Intellectus Ex Nihilo (Wal-Mart on Ice)

[Canoerebel]

ORIGINAL: Zorch
Ok, that cured my insomnia. [:D]

I'm here to serve!

Here's another, written after a hike in the Cohutta Wilderness on October 5. This one is moving, sweet, and expressive in an eloquent, vibrant, and surprisingly elegant way:

STRANGELY NAMED

Highland folk called it Black Mountain Road
and named a bend where it fell (or rose)
after a mishap that oddly bestowed
a meaning only one living man knows.

A highlander once told that man a tale
of cleaning a woods boar, slain for a meal,
he threw its cod-piece and watched it sail,
and spin ‘round a limb, a grisly pinwheel.

The highlander said that he’d never seen
a discarded cod-piece hit the ground
it always snagged someplace in between,
then circled, making a bush-rattling sound.

That highlander, speaking with old-timey verve,
revealed the meaning of Possum Cod Curve.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

ORIGINAL: Zorch
Ok, that cured my insomnia. [:D]

I'm here to serve!

Here's another, written after a hike in the Cohutta Wilderness on October 5. This one is moving, sweet, and expressive in an eloquent, vibrant, and surprisingly elegant way:

STRANGELY NAMED

Highland folk called it Black Mountain Road
and named a bend where it fell (or rose)
after a mishap that oddly bestowed
a meaning only one living man knows.

A highlander once told that man a tale
of cleaning a woods boar, slain for a meal,
he threw its cod-piece and watched it sail,
and spin ‘round a limb, a grisly pinwheel.

The highlander said that he’d never seen
a discarded cod-piece hit the ground
it always snagged someplace in between,
then circled, making a bush-rattling sound.

That highlander, speaking with old-timey verve,
revealed the meaning of Possum Cod Curve.

Vogon poetry is a variety of poetry, often considered to be one of the worst in the universe, and often used by the Vogons as a torture method, as it causes physical pain to the hearer - it's that bad. A notable example of this was when they tortured Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent after the Dentrassis let them hitchhike onto the ship.

Vogon poetry is, of course, the third worst in the universe. The second worst is that of the Azgoths of Kria. During a recitation by their poet master Grunthos the Flatulent of his poem "Ode to a Small Lump of Green Putty I Found in My Armpit One Midsummer Morning," four of the audience members died of internal haemorrhaging and the president of the Mid-Galactic Arts Nobbling Council survived only by gnawing one of his own legs off. Grunthos was reported to have been "disappointed" by the poem's reception and was about to embark on a reading of his 12-book epic entitled "My Favourite Bathtime Gurgles" when his own large intestine - in a desperate attempt to save life itself - leapt straight up through his neck and throttled his brain. The very worst poetry of all perished along with its creator, Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings of Sussex, in the destruction of the planet Earth. Vogon poetry is mild by comparison.

An Example

Oh freddled gruntbuggly,
Thy micturations are to me,(with big yawning)
As plurdled gabbleblotchits,
On a lurgid bee,
That mordiously hath blurted out,
Its earted jurtles, grumbling
Into a rancid festering confectious organ squealer. [drowned out by moaning and screaming]
Now the jurpling slayjid agrocrustles,
Are slurping hagrilly up the axlegrurts,
And living glupules frart and stipulate,
Like jowling meated liverslime,
Groop, I implore thee, my foonting turlingdromes,
And hooptiously drangle me,
With crinkly bindlewurdles,mashurbitries.
Or else I shall rend thee in the gobberwarts with my blurglecruncheon,
See if I don't!
(I probably won't!)

[Canoerebel]

What's this about mashurbiting?

[Canoerebel]

P.S. I haven't run the turn yet but plan to do so before leaving the office. So I should have an image of the disastrous day available for viewing in two or three hours, you rubbernecking gee-haws.

[MakeeLearn]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Makee, did you take Sledge's class? Were you at Montevallo? If so, you are a most fortunate man!

Yes, to both. I had many classes under him and I worked for him as a lab assistant.

He took me and others to see Bald Eagles at Lake Guntersville, that was the first time to see a eagle for me. For Field Zoology he took us on trips around Montevallo. On one such trip, as we walked down the trail he rushed ahead of us students and picked up a pristine hawk feather. I jokingly accused him of having come out there that morning and planting the feather.

Once I was sitting out side the back of the Science Building with Patricia Rembert, adorable - red hair/green eyes, Sledge came out the door, he walked home, and he said to me "You better watch out, those things are deadly!".

Got a lot of memories of him. One of my favorites is him explaining to us his theory that there no such thing as "Positive Feedback" in biological systems. There is only "Negative Feedback" and.... "As Designed" I guess is the best way to put it.

If he was on the forums, he would be banned every few weeks.

[Canoerebel]

Well, dang, MakeeLearn. What a great story and experience. You rubbed shoulders with a legend, although he didn't think of himself that way. He was just a 'Bama boy lucky enough to survive a war. To the rest of us, he was walking history.

Goes to show that every person has a story. If you and Sledge had lived in Georgia, instead of across the state line, I'd be begging you to write a story about Sledge. Or I'd write one about the both of you, and I'd be sure to include the comment about "those things are deadly!"

And they are, as we all know!

[MakeeLearn]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Well, dang, MakeeLearn. What a great story and experience. You rubbed shoulders with a legend, although he didn't think of himself that way. He was just a 'Bama boy lucky enough to survive a war. To the rest of us, he was walking history.

Goes to show that every person has a story. If you and Sledge had lived in Georgia, instead of across the state line, I'd be begging you to write a story about Sledge. Or I'd write one about the both of you, and I'd be sure to include the comment about "those things are deadly!"

And they are, as we all know!

He was my wingman, he help break the ice by making her laugh and smile.

[Canoerebel]

12/18/41

SoPac: A roaming IJN CL/DD force sinks DM Sicard, just after she lays mines at one of the Ellice Islands.

The long effort to save Lex, including efforts to distract Dave or to clutter his radar screen, has cost me a lot of other ships. To this point its mainly been small vessels, but the cumulative cost is meaningful.

In contrast, the Allies have only molested enemy vessels (a few AOs, two AMCs) without sinking any.

The only thing this has really cost Dave is to keep KB tied up for a week or ten days, but perhaps he can make use of that by reconfiguring her future plans to include nearby SoPac or SWPac objectives.

[Canoerebel]

12/18/41

The Wild Goose Chase: It is very hard to see this epic chase end on a sour note. All you players know the sting of losing a good CV. But the remarkable nature of the chase actually makes me feel better rather than worse (as I had feared, as noted yesterday). Lex did something worth remembering. She didn't die meekly in the opening hours of the war, when she took two torps and was boxed in. She surprised and nearly escaped and led Dave on a chase he won't forget either. Sad, yes. Epic, yes. Fun? Oh, yeah!

[ChuckBerger]

Well, now you have a battle cry for the rest of the game. Remember the Lex...

[AcePylut]

Any chance you could use some floatplanes to transport some naval support to the base and maybe give her a chance at killing those fires and saving her?

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Well, dang, MakeeLearn. What a great story and experience. You rubbed shoulders with a legend, although he didn't think of himself that way. He was just a 'Bama boy lucky enough to survive a war. To the rest of us, he was walking history.

Goes to show that every person has a story. If you and Sledge had lived in Georgia, instead of across the state line, I'd be begging you to write a story about Sledge. Or I'd write one about the both of you, and I'd be sure to include the comment about "those things are deadly!"

And they are, as we all know!

The "... those things are deadly" observation contradicts Sledge's theory that organisms get only negative feedback ...

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: AcePylut

Any chance you could use some floatplanes to transport some naval support to the base and maybe give her a chance at killing those fires and saving her?

Once fires are over 90 it is nigh impossible that it can be saved in a port less than size 8. I doubt it will even last to the daytime Air phase to draw more strikes from KB.

Speaking of which, KB has been expending ammo and sorties since Dec. 7th, including a lot of full squadron attacks on small fry like DDs and DMSs. It may have lots of fuel but it must be nearing bingo sorties.

PS - back when one of the KB elements only moved three hexes or so, I figure it was refueling and maybe escorting damaged AOs that were being threatened by CR's DD TFs. The AOs are probably limping back toward Truk or Saipan right now.

[Canoerebel]

12/19/41

The Wild Goose Chase: Despite the extraordinary level of damage Lex had suffered (high 80s or 90s in each category), she remained afloat today until she underwent attack by Judys late in the morning phase. Two hits were enough to sink her. In the afternoon phase, CL Achilles blundered within range of Half KB North and took enough torpedoes to sink her.

This was a sad end to an epic chase that extended from NE or Wake all the way to Wallis Island. I think the chase lasted at least 10 days.

I can't wait to get turns and run them, but this one was different. I knew it was hopeless, but it's hard to sit through turns like this one. Drat this game. Sure is fun.

[BBfanboy]

It cost you Lex but KB was tied up all that time and will now have to head to port for repair and replenishment, leaving you a window to bring reinforcements forward. And maybe one of your subs will get lucky too. Good Luck!

[Anachro]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
I can't wait to get turns and run them, but this one was different. I knew it was hopeless, but it's hard to sit through turns like this one. Drat this game. Sure is fun.

Every time John takes a while with a turn or doesn't respond, I always await the turn with excruciating anticipation hoping for some gleeful lucky sub attack that sinks a Japanese carrier or battleship. I'm always grossly disappointed.

[Lecivius]

This was akin to the chase of the Bismark. Forgone conclusion, lots of drama, but a great chase ending with the sinking of a capital ship. This is a lot of fun (sitting in the peanut gallery).

[modrow]

ORIGINAL: Anachro
Every time John takes a while with a turn or doesn't respond, I always await the turn with excruciating anticipation hoping for some gleeful lucky sub attack that sinks a Japanese carrier or battleship. I'm always grossly disappointed.

I feel the very same sentiments when waiting for a turn longer than usual [:)]

Hartwig

[modrow]

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

This was akin to the chase of the Bismark. Forgone conclusion, lots of drama, but a great chase ending with the sinking of a capital ship. This is a lot of fun (sitting in the peanut gallery).

You mean those Judys did not sink Lexington, she was scuttled ? [8D]

It was twice the usual fun, bearing in mind we always got two versions of the story due to the sync bug [:D]

Hartwig

[modrow]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

12/19/41

The Wild Goose Chase: Despite the extraordinary level of damage Lex had suffered (high 80s or 90s in each category), she remained afloat today until she underwent attack by Judys late in the morning phase. Two hits were enough to sink her. In the afternoon phase, CL Achilles blundered within range of Half KB North and took enough torpedoes to sink her.

I think it's time to get worried about your opponent's R&D program. [:'(]