Sites to Have Fun With

One is "Let Them Sing It for You," at http://www.sr.se/p1/src/sing/index.htm# -- where you type in words and you hear your message sung word-by-word from various pop songs. Don't forget that if your word is too complicated, you can often achieve success by breaking it down phonetically. That is, "sooner"+"can" sounds remarkably close to "SoonerCon."

Another fun one is "#9", http://www.escape.com/~dario/beatles/number9/?NF=1 -- which lets you mix-n-match 12 different snippets from the Beatles' "Revolution 9" (from the White Album, of course!) to create your own version.

And don't forget "The Earth Is Not Moving," http://www.fixedearth.com/ -- guaranteed to set back the IQ of any Christian (or non) who reads it.

A wonderful site is "I Used to Believe," http://iusedtobelieve.com/ -- where folks from all over can share the silly (?) things we believed as children -- from the commonplace (inside the core of a golfball is an acid that will melt your body to mush) to the, umm-- odd: "When I was little I thought that videotapes worked by sending a signal to the actors who would then quick get ready and perform the movie for you. If you pressed pause, they would stand totally still, and if you pressed rewind they would do it all backward."

Me? I used to believe that by 25 I've have several successful albums. Poetry published. A TV show with Mark Barragar (aka Ranger Roger for you OKC types). I used to believe that the people who got angry with me would get over it, since I am personally incapable of carrying evil feelings or grudges around.

Now I believe that the only way I can help people who are mad at me is to try not to make them more crazy, by trying to leave 'em alone.

But, back to fun websites, "Ugly Christmas Lights" http://www.uglychristmaslights.com/ -- will put you in the Holiday mood, since tonight I just saw my first Christmas commercial (September 29, people!).

Have a swifty nifty weekend!

A Couple of Ruminations on the Disciple Peter

Several times I've read about brash, loudmouthed Peter, who loved Jesus but kept shooting his mouth off. I'm a lot like that too.

I've often also found it challenging to write in the rhyme scheme I stole from Emily Dickinson, the same kind of scheme as the hymn "Amazing Grace." I find that the restrictions of syllables and emphasis challenge me to try to pack a lot into the simple structure. So, here goes:

Peter
July 19, 1981

I lived with him for three long years --
Together -- dust and rain --
Yet at the crux -- I choked on fear --
I disavowed his name --

And yet when once again we met --
At dawn -- beside the sea --
His eyes no condemnation held --
He slew -- forgiving me --

+++++++

May 7, 1995

My master was so generous --
With Peter -- by the sea --
Against denials triplicate
He drew -- I love yous -- three--

And when he meets me -- face to face --
They say -- "beyond the veil" --
How many loves must I declare,

To balance out my scale --

Working on a New Design

I've spent most of today trying to learn Microsoft Front Page so that I can use it to redesign the STAR OKC website, which is at www.starokc.org. After I did what I thought I wanted, I asked My Son the Genius to help me "upload" it to my Cox space.

Whereupon he informed me that I was stupid and was doing it all wrong, and he had to fix it.

Well, between this and that we have SOMETHING there at www.starokc.org.

WHY, you ask? Basically because the domain name is paid-for for another year or two. And it doesn't need to chronicle the happenings of a defunct SF club. No, it can instead be used for SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE, I hope!

Here's my crazy dream: Use the site as a bulletin board for OKC fandom. Whether the Mirage, Jedi OKC, Serendipity, or whoever! Pretty soon I'll have more stuff up, but I want to have email addresses, links, and updates for area cons, stores, clubs, and any other interest group.

Why not?
So, any OKCers, please have folks send me info on any happenings, and we'll get it there. For now, send to them to blog@starokc.org. And I sure hope that folks can understand that there's room for everyone in the OKC fandom umbrella!
Thank you and good night!

The Left-Out Super-Power

Though it had its problems, Superman Returns was a pretty fun movie. The fanboy in me was tickled and thrilled to see him use Super-Breath to blow out a fire.

However, as I read through some of my Superman comics from the late 1950s, I see the Man of Steel often using a super-power that seems to be mostly ignored by today's comic writers...

The Super Head-Butt!
Check out these examples from just three issues! The boulder smash-up (art by Wayne Boring) and the cannon panel (also by Boring) are BOTH from Superman 126. The gong-shot (Kurt Schaffenberger) comes from Superman 128, and the helmet crunch (Al Plastino) is from Action 251.

Boy howdy! If more people knew about the Super Head-Butt, then the Ugly Superman might choose a different moniker to wrestle under.















Maybe it's time for a little Super-Aspirin!

Rejected Again!

Anybody else remember the magazine The Twilight Zone? It was a pretty good conglomeration of media-type stuff and fiction. At least once they had an amateur fiction contest, and I got six of seven of these in the mail over stories I submitted.

For some reason they were nice enough to send me two! (The original really is blank on the addressee side.)

You know, if they had accepted a few of my stories, they would have gotten enough readers to keep from going out of business. Right?