The Incredibly (Mostly) True Journal of M J Bellinger

Halloween Pics

2009-11-07T19:38:46Z

Just a couple of shots from our Halloween Night:

All of the boys before they invade the neighborhood in search of the Mother Of All Sugar Rush's. Conner is the Tigger, Kyle is standing behind him.

Here's how Conner spent part of the trip - we were using the wagon to collect canned goods for a local charity. By the end he was sitting on a layer of produce.

HUBBA HUBBA!!! (x2)

2009-11-06T21:17:38Z

And my "Slave Leia" fantasies suddenly acquire a whole new twist... ;)

Mr. Mom for the Weekend

2009-11-05T22:10:14Z

Dawn, mikespixie (My Esteemed Wife) has flown out East to spend the weekend with her BFF Michele michelelight in Texas. This means I have the boys to myself until Sunday. In theory the house should still be standing when she gets back.

NaNoWriMo Novel "Black Cat / White Cat"

2009-11-03T05:26:45Z

Won't have a word count yet, since to facilitate my writing at work (during downtime) I'm going longhand in a Moleskin notebook. Will plug it into yWrite for a count later in the week. Might be a bit behind on the whole 1,666 words a day, but it's flowing nicely and I'm sure I'll catch up.

Today's The Day!

2009-11-01T12:26:23Z

Joined NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. Idea is to bang out a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Hoping I can use this as an excuse to get my creative juices flowing again, it's been way too long since I've written anything. Heck, I got something published TEN YEARS ago, and since then -- nada.

Time to take that first step...

Perils of Watching "Glee":

2009-10-29T14:23:26Z

"Thong Song" has now been stuck in my head for two days

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Best Real Passenger Name of the Day:

2009-10-28T18:42:31Z

"Vogelfanger"

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Off to see U2!!

2009-10-25T19:40:57Z

Be sitting in the Pasadena Rose Bowl with Dawn tonight to see my favorite group!

PUMPKINS!

2009-10-23T02:42:31Z

Taken at Bates Nut Farm - Valley Center, CA

Ever wonder where those falling ACME Anvils come from?

2009-10-22T01:23:48Z

I think we've found the culprit...

Fifty! Plus 14....

2009-10-20T07:03:08Z

Damn, I suck at keeping up to date with this thing...

So, turned Fifty two weeks ago. Got a great present from my Lovely Wife - a sweeeet 40" Sony LCD TV for the living room. Not only is it bigger than the old 34" Sony, plus it has 4 HDMI inputs, which means I've almost literally cut down the rat's nest of wires behind it in half! And now I can watch all my Blu-rays and PS3 games in pure digital 1080/24p beauty. Now I just need to get a HDMI equipped XBox 360 and receiver. :)

So anyway - the funny thing was that Dawn at one point thought I was depressed about my Fiftieth birthday. The truth was I had hardly remembered it was my 50th! It would have been just another day for me - well, except for the truly excellent carrot cake. Now, I will admit to being a little bummed, but that had more to do with the six hours of my life I'll never get back thanks to the California DMV. (Story to follow later).

I don't even think I now what 50 is supposed to feel like. I know intellectually that I was born in 1959, which means I've walked the Earth for fifty years. But what does that MEAN? Would I have been able to guess where I would be right now twenty years ago? Ten? Five? Considering that I grew up an economically-challenged Black Male in New York City, odds that I should already be dead seem pretty high. That I am now living in Sunny California with a Wife and two Sons occasionally boggles the mind.

I guess the one thing that I wonder is am I doing enough? I've been working for Continental twenty years next January. That's a lot of time in anyone's book - for me it's practically legendary. I've walked away from many a job for numerous reasons, while most of my time with this airline has been wonderful, my stint here at John Wayne has truly tried my patience and sanity. I worry some times that they will push me to my limit, and then things will - well, lets not dwell on ugly things. What keeps me going is the thought of Dawn and Kyle and Conner waiting for me back home - my little piece of heaven away from it all.

You know, I don't even know where this is going. Maybe turning fifty means taking stock of your life and wondering if you've done well. And wondering how many more years you have to go. And can you possibly fit everything you want to do in the remaining time...

Never know 'till you try...

Fifty!

2009-10-06T04:16:38Z

Yep, hit the Big 5-0 today.

If I Ever Fly For Virgin America...

2009-09-24T20:24:58Z

I know what aircraft I want to Captain!

And thanks to Sam and Tansy I have the perfect hat. ;)

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Here's Looking At You...

2009-08-22T00:11:01Z

1/1 Scale Gundam

Yes it is F*cking Awesome! Yes, I have WAY more pictures. Yes, I will post more of them later, whether you like it or not. :)

My Chariot Awaits...

2009-08-18T14:25:34Z

A/C 020, a Boeing 777
Flight #009 to Narita, Japan

Gundam awaits!

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One ping only, please.

2009-08-06T21:06:24Z

Russian Subs Patrolling Off East Coast of U.S.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/world/05patrol.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Greetings from Comic Con!

2009-07-23T23:22:04Z

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Just In Time for Comic Con

2009-07-19T20:28:28Z

The 10 Geekiest Pieces of Furniture in the Universe

http://www.cracked.com/article_17550_10-geekiest-pieces-furniture-in-universe.html

Flying at the speed of AWESOME!

2009-06-29T17:33:51Z

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Not in New York anymore...

2009-06-25T00:37:18Z

So - on my way home from work. Start to feel a litte run-down and nodding a bit. Time to pull of the road to recharge. Grab an exit off I-5, go down a local street, find a park.

Here's what I get:

Sound of the surf, cool breeze, rabbits grazing by the path, women doing Yoga on the grass.

Ahhhh! I Love CA!

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The Perils of Twitter

2009-06-23T18:02:11Z

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mjbellinger @ 2009-06-16T11:33:00

2009-06-16T18:33:23Z

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Just how good is the new Digital TV signal?

2009-06-16T18:33:16Z

(At least here at John Wayne - YMMV)

This is our bag room TV, with a picture 300% better than before.

And this is the antenna that it's using!

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Why I'll Be In Japan Come Mid-July...

2009-05-25T20:18:59Z

Three Words:

Life. Size. Gundam.

Yep, come this July there will be a full-scale, 18 meter tall RX-78-2 Gundam standing proud and tall beside Tokyo Bay.

Now, Bandai would have you believe that it's to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Gundam and not a bid for a defense contract with the JSDF. But hey, if a North Korean Zaku just happens to surface near Disney Sea...

More info and pics of the build in progress here: (Japanese)

http://www.gundam30th.net/event/real-g.html

There's A Zombie On Your Lawn

2009-05-20T17:57:45Z