Little Rocket Man Achievement...achieved...

Can't say how I'm feeling, now that I've stuck the garden gnome in the nose cone of the intercontinental ballistic missile, and sealed him in behind the hatch.

I'm nearing the end of Half Life 2, Episode 2, from The Orange Box for Xbox 360. The requirement's been met: the plaster-Plus (as in indestructible) and jolly'painted little old man I'd found at the start has adventured along with me to this moment when we will part ways. I go to fight the deciding fight against the enemy: perhaps to die and re-spawn over and over, 'til I get it right. Then He goes...where no garden gnome has gone before.

30 points. But what have I achieved, really?

Perhaps I expected I'd feel changed, emboldened even, like Amelie's retired papa seeing the point when his globe-trekking garden gnome returned home, took again its position, a still-life in his managed garden.

Perhaps after he's gone, one hundred miles high, I'll see it, and clearly. The point. I can't play too late tonight, though; can't stay up late, searching for meaning: another workweek begins come morning.

Windowsill Farming

The harvest's in. Cherry Belle radishes. Tiny Tim cherry tomatoes. From the windowsill. From plastic ice cream buckets recycled for this purpose of windowsill farming, and supermarket potting soil. South-facing window.

Vancouver’s summer 2010 essentially over mid-August: am guessing these all would’ve cooked in the south-facing window, if not for the cooler weather.

Naturally, immediately had to sample a little of this bounty. A taste. Each. The radish: satisfyingly crunchy, then the peppery note which kept building. The tomato: tangy, then slurpingly sweet; even though just a wee tomato I held between thumb and forefinger.

All of this windowsill harvest an experiment I’ve long wanted to do.

NAASSCAARRR...on TSN...Really?

What?
NASCAR?...I actually get t'see a Sunday race?
Live on TV? A 2010 Chase Race?
ESPN, which I can’t get in my pricey cable bundle, wants t’share a Chase Race with TSN in Canada?
TSN isn’t sooo preoccupied broadcasting golf and football and whatever else – TSN wants to give us NASCAR?
Wonders never cease.

It has been a few weeks since the last race I could actually see…anywhere, on the sportier channels of my pricey cable bundle. I do still recognize my Sunday buddies who turn left…there’s a relief. Happy Harvick looks happy, still. Jeff Gordon’s as ever hopeful. Mark Martin hasn’t retired. Good.

Was in such an excited hurry – rushing to catch the race from Kansas – rushing to catch an actual televised NASCAR Chase Race available to fans north of the 49th Parallel – I saved this as a draft, instead of posting it!