The model town of Seaside, 25 years later.

Every year, Dad's side of the family heads down to PCB for white, snady beaches and relaxation. And every year, we pile into the car and head west about 30-45 minutes to visit the quaint little town of Seaside. (hey, it's 'tradition,' right, T-Man?) The above link is to a slide show showing the positive and negative architectural aspects of the town.

Oh no you di'int!

Oh no you di'int!
Originally uploaded by seannibal.

I like my googley eyes in this one... also note Ellen's stellar 'jump-back.'

NPR : Creating Our Own Happiness

A phenomenal essay with a couple of unexpected turns. Click on the link at the top to hear him read it.

I believe we have the power to create our own happiness. I believe the real magic in the world is done by humans. I believe normal life is extraordinary.

....Now, maybe that's easy for me to say. I feel lucky to have fans around the world, a house with a roof and a wife who puts up with me. But I felt this way even when I was working at Long John Silver's. I worked there for 11 years as a fry cook. When you work at a place that long, you see teenagers coming in on their first dates; then they're married; then they're bringing in their kids. You witness whole sections of people's lives.

In the beginning, it seemed like a dead end job. But at least I had a job. And frankly, it was easy. After two weeks, I knew all I needed to know, and it freed my mind. The job allowed me to dream about what my life could become.

EverBabe - made me think of you (at the Hut) and me (at the Papa.)

Shamelessly lifted via Wil Wheaton

I mean, KayRay will read this one webcomic occasionally, but I had missed the specific one re: Brittany. So:

Random story

So...

I've been getting up pretty early recently, what with the play and all, as well as a small tendency to work out in the AM. That's been nice, but means that occasionally I take a shower in the gym at work. So allow me to set up the situation.

I come into the locker room (tight quarters, and all.) And there is one of my indirect supervisors, mostly disrobed.

Man 1 - "...Hello"

Man 2 - "....good morning."







Man 1 - "So...."

Man 2 -

Man 1 - "Yup."

And it went downhill from there.

I'm not sure why that was more weird than seeing random gym people a'dangling in the breeze. But it was. I mean, sure it was traumatic in high school; but we survived it. Perhaps it is a function of him having given me some of my first work assignments.

Awesome Ass-kicking Grandpa

P-Dogg - I know this story will touch you in your non-Papa, anti-crime heart.

Have I screwed up my daughters forever? - By Michael Lewis - Slate Magazine

This story is awesome. And the pictures of the resentful daughters?

Priceless.

Assassin's poster

Poster for the show. Thanks, Toneman, for the jpg.

Sean's Play Schedule

Due to constant demand, I wanted to go ahead and post the link to reservations for the show.

LINK TO RESERVATIONS TO THE SHOW

WARNING = (and this is a little serious.) There is a fair amount of strong language in this show- it is called Assassins, after all. We also fire some guns; while not directly at the audience (of course,) it is still startling. Take my word for it. (or my boxer shorts')

And when I say "strong language," I mean it. There was at least one girl who ended up crying at the audition. But she may have just been sad. Who knows - she was a girl.

(THAT WAS SEAN PRETENDING TO BE SEXIST FOR COMEDIC EFFECT. IT WASN'T REAL. DON'T FEEL BAD FOR THE GIRL. SHE PROBABLY IS ALLEGORICAL, ANYWAY, AND WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO USE YOUR SYMPATHY)

Anyway - with that being said, there is a lot of dark humor, and the play really can make you think. So:

Starting next Friday, and running through the next three weekends, I'm playing Sam Byck in Assassins at DramaTech (through Georgia Tech.) Come on down = would love to see you.

Catch-up post from Jan 29 -

ORIGINALLY HAND-WRITTEN JAN 29 --
Sorry for the absence - did you find that your heart grew fonder? If not - I understand why. You might feel as though I abandoned you for another. No fear, precious one... I merely was creating room for *me*. So. I'm back from my inward journey of self-discovery, and if I have learned anything, its that I really need to do laundry. Spiritually speaking, of course. Let me do my best to catch you up with my life.
I'd decided to try to get back on stage, not as part of a chorus, but instead as part of a *musical.* (yay, drama!) I find it hard to believe that it has been almost 10 years since I've been up there, (from Joseph & his Cool Jacket in 1995 to Godspell in 1997 (or was it 1998?)) Even The Miser, as part of a Baroque quartet, roved to be an enjoyable time. I wanted to return for a couple of reasons: 1) hey man, I already done tole you I enjoyed it. 2) Lay-deez. Not really - but sort of. (I had so many pleasant experiences all of those years ago, and maybe, to a certain degree, I was trying to re-create that feeling.)
Back in December, Greg Abbott, long-time director of DT, passed away unexpectedly. Besides being just a real bummer, (he had been a calming and driving force for this student-run theatre for almost two decades,) it severely impacted the schedule of the theatre. For example, usually the winter show is cast at the end of November, etc. Toneman (who had done such a great job as Zangara in Assassins in 1993) stepped up and volunteered to direct, and held auditions at the beginning of January. I found out about it, auditioned, was cast, and then had an extremely busy two weeks:

Sun - Audition - DT
Mon - Rehearsal - CGA
Tues - Trivia - Ale House
Wed - Read-Thru - DT
Thur - Sing-Thru - DT
Fri - Salsa/Tapas -
Sat - King-Sized Elvis's B-Day show-
Sun - Fly to Vegas
Mon - Vegas, Baby
Tues - Fly from Vegas - RedEye
Wed - Rehearsal - DT

And SHAZAM - I got busy. Well... not exactly. That's a little gross {grin} My dance card got full. Now, five-six days a week, in the evenings, I have *something* to do. Which is fun.
What's in my upcoming schedule? That's a great question. KayRay's wedding in N'Awlins. Play the last weekend in Feb, as well as the first two in March. (10 performances, total!!) CGA performance March 3. (Yay, Requia!) And just staying honest. Anything I'm forgetting?
Hmm... Dug has a lady (!!!!) - and maybe a job here in town. Good luck there! T-Man called the other day - it was as awkward a call as you would expect from a teenager, but was still a very good conversation. And, when I told him about my play, Dad and I had a very unusual conversation, where he went on and on about when *he* was in plays back in grad school. (honestly - almost didn't recognize him. It was cute.)
Look for upcoming dispatches from my New Orleans trip in the near future! Maybe with pictures!

Groundhog's Day???

Really? Really??

So there I was, in the airport:

...on the way to aforesaid wedding, (which I hadn't *100%* lined up with my boss {grin}) but spotted something odd about the stand-by list.Can you spot what it is? I'll give you 2 hints:

1) Passenger 17
2) Right Said Fred

(and no, I wasn't a stand-by passenger. But thanks for the compliment.)

Supa (WHA??) Superbowl of Narnia

Just a quick, wedding-weekend update.

Listening to Billy Joel sing the national anthem right now, and am reminded of Dad's question to me earlier: "Well, son, what's your pick for the game today?" I fondly remembered all the times growing up where he and I would watch the big game together,(hint - NONE) and honestly felt like a bit of an imposter when I made up an answer (probably the AFC team, although I'm not even sure those are the right initials.)

In other local news: someone just brought 10 pizzas into the Drury Inn lobby, so there will probably be SOMEONE watching the game here. I may go head over to watch the game near the newlyweds, at least before I soak my aching bones in the hot tub.

Will fill in more information as to my great trip in a couple of minutes.

New Orleans - Day One

So - I wrote this big long post the other day during an intermibly long web-conference, but (and you are wise to ask for details) it hasn't been posted yet. Perhaps because I actually *wrote* it. :) you know, like with a pen and paper? I know, I know... dark ages here. {grin} but we will be able to overcome, I am sure. I promise it won't end up in the dustbin of the ages, like my DragonCon posts or Thomas's graduation.
So why am I in the Crescent City? KayRay's wedding, of course. This time. As I rode the shuttle into the Quarter< I was reminded of the last (and first) time I was down here, almost exactly five years ago. It was fun, although getting the car stolen was really the high point. But it really does bring to mind exactly what is different. Then I was with my (soon-to-be) fiance', a plethora of Jean's and Jeanie's (they're sisters, it's a Korean thing, don't ask), as well as their respective long-term boyfriends, and a prototype Yao Ming (well, he is a 6'8" ethnic Chinese, so it's almost the same thing.) Now - no fiance', the boyfriends are now husbands, and everything is different. Well, not EVERYthing... Jaime's probably still tall. {grin}
I'm staying at the Drury Inn, which is nice for a couple of reasons. Number 1 - there seems to be a wedding party getting all ready to go out, which (for some masochistic reason) seems to make me happy. Ah, yes - I figured it out. It's all of the pretty girls in their cocktail dresses. {grin} Secondly: They have a manager's reception at 5:30 PM, with three free cocktails. (you have to drink them in 90 minutes, but sacrifices must be made, right? {pause} Right??)
I'll update you with more information later tonight, or maybe tomorrow. Either way - hope I don't get murdered.
-sean

ps - if i do get murdered, there was nothing you could do. You did everything you could.

-pps - i really dope I don't get murdered. :)

You know that you have wondered the same thing.

How do you clean soap?

How clean is bar soap in a public bathroom? Is it "self-cleaning," since it's soap? It seems like a health hazard to me.

It's dirty, but that doesn't make it a health hazard. Soap can indeed become contaminated with microorganisms, whether it's in liquid or bar form. According to a series of tests conducted in the early 1980s, bars of soap are often covered with bacteria and carry a higher load than you'd find inside a liquid dispenser. But no one knows for sure whether this dirty soap will actually transfer its germs to your hands during a wash.

Makes sense, right? I mean, sure, it's magic. But *good* magic. However, this next part freaked me out a little.

Even under the best conditions, washing your hands can actually increase the number of microorganisms present on your hands, thanks to contaminated surfaces near the sink, splashes of contaminated water, or improperly dried hands. (In general, it's safer to leave your hands unwashed than to leave them wet.)

I would sometimes rather go out with wet hands than touch the other, nasty-ass towels. I might have to do some research on this, get back with you.

PS - Happy New Year!

Jacob Paoletta, 1989-2006

Mark wrote an excellent eulogy of Jacob, a local teen who Mark and Jody did wonders for. If you have the time, you might want to hop over and read it.

J&M did everything they could for Jacob, but the main thing they were able to provide was stability, and the knowledge that someone out there besides his dad cared about him. And that is (*has* to be) enough.

You caption the picture! (ash's b-day edition)

And anything is fair game....

Lemony Snickett - the Musical! (not really) (but sorta)

ToneMan - you might already be aware of this, but the Lemony Snickett guy has released an album of songs to go with his delightfully depressing books. (PS- Very Tom Lerher, EverBabe and SuperMark)

Author Daniel Handler (better known as Lemony Snicket) plays accordion in A Tragic Treasury. The album features such dirges as "Scream and Run Away," "This Abyss" and "Smile, No One Cares How You Feel."

There's a link to the NPR show at the top, highly recommended. Best quote? "Run...run run run run run run. Or die. Die die die die die die."Thanks to Neil Gaiman for the heads up.

Hey - a non-meme post!

You can follow the above link (for now) to see one of my recent brushes with local celebrities. My company won the McDonald's breakfast break a couple of weeks ago, which means that a local radio host done brung us breakfast. Yay!

(and in case it gets updated with other, less interesting winners, I'll go ahead and post the pic of me & he (... and they?))


Represent....

Which FOX show am *I*? I'm glad you asked.

This is funny for a couple of reasons - but mainly cause i loved Firefly...

Half a Season
( 53 Costs, 40 Reception, and 66 Cult Appeal )
You were a show with a vision. You wanted to be something magical on the television landscape. You wanted to make art, and you weren't willing to spare the expense to make your vision come alive. And it was beautiful. You found people who loved your dreams and came along for the ride. But by and large, the rest of the audience just didn't click with you. Despite the efforts of your loyal fans, FOX couldn't justify the ratings and pulled the plug after just half a season. But even if your time was brief, you know that in the hearts of your followers, you will never be forgotten.

Link: The When Will FOX Cancel You? Test written by hashtable on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

EDITED TO REMOVE RETARDED HTML