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Kate’s big night

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As some of you may well know, Neil Gaiman came to Washington College yesterday. This was a huge deal as far as Chestertown was concerned but an even bigger deal for Kate, who has been a Neil Gaiman fan since her teen years. In fact, she apparently made her dad take her to a comic shop in London when she was 16 (they were already in England, don’t worry) so she could meet him at a signing.

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You can imagine how chuffed she was to be introducing him here as a literary professional.

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I haven’t heard yet all of the minutia of Neil’s visit and Kate’s time with him – and I’m sure there are some amazing stories – but I can say that her introduction to his reading and Q&A last night was stupendous and it seemed as though Neil had a truly fun time being here. So, despite the stress of moving the venue three times, the chaos of bringing in such a major author and the logistics of making the actual day/evening happen, it was well worth it.

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At the very least, for Kate. 🙂

Weird.

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A woman’s third arm has been confirmed as actually existing – in her brain. Following a stroke, a woman in Switzerland can see, feel and use an extra arm that she describes as translucent and pale white. Doctors have scanned her brain and report activity that corresponds to an additional limb on the right side of her body. Very strange. If reality is only a consensus on what fits into a box, perhaps this is something that is outside the collective box but well within her private collection of real experiences?

Goodbye, Zoe

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My family’s pet labrador retriever for the last eleven years was put to sleep yesterday.  How did I find this out?  A soft-spoken phone call from someone at home?  A quick email or Facebook message?  A text?

No – I discovered this when Kate noticed that my brother had changed his Facebook status to include “Zoe” and “:(”

Apparently Zoe, the dog I have known for the last decade and then some, has passed away.  She was quite old and lethargic and I’m sure she was in a lot of pain, so she’s probably much better off now.

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Rest in peace, my fellow bigfoot-sighter.

Happy birthday!

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Foreword:  My mom is rocking 48 today like no one has before (I’m sure.)

Happy birthday, Mom!  Hope you have a great day at Seven Springs with the dance moms.

A familiar tune

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I hear the strains of a song getting louder as yet another mainstream media outlet talks about the idea of a global currency – and a global government.  To quote the editor’s response to a letter on MSNBC:

Unless and until the world had a single government to maintain uniform fiscal and monetary policies, it’s hard to see how any independent body would be granted sufficient powers to make a workable global currency […]

Alright, then.  So when do we start talking more about this idea, “free” media?

Links and articles

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Sometimes I have a day where I’m given more to read and look at by friends online than I can actually process. Sometimes I’m busy enough during a given day where even two items are too many to handle. Yesterday was one of these days. So, I present you with the COPIOUS amounts of materials now:

  1. First, from Kim back in good old State College comes Mia Kim, aka Sukey Rose. Sukey Rose is just an indie girl looking to make her first album. But, in this cruel, financial catastrophe we find ourselves in, who’s got the money for dreams? Thus, Mia Kim is turning her first album into a project in which you can make yourself a stakeholder. And, from the sounds of her sounds, I think she’s going to go far.
  2. And, from the more serious side of things comes a really great article provided to me by Tara on the science of systems collapses. Basically, the researcher being chronicled, Buzz Holling, has found a way to distill all complex systems down into a simple concept. Birth, growth, specialization and collapse/rebirth. It’s fascinating to read this metaphor of a forest ecosystem and then apply it to the auto industry, the banking industry and society as a whole. A light read, considering its implications, too. Reminded me muchly of Stephen Wolfram’s 2002 book, A New Kind of Science.

Are you ready for the New World Order?

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(I wish that said “New Order.” I am most definitely ready for them.)

“In this economy,” some strange things are happening to global finance and our domestic banking systems. I’ve actually taken quite a bit of interest in economic happenings – even leading me to buy and read an issue of The Economist, which I’m sure will delight Andy to no end.

So, hot on the heels of the Rolling Stone article that has me ready to sink $1000 into gold coins as opposed to my savings account, I found this piece from The Raw Story:

China’s top banker proposes new world reserve currency

The article’s author, Stephen Webster, seems set on downplaying the significance of this move, even after Moscow also pledged support for the same move as we get closer to the G20 summit. However, I find it weird that this is now the fourth time I’ve heard mention of the same global currency thinking in a two week period.

I’m not necessarily scared of a single, global currency but I do worry that the people who will be controlling it are going to be the same third-world debt peddlers as those running the World Bank, IMF, etc.

Hello (again)

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Welcome friends and professionals.  I’m  glad to report that I’m up and blogging again.  You may have noticed the new address – nicholasjsmerker.info.  I’ve changed my domain to reflect the fact that I’m doing this on my own now.  I hope to really get moving now that I’ve got everything under one umbrella.  Thanks for coming by and bear with me while I get things put back in order!

Asylum Lock-In

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On today’s exciting episode of my life, we’ll be discussing this weekend’s admittedly crazy plans. Kate and I are going to Pittsburgh come Friday to visit her parents/crash at her place/pick up her sister before we depart for Weston, WV. Why are we heading into the heart of red neckery, you ask? Well, the three of us are being locked in the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum from 9pm Saturday until 5am Sunday. Intrepid explorers that we are, we’ve signed ourselves up for an overnight, free-wheeling ghost hunt in this half million square foot, Victorian mental institution. Yes, it’s going to be fun…and totally scary.

So, I need to make a list of what to take along (we are permitted any equipment we want) and I could surely use some ideas of what to do once inside. Here’s what’s going along so far:

  • Nikon D80 DSLR
  • Sony HDR-FX1 HD camcorder with Nightshot
  • Sony TRV-90 camcorder with Nightshot
  • wired security camera with IR sensor
  • lightweight SLIK tripod
  • three industrial grade flashlights
  • bag of tea lights
  • iPhone (hopefully with service)
  • LARA bars, water, fruit snacks, granola
  • Thermos o’ coffee
  • first aid supplies
  • blank tapes, extra flash memory, extra batteries
  • one roll of duct tape

Any other ideas? I plan on spending an extended stay in perhaps 2 or 3 rooms after an hour or so touring the grounds. Brian has suggested that I do some long exposure photography in these areas by setting up tea lights for increased ambient lighting. Sounds like a plan. I also want to duct tape up the security cam here and there while we walk about to see if anything shows up while we interact with certain rooms…and when they are empty. Maybe we should try EVP? I personally really want to try out some provocation during the dead hour. We’ll see what Kate and Beth have to say about this. 😛