It strange. No matter who you talk to, eventually everyone is looking for someone they can relate to.  If only for a short moment, just a glimpse of someone who can relate is nice.

Atlanta, Georgia, is host to such an event.  DragonCon is an open forum for those who share a simple common interest.  A love of art, mass-media, science-fiction, music, film, fantasy and overall congregating just to enjoy themselves.

So whether you want to Save Darfour; If you want to stop the WARZ in the IRAQUE; Take a chance at  saving the Planet while you have the highest power consumption in your city; or realize that just hanging out and having a good time will accomplish about the same thing, come on down to the gathering Labor Day weekend.  Who knows what will happen, but at least you might find something else to occupy your time for a while.

**Heck there is even a Star Warts thing for you Mark… 

     Yeah, even though I’ve always enjoyed Star Wars, I’ve always been amazed at how far some people would take their fandom.  And this movie looks bloody hilarious:

(Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBkA3R2Habo)

     “Captain Picard is not gay … he’s BRITISH!”

     [ Mark tries desperately to bite his tongue ... and succeeds  ]

     Maybe it’s just me … but the whole Star Wars vs. Star Trek rivalry is completely laughable …

     Alright, so it’s old … I haven’t seen it before …

     And, obviously, now I can’t use the I-D-Ten-T thing anymore, either… Kinda sucks, since RTFM is common knowledge, and I just lost PEBKAC last month…

     Thanks for the mammaries…

1. The Misanthtropic: Name something (about humanity) you absolutely hate.

     Of all the things about humanity in the world, there is one thing that we can all agree upon: mucus is disgusting.  As a matter of fact, beyond the old addage that the only thing we can be certain of is Death and Taxes, I’m sure that Mucus should replace Taxes.  Death and Mucus — it’ll happen to everyone.
     That said, why is that as soon as someone gets a severe case of Mucus Unendus, they immediately say, “You made me sick!” when it clearly could’ve been the ass at the checkout the other day who wouldn’t cover his mouth as he hacked up a lung?

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.

     U-Haul Truck: $19.99.  Insurance: $14.99.  The look on your face when your final bill will come out to an average of $80: Priceless.

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.

     Should I be unhappy that I can’t think of anything that I’m unhappy about?

     No?

     Well, there is one thing … which is a nagging question … “Dammit, why does she have to live so far away?”

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.

     Nick Kougioulis did a helluva good job on this video, combining two of my favorite things:

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.

     I moved last weekend — finally finishing up the other side on Tuesday morning.  Through the week, I helped a friend move.  This past weekend, I helped more friends move.  Today, I helped another friend unload a truck.
     Somehow, I can exert myself like that, and not wake up sore and destroyed the next day.  I guess that means I’m in good shape. 

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.

     Today’s my birthday … I wish the woman in #3 would come for a visit. 

Now it’s your turn.

You can take part in The Monday Melee, even make it a regular feature at your site by visiting The Monday Melee page and following the steps. Kick-start your brain on Mondays and meet other bloggers.

     There are a few people who tell me I waste money.  Like, every now and again, I’ll throw down $8 on an apparently useless domain name.  Funny thing is, I’ve gotten some pretty decent traffic out of most of them.  This blog has done very little in the way of pushing Advertising, but still, it has consistenly made eight-to-ten dollars every month.
     Paid for a domain, got a few more readers.

     I watch a lot of people throw $5 into the lotto twice a week.  Most of them have never, and will probably never, win much of anything.  Case in point, a friend of mine won $3 after ten years of $10 a week.  That’s a lot of money to waste.

     To me, throwing $5.25 down on an Ebay listing that’ll probably go nowhere is fun.  It’s certainly more productive than a lotto ticket, and it might actually sell…

     Some people just don’t get it.  One of the best thing to know is that every dollar counts.  The more spend-$8-and-make-$9 things you can do, the more chance you have at coming out $1 ahead each time.
     Sometimes, I’ll do one or two from time to time between job silliness.  Other times, I’ll sit and do it all day.  Though boredom often starts the process, the process is certain anything but boring.
     Those days are fun, because I’m bouncing around doing three or four hundred different things.  So how much do I actually make on what most people consider a “waste of time?”

     It’s fun stuff to think about. 

     Ok, I took the quiz, and yes, I am officially a Star Wars Dork with a score of 41 (out of a possible 43).

     I am so ashamed…

     Spank Me, Princess Leia … You’re my only hope.

Tip: Matt Mullenweg

     I can remember back on November 18th, 1978, sitting in the living room floor watching the Star Wars Holiday Special on WBIR Channel 10, then Knoxville’s CBS affiliate (they’re NBC now).  I was already a serious Star Wars fan, having seen it at the drive-in the year before, in the theaters a few times that summer, and having spent a year’s worth of allowance on bubble-gum cards and comic books.
     I also remember how boring the show was to me, how horrible all of the familiar cameos were (”Maude is a bartender?”).
     With good reason, show was never aired again, surviving only as a multi-generation VHS dub… but certainly, hardcore fans will pay good money to get a copy, regardless.

     Still, there’s some nostalgia there.  Remembering that old TV with the rabbit ears, sitting on the rug in the middle of the living room floor.

     Kudos to Johnny Dollar for throwing up some screen caps…

     You can read more about it on StarWarsHolidaySpecial.com.

     From several sources, I heard about some educators giving extra credit for students who went out and voted.  I cannot understand why anyone would be so shallow, especially given their position as educators.  To me, it makes a farce of the entire process.
     The fact that we can vote, that we can have our say in electing our government, is one of our core Freedoms in this country.
     Regardless of the outcome of an election, voting is the reward!

     Another thing that’s getting on my nerves are these people who can go on and on about how things are being done, how things are running, how they could do better.
     “And did you vote?” I’d ask.
     “No…”
     “Then shut the Hell up.  Voting is what ensures our right to representation, so you gave up your right to complain when you didn’t take five minutes to go cast your ballot.”

     I’ve never been one for party politics, always voting for individual candidates and their stances on issues rather than taking a party-stance and voting down one side or the other.  But this go-round, the choice was clear.  One side had issues and resolutions, and the other side had nothing to do but bitch and complain.
     It was too fitting, as I left the polling area, to hear the “Emperor’s March” theme from Star Wars, and the voice of Vader saying, “Your journey to the Dark Side is now complete!”

     I was definitely relieved when I finally saw that the guy next to me was carrying a portable DVD player…

     Today, I saw a Star Wars: Episode 3 spoof by Sequential Pictures that was impressively produced for being so slapstick-stupid (I loved it!) and though I’d post it here.

     But after looking around on their site a bit more, I ran into some other gems which kept me laughing for at least seventy-eight seconds longer.

     Laughter is a good thing.  Especially tongue-in-cheek.

     Considering I’m a Star Wars dork (but having a life and personality without making constant references to it like some people), a friend of my sent me a great link today (Les Jones site)…

     Further investigation revealed that there are approximately thirty Femtroopers in the world today, mostly in the United States (thanks to SithVixen for the scoop).
     Peter Hartlaub, at The San Francisco Bay Culture Blog, had a recent entry about the phenomenon.

This is perhaps the most celebratory development for horny Star Wars fans since Princess Leia became Jabba the Hutt’s barge ho.

I think these photos are really hot, but maybe that’s because I’ve seen “The Empire Strikes Back” at least 25 times and own a George Lucas action figure. While the armored hot pants and bare midriff are both nice touches, the contoured breast plate is definitely the sexiest/funniest part of the costume.

     Unfortunately, some people just don’t get it.  A comment on that site, written by someone known only as bagdorka, reads:

You know, I’m all for the armor… But, sorry to say, it’s not the real deal until they are sporting hairstyle-compatible demi-helms that cover their faces. The true star wars geek wants to hear it through the speakers, if you know what I’m saying. 

     *ahem*  Yeah, ok.  Taking this stuff a little too seriously?

     And TK5528 at the UK Garrison of the 501st Stormtrooper Legion seems to agree:

The “femtrooper thing” is strictly not permitted in the UK Garrison.

Besides, we in the UKG only do canon costumes in regards to Star Wars, and IMHO, femtroopers have very little to do with Star Wars.

     *cough*  And somehow spending seven hundred (or more) pounds for a Stormtrooper outfit, going to a London Convention Center and trying to drink Guinness and Whitbread through your helmet does have something to do with Star Wars…?

     Barry, a reader on the Les Jones site, had the following comment:

Well, it does inspire a new saying - “As useless as a codpiece on a femtrooper”

     *Ding!*  *Ding!* *Ding!*  Finally, we have a winner!  Nice one, Barry. 

     Les Jones writes:

Femtroopers - Feminine versions of Star Wars stormtroopers, the better to hookup at DragonCon with.
 .
 .
 .
Natural environment - the hotel and/or convention center

Favorite put-down - aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?

     I would venture to say they get plenty of dork-lines, as well, such as, ”Hey, baby, are those things real?”
     Then again, I can also imagine them waving their hand, and saying, “These are not the breasts you’re looking for.”