From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Dedicaton

Main Entry: ded�i�ca�tion
Pronunciation: "de-di-'kA-sh&n
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 : an act or rite of dedicating to a divine being or to a sacred use
2 : a devoting or setting aside for a particular purpose
3 : a name and often a message prefixed to a literary, musical, or artistic production in tribute to a person or cause
4 : self-sacrificing devotion
- ded�i�ca�to�ry /'de-di-k&-"tOr-E, -"tor-/ adjective

As in, You have to practice if you want to be a successful band. You have to have dedication. That's means you can't call :30 minutes before practice and cancel it because someone else called and wants you to watch movies that their house. That means you have to give a little but of fun up, even if it means telling someone you have plans at the time they want you to come over, but you'd be happy to reschedule another time to watch movies.

Books and other reading materials I'm trying to get through:

1) The Sandman -- by Neil Gaiman.
I'm finally getting around to reading this comic that so many people have told me to read. The local library has the entire series. I'm almost half-way through the first volume, Preludes & Nocturnes. I'll probably be reading these for a while.
Recommended: ***

2) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring -- by J. R. R. Tolkien. No, I've never read the books until I saw the movie (I might know my Star Wars trivia, but I'm not THAT much of a geek *giggle*). So, I started with the Hobbit, whick took about 4 days to read, and now I'm on this since early February. It's a hard read, but I will go on this journey. The link actually takes you to info on "A Tolkien Bestiary," by David Day. Thanks Mom and Dad. Right now, I think I rather the bestiary over the actual books. Every creature ever briefly mentioned in Tolkien's books are described in enormous detail. Makes a great coffee table book.
Recommended: ***** (that's my high mark)

3) Entertainment Weekly -- Yes, the magazine. And the latest issue will be in my mailbox tomorrow. And will be read cover to cover before Midnight. Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration. I'm sure I'll skip a page or two. I kind of have a ritual when the ol' EW comes in. Let's just say most of the magazine gets read in the bathroom and leave it at that. They can take my Rolling Stone. They can even take the Playboys. But I'll be damned if they take my Entertainment Weekly, goddammit!
Recommended: **** if you are an entertainment geek (like me), * if you're not.

Yesterday, I had 5 scars. This morning, there was a new one. Very small, so I could have missed it my original count. I'm feeling much better now; a complete reversal from yesterday. However, now my wife is starting to feel like I did. Are they using her too? I don't think so. Usually, others in the household display the same symptoms I do around the same time. I think it's the aliens way of distracting everyone into thinking we're all sick.

;-)

Everything from my head to the end of my spine is sore, save my stomach, which can't decide if it wants things to go up or down. I'm quite pale, tired and a little out of breath. My body aches with coolness, yet I'm sweating buckets. This can mean only one thing....

The aliens are coming for their baby.

I should just leave it at that and let you wonder. But I won't. It's probably a stomach virus. But that's just what they want you to believe. In reality, aliens are using my body to breed something. I'm not sure if it's more alien babies or some human/alien hybrid. Most likely the latter. A little back story now....

...At some point during my teen years, I developed 3 vertical scars on my stomach. They just appeared one day and I didn't think anything of it. Mind you, I have never had any kind of surgery or accident that would produce these scars. Except for when the aliens perform a C-section to get their baby out of me. You see, these aches and pains are really labor pains. And obviously, since there's no place for any baby to come out of my body, they do a C-section which is the cause of the scarring.

It was 3 or 4 years ago, I noticed this trend. I would start feeling like this and then the next day I'd be fine and a new scar appeared on my stomach. There's 5 scars now and likely a new one tomorrow.

This is what I think happens: I start having these labor pains and the aliens are alerted by kind of microchip or something. Then, during the night, they somehow get me to sleep because the pain is very hard to sleep though. I haven't figured out how yet. When I am in some deep alien-induced coma, they take me to their spaceship, probably through teleportation, and perform a C-section on me. Once the procedure is done, they sew me back and and return me.

My theory would explain why I haven't been able to lose weight. The "alien womb" inside of me prevents me from doing so. I mean, there's no place for it to go, so I am forced to have this gut. I also surmise that the foods I eat give the alien baby nutrition.

So that's why I'm feeling quesy. But tomorrow, I'm sure tomorrow I'll be elated as I will have once again given birth to some alien's baby. Or maybe if it goes bad, they'll blame me and "dispose" of my body, for its no longer useful to them.


;-)

Frazzled....html is kicking my ass. That little mood thing up there isn't quite where I want it, but its 12:43am, so it'll do for now. I can't figure out how to put it underneath the links on the left, rather than on top. Either there or right above here. I thought I had it, but obviously I am wrong.

And my parents are visiting us this weekend, so I suspect this little coding problem of mine is really gonna bug me. Here's something I don't do often...Can anyone give me a hand?