese ;-) ). I told her that if she had not been in such a hurry to leave, she would have her new lucky pendant. Sigh. I am *constantly* trying to find something lucky for her, though and it never works out. Squooshable actually *did* pick this one, though; I had ShopNBC on, and it came up on clearance and Mr Squooshable started Mrrp!ing. In all reality, I think he was Mrrp!ing at himself, or a shadow, or the tree outside, or Rhett Butler, but I told Meg he asked me to buy it for her because as bad a poker player as she is, she needs help!

I can only say things like that to her over the phone; otherwise, she hits me.

Ok…it is getting late, and I have way too much to do tomorrow. Whee. I guess I could have seen the shower, after all.

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