Well, make me into a tiny metal ball & slap me silly, Tommy

At one time, pinball was banned in many large U.S. cities.

Some things make me think the apocolypse is either getting further away or is imminently close. At the same time. This is one of them.

I had to read the article twice because I thought that - though the site isn't really the type to run a crazy-fun-fake story - that it just might be made up.

I was so credulous, I did some research. And sure enough, from the 1940s to the mid 1970s, pinball was banned. At one time, New York was such a haven of safety, security and prosperity that its police force had time to hold alcohol prohibition-style raids on dangerous pinball houses. New York didn't overturn its ban until 1976.

Which, also similar to prohibition, simply forced pinball underground into ... speakeasies? Balleasies? Slapeasies? They were hidden in pornography houses, for The Man In the Sky's sake.

The story of the fall of the NY ban, #6 on the list of the things you didn't know about pinball here, is pretty amazing. The NY ban was eventually overturned when the council was convinced, largely by luck, that that game is one of skill and not actually luck.

More amazing: Nashville, Tenn., just overturned its ban recently and it's still illegal to play the game on Sundays in Ocean City, N.J.

Think poker will eventually come to the same resolution?

28.7!

Any guess as to what the number represents?

It's my body-fat percentage.

And its down from 30 a couple weeks ago. You see, just after Christmas R. and I bought a scale that can tell you a host of info, from weight, to BMI (boy, what a tough one), to body water percentage, to bone mass to ... body fat.

Mine started near 30, as I said. I was 230-232ish at the time. Now I'm down to 28.7 and I'm ... 230 today. So I've lost, let's say 1 percent of my body fat (about 2-plus pounds) but I'm exactly the same weight.

Which is just as the Bible said it would be. Which is exactly my plan. Lower body fat, keep same weight.

Meanwhile, 28.7 isn't great. Short term, I'd like to get to the 18-26 range. Long-term, I'm aiming for 14-17. Not far short term, probably a couple pounds, but I'd like to end up at 220-230.

Postage paid

So many posts brewing right now. One on the HS experience. One on populism. A secret one going for a future date. So much to do.

Also, earlier today, I thought I had something to post. But at this point, I've kinda forgotten what it was.

The Unnamed continues onward. Still got my attention. Still a good read.

I'm working on taxes, playing some chess.

Ah HA! I know what I wanted to post about, and now it seems silly to delete this entire post, so I'll bid you adieu until tomorrow morning.

2010, thou hast possibly redeemed thyself

First, my book order, scheduled for delivery by USPS on Tuesday, Jan. 19, arrives Monday, Jan. 18. A holiday Monday, nonetheless. My books are here, yeah! The government mail service actually did something with some competency: color me surprised.

Then, the nationalized health-care bill all but dies after a Republican upsets a Democrat for Kennedy's Mass. Senate seat on Tuesday. Now, I'm no fan of Republicans or Brown himself, but a victory in a battle, even if its just an enemy of my enemy, is a victory. The small"er" government crowd wins one!

Next, the SCOTUS finds that statutory limits on corporate, union and other "groups" spending for politicians and during campaigns is unconstitutional under the First Amendment's "Congress shall pass no law ... abridging the freedom of speech" language. A victory for free speech!

Finally, on Thursday I start in on The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris and I absolutely love it. Its some pretty good prose, and the concept is already pretty interesting. Its one of those books where - 14 pages in - I'm sad the story will eventually have to end. I like the characters that much. And I've only really been introduced to two of them. So maybe my reading funk was more what I was reading than actual reading.

And now, I find out as I'm typing this post, that the surgery on R.'s eyes have them at 20/25, and that they will probably improve all the way to 20/20.

So, 2010, I guess you're not off to such a bad start after all.

Hey there 2010, way to disappoint!

The year is 14 days old. I have 1 post (Now 2! Doubled - Wooohooo!). And it was written just before Christmas break.

Not good.

I just don't find myself having a ton to say. Things are... well, they are things right now. It is what it is and all those cliches.

I'm currently all worked up over Joshua Ferris' The Unnamed. Its out Jan. 17 (I think). Want to find out more about it? Well go here. What do you think I am ... Wikipedia?

Alright alright. Quite your whining. God that sounded like 10 penny nails being shot out of tennis ball machine set to "Agassi On Steroids" hitting a blackboard being scratched by a cat. Or something with big claws.

The Unnamed is Ferris' second work. His first... well, I don't know much about it, so that's pretty much all I'll say about it. But The Unnamed follows a man who has a fictional disease that, at random times, forces him to walk. And walk. And walk. And not in a circle. He walks out of work. Out of his marriage. He walks long distances into the night and across mountains. It's supposed to impart you with an appreciation of what you have.

It was recommended for Jan./Feb. by what R and I affectionately refer to as The Bible. Why do we call it that? You're very nosey today, did you know that? And just for that I'm not going to list its actual name. You'll just have to click the link. How does that suit you? Ok, ok, enough already with the nail-tennis-ball-machine sound! Its Men's Health.

Well, anyway, enough about you. We call it The Bible because I take most of what I read as gospel. Its got great "what to read, play, listen too" sections most months, plus great workouts, meals, tips and tactics.

I have a post brewing about why, or more appropriately why do I, hate populists, populism, - maybe the populus (What? Wait, I just Googled that and it turns out I don't hate most of it) and the whole touchy-feely "hate technology" movement. Update your calenders accordingly.

Better Bryan X

For the last 2 or 3 years, I've tried to better myself not so much through New Year resolutions, but by creating better versions of myself. Working more on making myself a better person, rather than just nebulous goals like "lose weight" or "work out more." Though those types of goals are certainly part of it. But part of it is setting definable goals, sorta like a good work evaluation.

In the past, its just been Better Bryan '07, Better Bryan '08, etc, etc. This year its 2010, obviously, and I thought Better Bryan X had a nice ring to it. So I'm shooting for 10 things this year.

1: Donate or volunteer more often than in 2009
2. Be lessy petty/condesending
3. Cut out the sighing at R.
4. Keep the house more clean, more often
5. More focus at work
6. Spend 15 minutes/week in meditation/silent
7. Talk less/listen more
8. Stop singing so many bastardized songs, especially to the dog
9. DLCAMSM (Not for publication goal)
10. ERA goal (Not for publication goal)