2 0 8 4:M i s s i v e 27

"We've been expecting you."

As far as welcomes go, that which the avatar told me was right up there with the most welcoming of opening lines.

Still, though, it made me wonder *exactly * what the voice meant by its proclamation.  After all, it was 2084 ... and I had arrived in Old Orleans only by the power of the time travel via the app in my cell phone.  Did it really know that I would be showing up in the manner in which I arrived ... or was it just being polite?

"My grandfather knew you well."

For the first time since I slid into the seat of the sex-porium I suspected that my debriefing to expect to be put in touch with the local faction of the Intransigents was on point.

"You and he drove across the country together.  Out of Florida.  Through Winston Falls.  To Chicago.  Many many hours spent side by side, charged, as you both were at that time, with keeping Gator safe."

"Mattie?"  I whispered in reply.  "Is that really you?"

"Mattie was my grandfather," came the response.  "And *his* stories became my history," the shadow in the screen continued.

"Your reputation precedes you!" it said excitedly.  "And your ability to transcend time was foretold.  It is both my honor and my privilege to meet with you again."

"Me you too," I muttered.  After all -- what could I say?  My arrival in 2084 was somewhat sudden and unexpected.  Yet somehow the representation in front of me knew my lineage ... and he knew that I would one day, generations later, be standing in front of him in Old Orleans.

And so began my interaction with the progeny of my closest friend ... an interaction about which there is much to tell ... but a tale that I can only tell on the last day of the month next, when the VitalNet is updating and I can take advantage of a loophole to contact you via Troy's social media of 2018.

Until that opportunity presents itself, I remain Ilion in 2084, brought to the future via Troy in 2018's social media account ... as hosted by t1a7n72.lif., the remnants of my soul in the future.  Stay safe.  Be careful.  Take care of one another.  And keep your eyes open for your loved ones - in the future though it might be.

Random Memorial for Monday 4/30/18

Gone but not forgotten:  Janet.  (Ms. Jackson if you're nasty.)

Yep, there's another cassette in the trash can tonight because we already also have the CD in the music collection.

Tonight, it's Michael's little sister -- a star in her own right (even if she tricks Arab baby daddies into giving her the one little thing that she couldn't have [and yes, this is a shout out to Heart]) ... and there's nothing quite representative of the late 80's/early 90's (the era when I grew up) than 'That's the Way Love Goes'.

In other words ... 'like a moth to the flame fueled by the fire ..."

YOUR LOVE IS BLIND, CAN'T YOU SEE MY DESIRE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpQ88a6zy8E

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 4/29/18

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

Yet another sewer leak.

This one is right across the street -- this picture is taken from the corner in front of ye new olde homestead.

The good news (well, at least for me and mine) is that the big street in the middle (13th) is actually the dividing line between really really old pipes (over there) and somewhat slightly newer pipes (over here) -- or at least according to the landlord.  The bad news -- it's not the first time there's been a leak in that spot ... and it's most definitely not the only sewer leak in this fair city.

As a matter of fact, things are so bad here pipe-wise, that there's an up and coming neighborhood with heavy heavy development where trucks suck out the sewer on one street ... and then drive a few blocks over to a poor 'hood where they pump it back down in that spot in order to bypass a particularly weak section of infrastructure.

Here's to hoping all the newly elected finally fix the problem (it was one of the top three issues in the area, according to the recent election season) ... Fingers crossed (except for those fingers that are in use to hold your nose).

THE SH!T IS GETTING REAL:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/fl-op-editorial-fort-lauderdale-sewage-pumping-20171208-story.html

THE SH!T IS GETTING FIXED:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-sb-lauderdale-approves-sewer-bond-20180122-story.html

THE SH!T ISN'T JUST A PROBLEM IN THE FTL:
http://wlrn.org/post/south-florida-faces-costly-sewage-problem

Random Soapbox for Saturday 4/28/18

I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...

... NO Netflix, NO!

I have the type of very mild OCD that means that I have to sing along (or hum along if it's only instrumental) as television shows open.  And I watch so MUCH television (my name is Troy ... and I'm a TV addict), that I rely on those "previously on" recap sequences at the beginning of an episode to get me in the mood.

So you can imagine how disheartened I was to learn -- the hard way -- that Netflix has a "skip intro" feature that's supposed to encourage healthier binge-ing habits by skipping both of those things.  Mind you, I know there are still kids starving in Africa and nuclear weapons proliferating around the world and such -- but I don't like someone else making decisions about how I'm going to watch my favorite programs.  Luckily, the rewind button will work in these scenarios ... but still.  It's annoying.

OH NETFLIX ... HOW COULD YOU!:
https://www.avclub.com/skip-intro-netflix-could-ve-saved-tv-title-sequences-1802926420

15 BEST OPENING SEQUENCES OF ALL TIME:
https://screenrant.com/best-tv-opening-credit-sequences-ever-all-time/

IN PRAISE OF THE RECAP SEQUENCE:
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/02/previously-on-in-praise-of-the-television-recap/385036/

Random Flashback for Friday 4/27/18

Here's the thing about Mauler Jean -- as captured by this twenty year old photo from 1998:  she kind of did whatever she wanted.

After all, she was my first solo-owned kitty (as distinguished from the photos of me taken as a child in the pre-divorce years with felines ... or of me with Tuppy at the Woodwards [the family that all but adopted me when I ran away from home] ... or of me with Smokey [the kitty from our college dorm room that our little village raised as a group]).

Meaning -- if that meant that she wanted to go explore the tiny back yard behind the second fraternity house we had set up two decades ago on Walnut Street next to Big Bertha's in my hometown of Lebanon, then outside she would go.  And, because she was who she was, she didn't run away ... she just took her time enjoying a bit of outdoor play.  She was, quite clearly and most definitely, in charge.

Random Memorial for Monday 4/23/18

Gone but not forgotten:  the Kia Forte.

Fear not -- it wasn't totaled like the Chevy Cruze was this last Ides of March (update to the post from 3.31 on this site:  not only did the policeperson completing the incident report misidentify our model of car, he also mixed up the insurance information for all parties -- but luckily our State Farm tracked down the driver over at the Geico) ... Instead, it was returned.

Because when you buy a car off of the internet, you can't really do a test drive ... and so they give you seven days to trade it in for something else if you so desire ... and we so desired this Ford Focus SEL instead.  NOTE:  Like those who wait to announce their pregnancy until after a safe date, I can report that the second seven day waiting period has passed, so this automobile is going to stick around.

Little Kia that we owned for not quite a week ... you will NOT be missed -- because you've been replaced.

PROVING YET AGAIN THAT YOU CAN ORDER *ANYTHING* OVER THE INTERNET:
https://www.carvana.com/

UPDATE TO *THIS* POST:
https://sosaystroy.blogspot.com/2018/03/random-soapbox-for-saturday-33118.html

EVEN STRANGER THINGS YOU CAN BUY ON THE INTERNET:
https://www.lifewire.com/weirdest-things-to-buy-on-internet-3485759

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 4/22/18

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

The fact that there was a big bust at the Booby Trap last night.

In case you haven't guessed, the Booby Trap is a strip club down Miami way ... and the "big bust" was a raid that turned up some cocaine, a few guns and that led to nine arrests.

Me personally, I don't know how the Sunday news guy announced the headline with a straight face.  After all, one would hope that there are big busts EVERY night at the Bobby Trap.  It's kind of exactly what the clientele are looking for (unless they're headed next door to La Bare where the boys perform).  Most folks aren't looking for little busts when they stop in for a free lunch.  Just sayin'!

THE BIG BUST:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article209453979.html

CRAZY FUN NEWS HEADLINES:
https://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/10/25-crazy-news-headlines-that-will-make-you-laugh-yourself-silly/

MORE CRAZY FUN NEWS HEADLINES (SOME ARE ON BOTH LISTS):
http://boredomtherapy.com/funny-newspaper-headlines/