So long, Torino.

Snow day pics

My mom's in Costa Rica right now. My dad thought we'd send her snapshots of us with Jolly the family dog. He's very dear to her, like her 2nd son or something. But since it doesn't snow often here, Jolly isn't used to it. He was so distracted we couldn't get him to look at the camera. *nudge* *nudge* No luck. :)

A nod to Jake.

Regarding Ridor's blog and the comments: he made mistakes. Was he a horrible person? No. To those who weren't aware of his flaws, he was the greatest guy. To a few who were, he was Judas. But I believe he was the type who'd learn from his mistakes and eventually become a better man.

Jake and I had an unusual friendship, I guess. We didn't hang out that much—we had different friends or something—but we still managed to go through pretty wild stuff together and got to know each other.

Instead of dwelling on the tragic circumstances surrounding his death, it's better to honor somebody's life by remembering the good moments and his best traits. This guy did a good job. And to look at him in action, go to Ridor's blog and scroll down a bit for a video clip.

I'm certain almost everyone who knew him, considered him as one of the best people to chat with ever. A convo with him could go anywhere.

You can see his sense of humor in the snippets of old IM convos below. Although I hadn't read comics in ages, sometimes we'd pass time by coming up with absurd superheroes and villains. One day we discovered that both of us thought male models were hilarious. He'd have liked 'Zoolander'. The topic spilled over to those IM chats, spread over his last few months. It's amazing how he stayed sharp through all that chemotherapy crap.

Hope the afterlife's good to you, Jake. You're missed.

DaBamoor: a crime fighting gang composed of male models
JesterSuperhero7: they comes in various male-model stereotypes
JesterSuperhero7: latex - grunge - preppy - etc
DaBamoor: italian
JesterSuperhero7: and the classic johnny depp bad boy type male model
DaBamoor: all-american blond boy
JesterSuperhero7: leather jacket, stoic, angry eyes
DaBamoor: always petulant
JesterSuperhero7: with his lips curled
JesterSuperhero7: unshaven
DaBamoor: aye
JesterSuperhero7: would be hilarious if all male-models are of 80's stereotype
JesterSuperhero7: goatee, dimples
JesterSuperhero7: they snort coke
JesterSuperhero7: speed, valium, etc
DaBamoor: 80s male model stereotype includes goatees and dimples?
JesterSuperhero7: that's for the gucci guy
DaBamoor: wouldnt know, i never noticed male models during the 80s ha
DaBamoor: yeah drug use.. gay orgies
JesterSuperhero7: oh yeah - don't forget to include a clean shaven african-american male model with high cheekbones
JesterSuperhero7: and slim nose
DaBamoor: and exquiste lips
JesterSuperhero7: heh yea
DaBamoor: i always see this same model
DaBamoor: i forgot his name
JesterSuperhero7: yeah with chestnut eyes
DaBamoor: and a body building model
JesterSuperhero7: A Crime Fighter Formerly Known As Prince
DaBamoor: he ll be constantly striking body builder poses
JesterSuperhero7: heh heh
DaBamoor: he cant go a second without contracting a group of muscle
JesterSuperhero7: he cracks walnuts between his pecs.
DaBamoor: yeah
JesterSuperhero7: his code name: Steelbrick.
DaBamoor: the movie starts with a male modeling drought that put male models out of business
JesterSuperhero7: real name: brock.

JesterSuperhero7: definitely a victim of oppression: a black, deaf, lesbian, and crippled woman.
DaBamoor: yeah i know such a woman... not a cripple tho
DaBamoor: u know her? a very short black woman? she walks funny tho.. maybe she s a cripple
JesterSuperhero7: yea the miss leather of baltimore
DaBamoor: miss leather?
JesterSuperhero7: u know that short black lesbian woman?
JesterSuperhero7: she won a contest - something to do with leather
DaBamoor: really?
JesterSuperhero7: yea
DaBamoor: deaf right? with short hair?
JesterSuperhero7: yea
JesterSuperhero7: "butch" type
DaBamoor: so what s the contest? she whips somebody up or ?
DaBamoor: or the best looking in leather?
JesterSuperhero7: i dunno. i assume the latter.
DaBamoor: haha if she was the best looking, i shudder to think what the other contestants looked like
DaBamoor: but yeah it did occur to me that she was a member of practically every minority
JesterSuperhero7: heh yea
DaBamoor: we can safely say there s no one like her ha
JesterSuperhero7: she's an unique cat, yea
DaBamoor: how abt a character that is a member of every single minority possible
DaBamoor: deaf, woman, black, lesbian, blind, wheelchair-confined, retarded
DaBamoor: and...she's a crimefighter!
JesterSuperhero7: with fusion-powered wheelchair
DaBamoor: "she can't hear, see, walk, think, but boy can she do everything else!"
JesterSuperhero7: heh
DaBamoor: yep
JesterSuperhero7: she has problem with obesity, too
DaBamoor: maybe even have a special team-up comic, featuring her and the crime-fighting male models
DaBamoor: yeah obesity
JesterSuperhero7: hahahahah
DaBamoor: she s also an albino
JesterSuperhero7: yea albino!
DaBamoor: so she s rejected by the black community
DaBamoor: a midget as well
JesterSuperhero7: crikey, yes!
DaBamoor: she s a beige blob on wheels
JesterSuperhero7: poor gal
JesterSuperhero7: what's her power?
JesterSuperhero7: iron will to overcome oppression? the power of ADA behind her?
DaBamoor: heh
DaBamoor: "the ADA guy" is her sidekick
JesterSuperhero7: harvard-educated lawyer by day, crime-fighting sidekick by night.

DaBamoor: one character quits the group due to vanity, something like "crime-fighting is rough on my nails"
JesterSuperhero7: heh good one
JesterSuperhero7: use the classic comix book cover with a model walking away with suitcase, saying "i quit." while the remaining team standing in semi-circle looking sullen.
DaBamoor: heh yeah
JesterSuperhero7: what type of villianry do they combat against?
DaBamoor: or like that stupid "you...you're an alcoholic, green arrow?" cover u told me abt except that..
DaBamoor: it's "you...you're NOT a coke addict?"
JesterSuperhero7: hahahaha
JesterSuperhero7: we cld have a storyline where a male-model, who everybody assumed was homosexual, but is....NOT!
DaBamoor: haha yeah
DaBamoor: they could battle the homo-converting jehovah witnessers
JesterSuperhero7: the revelation was made in the middle of battle
JesterSuperhero7: everybody, even the villains, stopped, stunned.
DaBamoor: the villains were winning, abt to defeat the male models... when one model made the revelation...
JesterSuperhero7: haha yea
DaBamoor: the villains are so stunned that they are unable to fight
DaBamoor: that s their secret weapon... 'the revelation'... it works every time until tabloids get ahold of the info and make it front page stuff, with huge headlines
DaBamoor: cuz of that, they lost that power, cuz everyome knows abt it
JesterSuperhero7: hahaha
DaBamoor: so they have to resort to other measures
JesterSuperhero7: one of 'em said, "Perhaps we should, like, you know....actually fight?"

DaBamoor: and how abt...
DaBamoor: a romance novel cover model?
JesterSuperhero7: yeahhh!
JesterSuperhero7: Lucius Lionheart
DaBamoor: a muscular guy with long flowing wavy hair
JesterSuperhero7: holding the damesls, her bosoms rising, against his massive pecs.
JesterSuperhero7: yeahh he's the romance novel cover male model
JesterSuperhero7: like fabio heh
DaBamoor: yeah or a brooding type
JesterSuperhero7: exotic looking
DaBamoor: u know, the stranger who knocks on a female's door during a rainy night in wales
JesterSuperhero7: ha yea
DaBamoor: and comes in to warm up before the fireplace
JesterSuperhero7: "...she longed to touch his chiseled jaws..."
JesterSuperhero7: "...his golden lock, dampened, clenched to the glistening sweatdrops on his furrowed brows..."
JesterSuperhero7: "...a gasp escaped her throat when Lucius grasped her neck, firmly but tenderly, and bring her against his bronzen chest..."
JesterSuperhero7: that cheesy romance novel style
DaBamoor: hahaha
JesterSuperhero7: anyway, that's how i pictured the bodybuilder
DaBamoor: he's obsessed with his image to his female fans
DaBamoor: he's always like "my female fans this and that"
DaBamoor: "this wouldnt look good to my female fans"
JesterSuperhero7: hahaha
DaBamoor: also prolly gay but he hides it cuz of his "female fans"
JesterSuperhero7: ha yeah
JesterSuperhero7: i like that
DaBamoor: or...
DaBamoor: he's the over the top ultimate ideal man for women
DaBamoor: he writes poetry, is an excellent cook, the whole shit..
DaBamoor: he's obsessed with finding his soulmate
DaBamoor: he's a ROMANTIC, with cap letters
JesterSuperhero7: not bad hha haha
DaBamoor: other guys will find him sitting outside, gazing at stars.. and ask him what he s thinking
DaBamoor: he ll always answer with something like "i'm wondering what my soulmate's doing at this moment"
JesterSuperhero7: hahaHAHAHAha
DaBamoor: as occasional subplots, he ll date women
DaBamoor: but they always fall short of his expectations
JesterSuperhero7: and he's a virgin
DaBamoor: even women who are great in everything... inevnitably they ll do something wrong in his eyes
DaBamoor: virgin? that s a possibility
JesterSuperhero7: yea cld do that
DaBamoor: he always have this "lost in thought" look on his eyes
JesterSuperhero7: i had a romance novel cover model in mind, but had'nt gone deep into personality. i like the ROMANTIC one
JesterSuperhero7: it'll be damn hilarious

DaBamoor: J.D. the all american model's always carrying and tossing a football simply cuz "hey i look good doing it"
JesterSuperhero7: hahaha
DaBamoor: always fake laughing
DaBamoor: u know those ads?
DaBamoor: those jocks are always laughing
DaBamoor: throwing themselves back.. usually lying on the grass
JesterSuperhero7: yeah i know what your'e talking about
JesterSuperhero7: abercrombie & fitch models
JesterSuperhero7: hilfiger
JesterSuperhero7: he can stroll in underwear and still look like he's having good time
JesterSuperhero7: like those undie ads
JesterSuperhero7: with tshirt tucked into the briefs
DaBamoor: he always try hard to look as if he s having a good time, no matter what, even in a funeral
JesterSuperhero7: and a murder scene
DaBamoor: no matter where he is, he looks as if he s on a & f or hilfiger ad
DaBamoor: heh yeah
JesterSuperhero7: we shd have a mastermind behind the crimefighters
JesterSuperhero7: a prof x of the group.
JesterSuperhero7: an aging fashion magazine publisher, retired.
JesterSuperhero7: or anonymous voice who calls himself Publisher Emeritus

Kajetemo: yea he's quite a character
Kajetemo: a romance novel cover model heh
Kajetemo: i havent' seen a character like that
DaBamoor: yup he s an original
Kajetemo: a benjamin moore/jake temby original
Kajetemo: do u remember the names of other characters?
Kajetemo: the rebel, the african american hotshot, the rugby player...?
DaBamoor: hmm
DaBamoor: the rebel.. a morose brooding luke perry/ johnny depp type right?
Kajetemo: yea
Kajetemo: judd nelson of "the breakfast club"
DaBamoor: i dont catch that
DaBamoor: dunno judd nelson
Kajetemo: 80's flick
Kajetemo: but let's stick with luke perry/johnny depp
DaBamoor: ok ha
DaBamoor: the gay one.. the pretty boy.. women claw at him but they cant have him
DaBamoor: maybe he isnt gay but only looks and acts like it? remmy the cover "(gasp) u...arent homosexual?"
DaBamoor: the figure standing in the doorway with that demi-gay guy in bed with a woman in a darkened room
Kajetemo: oh yeah
Kajetemo: the non-gay homosexual
DaBamoor: heh.. but maybe in the end, it turns out it was just a horrible misunderstanding and he IS gay after all
Kajetemo: yeah he'll say soemthing like "yes, i'm gay, but that's not who i am."
Kajetemo: i like the idea of making him gay, non-gay type
DaBamoor: it ll be a great mystery.. everyone ll be trying to figure what he is
DaBamoor: one moment, seems like he s gay, next he isnt! ha
Kajetemo: yea ...we cld carry a "maybe he is, maybe he ain't" aura on him
Kajetemo: heh great minds think alike
Kajetemo: he's not quite...bisexual either :-)
DaBamoor: and not asexual either ha
DaBamoor: finally in one issue, in the last panel
DaBamoor: he finally tells the gang "OK enough of this, im gonna give this straight to u, im..." end of issue
Kajetemo: or we cld have him about to reveal his sexuality but keeps getting interrupted by villains
DaBamoor: haha that d be perfect
Kajetemo: we cld have a post-party morning-after scene with other models gathering at breakfast table
Kajetemo: the latin one is late...then his bedroom door opens and a man walks out, then a woman...
Kajetemo: the boys stare at latin dude and he says "nothing happend." and left it at that
DaBamoor: hahaha
DaBamoor: maybe the truth is, he's "autosexual".. he considers himself the only one on this planet good enuff to fuck.. since he cant, he remains celibate.. but he dreams of the day he ll be able to clone himself
Kajetemo: yea he's in love with himself
DaBamoor: he even sends lawyers and writes letters to senators to fight the anti-cloning bill
Kajetemo: i like that
DaBamoor: he eventually succeeds cloning himself but the clone, of course, turns out to be evil
Kajetemo: ooo i like that
Kajetemo: and the evil one turned out to be....homosexual
DaBamoor: that d mean the guy d still be able to fuck the clone?
Kajetemo: i guess so :-)
Kajetemo: so if enrique wants to fuck the male clone of himself, that'd make him a homosexual?
Kajetemo: since it's not really enrique, but another male, meaning that techinically he's not fucking himself?
DaBamoor: heh
Kajetemo: the guy enrique sees in mirror is enrique, but the clone is not enrique, never mind the fact they got same dna pattern
DaBamoor: elementary school ought to pose this question to students to enhance logical problem solving
Kajetemo: heh yea
Kajetemo: the male models cld have this discussion...
Kajetemo: that'd be interesting :-)
DaBamoor: haha yeah
Kajetemo: they cld do that while costumed and fighting henchmen
Kajetemo: one of the henchman, who apparently follows enrique's career, would say "he's gay!?"
Kajetemo: while parrying lucien's punch, then they carry on with the discussion
DaBamoor: while somebody pipes up a counterargument
DaBamoor: and so forth yeah
Kajetemo: yeah yeah
Kajetemo: that'll be hilarious
DaBamoor: one villain..
Kajetemo: so we got 5 guys: lucien, enrique, the blonde, the african american hotshot, and of course, the rebel
DaBamoor: The Humiliator.. his slogan: i relieve people of the burden of dignity
Kajetemo: heh
DaBamoor: his special power: to make people involuntarily pass gas
Kajetemo: oh the shame!
DaBamoor: even the prez during a national TV speech
DaBamoor: and make people say exactly what they think
DaBamoor: everythging on their minds.. they cant stop it
Kajetemo: he holds america ransom... if they don't pay him billions dollar, he'll make the prez pass gas...get this... in public!
DaBamoor: ha
Kajetemo: that'd make a funny cover
DaBamoor: well maybe after he proved his powers to the prez, he scares him shitless by saying "i can do the same to u. u'll helplessly pass gas for the rest of ur public career. u'll be known as "(insert unflattering nickname)".. and the prez's "NO! NOOOOO!"
Kajetemo: ha yeah...the prez with his his hands clenching high in air
Kajetemo: for some reason , i pictured the prez looking like william shatner
DaBamoor: ha yea
DaBamoor: we show the dangers the humiliator poses by showing a small town he attacked
DaBamoor: a small snooty WASPy town in conn.. when he was done with it, people were running around naked and hurling feces like apes
Kajetemo: hahaha
DaBamoor: in the end, after CFMM won, the moral lesson, as one of the models solemnly put it, "relieving ourselves a bit of dignity can actually be a good thing, but not too much of it."
Kajetemo: heh heh heh
DaBamoor: maybe after every battle, there s a moral lesson
Kajetemo: at the beginning of that issue, one of the models would mention "why isn't my life like a 80's tv shows?"
Kajetemo: "what do you mean?"
Kajetemo: "they always laugh at a corny joke at the end of the show."
DaBamoor: heh
Kajetemo: then after one of the model say that joke, the last panel wld of them laughing
Kajetemo: then maybe add the credit roll
DaBamoor: yeah
Kajetemo: we need a charles xavier type - a mentor
Kajetemo: he shld be the guy/gal who organizes the group
Kajetemo: a transexual, perhaps
DaBamoor: ha
DaBamoor: ex-porn actor
Kajetemo: heh not bad
Kajetemo: the burn-out ex-porn actor from 70's
Kajetemo: always boasted of good ol' days when everything's pure
DaBamoor: "im weary of fleshly pleasures. i seek something more"
DaBamoor: ok i better hit the sack.. i gotta get up at 630 am for work
DaBamoor: im tempted to continue this discussion, but i...must depart from ur company
Kajetemo: i....understand completely.
DaBamoor: away i go to the sweet night
Kajetemo: laterade gatorade

One of the courses I'm taking is psycholinguistics. Interesting so far. ASL (any sign language really) is far from being the only language with a very flexible word order in grammar. In English, the word order mostly determines the meaning of a sentence (i.e. a python swallows a teacup chihuahua vs. a teacup chihuahua swallows a python). But in many languages, Russian for example, the word order doesn't matter. How words end (affixes) does. In that sense, ASL is more similar to them than English.

Looking at ASL from lingustic perspective makes me respect it more. It has many unique features that aren't possible for spoken languages, like being able to convey more than one concept or action simultaneously.

Taking a scuba class. I've heard enough about it from friends to decide it's worthwhile. It's been fun. The hardest part so far is learning to swim with flippers. Normally when I swim, I thrust my legs. I don't "flutter". I've never fluttered in my life. I like the feeling of propelling myself with powerful kicks. That habit's gonna die hard.

I. King Jordan's the instructor's assistant. More on that later.