I held off buying Battlestar Galactica Season Two point Oh last fall because I assumed that, when the season was over, the studio would release a collection of the complete season. Well, according to TVShowsonDVD.com, that was an unfounded assumption on my part.

The box set for the second season’s second half of episodes will street on September 19th, and will include as a “special feature” the extended-cut of Pegasus, which had been promised for the 2.0 set.

If you live in Maryland and recieve your power from Baltimore Gas & Electric, you might want to click here to find out why you should consider opting-out of their rate stabilization plan in face of next month’s 72% increase in costs.

I like naps. They’re fun and enjoyable in their own right, with the added benefit of recharging a person’s batteries. In my apartment, I nap on my bed, on the couch, and often on the floor.

What I don’t like are evening naps. Sure, you get an energy recharge, but then you can’t get back to sleep until bumfuck in the morning. The problem with today is my predisposition to an evening nap.

I got five hours of sleep last night. I woke up at 7:30 to get my car into the shop and have the brakes looked at, and as it turned out, replaced. I will admit I enjoy that the slightest pressure of my foot on the brake pedal brings my car to a screeching halt. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Anyway, so I shorted myself on sleep last night, then this afternoon went for a short walk on the NCR Trail, which if you haven’t heard of, click here. I walked two miles, from the Monkton Road entrance south to Corbett Road, and then back again. I was passed by a bunch of bicyclers, and I think I’d like to start biking again. I don’t think I’ve been on a bike in probably seven years, but doesn’t the phrase go, “Once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget?” I think my parents have a bike in their basement they don’t use, so maybe I’ll be able to convince them to give it to me. Anyway, biking the NCR Trail would, I think, be enjoyable. In any case, I plan on making walks on the trail a regular activity.

In addition to walking the trail, I tried running, too. Of course, I’ve lost thirty pounds since January, but that doesn’t mean I’m in shape (it just means there’s less of me to be out of shape with). I was able to keep up a good pace for about a minute, then collapsed on the gravel. Okay, I didn’t collapse, but I stopped running. Even with my short sprints (tried it both ways), I walked the mile in a little over thirteen minutes both ways.

Driving home, my legs felt tired and I was glad I wasn’t working tonight — probably just the unexpected exercise, but my control of the pedals felt sluggish.

After returning home, I surfed the net a bit, then picked up Tippy as she was walking out of my bedroom and started petting her on the futon. One minute it’s fiveish and she’s purring up a storm, the next minute it’s six-thirty and she’s sleeping on a t-shirt in the corner. I said to myself, “Okay, gotta get up” and then it was seven and I really did get up.

Now I’m going to be up until four. Well, hopefully I’ll get some work done on Zeus.

Plus, laundry.

Guess!

And my telephone prefix is 666.

I won’t be answering my home phone today, thanks for asking.

(Admit it, you thought this was another Normandy post, didn’t you?)

There was a made-for-tv movie produced by A&E a few years ago, starring Tom Selleck as Eisenhower in the days leading up to the invasion of Normandy. At one point, Eisenhower must convince DeGaulle, head of the French government-in-exile, to consent to certain requirements of the Allies — to read a statement over the radio urging the French to cooperate with the Allies, and also to consent to allowing local governments to remain in place. DeGaulle refuses — only he can speak for the French people, and he refuses to permit Vichy collaborators to remain in power. Later, discussing DeGaulle’s bullheadedness (and the graciousness shown by the Allies in treating France as an occupied ally, and not a German ally, which Vichy France was), Eisenhower tells his chief of staff, General Bailey, “[DeGaully] guards French perogatives jealously.”

Right before I started working at the Franchise, Greg expanded his operation from one to two stores, purchasing a second location down in AAC. He didn’t have quite as much luck with his employees down there as he had at his Baltimore County store — between workaholics walking out without notice, and employees snorting coke in the bathroom, and having friends over for in-store parties at three in the morning, keeping that store staffed took much of his time. On top of that, living in Hanover, makes for a long commute into Jacksonville, nevermind down to AAC.

So Greg sold the AAC store.

What this means is that there will most likely be schedule changes affecting certain employees. Greg can probably be expected to work a full forty-hour week at the Franchise, since he won’t have to divide his time between two stores. This most likely won’t affect Steve’s schedule much, but Zebulon might see a loss of hours. In addition, E.G. and Ghetto Boy, who have on occasion run shifts, will most likely find those hours lost — frankly, they’ve both been in trouble lately for not doing the job expected of them, so they’ll find themselves with only rush shifts (5-7). Upon learning this, Ghetto Boy’s response was, “Shit, I gotsa find me a job with some steady hours.” He’s going to quit. Big shock. I remember looking at his application and seeing ten employers in two years and thinking, “Why would you hire this dude?”

Zebulon and so-called-shift-managers aren’t the only ones facing a loss of hours. Old Man Frank, who has a lock on weekday afternoon shifts, will most likely also face a cut of time. Greg hasn’t been happy with OMF since an incident which nearly lost a multiple-day-a-week large lunch order from a local private school. I won’t get into it, but let’s just say it involves under-age children, and a Vulcan peace-symbol being mistaken for “two in the pink, one in the stink.” Frank has also vowed to find a new job, but this has less to do with fewer hours and more to do with having to spend more time working with Greg.

My hours remain intact. And they will remain intact. I know this, because much like DeGaulle, I guard my perogatives jealously, and I made it clear to Greg that a cut to my hours would make me very unhappy. Considering that the Refire Greg and Advanced Placement are both leaving in the fall, I’ve got a good arguement.

Starting this Saturday, I’m working a new shift — A. has left for a better paying position at her “day” job (her last day was last Saturday, but she’s working a rush shift Friday), and I’ve taken the afternoon Saturday shift she’s leaving vacant. One thing she said bothered me — “If I come back, I want Saturdays back.” Grrr. I guard my perogatives! Jealously! Didn’t anyone tell her?

Two-hundred and twenty-two pounds.

Of course, that was an hour ago as I raced out of my apartment to get my car into the shop for my brake appointment. Maybe I’ve lost a pound or two since then.

Anyway. Two-twenty-two. Half a pound down from last week, but really, what’s a pound or two between weeks?

Lunch plans today, then maybe a walk on the NCR trail. I think I’ll skip the well traveled parts (which apparently are the southern sections of the trail), and maybe head up to Monkton and walk down to Corbett.

The only South American country to send troops to Europe was Brazil. A force of 25,000 Brazilian soldiers were organized with the US 5th Army and fought in Italy.

India’s two-and-a-half million army was the largest raised by voluntary enrollment.

Soviets made up 64% of the Allied dead.

The last execution in the Tower of London was held on August 14, 1941 — German spy Josef Jakobs, by firing squad.

The US Navy comissioned an “ice cream barge” (at a cost of a million bucks) to provide ice cream to servicemen in the Pacific.

In 1942, to cause great concern for a Japanese garrison, American bombers attempted to cause a volcano on Matupi island to re-erupt by dropping “earthquake bombs” into the volcano’s mouth.

Japan built a submarine capable of carrying small planes with powerful German engines, but was never able to use them — Germany surrendered before sending the plane engines along to Japan!

Nearly 700,000 GP support vehicles were produced and used during the war. They GP stood for “General Purpose”, but soldiers slurred the initials together and soon called them Jeeps.

Add your own.

It was sixty-two years ago today, June the 6th, 1944, that Allied troops from a dozen nations — Americans, Brits, Canadians, Dutch, Greeks, Poles, Norwegians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, French and Belgians — under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, launched Operation Overlord: the assault on Hitler’s Atlantic Wall, the invasion of Normandy, and the liberation of Europe.

No, not that backside. Although Zeus will have a tailpipe (I think).

The hull of the Zeus takes up much of the length of a table in what I alternately term my “second bedroom”/”den”/”workroom”/”lego room”. I’m using a selection of 2×2 inverted slopes with “trays” — plates with greebling, flipped and held in place by gravity (and, well, technic bricks) for some underneath detailing. The sensor tower visible must be removed whenever the ship is “right side up.” Keen observers will note display stand mounts at various points along the structure.

Here’s a close up of a recessed area of greebling. I don’t know quite what these are supposed to be — oxygen converters? Valve shut-offs? Well, critical system components of some sort, but I’m sure glad I don’t have to be the crewmember who has to spacesuit up and take a walk on the hull to manually check some stray gauge.

Click below for an enlarged overall photo.

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They’re on sale at Giant — 3 for $5. But at not being buttermilk, and only eight pieces verse ten in the regular boxes, I only bought one Lego Eggo. I do love me my buttermilk.

(Buttery nipples, excellent too).