By Erik France on 7/30/2008 7:29 AM

I was thinking last night about some of the cartoons I watched as a kid.  One of my favorites was Animaniacs.  Here are some classic lines from the two best mice in the business:

The Brain: Are you pondering what I'm pondering?
Pinky: I think so Brain, but burlap chafes me so.

The Brain: Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?
Pinky: I think so, but where will we find an open tattoo parlor at this time of night?

The Brain: Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?
Pinky: Well, I think so Brain, but if we didn't have ears, we'd look like weasels.

The Brain: Are you pondering what I'm pondering?
Pinky: I think so, Brain, but if the plural of mouse is mice, wouldn't the plural of spouse be spice?

By Erik France on 7/29/2008 9:12 PM

I had not heard about this, but take a look at Gizmodo's "first glimpse" article on Lego Universe.  I did not know anything about this MMOG (that's Massively Multi-player Online Game for those who do not know) but it looks really cool.  I will have to do more research, and maybe buy this game.

After all of the time I spent in Blockland, Lego Universe should totally rock!

By Erik France on 7/24/2008 12:21 PM

Today I grabbed a quarter out of my pocket and it made me think a bit.  I remember growing up and being told by my parents I should try to always have a quarter with me so I could call for help at a pay phone in an emergency.

What kid today will be told to carry a quarter in case of an emergency?  Cell phones dominate the landscape and quarters can be found all over.  So, statistically speaking, it is the pay phone which will be hard to find.  In fact, I am not sure if pay phones even still exist out there in the wild, but I bet they are a very rare beast indeed.

So, after realizing the quarters life lesson will not be taught to my children, I began to wonder what other things my kids will not know.  There are the obvious historical references which they will not know about.  But what social habits or cultural things will they look back and say, "You did that?!?"  I guess recent history says I do not have to worry about those 80's fashions as they may be back in vogue by the time my kids are teenagers.

...

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By Erik France on 7/7/2008 1:39 PM

I spent the weekend with my dad working on bathrooms.  It seemed like such an easy thing to do.  Afterall, we only had to put down new floors. But I learned a full day of cutting carpets, lifting vynil flooring rolls, and crawling on your knees can really put a price on your muscles and back. 

So I have once again said to myself, "Time to get into better shape!"

Now to put my mind to it and actually go out in the early morning to do my exercises.  I had been doing a good job of waking up early and getting used to that again.  Now I am sleeping in until 5:45 or 6:00.  That's too late for me to begin much of a workout as my children are awake within 20 - 35 minutes.

But this week is the week.  I am committing myself to this and I will begin to exercise so I can get back to a healthier status.

By Erik France on 7/7/2008 1:32 PM

The other day I ate at a restaurant which hands out fortune cookies.  My fortune spoke to me of playing more Guild Wars, especially Eye of the North.  However, Julie is not so sure.  The fortune read:

Explore the backroads of the north with a new friend.

So, what do you think?  Am I right or what?

By Erik France on 7/2/2008 2:59 PM

I know Scott had this up on Monday, but I just saw it. This fun stuff is by Tim Hawkins.

By Erik France on 7/1/2008 2:02 PM

The headline may be a bit much, but I bet it caught your attention. :-)

Over the past few weeks I have been watching as birds continue to fly through our neighborhood.  Normally I find their presence quit appealing as I like to watch the birds.  Hailey also likes to point out the birds in my yard, which is fun because you do not know if he "DA!" means:

Dad! There's something in the yard. Man, look at that bird! Oh my!  Do you see the size of that bunny?! Anyway, the birds are not necessarily the problem.  Their poop is.

It is on my swing set, bushes, the swings themselves, my grill, toy shed, and multiple places along the fence.  That's just the back yard!

Last week I looked at the second story windows and noticed a barrage of "bird shots" near the window.  Now, this window is under the roof's overhang, so getting a "shot" in there is rather remarkable.

This morning I walked to my car and noticed the birds have managed to pepper it with several different types of ammo.  The worst...

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By Erik France on 6/30/2008 8:15 AM

While looking at comics this morning -- and yes, I still read the comics! -- I came across one which really made me sit up and pay attention.

I learned that Blizzard has announced Diablo III.  WOW!!  Yeah, WOW and not WoW!

By Erik France on 4/22/2008 12:04 PM

If you have not checked out the Photos tab on the site in a while, please do.  I finally have taken some time to update the Photobucket.com albums I have.  So now you can see some new pictures of the France clan.

By Erik France on 4/18/2008 2:03 PM

A co-worker told me this the other day.  I loved the definition and had to share it.

Stress:  The confusion created when the mind overrides the body's desire to choke the living daylights out of someone who desperately deserves it.