I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.
Edgar Allen Poe

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
- H. L. Mencken

Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so
-Bertrand Russell

What I have been telling you, from alpha to omega, what is the one great thing the sigil taught me — that everything in life is miraculous. For the sigil taught me that it rests within the power of each of us to awaken at will from a dragging nightmare of life made up of unimportant tasks and tedious useless little habits, to see life as it really is, and to rejoice in its exquisite wonderfulness. If the sigil were proved to be the top of a tomato-can, it would not alter that big fact, nor my fixed faith. No Harrowby, the common names we call things by do not matter — except to show how very dull we are ...
-James Branch Cabell

August 12, 2009 - 2:04 a.m.

A Brief History of the Zero Milestone

My computer's degradation continues. I can no longer email links from Firefox and I can't sign into Yahoo messenger. I want to buy a new computer fast. Where should I go? I want to walk into a store and come out with a computer.

Who stole my day? It seems to have disappeared. Did I do anything? I was going to go to John Platt's On Your Radar series tonight but I didn't. I hate to admit it but I have limits. I can't go out every single night. I have to stay home once in a while. My pocketbook needs that too. I don't pay for most of my music but that's one series I do.

I did break new culinary ground today. This is always somewhat embarrassing as I know that what I consider new culinary ground many of you wouldn't even consider cooking. I grade my cooking on a curve. Today was the first time I made ham steak. I didn't know how to prepare it, just that my mother used brown sugar on it and I loved that. So what did I do? I went to the internet of course. I found a recipe for a glaze made of brown sugar, horseradish, butter, and lemon juice. I don't like horse radish so I just cut that out. I replaced the lemon juice that I don't like with orange juice that I do. Instead of mixing it in a sauce pan I, blasphemy of blasphemy, used the microwave. I basted the ham every time I turned it and it came out great. Of course I still haven't done the hardest part, cleaning the grill, it is covered with caramelized brown sugar.

It was another hot day today. It didn't hit ninety but it was in the high eighties and it hasn't cooled off much. It's 82� now. Sleeping in that is the worst part of not having air conditioning. I might end up sleeping with the neck buddy on. I revived the one that wasn't working quite right. The congealed gel degealed. I'm going to get AC this week too. So much for waiting for the prices to come down at the end of the summer. In the mean time cold showers help. The mist setting of my shower is a godsend. I just popped in before writing this. It revived me beautifully.

I have my Washington DC photos up. I also have some videos.

Yes I go to Washington DC and the only videos I took were of coral. I think it's pretty cool actually.

Now for some pictures. We'll start with some animals at the zoo. Do you know what this is?

Saying a horse is not good enough. It's a Przewalski's horse from Mongolia.



They have dinosaurs in the reptile house?


Arrrrgggghhh!


Panda's were invented by FAO Schwartz


Joe Biden's house at the Naval Observatory


Me and my friend Winston Churchill

Michelle Obama's House

I was in DC to play bridge. This was my team for the Bracketed KO. That's Roy on the right, I forgot the names of the others. I'm terrible.

Now for the most important photo.

What is that I'm touching? It's the greatest monument in Washington DC, the Zero Milestone. You never heard of it? You're not impressed by it's looks? That's because you don't know its power. It is the in The Ellipse, across the street from the White House. It is placed there because it is in reality the world's most sophisticated defense system, capable of protecting the White House from all possible attacks. Missiles aren't even a challenge for it. High powered beams of top secret composition would destroy any conceivable attack. That's the least of it. You know that 50's movie where the flying saucers attack Washington DC and one of them cuts the Washington Monument in half? The Zero Milestone would never let that happen in real life. It wouldn't destroy them with its beams of destruction either. It doesn't kill when it doesn't have to. No, it would release another beam that would make the aliens nice and not want to attack us. If an asteroid were to strike DC the Zero Milestone would create a force field dome to protect it. It's powers are unimaginable so I can't imagine all of them.

How do I know all this? Back in the day, I think it was 1992 I went to Washington with Carey and Ira. We saw all the usual sites and on the map we noticed the Zero Milestone. As we neared it on the Ellipse, without saying a word to each other we simultaneously started running and raced to be the first to touch it. It's secret powers were then miraculously revealed to us as we discussed why we acted like 5-year-olds. I had Roy take that picture just to show Carey so he'd be jealous. You should feel privileged that I shared the secrets of the Zero Milestone with you. Next time you are in DC make sure to pay homage to it.

Take a look at the rest of the album.
Washington DC: The Zoo, Monuments, and the NABCs



I signed the Pro-Truth Pledge:
please hold me accountable.





Memories: Not that Horrid Song - May 29, 2018
Wise Madness is Now In Session - May 28, 2018
The NFL and the First Amendment - May 27, 2018
On The Road Again - May 26, 2018
Oliver the Three-Eyed Crow - May 25, 2018



creative commons
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Horvendile August 12, 2009
site search by freefind advanced


Follow on Feedly



about me - read my profile! read other DiaryLand diaries! recommend my diary to a friend! Get your own fun + free diary at DiaryLand.com!