Rocks, Paper, Scissors

I just read this post on Political Crossfire Forums by Igotmilk™ about Rocks, Paper, Scissors that really got me thinking. Which one would I choose?

My choice is paper. Think about. How would you start a fire without paper? And there never would have been newspapers, books, comics or porno magazines without paper.

Then there's rocks. Rocks suck. I mean, what can you do with a rock? Hit stuff? Throw it at things? Ever get one in your shoe? Besides, rocks just lie there and look stupid when you aren't hitting stuff or throwing them at things.

Scissors you say. Forget about it. I mean, they are just plain trouble. Have you ever fell running with scissors? That's a stupid question, of course not, because you'd be dead if you fell running with scissors and wouldn't be reading this. And if you didn't die, your mom would have whooped your ass for running with them. Scissors are just plain trouble. So I say stay away from scissors.

Oh yeah, I forgot toilet paper. Now where would we be without toilet paper? You know where? All smelly and with a rash on our ass, that's where. Paper rules.

Which one do you choose?

Rocks, Paper, Scissors?

Give your opinion Rocks Paper Scissors

Current results

Rocks, Paper, Scissors

I just read this post on Political Crossfire Forums by Igotmilk™ about Rocks, Paper, Scissors that really got me thinking. Which one would I choose?

My choice is paper. Think about. How would you start a fire without paper? And there never would have been newspapers, books, comics or porno magazines without paper.

Then there's rocks. Rocks suck. I mean, what can you do with a rock? Hit stuff? Throw it at things? Ever get one in your shoe? Besides, rocks just lie there and look stupid when you aren't hitting stuff or throwing them at things.

Scissors you say. Forget about it. I mean, they are just plain trouble. Have you ever fell running with scissors? That's a stupid question, of course not, because you'd be dead if you fell running with scissors and wouldn't be reading this. And if you didn't die, your mom would have whooped your ass for running with them. Scissors are just plain trouble. So I say stay away from scissors.

Oh yeah, I forgot toilet paper. Now where would we be without toilet paper? You know where? All smelly and with a rash on our ass, that's where. Paper rules.

Which one do you choose?

Rocks, Paper, Scissors?

Give your opinion Rocks Paper Scissors

Current results

Alone...

I was watching the Indy 500 today and thought about how alone I am now. It's almost like Barbara wasn't here anymore and Brian moved out.

Even though Barbara is still hanging in there, she spends most of her time in bed sleeping or just laying there staring. Even if I get her out into the living room to sit in her chair, she pretty much justs sits and stares or sleeps. It's been like that for awhile now.

My son Brian is still living with us, but he works 6 days a week, from 2 in the afternoon till 10:30 at night. Then he usually goes out. I might get to see him if I stay up late enough, and on the weekend before he leaves for work, but the conversations are short.

You know, it's weird not actually being alone, but being alone.

Memorial Day is Tomorrow

No matter what you think about the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, or the wars in the past, please stop tomorrow for a few minutes to pay respect to the men and women that have given their lives for their country.

I just finished reading a thread on Political Crossfire that brought me to tears. The things they were saying was very touching, especially to an old veteran like myself.

I guess you know I served in Vietnam for a short time, before I was wounded. When I came home, I caught some flack from time to time about my time as a grunt in Vietnam. It was a bad feeling to have to hear people say those things against me and against the war. I didn't deserve being spoken to that way, because I had nothing to with starting the bloody thing.

I was frigging drafted.

What was I supposed to do, move to Canada? That was completely out of the question because everything important to me was here.

Maybe I should have gone to prison for refusing to go? WTF would that of solved?

So into the military I went. Just like my brother, my father and all three of my uncles.

So do me a favor tomorrow, think about the vets that have lost their lives in the service of our country. I would appreciate it.

Thank you in advance.

I made it on Google Japan

I installed StatCounter on my blog and found out that one visitor found me by doing a search for "btexpress" in Google Japan. My blog turned up #5 on the list. Cool, I only made this thing on April 23rd and already I'm #5 in Japan.

The New Caregiver

I have to say Sylvia has been doing an excellent job. She does all of our laundry, cleans almost the whole house, runs and unloads the dishwasher and looks after my wife very well. I mean, what else could you ask for. Right?

Wrong.

Is it asking too much to be on time, instead of 15-20 minutes late every day, which by the way I am paying $9.25/hour. (The agency gets paid by the insurance company for the other $9.25/hour for a total of $18.50/hour.)

I is too much for you to really have called the agency that you are going to be late and not just say you did? What's the matter with you, don't you think I'm going to check?

Is it too much to ask that you remember to unlock the front door before you go outside to your car so you don't lock yourself out? Yep. That's right. The women locked herself out of the house.

I had to go to a funeral mass this morning before work. Dianne's father passed away and since she is a cousin through marriage, and I work with her, I wanted to go out of respect for her. There was a funeral at the church just before Dianne's father so I waited across the street in the parking lot until they all had left.

As soon as I see Dianne, I start walking across the street and my cell phone rings. It's the agency that Sylvia works for. She's locked out and I have to go home and let her in. I go home and let her in and check on my wife. She's fine as she was sleeping. I head back to the church but by the time I get there the service is partially over, so I just head to work.

Dianne. If by any remote chance you are reading this, I'm sorry I wasn't there, but I hope you understand. Since there is no chance you are reading this, I'll see you when you get back to work and explain the whole thing. Sorry.

I'm not sad anymore

It's amazing how 15 hours and another day puts things in perspective. About the moderating. You should see what some of the other Moderators and Administrators go through. My measly issues are nothing compared to theirs. I can't get into it because it's secret shit and if I told........we'll, lets just say it wouldn't be pleasant. :(

I'm Sad

I was moderating my pea picking little heart out at the political forum I help moderate tonight/this morning, when I was questioned by one of the participants about the decision I made about locking the thread he was on. It was getting all racist and shit and someone was going to get suspended or banned real soon. So I locked it.

I have to look out for the good of the members, don't I? Any you ever have the same problem?

Why did I ever decide to moderate a forum in the first place? I mean, I could have just continue to post stupid shit and left it at that. But NO! I had to accept the Admins offer to moderate the forum. I don't even get fucking paid to do this shit.

Maybe I should just give up this Moderator jobs. I feel so restricted not being able to say slutty things and risk getting banned myself.

I was wondering

In this country, USA, you are required to take English in high school where they teach you about verbs and nouns and stuff like that. In other countries, I'm sure they have the same kind of class, but what do they call it in those other countries? I mean, do they call it French in France, and Spanish in Spain. I was just wondering.

Finally got rid of the car

I've had this Nissan sitting in my driveway for over two years. It was my sons second car. I got a warning from the town to get rid of it, register it or pay a fine. The new caregiver needed a car so I gave to to her. Her husband and brother-in-law came tonight and took it away. I wonder what Brian's going to think when he sees it gone tonight when he gets home. I neglected to tell him I was giving to her.

Death

Someone on the political forum I help to moderate, asked me to share some of personal experiences with death and dieing. If you've read some things I wrote, you already know that I was wounded in Vietnam and had an out of body experience.

I really think I died that evening, but for some reason, God was not ready to take me and I was sent back. I feel I was sent back that night, to fulfill a mission, or missions, of some kind. There are so many things I have done in my life that seem to bear that out. Like the big one I am going through now, my wife's brain cancer. Another was having my son Brian. I wonder so much about the things he will do, and the lives he will touch. All that because I didn't "die" in Vietnam.

Well, now to my story.

One of my cousins (which I hadn't had contact with for over 20 years) looked me up in the phone book one night and gave me a call sometime in 1987. She told me my Aunt Annie (my father's sister) was dieing of lung cancer and thought I would like to know. To make a long story short, I visited them a few time a week until my aunt died, which wound up to be just a couple of weeks later.

During my visits, I heard numerous stories about our younger years together. I was too young to remember much so it was nice to hear them. One funny one was about my older cousin, the hot one, playing doctor with me a few times. Maybe that's where I get it from? I sure wish I remembered that. Sorry to get side tracked.

One story my aunt told us, was the story about the night my Uncle Frank died. Frank was my father's brother. Frank was in a VA hospital in Brooklyn dieing of lung cancer. The night Frank died, my aunt woke up suddenly and saw him standing at the foot of her bed in an arch of white light. He told her he had died and that everything was okay and not to worry about him anymore. She told us that he looked the best he ever looked and was dressed in his best suit.

Next thing she knew, my grandmother appeared at his side and tried to pull Frank back into the light, but he resisted. Grandma hated Annie. Then my grandfather appeared and told my grandmother to shut up and leave Frank alone. He yelled at Grandma a lot while I was growing up. Typical old fashioned Pole. It worked, and Frank and Annie talked a little more and then Frank, Grandma and Grandpa all disappeared back into the light. The light disappeared right after they left.

A few minutes later, my four cousins, all girls, came running down the hall crying for my aunt and calling, "Daddy's dead, Daddys dead." My aunt gave them comfort the best she could. A short time later the telephone rang, it was 2:00 am. It was the VA hospital calling to give my aunt the news that Frank had died about 20 minute ago.

My aunt died a couple of weeks after I started my visits. She was so happy we had renewed our relationship, she told us toward the end, that she could now die in peace knowing the family was back together again. She died a few days later.

Her funeral was the strangest one I had ever been to. No one was depressed and the kids were running around quietly playing. Everyone was glad that she no longer was suffering and could be at peace once and for all. I think I will feel that way when my wife passes.

This whole experience made things so much more clear for me. I had the out of body experience in Vietnam and for years really didn't understand what had happened. This helped make things so much more clear for me.

I guess all I can say is, that there is a place we go after we die. I was almost sent there in 1968. A place where we are joined again with the ones we are closest too. A place that heals our wounds and makes us better again. A place we will all be one day and a place not be afraid of.

I had a new sandwich today

I was having an interesting on line discussion with Locke25 about 2:30 this morning about gross things like bleeding to death and the like, when I got hungry and made a simple ham & swiss sandwich with mayo. She gave me a few suggestions for "kicking it up a notch" and I tried a slightly modified version of it a little while ago. I really enjoyed it and thought I would share the recipe.

Ham, swiss, Miracle Whip, honey mustard, hamburger dill slices, pepper (no salt because the pickles and ham have enough of that), all on Italian bread.

Very tasty.

Thanks Locke25.

National Masturbation Month

I just found out that May is National Masturbation Month. I've missed so much already.

Masturbation Day was May 7th; I missed the actual celebration, but participated and didn't even know it.

Today is the Masturbation-A-Thon in Portland Oregon. I'm going to try to find the web cast after I get done posting here. If you live in Portland, you can participate in the Portland Masturbate-A-Thon and, can you believe it, it features Thrillhammer. Sounds like fun, and if you go, let me know how it was.

May 28th looks like the biggest day of the month. There's live event in San Francisco with an accompanying web cast. I'm sure not going to miss the web cast.

For all the details, you can find them at [http://www.masturbate-a-thon.org/]. While your there, check out the tab for links. There are a lot of very informative web sites linked to, like "How to Be Your Own Lover", "Jackin' World" and "Masturbate for Peace".

To close this entry out, I'll leave you with Masturbation Fact #4: 54% percent of men say they masturbate at least once a day.

Barbara's New Caregiver

I think the new caregiver is going to work out just fine. Her name is Sylvia.

Sylvia's first day was yesterday and shortly after she arrived, her supervisor from the agency showed up to go over things with her and make it clear what her responsibilities are. We all three sat together so it was clear to us all what she is supposed to do.

Well, I was more than a little bit surprised to find out that she is responsibile for taking care of not just Barbara, but also the parts of the house Barbara uses, or the parts Sylvia uses to take care of Barbara. Sylvia is also responsibile for doing Barbara's laundry.

That's great. You know what this means? Barbara and Sylvia use every room in the house except the den. Which means I get the entire house cleaned and dusted which is no small relief for me. (Who cares about the den.)

As far as the laundry goes, Sylvia does it all, because, "As long as I'm doing it, I don't mind doing yours and Brian's." Music to my ears. I feel a little guilty about her doing all our laundry so I'm going to offer her a little extra on the side each week as sort of a "thank you".

Yep, I think Sylvia is going to work out just fine.

"And that's all I have to say about that."
Forest Gump

Friday the 13th

Well, it's here. The day all you Triskaidekaphobiaites dread the most of all other days of the year.

How do I feel about Friday the 13th, you ask?

It means is it's Friday, and that means it's almost the weekend, and that means I don't have to get up and go to work for two days. Thta's what it means to me.

HIP, HIP, HOORAY FOR FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!!!

"And that's all I have to say about that."
Forest Gump

Sundance Online Film Festival

I just saw two excellent, short independent films at the Sundance Online Film Festival web site. I counted 31 films and animations you can see. I highly recommend you make a visit. They ask for a donation, but you don't have to, just click on by that screen.

What are you waiting for? Get going over to the web site. I promise you won't be sorry.

http://www.sundanceonlinefilmfestival.org

Free Frosty at Wendy's

I received this important alert in an email today and thought I would pass it on. I only have two Wendy's by me so my take will be limited.



ITEM: 100% FREE FROSTY - FINGER LICKING GOOD!

This weekend, Wendy's is giving away free, cool and creamy Jr. Frostys. Icy cold, chocolaty refreshment, absolutely free. No coupon needed. No purchase necessary.

http://www.wendys.com/w-1-0.shtml

(You don't think this has anything to do with the finger incident, do you? I guess giving away free ice cream is smarter than giving away free chili.)

-- Binky2@linkydinky.com

Changing Caregivers again

My wife Barbara is ill and is under the care of a hospice group which is working out very well. An angency provides a caregiver to look after Barbara while I'm at work each weekday. I had to ask the agency to find a new caregiver this morning and she starts tomorrow because the one we had, was driving me crazy.

Like most 20 year olds, she never told me when we were out of anything, or almost out. Never put a clean bag in the garbage pail. Use up the last of the toilet paper and not replace it. Would forget to tell me about telephone calls I had to return that day. She waited until I'd get home when it was too late to call. Didn't do chores she was suppose to. Etc.

Well I had enough because of a few things she didn't do yesterday after me reminding her, so this morning we had a chat and I complained.

Again like a typical 20 year old; she told me she didn't understand why I was getting so upset, she never did anything on purpose because she'd forget and all very "snippy" When I told her she worked for me and I had a right to complain, she told me she didn't work for me, she worked for the agency. The attitude continued, I told her we were just going in circles and maybe I needed to get a new caregiver. "Go ahead if that's what you want, but you'll never find anyone that does the little extras I do, she says. (Which by the way, I pay her on the side to do, like laundry). She only gets paid $10.25 per hours so the extra cash helped I'm sure.)

Being less than thrilled with my conversation with the young lady when I left this morning, I stopped at the agency on my way to work this morning. I explained the situation to the owner of the agency and requested a new caregiver. The young lady was probably surprised when her supervisor showed up today and broke the news to her. I could tell because when I got home from work this evening, she didn't look very happy. I was also a little surprised to see that the chores the caregiver was forgetting to do, were done when I got home.


Well, a new girls starts tomorrow, so I will be working at home to show her where things are, how things are done for Barbara and the like. Her supervisor will also come over first thing in the morning to go over things with her and the three of us will discuss things just so there are no more misunderstandings.

Wish me luck that this one works out, because I don't need this shit.

Have pity on me.

Trust me, what I had to do tonight I deserve your pity.

(If you want to know what I had to do before I get your pity, email me and I'll tell you, but you better have a strong stomach.)

So, do I get your pity?

Things My Mother Taught Me

I thought since Mother's Day was almost here, I would post a list of things we learn from our mothers. So when you visit, or call, dear old Mom this Mother's Day, remember to thank her for these lessons. Thank her for the ones on the list that have guided you through life, and without, life would have gone down the shitter. Then again, maybe because she taught them to you, your life went down the shitter anyway. In that case, keep your mouth shut because it's Mother's Day and she doesn't need any more of your shit to ruin the one day a year she gets a break.


1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4 My mother taught me LOGIC.
"Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"



Note: The opening paragraph was written by me. The rest came in an email from ArcaMax Publishing, Inc., and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Words of Wisdom

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

37 Years Ago Today

May 6, 1968, the day I was drafted into the good ole Uncle Sam's US Army. Yes, the old man here is a veteran of the Vietnam Conflict (conflict my ass). I didn't get to spend very much time in Vietnam as I was lucky/unlucky enough to be wounded (depending on your perspective) after just 1 month and two days.

I really do have some good memories from my stay in Vietnam. I won $10 in a bar in the Cu Chi base camp one night. I had my first sauna. I got to ride in lots and lots of helicopters. I smoked pot for the first time.

I also have some not so good memories. I got wounded, but I already said that. My first night out in the field we were rocketed. I saw my first person die (not the first person I saw dead, but the first to die). I didn't duck low enough going under some bamboo and had a nest of fire ants fall on me. (Damn can those suckers bite) I got my leg caught in a trip wire and feared for my existence until they found out it was old and not connected to anything. I stepped in a pungie pit (?) and was scared shitless until I discovered it was old and the bamboo stakes were rotten and didn't penetrate may leg.

I also had an out of body experience when I was wounded, but I can't classify that as either a good or bad experience. Bad maybe because I saw myself dead laying on the ground, or good, because I learned there is an after life. I guess you'll have to decide if it was good or bad for yourself.

Why Men Are Just Happier People

What do you expect from such simple creatures?

*Your last name stays put.
*The garage is all yours.
*Wedding plans take care of themselves.
*Chocolate is just another snack.
*You can be president.
*You can never be pregnant.
*You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
*You can wear NO T-shirt to a water park.
*Car mechanics tell you the truth.
*The world is your urinal.
*You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
*You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
*Same work, more pay.
*Wrinkles add character.
*Wedding dress $5,000. Tux rental -- $100.
*People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
*The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.
*New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle you r feet.
*One mood -- all the time.
*Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
*You know stuff about tanks.
*A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
*You can open all your own jars.
*You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
*If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
*Your underwear is $5.95 for a three-pack.
*Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
*You almost never have strap problems in public.
*Everything on your face stays its original color.
*The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
*You only have to shave your face and neck.
*You can play with toys all your life.
*Your belly usually hides your big hips.
*One wallet and one pair of shoes one color for all seasons.
*You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look
*You can "do" your nails with a pocketknife.
*You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
*You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24th in 45 minutes.

***No wonder men are happier!

Jedi Junket; Fans come out in force for convention

This is mostly for my friend Sarah, aka: Chase North.


Jedi Junket; Fans come out in force for convention
Dave Larsen

INDIANAPOLIS -- Many Star Wars fans wear their devotion on their sleeves, tailored as Jedi robes or Imperial uniforms. Bill Kinney of Fairborn displays his loyalty even more up-front, with the letters "D-AR-K S-I-D-E" tattooed across the knuckles of his hands.

Kinney, 28, is one of more than 28,000 people who were expected to attend Star Wars Celebration III, a four-day fan festival which was held April 21-24 at the Indiana Convention Center.

The event celebrates the May 19 release of Star Wars: Episode III -- The Revenge of the Sith, the sixth and final film in the legendary sci-fi saga. The first five films have grossed more than $3.4 billion theatrically worldwide.

Episode III follows Anakin Skywalker's transformation into the classic villain Darth Vader, and that of the Republic into the sinister Galactic Empire.

Kinney, clearly aligned with the Dark Side of the Force, is eager to see evil prevail.

"That's the best part of the whole thing," he said. "That's what's drawing me toward seeing it, is how it's going to bring it all up to where they take over."

Episode III is the much-anticipated payoff of the long-running series, which began with the 1977 release of the original Star Wars, now titled Episode IV -- A New Hope.

But some fans are as skittish as C-3PO aboard the Death Star about the new film, given Star Wars creator George Lucas' treatment of the franchise in recent years. In 1997, Lucas remastered the original trilogy, tweaking some scenes and adding computer- generated effects, much to fans' dismay. The first two films in the prequel trilogy, Episode I -- The Phantom Menace and Episode II -- Attack of the Clones, disappointed many of the faithful with their heavy exposition and sometimes light-hearted tone.

"I'm hoping it will tie the other two into the fourth one," said Jeff Stine, 43, of Dayton. "There's a lot of loose ends, a lot of questions in the other two movies that people go, 'Well, why did (writer-director Lucas) do that?' I hope he's put that all together."

Lucas was scheduled to conduct several question-and-answer sessions with fans on Saturday at Celebration III. It would be his first appearance at a fan event since 1987.

"They're very pretty," said Julie Burnsides, 21, of Fairborn, regarding the first two prequels. "They're not really Star Wars. They kind of got away from what made Star Wars such an epic."

Burnsides, a Wright State University student, attended Celebration III costumed as Episode II bounty hunter Zam Wesell. She is eager to see Episode III "because people are telling me that it's going to be better than Episode II, but I'm almost afraid to be excited because I was really let down by the last one."

Steve Miller of Omaha, Neb., echoed that disturbance felt among the fan force.

"I'm trying to keep my expectations down, just because the other movies haven't exactly met the over-inflated expectations," said Miller, 30, dressed as a Jedi Knight. "So just take it like what it is, and hopefully you'll see some good action and a decent story."

Florencio Lim Jr. of Pasadena, Calif., was attired as an Imperial Officer. He shared Kinney's allegiance to the Empire, as well as his desire to see it destroy the Jedi and conquer the Republic. "It will be the most depressing one, but it still will be the best one," said Lim, 40.

Episode III will carry a PG-13 rating, a first for the Star Wars films. Given such, fans such as Stine are hoping that Lucas delivers a darker film that harkens back to the original trilogy, particularly

Episode V -- The Empire Strikes Back, which many consider to be the series' high point.

"If he can just capture that feeling from Empire Strikes Back, that little bit of that darkness, or even a little bit darker, I think everybody will appreciate it a little bit more, especially the adults that have been through the series the whole time," Stine said.

Stine, a member of the 501st Legion of Stormtroopers, volunteered at Celebration III, helping with security and crowd-control attired in a white helmet and body armor.

The sprawling convention drew Star Wars fans from around the world. Members of the 501st fan club from Germany traded Garrison patches with their counterparts from Japan, attempting to broker the deal in broken English.

But such a gathering begs the question of what fans will do now that the Star Wars saga is nearing its conclusion.

"Just the fact that it is the last one, we know this is the last chance to soak it all in," said Dan Flarida, 32, of Lebanon, president of the Ohio Star Wars Collectors Club.

But Burnsides doesn't see Episode III as the end of an era. She noted that the franchise endured 16 years between trilogies, with no promise of future Star Wars movies.

"They kept it alive after the first trilogy and now with the second one I think they'll continue to keep the fan base alive," agreed Roman Sanchez, 31, of Albuquerque, N.M., who wore a Jedi robe.

As with Luke Skywalker's arrival in Episode IV, there's new hope for fans. Lucas recently announced plans to re-release all six films in 3D starting in 2007.

"I'm hoping that they will continue in some way, shape or form," said Jimmy Siokos, 33, of Davenport, Iowa. Siokos, who made a dashing Han Solo, suggested an animated or live-action Star Wars television series as possibilities, along with a computer-animated film that followed the exploits of the young Solo or Princess Leia.

"Digitally, with the animation, they could make anything they wanted to," Siokos said. "All it takes is George Lucas to give them the say-so and they could do it. I doubt he will, but I hope he does. And they're coming out with all the movies in 3D, which is great. That's good enough for me right now."

Chad Locke, 35, of Prescott, Ariz., envisions a Disney Worldlike theme park based on the Star Wars films. Locke has even drawn up plans for what he's dubbed "Lucas Land."

"Once he gets done with this film, there's no sense in putting it to bed," Locke said. "I'd like to be giving more of my money to George -- if that's possible."

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Contact Dave Larsen at 225-2419.

This news arrived on: 04/26/2005 Copyright © 2005 ArcaMax Publishing, Inc., and its licensors. All rights reserved.

You people are crazy

My wife's caregiver called in sick this morning so I couldn't go to work, and had to "work" at home today. Don't tell my boss, but I spent a good deal of time reading blogs and have come to the conclusion that bloggers are a crazy bunch and most seem to look at things in a rather twisted way. I think I'm going to like this blogging stuff.

Star Trek Test

I now know I don't know much about Star Trek.

Your Score Summary, 437
Listed as 10 times your percentage correct.

Ha ha! You don't know the difference between an Andorian and a Vulcan. Your rank suits you: you are a space cadet.

I took the Nerd test

I don't know what it's suppose to mean, but this what I scored.