Amusing links, serious links, and a bit of plans

From hrodvitnir: ( Russian army deployed in beer rescue. )

From djkangal: So You Have to Hire a Wedding DJ -- FAQ.

From reabhecc: LotR RPG

Also from reabhecc: Spellcasting 101: Don't Try This at Home.
Demonbuster also tells us that we should never burn candles or wear cologne, perfume or any clothing with a paisley print, so they must know what they're talking about.  Bold statements like those are never made by crackpots, after all.

So, I'm going to settle this for everyone.  I am going to take my Harry Potter books and my Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook and attempt to cast the arcane spells contained within, all in the name of science, and at great risk to my body and soul.

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weeping_angel on marriage, relationships, and stupidity. Themes: The state has no place defining the religious institution of marriage and vice versa, and marriage in the eyes of the community, not the state.

From skamille: Nation of Second Guesses; or, When is increased choice a bad thing?; or, Why Bush's pervasive policy of increased availability of choices in health care, retirements, education, and a host of other issues is inherently flawed.

Current music: Do you trust a creed that claims to set you free / By spending half a lifetime begging on your knees?

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Today at work, a lot of people were leaving early for a four-day weekend--Monday is Australia Day. Chances are, I'll be working tomorrow, Saturday, and Monday. Ah well.
However, later this evening is pool at North with Jillian/Oscar/etc, and tomorrow night's dinner at Latebra is kangaroo lasagne. Woo!

Pancake Parlour &c

Joined Jillian and Kit at North for a couple rounds of pool (I won!) and a drink (James Squire Pale Ale, this time), then we went to the Pancake Parlour. Interesting place--fully licensed restaurant, specializing in pancakes--go figure--but those pancakes could come with steak as easily as with cinnamon apples, for instance. Alternately, crepes, blintzes, coffees, and ice creams are all available, in an underground restaurant rife with early-1900s-style art on the walls and menus, as well as a chess set with pieces easily 6-8" high. :)

On the table was a newspaper talking about Bush's SotUA, so we all poked fun at that and at American politics and policies in general, and I was greatly pleased by Sen. John Kerry's comment wondering what world Bush was talking about. (Alas, I can't find that quote at the moment.)

After that, sat around North for a bit longer--pool table unavailable, alas--and helped a guy push another guy's stalled car out of an intersection. Unfortunately, it was an automatic, so there was no "drop the clutch in second" to get it going again.

Tomorrow, dinner at Latebra and outing to Tilley's; Saturday night, Cube--another club, one that I haven't been to yet.

Update to last post: Russian army beer rescue relayed out of the locked post I linked to. :)

Update to this post, 1am: Offloaded the latest picture from my camera to Nikon View and iPhoto, touched up and de-red-eyed* a few, stitched a panorama of sailboats on Lake Burley Griffin, upgraded Gallery Remote from 1.2.1b4 to 1.3b18, and still haven't uploaded a damn thing. :)

* iPhoto's red-eye reduction is pretty good, but only if the eyes are sharply red--otherwise the dark grey it replaces the red with spills into other parts of the face/photo. :)