October 14, 2009
Tone #4
Over at Chizumatic, Steven brings up my favorite non-F1, non-anime subject, namely the Battle of Midway. In his post, he tells the story of the Japanese scout planes at the battle, and how the Tone's #4 scout plane left an hour late because of a defective catapult. He then repeats the conventional thinking about the subject:
If Scout 4 had launched when the other scouts had, it would have radioed back much earlier. The second strike could have been launched -- towards Yorktown -- before the first strike returned from Midway... ...The failure of the Tone's catapult is one of the most fortuitous breaks in the history of war, with consequences far out of proportion to its apparent importance.
As it turns out, recent scholarship has turned this conventional wisdom on its ear. No less a source than the 102-volume official Japanese history of the War in the Pacific, the Senshi Sosho, calls this bit of history into serious question. Written in the '60s and '70s from official Army and Navy documents and personal diaries and records, it hasn't yet been translated into English (except for one volume, ;">Japanese Army Operations in the South Pacific Area: New Britain and Papua Campaigns, 1942–43, downloadable here), and may never be. It turns out that Military Japanese isn't the same as the regular language, and the number people who can read it are rather thin on the ground.
However, that doesn't mean that parts of it haven't been translated. Much of the volume on the Battle of Midway, for example, has become available to researchers. The authors of the great book Shattered Sword, Jon Parshall and Anthony Tully, drew heavily upon the information contained therein, and came to a rather surprising conclusion:
Tone #4 was actually one of the few pieces of GOOD luck the Japanese Navy had at the Battle of Midway.
It turns out that the pilot of Tone #4, Petty Officer Amari, for reasons lost to us now (neither he nor his crew survived the war) may very well have not flown the correct flightpath after he was launched an hour late.
The blue line is the planned flight path for Tone #4. The red line, however, is the path that the Senshi Sosho believes it actually flew.
The reason for this possible flight path is quite simple: it would have been impossible for Tone #4 to have discovered the Yorktown and TF16 where it did and when it did (at 0740, the asterisk on the map) had it flown the correct route. Remember, it was launched at 0530, approximately, over an hour late. This would have put it at the end of it's outbound leg at 0800, instead of the scheduled 0700, and it would have turned for home at about 0830.
Make no mistake, Tone #4 would have discovered the Yorktown and TF16 had it flown the correct route... at about 0915, on the inbound leg of the search. Instead, because it appears that it flew a truncated course, it found the Americans over 90 minutes before it should have.
Had it flown the expected path, Tone #4's sighting would have come after the Hornet's torpedo squadron had made their fatal charge at Kido Butai (0920), and as the Enterprise's torpedo planes began their attack runs (0940), and just only 20 minutes before the hammer of the Dauntlesses came down.
However, nothing would have gotten the second strike at Midway Island off the Japanese carriers: the timeline of American attacks didn't give the second wave a chance to be lifted to the flight decks, spotted and launched (See my post "What If #3: Midway... Timing Is Everything" for a conversation about that point).
At least Tone #4 gave Admiral Nagumo 90 minutes to get his planes armed correctly if he got the time to get them in the air. That never happened.
If Scout 4 had launched when the other scouts had, it would have radioed back much earlier. The second strike could have been launched -- towards Yorktown -- before the first strike returned from Midway... ...The failure of the Tone's catapult is one of the most fortuitous breaks in the history of war, with consequences far out of proportion to its apparent importance.
As it turns out, recent scholarship has turned this conventional wisdom on its ear. No less a source than the 102-volume official Japanese history of the War in the Pacific, the Senshi Sosho, calls this bit of history into serious question. Written in the '60s and '70s from official Army and Navy documents and personal diaries and records, it hasn't yet been translated into English (except for one volume, ;">Japanese Army Operations in the South Pacific Area: New Britain and Papua Campaigns, 1942–43, downloadable here), and may never be. It turns out that Military Japanese isn't the same as the regular language, and the number people who can read it are rather thin on the ground.
However, that doesn't mean that parts of it haven't been translated. Much of the volume on the Battle of Midway, for example, has become available to researchers. The authors of the great book Shattered Sword, Jon Parshall and Anthony Tully, drew heavily upon the information contained therein, and came to a rather surprising conclusion:
Tone #4 was actually one of the few pieces of GOOD luck the Japanese Navy had at the Battle of Midway.
It turns out that the pilot of Tone #4, Petty Officer Amari, for reasons lost to us now (neither he nor his crew survived the war) may very well have not flown the correct flightpath after he was launched an hour late.
Map adapted from Shattered Sword.
The pink line is the flight path taken by Scout plane #1 from the cruiser Chikuma, which left at 0430 and flew the planned search pattern.The blue line is the planned flight path for Tone #4. The red line, however, is the path that the Senshi Sosho believes it actually flew.
The reason for this possible flight path is quite simple: it would have been impossible for Tone #4 to have discovered the Yorktown and TF16 where it did and when it did (at 0740, the asterisk on the map) had it flown the correct route. Remember, it was launched at 0530, approximately, over an hour late. This would have put it at the end of it's outbound leg at 0800, instead of the scheduled 0700, and it would have turned for home at about 0830.
Make no mistake, Tone #4 would have discovered the Yorktown and TF16 had it flown the correct route... at about 0915, on the inbound leg of the search. Instead, because it appears that it flew a truncated course, it found the Americans over 90 minutes before it should have.
Had it flown the expected path, Tone #4's sighting would have come after the Hornet's torpedo squadron had made their fatal charge at Kido Butai (0920), and as the Enterprise's torpedo planes began their attack runs (0940), and just only 20 minutes before the hammer of the Dauntlesses came down.
However, nothing would have gotten the second strike at Midway Island off the Japanese carriers: the timeline of American attacks didn't give the second wave a chance to be lifted to the flight decks, spotted and launched (See my post "What If #3: Midway... Timing Is Everything" for a conversation about that point).
At least Tone #4 gave Admiral Nagumo 90 minutes to get his planes armed correctly if he got the time to get them in the air. That never happened.
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October 12, 2009
Forgotten Classic
One of the bad things about having a CD and cassette collection as large as mine is not having enough space to actually display them all, and having to pack maybe 75% in boxes in the storage closet.
One of the good things about having a CD and cassette collection as large as mine and not having enough space to actually display them all is when you open up one box or another and stumble across a gem of an album that you'd long forgotten about.
Like this one:
I remember hearing Road To Hell at the late, lamented Appletree Records here in Duckford, and buying the cassette before the first song ended. I had no idea that Chris Rea had a sizable following in the UK, nor anything else about him for that matter; just that the song was good, the guitar playing was great, and that voice! Like a slightly less whiskey-tortured Tom Waits it was, with a dollop of the Blues put on top.
I didn't know that the track entitled Daytona was about the Ferrari 365 GTB/4, or that he was a fan of Scuderia Ferrari until just tonight. Back when the album came out (1989), I wasn't a petrolhead nor a F1 fan... I didn't know there WAS a Ferrari Daytona. Now, of course, it's obvious ("Twelve wild horses"?), but still.
What an album...
One of the good things about having a CD and cassette collection as large as mine and not having enough space to actually display them all is when you open up one box or another and stumble across a gem of an album that you'd long forgotten about.
Like this one:
I didn't know that the track entitled Daytona was about the Ferrari 365 GTB/4, or that he was a fan of Scuderia Ferrari until just tonight. Back when the album came out (1989), I wasn't a petrolhead nor a F1 fan... I didn't know there WAS a Ferrari Daytona. Now, of course, it's obvious ("Twelve wild horses"?), but still.
What an album...
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September 26, 2009
Momzerduck's Memorial Service
The memorial service for Momzerduck was this afternoon. There were about 200 people there, maybe 10% of whom I actually knew. Thankfully, one of those 10% was The Librarian. I'm glad the two of you got to meet, finally...
A big thank you needs to go out to you folks, too. It's only fitting that the post a few days ago about her passing has the most comments in the history of The Pond.
It's gonna be tough around here for a while, but y'all will make it a little easier.
A big thank you needs to go out to you folks, too. It's only fitting that the post a few days ago about her passing has the most comments in the history of The Pond.
It's gonna be tough around here for a while, but y'all will make it a little easier.
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September 21, 2009
Sunday, 918am
Judy Engblom, better known to readers of The Pond as "Momzerduck", passed away at 918am on Sunday, September 20th.
The doctors had stayed encouraged regarding a liver transplant on Saturday. Everything was progressing as they expected, though the dialysis that day hadn't pulled out as much fluid as they had hoped. It wasn't a problem, per se, just added another day or two to the wait for being put on The List.
I had spent the entire day with her in the ICU ward, then Ph.Duck and I went back to his apartment to get some sleep. We got there around 1030pm, and fell asleep almost immediately thereafter.
At 1130pm, we got a phone call from the ICU, asking us to come back immediately. When we got there, we found her room filled with doctors and nurses, all of whom were moving quickly and talking in clipped, professional tones. Two of the doctors took us into a conference room to explain what had happened.
When the nurses began to turn her (so as to prevent bedsores), her heart went into Ventricular Tachycardia, which was very much like what I had during The Cardiac Incident, except that where my heart sped up to about 250bpm, hers had stopped beating and started quivering uncontrollably. They shocked her with the paddles, which did regain a pulse. Just a minute or so later, however, her heart stopped again. This time, shocking her didn't help, so they began chest compression and various drugs. After 10 minutes or so of this, her heart restarted.
When we asked the doctors what this would do to her chances for a liver transplant, they replied frankly and honestly: "We won't know for sure until the Liver team comes in, but it probably will prevent her from being considered a viable candidate."
When the Liver team leader confirmed that, we made the decision to withdraw life support, for that was, in fact, what she was on at this time. She had been essentially comatose for the previous three days as a result of an encephalopathy attack, aided by some light sedation to prevent her from tearing at her feeding tube and the ventilation hose (she had managed to remove the feeding tube during the onset of the encephalopathy).
Unfortunately, during the resuscitation attempts, they had to withdraw the sedation, as it would interfere with bringing up her blood pressure to minimum levels... and it was obvious during the time she was without it that she was in some serious discomfort from the hoses, needles and wires. As this was all being done to get her to a new liver, which now was never going to arrive, we knew that she wouldn't... didn't... want to suffer any more.
The ventilation hose and the final drugs were removed at 915am. At 918am on Sunday morning, September 20th, 2009, the woman that I was honored to call my mother, Judy Engblom, Momzerduck, passed away.
She was so much more than I deserved.
The doctors had stayed encouraged regarding a liver transplant on Saturday. Everything was progressing as they expected, though the dialysis that day hadn't pulled out as much fluid as they had hoped. It wasn't a problem, per se, just added another day or two to the wait for being put on The List.
I had spent the entire day with her in the ICU ward, then Ph.Duck and I went back to his apartment to get some sleep. We got there around 1030pm, and fell asleep almost immediately thereafter.
At 1130pm, we got a phone call from the ICU, asking us to come back immediately. When we got there, we found her room filled with doctors and nurses, all of whom were moving quickly and talking in clipped, professional tones. Two of the doctors took us into a conference room to explain what had happened.
When the nurses began to turn her (so as to prevent bedsores), her heart went into Ventricular Tachycardia, which was very much like what I had during The Cardiac Incident, except that where my heart sped up to about 250bpm, hers had stopped beating and started quivering uncontrollably. They shocked her with the paddles, which did regain a pulse. Just a minute or so later, however, her heart stopped again. This time, shocking her didn't help, so they began chest compression and various drugs. After 10 minutes or so of this, her heart restarted.
When we asked the doctors what this would do to her chances for a liver transplant, they replied frankly and honestly: "We won't know for sure until the Liver team comes in, but it probably will prevent her from being considered a viable candidate."
When the Liver team leader confirmed that, we made the decision to withdraw life support, for that was, in fact, what she was on at this time. She had been essentially comatose for the previous three days as a result of an encephalopathy attack, aided by some light sedation to prevent her from tearing at her feeding tube and the ventilation hose (she had managed to remove the feeding tube during the onset of the encephalopathy).
Unfortunately, during the resuscitation attempts, they had to withdraw the sedation, as it would interfere with bringing up her blood pressure to minimum levels... and it was obvious during the time she was without it that she was in some serious discomfort from the hoses, needles and wires. As this was all being done to get her to a new liver, which now was never going to arrive, we knew that she wouldn't... didn't... want to suffer any more.
The ventilation hose and the final drugs were removed at 915am. At 918am on Sunday morning, September 20th, 2009, the woman that I was honored to call my mother, Judy Engblom, Momzerduck, passed away.
She was so much more than I deserved.
She loved this picture... had a copy of it on the wall next to her computer at home.
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September 19, 2009
Where's Wonderduck Now?
In Chicago, at the Hospital, at Momzerduck's bedside.
I'm unsure when I'll be back, as things will probably be progressing VERY quickly over the next few days. My computer access will be limited to a visitor-access system that only has IE on it, so no other posting after this one... my uncle JoeDuck is loaning me his macbook for a few minutes.
Ironically, I wound up as a patient here for a few minutes. I'm afraid I went into shock when I saw Momzerduck for the first time in a week... sedated, ventilator and feeding tubes, dialysis shunts and a christmas tree worth of IV bottles.
I'm fine now, but a classic case of shock.
So, I'll try to keep everybody updated as much as I can, but for now, everybody, send good wishes this way, as many as you can spare. We're needing them.
I'm unsure when I'll be back, as things will probably be progressing VERY quickly over the next few days. My computer access will be limited to a visitor-access system that only has IE on it, so no other posting after this one... my uncle JoeDuck is loaning me his macbook for a few minutes.
Ironically, I wound up as a patient here for a few minutes. I'm afraid I went into shock when I saw Momzerduck for the first time in a week... sedated, ventilator and feeding tubes, dialysis shunts and a christmas tree worth of IV bottles.
I'm fine now, but a classic case of shock.
So, I'll try to keep everybody updated as much as I can, but for now, everybody, send good wishes this way, as many as you can spare. We're needing them.
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September 13, 2009
A Momzerduck Update
This has been a terrible weekend, to say the least. I got to the hospital around 730pm on Friday night, and the first impression was... well, actually pretty good!
The swelling in her legs had gone down substantially. In fact, they looked pretty normal, all in all, though some still persisted. Even better, the rash/infection was much reduced. When I last saw her on Monday night, pretty much from her knees down was a bright, fierce red. Now it looks like a fading sunburn and is obviously going away.
Unfortunately, that infection is the one thing keeping her from going on the transplant list at the moment. Doctors won't perform ANY surgery if the patient has an active infection going, let alone something as major as a transplant. I know someone who needed to have a tooth pulled once, and they made her wait a week while a minor infection went away.
The bad news is that, because her liver isn't doing its job, her kidneys are being pummeled by the crap it isn't filtering out. As a result, now they're beginning to go south. Now, normally that's a worry, but really not all that much of one. A liver transplant will fix the filtering problem and the kidneys usually just bounce right back. The docs, though, are concerned that they've been damaged enough that the belief is that they won't come back.
Okay, well, the "good" news in that case is that a dual liver/kidney transplant is pretty much the most common dual transplant there is... and if there's a liver available, a kidney is usually there, too. Another bit of "good" news from this is that all of this will put her even higher on The List once she gets on it. Maybe not at the very top, but close enough that she'll be able to see it from where she'll be.
But all is not wine and roses. Because her kidneys are like a boxer that's taken one too many shots to the head at the moment, they're not doing much in the way of ANYthing. Even being cathed didn't help matters... and by Saturday night, the docs were hearing fluid buildup in the lungs. So her liver is going south, her kidneys are going south, and now she's got all the symptoms of pneumonia (without actually having pneumonia, if you get what I mean).
Monday, they're going to start her on dialysis to take the strain off her overtaxed kidneys. This is a GOOD thing, as she should be feeling better almost immediately, but it's still a traumatic thing to think about.
Finally, her neck is starting to suffer from the effects of having been flat on her back for the past month. The docs have had her lie down with her feet elevated, and while you might not notice at first, that position does put a strain on the neck and shoulders. Now try it for a month straight. If her hospital bed is flat, it really begins to hurt... and then she begins to scream; it's that bad. The only position truly comfortable is sitting up in a chair... which doesn't do the swelling in her legs any good.
From an emotional standpoint, that's what got to me the most. They've got her on a good painkiller, but even that doesn't take away all the pain (they can't give her morphine; too hard on the liver and kidneys). I know what real pain is like... 13 kidneystones and falling off a loading dock and dislocating your ankle badly enough that the foot ends up pointing backwards will do that... but I can deal with my own pain.
I spent 14 hours with her on Saturday, about 4 hours on Friday, and about the same Sunday before I had to come home, and I'm exhausted. So exhausted that I burned the hell out of my right arm on a pizza pan making dinner. And I feel guilty that I'm not there with her right now.
She's in the right place, with the right doctors and nurses, doing the right things for her. I know all that. But a part of me thinks... knows... that I've failed, somehow.
The swelling in her legs had gone down substantially. In fact, they looked pretty normal, all in all, though some still persisted. Even better, the rash/infection was much reduced. When I last saw her on Monday night, pretty much from her knees down was a bright, fierce red. Now it looks like a fading sunburn and is obviously going away.
Unfortunately, that infection is the one thing keeping her from going on the transplant list at the moment. Doctors won't perform ANY surgery if the patient has an active infection going, let alone something as major as a transplant. I know someone who needed to have a tooth pulled once, and they made her wait a week while a minor infection went away.
The bad news is that, because her liver isn't doing its job, her kidneys are being pummeled by the crap it isn't filtering out. As a result, now they're beginning to go south. Now, normally that's a worry, but really not all that much of one. A liver transplant will fix the filtering problem and the kidneys usually just bounce right back. The docs, though, are concerned that they've been damaged enough that the belief is that they won't come back.
Okay, well, the "good" news in that case is that a dual liver/kidney transplant is pretty much the most common dual transplant there is... and if there's a liver available, a kidney is usually there, too. Another bit of "good" news from this is that all of this will put her even higher on The List once she gets on it. Maybe not at the very top, but close enough that she'll be able to see it from where she'll be.
But all is not wine and roses. Because her kidneys are like a boxer that's taken one too many shots to the head at the moment, they're not doing much in the way of ANYthing. Even being cathed didn't help matters... and by Saturday night, the docs were hearing fluid buildup in the lungs. So her liver is going south, her kidneys are going south, and now she's got all the symptoms of pneumonia (without actually having pneumonia, if you get what I mean).
Monday, they're going to start her on dialysis to take the strain off her overtaxed kidneys. This is a GOOD thing, as she should be feeling better almost immediately, but it's still a traumatic thing to think about.
Finally, her neck is starting to suffer from the effects of having been flat on her back for the past month. The docs have had her lie down with her feet elevated, and while you might not notice at first, that position does put a strain on the neck and shoulders. Now try it for a month straight. If her hospital bed is flat, it really begins to hurt... and then she begins to scream; it's that bad. The only position truly comfortable is sitting up in a chair... which doesn't do the swelling in her legs any good.
From an emotional standpoint, that's what got to me the most. They've got her on a good painkiller, but even that doesn't take away all the pain (they can't give her morphine; too hard on the liver and kidneys). I know what real pain is like... 13 kidneystones and falling off a loading dock and dislocating your ankle badly enough that the foot ends up pointing backwards will do that... but I can deal with my own pain.
I spent 14 hours with her on Saturday, about 4 hours on Friday, and about the same Sunday before I had to come home, and I'm exhausted. So exhausted that I burned the hell out of my right arm on a pizza pan making dinner. And I feel guilty that I'm not there with her right now.
She's in the right place, with the right doctors and nurses, doing the right things for her. I know all that. But a part of me thinks... knows... that I've failed, somehow.
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August 30, 2009
Muppetmail!
So Brickmuppet, a Member of the Order of the Honorary Duck, is playing tourist over in Japan and he just sent me some photos! And what does he believe is an appropriate subject for his missive? A beautiful shinto temple? Cherry blossom trees in full bloom? The crush of otaku in Akihabara? Cosplayers at Comiket? A study of Mount Fuji?
...or a duck in a sailor suit holding a plate of curry. Boy has his head on straight, that 'Muppet.
We've seen this particular duckie twice before, actually. It seems this sailor-suit-bedecked duck is the mascot of a curry joint in Yokosuka near the naval yard. I first became aware of him in the anime Sky Girls, when two of the characters have a conversation near a statue of the mascot, outside a train station. 'Muppet then tracked down that very station, and took a pic of the statue.
The story of Japanese curry is an interesting one, actually. You can read about it here (scroll down).
Thanks, Muppet!
...or a duck in a sailor suit holding a plate of curry. Boy has his head on straight, that 'Muppet.
We've seen this particular duckie twice before, actually. It seems this sailor-suit-bedecked duck is the mascot of a curry joint in Yokosuka near the naval yard. I first became aware of him in the anime Sky Girls, when two of the characters have a conversation near a statue of the mascot, outside a train station. 'Muppet then tracked down that very station, and took a pic of the statue.
The story of Japanese curry is an interesting one, actually. You can read about it here (scroll down).
Thanks, Muppet!
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August 26, 2009
"The List" and LDLT
The human liver is a remarkable thing. A human liver is huge, relatively speaking. About the size of a football, it's the largest internal organ in the body. It's almost too powerful for what it does, all things considered. In fact, a person can lose 75% of their liver (from injury, for example) and still live perfectly well.
Not only that, but amongst the liver's amazing properties is the ability for it to regenerate. That unfortunate person who was reduced to having only a quarter of a liver can expect it to grow back to full size in about eight years. Truly amazing.
Which brings up LDLT.
Momzerduck is beginning the process of being put on "The List", you see. "The List", in this case, is for a liver transplant. The all-high muckity-muck God-Doctor-Specialists finally realized that her long-term liver problems have damaged her quality of life, thereby making her a potential candidate for transplant. There's a whole battery of pre-qualifying tests she has to undergo, of course, but those are being scheduled.
Then comes "The List." For people who aren't Steve Jobs, "The List" can easily be two years long, or longer. This can be a problem, considering that often the reason a person is on "The List" is that they could be expected to die within a year if they don't get a transplant. Fortunately, Momzerduck isn't in that category... yet. Hopefully, she'll never be in that category, but one can't hope for that sort of luck. So onto "The List" she goes, hopefully.
Of course, sometimes a person's standing on "The List" doesn't matter, and they need a transplant right-the-hell-now! or they won't be on "The List" any more, if you get what I'm saying. Sometimes they even get bumped up "The List" and get a full replacement liver from a non-living donor, which is medical-ese of saying "recent corpse" or "motorcyclist on a wet road".
But then there are the times where right-the-hell-now! doesn't happen, and the person needing a transplant doesn't get it. It's only been recently that such things as liver dialysis and Bioartificial Liver devices have come into being, and that can help extend the time limit in some cases (one dialysis device, cleverly named "The Prometheus Device" is currently in trials and seems to have quite a bit of promise), but such things are not yet as common as kidney dialysis.
Which brings us back to LDLT, or Living Donor Liver Transplantation. The first successful LDLT was performed in 1986, at the Universidade de Sao Paolo in Brazil. It was originally a method by which a parent could have part of their liver removed and that piece transplanted into their child, replacing the kid's bad liver altogether. Along the way, though, doctors realized that, because of both the uncanny efficiency and the regenerative properties of the liver, it could also be performed on adults for adults.
Basically, the donor has about half of their liver (the right lobe, to be specific) removed. That substantial chunk replaces the entire bad liver in the recipient. Recovery time is about 4-6 weeks for the donor, during which time the liver gets back to full functionality. Shortly thereafter, it'll regain its full size. Meanwhile, the newly-transplanted portion takes over for the diseased liver of the recipient, and it too grows back to full size, though it takes longer for them.
Though Momzerduck objects, I've declared my intention to be a living liver donor for her if it comes down to that. Of course, that's if I'm found to be a viable donor... what with The Incident and all, I may not be found to be healthy enough for what is a pretty huge procedure. I'm afraid I surprised Momzerduck with my research on the matter; she didn't think I had quite accepted the situation.
Recently, I've been making a lot of jokes about melon ballers and ice-cream scoopers. Whistling past the graveyard, I think. Hell, I'm scared spitless about the whole thing, to be honest. In the immortal words of the Pythons in The Meaning of Life, "...but I'm still using it!"
But then, the alternative is worse. A lot worse.
Not only that, but amongst the liver's amazing properties is the ability for it to regenerate. That unfortunate person who was reduced to having only a quarter of a liver can expect it to grow back to full size in about eight years. Truly amazing.
Which brings up LDLT.
Momzerduck is beginning the process of being put on "The List", you see. "The List", in this case, is for a liver transplant. The all-high muckity-muck God-Doctor-Specialists finally realized that her long-term liver problems have damaged her quality of life, thereby making her a potential candidate for transplant. There's a whole battery of pre-qualifying tests she has to undergo, of course, but those are being scheduled.
Then comes "The List." For people who aren't Steve Jobs, "The List" can easily be two years long, or longer. This can be a problem, considering that often the reason a person is on "The List" is that they could be expected to die within a year if they don't get a transplant. Fortunately, Momzerduck isn't in that category... yet. Hopefully, she'll never be in that category, but one can't hope for that sort of luck. So onto "The List" she goes, hopefully.
Of course, sometimes a person's standing on "The List" doesn't matter, and they need a transplant right-the-hell-now! or they won't be on "The List" any more, if you get what I'm saying. Sometimes they even get bumped up "The List" and get a full replacement liver from a non-living donor, which is medical-ese of saying "recent corpse" or "motorcyclist on a wet road".
But then there are the times where right-the-hell-now! doesn't happen, and the person needing a transplant doesn't get it. It's only been recently that such things as liver dialysis and Bioartificial Liver devices have come into being, and that can help extend the time limit in some cases (one dialysis device, cleverly named "The Prometheus Device" is currently in trials and seems to have quite a bit of promise), but such things are not yet as common as kidney dialysis.
Which brings us back to LDLT, or Living Donor Liver Transplantation. The first successful LDLT was performed in 1986, at the Universidade de Sao Paolo in Brazil. It was originally a method by which a parent could have part of their liver removed and that piece transplanted into their child, replacing the kid's bad liver altogether. Along the way, though, doctors realized that, because of both the uncanny efficiency and the regenerative properties of the liver, it could also be performed on adults for adults.
Basically, the donor has about half of their liver (the right lobe, to be specific) removed. That substantial chunk replaces the entire bad liver in the recipient. Recovery time is about 4-6 weeks for the donor, during which time the liver gets back to full functionality. Shortly thereafter, it'll regain its full size. Meanwhile, the newly-transplanted portion takes over for the diseased liver of the recipient, and it too grows back to full size, though it takes longer for them.
Though Momzerduck objects, I've declared my intention to be a living liver donor for her if it comes down to that. Of course, that's if I'm found to be a viable donor... what with The Incident and all, I may not be found to be healthy enough for what is a pretty huge procedure. I'm afraid I surprised Momzerduck with my research on the matter; she didn't think I had quite accepted the situation.
Recently, I've been making a lot of jokes about melon ballers and ice-cream scoopers. Whistling past the graveyard, I think. Hell, I'm scared spitless about the whole thing, to be honest. In the immortal words of the Pythons in The Meaning of Life, "...but I'm still using it!"
But then, the alternative is worse. A lot worse.
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August 25, 2009
Cubs Sold
A few days ago, Steven asked "Hey, the Cubbies have got a new owner! Think it'll make any difference?" As I sit here listening to the Cubs lose to the terrible Washington Nationals 12-4 in the 7th inning, my opinions on the matter are rather foul and vile. In other words, a perfect mood to answer this question.
Short term, the sale of the Cubs to Tom Ricketts will make very little difference to the fortunes of the team as a whole. They're saddled with two awful contracts, those of Milton Bradley (3 years/$30million) and Alfonso Soriano (8 years/$136million), which will make it difficult for the team to sign anybody of note in the offseason. Both of these players are, to be frank, stinking up the joint. Soriano was once a 40 homer/40 steal man, and while he's on pace to go 40-40 again, it's 40 walks/40 rbi (I exaggerate, but not by much). They brought Bradley in to provide left-handed power and great on-base percentage... of course, he's promptly managed to hit 10 homers and hit .257 (as I write this, he just hit a home run, so make that 11 homers). Both of them are, to be charitable, butchers in the outfield, and Bradley has an injury history longer than my wings.
The long-term signing of underachieving Carlos Zambrano, a starting pitcher with the famous "million dollar arm and a ten-cent brain", who is self-professed as "lazy", who recently went on the disabled list with a back injury suffered while he was taking batting practice (as he showed off his batting prowess, which is actually considerable), isn't going to help matters either.
The one difference the new ownership will make is in management. The team's general manager, Jim Hendry, and field manager, Lou Pinella, are probably walking to the hangman's noose after the season: Hendry for signing those lousy contracts, and Pinella for his flat-out awful job this year. The team has pretty much (Washington is up 15-5 now) underachieved all year, except when it's just been bad, and it probably shouldn't've been this way.
Long-term, however, there is some hope. The 42-year old Ricketts is a long-time Cub fan. He lived in the Wrigleyville area and met his wife in the Wrigley bleachers. Unlike the Tribune Company, previous owners of the team, he has an emotional stake in the club. Previously, TribCo made occasional noises about winning, but sure seemed more interested in just making money off the Cubs (and rightfully so. That's what businesses do, after all). I suspect that if Ricketts says he wants the Cubs to win the World Series, he'll actually mean it. I have no idea how deep his pockets are after buying the team, but obviously he'll have SOME money left.
So, while I'm not getting my dreams get ahead of the ugly reality, there's at least a glimmer of possibility out there. And what more can a real Cub fan hope for?
Short term, the sale of the Cubs to Tom Ricketts will make very little difference to the fortunes of the team as a whole. They're saddled with two awful contracts, those of Milton Bradley (3 years/$30million) and Alfonso Soriano (8 years/$136million), which will make it difficult for the team to sign anybody of note in the offseason. Both of these players are, to be frank, stinking up the joint. Soriano was once a 40 homer/40 steal man, and while he's on pace to go 40-40 again, it's 40 walks/40 rbi (I exaggerate, but not by much). They brought Bradley in to provide left-handed power and great on-base percentage... of course, he's promptly managed to hit 10 homers and hit .257 (as I write this, he just hit a home run, so make that 11 homers). Both of them are, to be charitable, butchers in the outfield, and Bradley has an injury history longer than my wings.
The long-term signing of underachieving Carlos Zambrano, a starting pitcher with the famous "million dollar arm and a ten-cent brain", who is self-professed as "lazy", who recently went on the disabled list with a back injury suffered while he was taking batting practice (as he showed off his batting prowess, which is actually considerable), isn't going to help matters either.
The one difference the new ownership will make is in management. The team's general manager, Jim Hendry, and field manager, Lou Pinella, are probably walking to the hangman's noose after the season: Hendry for signing those lousy contracts, and Pinella for his flat-out awful job this year. The team has pretty much (Washington is up 15-5 now) underachieved all year, except when it's just been bad, and it probably shouldn't've been this way.
Long-term, however, there is some hope. The 42-year old Ricketts is a long-time Cub fan. He lived in the Wrigleyville area and met his wife in the Wrigley bleachers. Unlike the Tribune Company, previous owners of the team, he has an emotional stake in the club. Previously, TribCo made occasional noises about winning, but sure seemed more interested in just making money off the Cubs (and rightfully so. That's what businesses do, after all). I suspect that if Ricketts says he wants the Cubs to win the World Series, he'll actually mean it. I have no idea how deep his pockets are after buying the team, but obviously he'll have SOME money left.
So, while I'm not getting my dreams get ahead of the ugly reality, there's at least a glimmer of possibility out there. And what more can a real Cub fan hope for?
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August 19, 2009
Duck U.'s Back In Session!
Today was the first day of the new Fall semester at Duck U!
Which means that all the ducklings wanted to get their books... NOW!
I'm a little... well, here's a graphical representation of my current mental state:
Yep, that about covers it. We've been going great guns for the past few days, yeah, but the first official day is always supernutty.
And now, so am I.
Which means that all the ducklings wanted to get their books... NOW!
I'm a little... well, here's a graphical representation of my current mental state:
Yep, that about covers it. We've been going great guns for the past few days, yeah, but the first official day is always supernutty.
And now, so am I.
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August 16, 2009
Post Frustration
Over the course of this Sunday, I, Wonderduck, owner and sole proprietor of Wonderduck's Pond, the reading of which you are currently undertaking, had started four different posts prior to the one that is, at the moment, upon your monitor.
The first one, on a perhaps apocryphal technicality involving the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Crimean War, and Russia, failed because there's no way to confirm the incident.
The second one, an argument regarding the best fighter plane of the Second World War, may be revisited in the future.
The third, involving the Japanese Zero, may turn into a "What If...?" post down the line, if I can just get past the niggling little detail that I don't know enough about the battle it involves. It could be quite provocative, however. Or stupid. That's the problem with "What If...?" posts.
The fourth never got past the opening words "I told you that people would complain and whine about the second Haruhi Suzumiya series." Unfortunately, I can't find the post or comment that I actually said those words.
So, frustrated beyond all comprehension, I will instead stoop to the last resort of the lazy anime blogger: a picture of a cute girl. Enjoy.
-Hatsukoi Limited, ep03
The first one, on a perhaps apocryphal technicality involving the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Crimean War, and Russia, failed because there's no way to confirm the incident.
The second one, an argument regarding the best fighter plane of the Second World War, may be revisited in the future.
The third, involving the Japanese Zero, may turn into a "What If...?" post down the line, if I can just get past the niggling little detail that I don't know enough about the battle it involves. It could be quite provocative, however. Or stupid. That's the problem with "What If...?" posts.
The fourth never got past the opening words "I told you that people would complain and whine about the second Haruhi Suzumiya series." Unfortunately, I can't find the post or comment that I actually said those words.
So, frustrated beyond all comprehension, I will instead stoop to the last resort of the lazy anime blogger: a picture of a cute girl. Enjoy.
-Hatsukoi Limited, ep03
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August 13, 2009
RIP Les Paul
If you've ever liked a rock song, or ever held a solid-body guitar, or ever listened to a multi-tracked recording, you owe a debt of gratitude to Les Paul.
He passed away Thursday at the age of 94, after an 80 year career in music. The world is now a much poorer place.
Les Paul, age 93.
If you've ever liked a rock song, or ever held a solid-body guitar, or ever listened to a multi-tracked recording, you owe a debt of gratitude to Les Paul.
He passed away Thursday at the age of 94, after an 80 year career in music. The world is now a much poorer place.
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August 10, 2009
For The Record
And furthermore...
That is all.
And furthermore...
That is all.
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August 09, 2009
The Best Of The Jeeps
Escort, or 'Jeep', carriers, were wartime conversions of merchant hulls. In 1942, as the US "auxiliary" carrier program spun up to full gear, every available C-3 hull, which was the preferred base design for conversion, had been earmarked for the Bogue-class escort carrier.
The Bogue-class was a relatively unsophisticated design, essentially slapping a flight deck on top of the hull, and changing the old main deck to a hangar. While effective, more hulls were desperately needed to escort convoys in the Atlantic and support operations in the Pacific. To overcome the shortfall, the powers-that-be tagged four T-3 tanker hulls for conversion.
The resulting Sangamon-class was considered the best of the converted Jeep carrier classes.
The Bogue-class was a relatively unsophisticated design, essentially slapping a flight deck on top of the hull, and changing the old main deck to a hangar. While effective, more hulls were desperately needed to escort convoys in the Atlantic and support operations in the Pacific. To overcome the shortfall, the powers-that-be tagged four T-3 tanker hulls for conversion.
T-3 Esso Trenton before conversion to USS Sangamon
The US Navy wasn't particularly fond of this idea. The one type of ship in even shorter supply than carriers were fast fleet oilers, designed to accompany warships and provide fuel and other supplies to short-legged ships in the vast ranges of the Pacific ocean, and the T-3 filled that bill. However, the Navy wasn't given a choice, and the four ships were taken into Norfolk Navy Yard, Newport News, Puget Sound Navy Yard and Bethlehem Steel.The resulting Sangamon-class was considered the best of the converted Jeep carrier classes.
USS Santee, CVE-29
Longer, heavier and faster than the preceding Bogue-class, and the basis for the subsequent purpose-built Casablanca-class (which was smaller and lighter, and just 1kt faster), the Sangamons could (and often did) carry 36 planes.
Unlike every other escort carrier class, the four Sangamons were able to embark any carrier plane in the Navy arsenal, save for the Helldiver and the Corsair. The usual air complement was between 12-18 Wildcats and around the same number of TBF Avengers, though the Sangamon and the Santee occasionally carried the Dauntless dive-bomber. The Suwannee and the Chenango never did, for one reason or another.
They displaced 24100 tons (full load), as opposed to 16600 tons for the Bogues. Unsurprisingly considering their tanker origins, they carried nearly three times as much fuel as well, giving them a range of 24000 nautical miles @ 15kts (the Bogues range was just over 10000nm). They also had a huge bunkerage for airplane fuel. As a matter of fact, they could carry more fuel than a Yorktown or Lexington-class fleet carrier, and only a bit less than the Essex-class, despite being about 350 feet shorter. In effect, the Sangamon-class were self-escorting tankers.
All four began their service life in late 1942, covering the North Africa landings of Operation Torch. Immediately following, they transferred to the Pacific. Three of the four were hit by kamikaze (the Chenango avoided that fate, but suffered severe damage when a F6F crash-landed on her deck and smashed into planes parked forward). The class as a whole suffered three kamikaze hits, four bomb strikes, and a submarine torpedo hit, yet all four survived... again, testament to the survivability of their larger-sized tanker origins.
The only thing that separated them from CVL status was their speed. 18kts maximum was pretty good for a transport, and excellent for an escort carrier, but much too slow to operate with the battle fleet, where 25-30kts was considered standard. That's about the only statistic that the Sangamons were inferior to the Independence-class CVL.
All four ships of the class survived the war, earning 41 battle stars between them. The Chenango and Santee continued in US Navy service as CVHEs (Carrier, Helicopter, Escort) until the late '50s. The Suwannee was put into the mothball fleet. The Sangamon, amusingly, was returned to commercial service in her original tanker configuration after the war, until she was scrapped in 1960.
Unlike every other escort carrier class, the four Sangamons were able to embark any carrier plane in the Navy arsenal, save for the Helldiver and the Corsair. The usual air complement was between 12-18 Wildcats and around the same number of TBF Avengers, though the Sangamon and the Santee occasionally carried the Dauntless dive-bomber. The Suwannee and the Chenango never did, for one reason or another.
They displaced 24100 tons (full load), as opposed to 16600 tons for the Bogues. Unsurprisingly considering their tanker origins, they carried nearly three times as much fuel as well, giving them a range of 24000 nautical miles @ 15kts (the Bogues range was just over 10000nm). They also had a huge bunkerage for airplane fuel. As a matter of fact, they could carry more fuel than a Yorktown or Lexington-class fleet carrier, and only a bit less than the Essex-class, despite being about 350 feet shorter. In effect, the Sangamon-class were self-escorting tankers.
All four began their service life in late 1942, covering the North Africa landings of Operation Torch. Immediately following, they transferred to the Pacific. Three of the four were hit by kamikaze (the Chenango avoided that fate, but suffered severe damage when a F6F crash-landed on her deck and smashed into planes parked forward). The class as a whole suffered three kamikaze hits, four bomb strikes, and a submarine torpedo hit, yet all four survived... again, testament to the survivability of their larger-sized tanker origins.
Santee takes a kamikaze hit
As with all ships in WWII, their AA guns were substantially increased from their starting armament. Unlike most others classes, however, the Sangamons handled the near-doubling of their guns without any topweight problems, owing to their tanker origins. The only thing that separated them from CVL status was their speed. 18kts maximum was pretty good for a transport, and excellent for an escort carrier, but much too slow to operate with the battle fleet, where 25-30kts was considered standard. That's about the only statistic that the Sangamons were inferior to the Independence-class CVL.
All four ships of the class survived the war, earning 41 battle stars between them. The Chenango and Santee continued in US Navy service as CVHEs (Carrier, Helicopter, Escort) until the late '50s. The Suwannee was put into the mothball fleet. The Sangamon, amusingly, was returned to commercial service in her original tanker configuration after the war, until she was scrapped in 1960.
The end of Sangamons.
For ships that were considered 'expendable', not a bad history.
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August 05, 2009
Momzerduck Update (and Some F1 News Too)
Momzerduck was discharged from the hospital this evening. She's doing... okay, I guess would be the technical word for it. Turns out when she fell, not only did she blonk her head quite forcefully, the docs also think she dinged her spleen, so she's in a fair amount of pain when she does things like laugh or transition from sitting to standing and so forth. Thankfully, she was given a prescription for a nice painkiller. So, she's home and resting comfortably with Hercule curled around her head like a pair of kitty earmuffs.
With that stress-inducer out of the way, lets get to the F1 News:
Felipe Massa has returned to Brazil to continue his recovery from the terrifying injury he suffered during quals for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"I know exactly what happened, that a spring came off Rubens' car and hit me on the helmet. I know that something happened to me, but I didn't feel anything when it happened. They told me that I lost consciousness at the moment of the spring's impact on my helmet and I ran into the barriers, then I woke up in hospital two days later. I don't remember anything, and that's why what the doctors did had to be explained to me," said Massa in a Q&A session with Ferrari's media department. "I also now have a fondness for celery, and I didn't before."
It seems incredible that he went home only nine days after the incident, and furthermore seems to be well on his way to making a full recovery. While I hope for his sake that he won't race again this season, it appears likely that he will if all goes as smoothly as it has to date.
His replacement, Michael "Slappy" Schumacher, however, is in a world of hurt. As expected, his neck is having some problems dealing with the stresses of driving a F1 car. It doesn't help that he had injured his neck earlier in the year during a motorcycle crash. Slappy's spokesperson said that "he's still not absolutely certain that his neck will hold up. His return depends on medical examinations which have yet to take place." He's been running the Ferrari F2007 around the test track at Maranello, which does not violate the in-season test ban.
Speaking of which, Ferrari is crying 'foul' at the recent decision to not allow Slappy a day's worth of running in the F60, their current chassis. The teams needed to vote unanimously to allow such a special event, but Williams, Red Bull and Toro Rosso put the kibosh on it.
Ever the sportsmen, Ferrari replied with "Guess who opposed the test with the F60? A team that hasn't won anything for years and yet didn't pass over the opportunity to demonstrate once more a lack of spirit of fair play." Nice, very nice. Never mind that Toro Rosso didn't get to run NKOTT before his debut, it's Slappy and Ferrari... of course they think they should be allowed to break the rules.
Finally, Nelson Piquet Jr was finally let go by Renault, surprising absolutely nobody. What IS surprising is that his father, former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Sr, is being linked to negotiations to take over the BMW F1 team. Obviously, his son would be given a seat then... which might be the ONLY way he's ever allowed back in a F1 car.
Junior fired back at Renault for axing him by releasing a vitriol-laced statement, which you can read in full here. Short version: "Flavio Briatore is an assmunch."
Which we knew already.
With that stress-inducer out of the way, lets get to the F1 News:
Felipe Massa has returned to Brazil to continue his recovery from the terrifying injury he suffered during quals for the Hungarian Grand Prix. "I know exactly what happened, that a spring came off Rubens' car and hit me on the helmet. I know that something happened to me, but I didn't feel anything when it happened. They told me that I lost consciousness at the moment of the spring's impact on my helmet and I ran into the barriers, then I woke up in hospital two days later. I don't remember anything, and that's why what the doctors did had to be explained to me," said Massa in a Q&A session with Ferrari's media department. "I also now have a fondness for celery, and I didn't before."
It seems incredible that he went home only nine days after the incident, and furthermore seems to be well on his way to making a full recovery. While I hope for his sake that he won't race again this season, it appears likely that he will if all goes as smoothly as it has to date.
His replacement, Michael "Slappy" Schumacher, however, is in a world of hurt. As expected, his neck is having some problems dealing with the stresses of driving a F1 car. It doesn't help that he had injured his neck earlier in the year during a motorcycle crash. Slappy's spokesperson said that "he's still not absolutely certain that his neck will hold up. His return depends on medical examinations which have yet to take place." He's been running the Ferrari F2007 around the test track at Maranello, which does not violate the in-season test ban.
Speaking of which, Ferrari is crying 'foul' at the recent decision to not allow Slappy a day's worth of running in the F60, their current chassis. The teams needed to vote unanimously to allow such a special event, but Williams, Red Bull and Toro Rosso put the kibosh on it.
Ever the sportsmen, Ferrari replied with "Guess who opposed the test with the F60? A team that hasn't won anything for years and yet didn't pass over the opportunity to demonstrate once more a lack of spirit of fair play." Nice, very nice. Never mind that Toro Rosso didn't get to run NKOTT before his debut, it's Slappy and Ferrari... of course they think they should be allowed to break the rules.
Finally, Nelson Piquet Jr was finally let go by Renault, surprising absolutely nobody. What IS surprising is that his father, former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Sr, is being linked to negotiations to take over the BMW F1 team. Obviously, his son would be given a seat then... which might be the ONLY way he's ever allowed back in a F1 car.
Junior fired back at Renault for axing him by releasing a vitriol-laced statement, which you can read in full here. Short version: "Flavio Briatore is an assmunch."
Which we knew already.
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Hope your week gets better, too. Take care this week! Hugs, Colleen.August 03, 2009
Momzerduck In Hospital
Very early this morning, Momzerduck got out of bed and fell over. She banged her head on the floor, opening a rather sizable cut over her left eye, as well as one on her elbow. Ph.Duck called the EMTs, who took her to a local hospital. Turns out she was in the midst of an attack of hepatic encephalopathy, or as I've known it: "one of her spells." (I never knew the medical name)
She'll be at the hospital overnight at least. I've just gotten home from there, and she looks better than she did when I got there this morning... though that's not saying a whole lot. Hopefully, she'll be going home tomorrow, though we're still waiting on blood-test results (and a bunch of other tests, to boot) before that call is made.
*sigh* Here's a picture that's completely unrelated:
She'll be at the hospital overnight at least. I've just gotten home from there, and she looks better than she did when I got there this morning... though that's not saying a whole lot. Hopefully, she'll be going home tomorrow, though we're still waiting on blood-test results (and a bunch of other tests, to boot) before that call is made.
*sigh* Here's a picture that's completely unrelated:
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July 27, 2009
RIP Merce Cunningham
The great modern/avant-garde dance choreographer Merce Cunningham passed away today at the age of 90. Considered one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century, he was also one of the great dancers as well. He was a soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Company for six years before forming his own troupe.
In my prior life as a lighting designer, I did mostly plays and musicals. Whenever I was asked to design for a modern dance concert, though, I always lept at the chance. The apparent lack of structure to a modern dance piece let me play with techniques I wouldn't ever try during a play, simply because I was being graded on my "formal" designs.
I put "apparent" in italics up there because in many ways, modern dance is all about structure. Just like ballet, it is never, ever improved, though it is often hard to tell. There's a common symbolic language for modern dance that allows a choreographer to put a piece on paper, just like a score for an orchestra. Nowadays, it's done via computer programs, of course.
But that structure was less confining than the traditional ballet style, letting a choreographer pull off some amazing things. Because of that, I LOVED designing for dance. It was really the only time that I, as a designer, felt like I was one of the performers.
Usually in a stage production (with some rare exceptions), the best lighting designs are the ones you never notice... kinda like a baseball umpire. It may take hundreds or thousands of hours to accomplish, but the lights are there to make the actors look good, not to make themselves look good.
With modern dance, however, lighting is there to accompany the dancers on-stage, sometimes literally. I remember one senior dance project I worked on when I was in grad school where the choreographer wanted a duet on stage: one physical dancer, and the lights were the other 'dancer'. She came to me before she started anything and asked for my opinions and input... and I was thrilled. It was a bear to pull off with limited resources, but we made it work.
Modern dance allows you to do things like that. While Cunningham's style was much closer to ballet than, say, Twyla Tharp's, and not for everyone's tastes, he was still one of the great innovators of a style of art that I love.
In my prior life as a lighting designer, I did mostly plays and musicals. Whenever I was asked to design for a modern dance concert, though, I always lept at the chance. The apparent lack of structure to a modern dance piece let me play with techniques I wouldn't ever try during a play, simply because I was being graded on my "formal" designs.
I put "apparent" in italics up there because in many ways, modern dance is all about structure. Just like ballet, it is never, ever improved, though it is often hard to tell. There's a common symbolic language for modern dance that allows a choreographer to put a piece on paper, just like a score for an orchestra. Nowadays, it's done via computer programs, of course.
But that structure was less confining than the traditional ballet style, letting a choreographer pull off some amazing things. Because of that, I LOVED designing for dance. It was really the only time that I, as a designer, felt like I was one of the performers.
Usually in a stage production (with some rare exceptions), the best lighting designs are the ones you never notice... kinda like a baseball umpire. It may take hundreds or thousands of hours to accomplish, but the lights are there to make the actors look good, not to make themselves look good.
With modern dance, however, lighting is there to accompany the dancers on-stage, sometimes literally. I remember one senior dance project I worked on when I was in grad school where the choreographer wanted a duet on stage: one physical dancer, and the lights were the other 'dancer'. She came to me before she started anything and asked for my opinions and input... and I was thrilled. It was a bear to pull off with limited resources, but we made it work.
Modern dance allows you to do things like that. While Cunningham's style was much closer to ballet than, say, Twyla Tharp's, and not for everyone's tastes, he was still one of the great innovators of a style of art that I love.
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July 25, 2009
DuckFest 2009 Is Today!
The 7th annual meeting for rubber duckie collectors, DuckFest 2009, is taking place in New York City today.
...and I'm not there.
I am sad.
The owner and operator of The Duck Show, Digicolleen, is the host of this year's convention, and I'm sure there will be tons of pictures posted over the coming days. She's also where I ganked the above photo, but I know she won't mind.
Have fun, everybody... next year, I'll finally meet you!
I hope.
...and I'm not there.
I am sad.
The owner and operator of The Duck Show, Digicolleen, is the host of this year's convention, and I'm sure there will be tons of pictures posted over the coming days. She's also where I ganked the above photo, but I know she won't mind.
Have fun, everybody... next year, I'll finally meet you!
I hope.
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July 23, 2009
Wonderduck Watches Watchmen
Wow.
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July 18, 2009
Well
I'm open to suggestions.
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