Comments from non AOL users

A few years back I was fed up with the difficulty non-AOL users had in commenting on my journal, so I added a link on each entry to an off-site guestbook that doubled as a comments page.

I've long since given up on it, in part because the circle of frequent commentors has become smaller and smaller.

Tonight I stumbled on this comment by AOL in the Magic Smoke Journal - I guess you don't have to sign up for AOL or AIM to comment nowadays:

Just to set the record straight, you are no longer restricted to AIM or AOL screen names. You can use your email address as your screen name. So, for instance if your email address is krissy@yahoo.com, you can use that as your AIM screen name.

You can see that option on the sign-in page where it says "Screen Name or E-mail" and also when you go to get an Account.

Another user authentication system that is garnering attention is OpenID. With this you can use your blog url as your ID and sign in to any of the sites that support OpenID.  AOL supports OpenID, but the experience is less than optimal right now. Hence we have not implemented it on Journals. But it is something that we will addressing down the road.

Times change, things improve . . anyhow, I found it interesting.

All-Star Squadron Annual, 1984

The comic book above - the 1984 'annual' for the All-Star squadron  -was one of my favorite's as a kid. I loved the series, with it's mix of 1940's nostalgia and Golden Age superheroes, and I especially loved this issue as it tapped into my love of history.

The members of the All-Star Squadron fan out across time to prevent the murder of seemingly insignificant people. In reality the intended victims are future Presidents of the US, all the way through Reagan, tho' the Squadron never learns of the fact (it is revealed to us by way of a series of news clippings on the then-current whereabouts of Nixon, Carter, etc)

Green Lantern fails in his quest and a boy - and now unknown would-be President - is killed.

I read and re-read this issue until long after the cover fell off, and I was a kid that treated his comics with care.

Should I ever find the $, it'd be nice to gather a complete collection of this series. I'd certainly enjoy reading them again.

Four Generations of Husbands and Wives

My Great-Grandparents . . I believe my maternal grandma's parents.

My maternal grandparents.

My folks

And us . . note the clean-shaven look mandated by my bride, and the carnival glasses.

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YaYa In Utero

Here's YaYa in-utero on Oct 16th of 2001

 

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Some fave pics of YaYa from 2001

Here's the shot we used for the birth announcements/christening invites. I think I took this around Halloween. I remember watching the '01 Series, a horrible movie about the moon landing (The Dish?) and hearing Britney Spear's "Slave" that week.

Here's a bath from Nov 1st of 2001.

Here's some birth photos

And my absolute favorite pic of her. My only regret is that it was taken a little off-kilter, because I truly adore it. Taken on or around Nov 5th of 2001

Here's a pic from her Christening Day. Fr. Yaniak, who I euologized on this blog a few years ago came out of retirement to do the ceremony. He was so happy to do it.We were his last marriage ceremony and his last baptism. He commented to the family that it was his custom to say to the parent's 'same time next year' but that he doubted he'd have the chance. He was right. I still miss the guy.

YaYa in her Nana's arms, with Aunt Mabel in the background

and in her Godfather Tre's care

 

For those still protesting Lauren's earrings . .

Here's a pic of YaYa with her set a mere two months after birth, near Xmas of 2001.

Doesn't seem too upset, does she?

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YaYa - Easter of 2002

I've now decided to add yet another burden to my world and dedicate part of this blog to occasionally recreating the 9 years with my wife/3 years with the kids prior to Slapinions founding.

I doubt it will come to much, but I'll make the occasional effort.

Here are some pics of YaYa circa Easter of 2002, when she was roughly six months old.

If I remember correctly (and Lisa, feel free to update in the comments if I'm wrong) these were taken at the Picture People at Mayfair. We strongly expressed our confidence in YaYa NOT peeing for the middle shot (which was sans diaper) but of course she went ahead and leaked up a storm!

You know, she looks a lot like Lauren . . .

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What's this Blog's Reading Level?

Oh, excuse me - must use the AOL vocab of 'Journal' instead of blog, my mistake.

I found a link to this while surfing on Blog Explosion. I'm not very happy with the results, tho' to quote Hawthorne "Easy reading is hard writing"

                                       

Update: hmm, for whatever reason the link on the picture isn't working. Here's a URL to the site http://www.criticsrant.com/bb/reading_level.aspx

Family Guy - How's that Novel you're working on?

I love this scene and laughed my a** off . . so true of so many 'writer's', myself included.

                           

Stewie Griffin: How you uh, how you comin' on that novel you're working on? Huh? Got a a big, uh, big stack of papers there? Got a, got a nice litte story you're working on there? Your big novel you've been working on for three years? Huh? Got a, got a compelling protagonist? Yeah? Got a obstacle for him to overcome? Huh? Got a story brewing there? Working on, working on that for quite some time? Huh? Yeah, talking about that three years ago. Been working on that the whole time? Nice little narrative? Beginning, middle, and end? Some friends become enemies, some enemies become friends? At the end your main character is richer from the experience? Yeah? Yeah? No, no, you deserve some time off.

Quote of the Day

I was at a school development committee meeting, and near the end of it we all began to chat for awhile. The subject of kid's names came up (one woman having named her son  Tamburlaine after a Christopher Marlowe play).

I mentioned that we had once considered the name "Lydia" for a daughter, and that it was a name we both liked to this day.

"Why didn't you go with it then?" one woman asked.

"Because of what they'd call her on the playground," I said. "It'd be Clymidia this, Clymidia that".

In retrospect, as Conan O'Brien would say in a mock Spinal tap accent "Innappropriate!", esp. at a Catholic school meeting.

'Least I wasn't the one to later repeat the Seinfeld "Dolores rhymes with . . " gag at the same meeting.