Sarcasmo's Corner

Monkey Do

2011-09-05T07:33:00.008-04:00

I observed young Thor doing something out of character the other day. He was standing still. Transfixed it seemed by the digital photo frame that is all Sarcasmo, all the time. His reverie broken by my presence, he asked a question. Had I wanted a boy ? I assured him that Sarcasdad and I had been most happy with our gaggle of chicks, and that now we had our boy. Why then, he asked, was Sarcasmo dressed as a boy in one of the photos? One that had just gone by. He insisted I wait for it to come around again. There are a lot of photos folks. He didn't say much. There is a picture of Sarcasmo as a little girl opening a Christmas gift and he wanted to know what was in the box. We finally cycled back to the "dressed like a boy" frame. There was Sarcasmo, perhaps 10 or 11 years old, all arms and legs which were adorned with knee and elbow pads, her short hair hidden by a helmet, standing on a skateboard. Still looking very much a girl to me, but, in the eye of the beholder I guess. What really struck me was that he didn't comment at all about Sarcasmo dressed as; a ghoul ; in knee britches and a tri- cornered hat , toting a musket; wrapped in a white towel with cold cream on her face the Halloween she and her friends re-created a Bangles album cover; the Queen of England. Once through the slide show , young Thor said that he had been awfully little when he knew his Aunt Sarcasmo, and that he was starting to forget.
Little Sparkle never had the pleasure of Aunt Sarcasmo's acquaintance. She knows her picture on the wall over the fireplace mantle , and names her right along with Mommy & Aunt Sarcasmo Jr. I have no doubt they would get on famously.
A recent family outing found us aboard the Sea Dragon, a pirate ship that sails the bay in Ocean City New Jersey. Young Thor, as expected, took to the life of a pirate with gusto, sporting an eye patch and brandishing his sword. We knew he could swashbuckle with the best of them. Little Sparkle was an unknown element. Would she like being on the water? Would the pirates scare her? Would we be trapped on a boat with a seasick, unhappy nearly 2 year old.?
She owned it.
She wore the skulldanna with panache. Sported the (painted on) "tattoo" with pride (even went back for a second one), plundered the treasure chest and steered the ship. I could not help but think that her Aunt Sarcasmo would be proud, and wondered if maybe there is something that was somehow passed along from one to the other. Of course I am well aware that there are many influences on little Sparkle and her opinion of the world around her. The most prominent being her brother, who has never met a sword or a pirate he didn't like.
Not too many days later , back at home, young Thor and I were playing a game called Jumpin' Monkeys. It involves using little plastic springboards to launch little two dimensional plastic monkeys through the air and onto a three dimensional plastic tree. Young Sparkle reached into the box and pulled out one of the plastic primates, a flat figure attached to a plastic stand. They look a little muscle bound. She held it up.
"Monkey Robot" she said.
Now where did she get that from?

All Hail Sarcasmo

2011-06-09T09:30:00.015-04:00

Today is her birthday. She would have been 38. She accomplished so much, and connected with so many people in her 33 years, that I have to wonder what impressions she would have left on the world these last five years. Those of us she left behind do our best to keep her presence out here, on the internet, where she was a SuperStar, as well as in the community where she was much loved. We do it for ourselves , for sure. But also because she said a lot in those 33 years. And everybody hasn't heard it yet.
I was looking up the address for the Central High School Alumni to send a check to the Star C. Foster Writers Prize, in honor of her birthday. On the webpage, I found an opportunity to leave her mark on the everyday life, at her alma mater. Due to a fire in October, the school is renovating the auditorium. For a certain sum you can dedicate a new seat, in the new auditorium, in honor or in memory of someone. One of those seats will bear a plaque that reads:

In Memory of Star C. Foster
Writer - Geek -Gadabout
Class of 250

We do it to keep her out there. Perhaps students, born after she had graduated, looking for diversion during long assemblies will note her name and wonder what made her plaque worthy. Maybe they will feel a kinship with a her as a writer, or as a geek, or , if they know what it is, a gadabout. If they look her up in the yearbook they will find she was Editor of the school's award winning literary publication. And if they Google her, well, who knows. For as long as Sarcasmo's Corner is an address on the internet,they will be able to read all about her. Posts that chronicled what she was doing, what she was thinking, and what she was passionate about. She was passionate about lots of things.
But , I fear that blogs are not forever. They only last as long as someone watches over them. As we go about our lives, imprinting ourselves on others and creating memories of ourselves, we look for ways to make memories of her as well. Ones that will last more than a lifetime.
It's her birthday.
Kiss the frog.

Sarcasmo in the Cemetery with a Flashlight

2011-05-11T08:40:00.001-04:00

Anyone one who knew Sarcasmo personally, or read this blog in her lifetime, knows that Halloween was her holiday. And, that planning for the next Halloween began the day after the last one. So when I saw this in her inbox, I knew that she would have somehow fit this into her already packed holiday schedule.

Do I need to point out that this is a link Sarcasmo would have posted ?

Sarcasmo's Corner invites you to participate on this blog. If you have any stories to share, or links you think Sarcasmo would post, please send them to; slf1954@verizon.net . Or leave them in a comment. We thank you all for keeping Sarcasmo's Corner a place for her friends to gather.

Free Comic Book Day !!!

2011-05-07T21:22:00.004-04:00

A little late to the party, I know. But today, was , Free Comic Book Day !!! WooooHooo !

This was one of those things I depended on Sarcasmo to alert me to. Not that I was going to participate, but still good to know. This year I found out on KYW (news radio 1060 for those of you not in the tri-state area) How main stream is that?

So, did you score any free comic books today?

Better than a Milk Carton

2011-04-13T09:22:00.005-04:00

The lovely and talented Sarcas-sis is needs your help, Friends of the Corner. Here is her plea:

Fans of SarcasmosCorner: I am working on a project for school, compiling a selection of her blog posts and turning them into a book. If anyone has a favorite post of hers, let me know. Thanks.

Such a simple request. Surely you can help. Here is what it doesn't say. Sarcas-sis is one class away from her Masters Degree in Graphic Design. One that she has worked diligently towards while working full time, having a baby and raising 2 kids . I think she has an A average, So for heaven's sake, HELP THE WOMAN OUT !. She hasn't slept in 2 years.

And the book will be awesome.

Thanks.

Suggestions can be left in the comment section or emailed to me, Slf1954@verizon.net or Sarcas-sis, debrabfoster@gmail.com

Philly Famous

2011-02-19T14:14:00.009-05:00

It takes me a while, but eventually I get there.

A while back, Friend of the Corner ptbvisiongrrl sent me a link. A link to something that Sarcasmo would have liked. A link she may have posted.( ptbvisiongrrl reads the small print.) It is an interview with guitarist Reggie Wu . That name rang no bells for me, but the name of his band, Heavens Edge, certainly did. The 80's. The Empire Rock Club. Rock, sorry, Metal bands with tons of hair and edgy attitudes. And the teenage girls who worshiped them. As ptb mentioned in her email, she and Sarcasmo were fans. I vaguely recall once when they went to an afternoon show and found themselves locked out in the parking lot, along with the bands. Sarcasmo came home with Britny Fox autographs on her shirt.

Even farther back, Friend of the Corner Peccable let us know about a movie called Get Lamp. If you are not already aware, it is a documentary about text adventure games. One in which our own Peccable was interviewed! You most likely, unlike myself who required an explanation where Peccable kindly stated the obvious and I had one of those well, duh, of course moments, get the title reference. I should have gotten it on my own as I actually played those games. It was when the Mario Brothers came on the scene that I gave up trying to rescue princesses and collect treasures. Anyway, Sarcasmo was unable to make the interview in which Peccable talks about Slouching Towards Bedlam, and , working with Sarcasmo on it. The director, Jason Scott, was kind enough to send us a copy of the film, which includes Sarcasmo in the credits. He noted in an email that the film has played to thousands, and that many more people now know Sarcasmo.

As I was looking at the Reggie Wu interview, I remembered something else I wanted to post about. The end of The Phillyist, as we know it. It is all summed up here by editor Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey, who gives a tip of the pen to Sarcasmo. As well she should. In his interview Reggie Wu said his band was "Philly famous". I would say Sarcasmo was "Philly(ist) famous.

Sarcasmo's Corner invites you to participate on this blog. If you have any stories to share, or links you think Sarcasmo would post, please send them to; slf1954@verizon.net . Or leave them in a comment. We thank you all for keeping Sarcasmo's Corner a place for her friends to gather.

What Was I Waiting For

2011-01-23T07:41:00.006-05:00

I can't believe it took me seven years to get around to it. Go ahead. I'll wait while you roll your eyes and mumble about how long it takes me to post here. Ever since Sarcasmo let us in on her love of Panto, I have been meaning to take in a performance. Not that there is a lot of opportunity to do so, but there has been some in seven years. Even still, it was a very last minute decision that found myself and Thor sitting in the audience at the People's Light and Theater for The Three Musketeers (the later years).
The best description of Panto I could find, was one Sarcasmo blogged.

.......... it was a delightful combination of stock characters, improv, audience participation, hammy acting, terrible puns, and wonderful, wicked laughter.

And the actors threw peppermints at us. We hadn't even gotten to intermission when young Thor delivered his review. And I quote.:
"Best play ever"
End quote. And Thor, though young as stated, has seen his fair share of plays. He is a subscription ticket holder at the Arden Theater and has himself performed on stage at the Devon Theater, in an original one act play, where he portrayed a blood sucking but friendly vampire with a propensity for tickling. So I would stack his up turned thumb against any.
From what I gather, Peoples Light & Theater has done a panto over the holiday season for the last seven years ! (who knew?) . Assuming they will continue to do so, Thor and I are planning on making it part of our traditions.
Think about joining us. I'll let you know when tickets go on sale. For more about Panto, go back and read Sarcasmo's post. It is dated July 07, 2003. One of these days I'll see about getting those links to be more direct. Don't hold your breath though. I am apparently distracted by the internet, and anything shiny.

Kiss The Frog

2010-12-08T20:40:00.009-05:00

Sarcasmo once blogged that she chose to go out and do things she could blog about, rather than give into the lure of the internet and just post about things she could do if she wasn't so busy re-posting links. She said it better. And if I could find it this morning I would quote her directly. I applauded the sentiment then, and have tried to emulate it since. What I am saying dear Friends of the Corner, is that the lack of activity on this blog does not indicate that we are losing interest. We are just really busy. Doing things.

Sarcasmo would approve.

My Monday Morning Madness/Friday Follies folder is often full of all kinds of Sarcasmo related indulgences. Sadly, by the time I get around to sharing, they are either old news or have been Facebooked to ad nauseum. I would tell you that I will try to do better in the New Year, but that would be too much like a resolution. Sarcasmo didn't really hold with the notion that life altering changes had a greater chance of success if they started on a day of any particular significance. Me either. The best I can do, without setting myself up for failure, is to tell you I will be here when I can. When the spirit moves me. Truth in blogging.

I heard the following quote from Elizabeth Edwards, who as everyone knows , was a parent who lost a child.:

On losing a child, at a 2007 speech in Cleveland: "One of the things I always say to every group where I get a chance to talk about my book at all is to say, 'If you know someone who has lost a child or lost anybody who's important to them, and you're afraid to mention them because you think you might make them sad by reminding them that they died, they didn't forget they died. You're not reminding them. What you're reminding them of is that you remember that they lived, and that's a great, great gift.'"

It is a gift, and one that we get from all of you, every day. We love that Sarcasmo's friends, and they are legion, have become our friends and family.

So if you can get to Rittenhouse Square, kiss the frog.¹ If you cannot, blow that sculpted amphibian a kiss. I am sure it will get there.

1. Please scroll down to the the bottom of the posts. I was referencing the All Hail Sarcasmo entry. Feel free to read them all if you like.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-10-21T07:24:00.012-04:00

A few, well really more than a few, days back I opened an email from Friend of the Corner Vis Major. She had sent me a Sarcasmo related Halloween link, and I thought to myself, "wow, that Vis Major is really ahead of the game. Here she is looking for Halloween stuff and it's only..................OCTOBER 11TH!!!!!!
Now, you know as well as I do , that by October 11th, Sarcasmo would have been in Halloween high gear. Every detail of the costume she had been designing since the day after last Halloween would be finalized. As well as those of the back-up costume, and , the back-up to the back-up costume. Gory, gruesome makeup would have been applied and removed and reapplied in order to approximate the appropriate level of zombie-ism. (zombie-ness?) And, right about now, she would be embarking on her traditional Halloween week vacation. A week off from work was the only way she could fit in all that Halloween had to offer. After all , ships don't haunt themselves you know.

Just in case you don't have enough to fill your week with Halloween hi- jinks, here are some spooky links.

Spider Webs- from Vis Major, a link she thinks Sarcasmo might have posted. Thanks Vis !

Oh the Horror- Rocky Horror to be exact. I am sure there a bajillion (more than a bamillion but less that a bazillion) places you could go see the original this week. In fact, rumor has it that friend of the Corner, Wanderingstar did just that, and was rendered speechless. I however am waiting for this version. Show of hands please. Who thinks Sarcasmo would be a GLEEk ?

Mutants- There's an app for that? Of course ! For the iPhone anyway. I don't think Sarcasmo would ever have succumbed to the "i", do you? But she would have borrowed one to play with this.

Flying Monkeys- okay, this really has nothing to do with Halloween. Unless of course you are working a Wizard of Oz theme. Sarcasmo loved monkeys almost as much as Halloween, so I threw it in.

A Halloween Story- A favorite memory of mine. The archives are a bit wonky since the migration, so you may have to scroll down to A Holiday Memory Retold, posted on Oct. 22.

Have a Happy Halloween. It is, after all, the only day of the year you are encouraged to take candy from strangers.

Sarcasmo's Corner invites you to participate on this blog. If you have any stories to share, or links you think Sarcasmo would post, please send them to; slf1954@verizon.net . Or leave them in a comment. We thank you all for keeping Sarcasmo's Corner a place for her friends to gather.

Avast Me Hearties

2010-09-18T04:43:00.009-04:00

As we all be knowin', Sunday be Talk Like a Pirate Day. I have be brushin' up on me scurvy pirate-speak to get ready, as actually speakin' like a scurvy pirate, on TLAPD seems like a extra Sarcasmo thin' to do.* (Aye !). Truth be told though, Sunday is the day I catch up on me deck swabbin' and tidying up the crow's nest. So mostly, I'd be speakin' to meself.
This particular Sunday we be celebrating a birthday. Tis a matter of convenience, to be sure, as the actual event is on Monday. But on Monday all the landlubbers have to walk the plank.
So, for this Sunday we will be singing this little sea shanty.

Grog filled birthday to ye,
Grog filled birthday to ye,
Grog filled birthday ,dear Sarcas-dad,
Grog filled birthday to ye,
'N many more to ye

I put the Happy Birthday song lyrics through a Pirate Translator and that is how it came out. Apparently pirates equate grog with happiness. Hmmmmm. This pirate thing is looking better and better. Hopefully when we sing it out loud we won't be owing royalties to a coupe of old swashbucklers.
In case you have no one to talk to either, here are a couple of pirate related links to keep you busy.

The Original - i t all started somewhere.

The Classic- Inconceivable !

The Really Big Stretch- everybody is jumping on board.

Fair Winds Mateys.

*When you click on this link, it takes you to the whole month of archives. I wanted to highlight the Sept.18 post. But feel free to read them all. Original Sarcasmo's each, and every one.

We Now Return You to My Regularly Scheduled Life

2010-08-08T16:24:00.017-04:00

My usual line-up of work and household chores was put on hold this weekend for fun with family and friends. (note to self: more of that). On Saturday night all that could gathered around a very big table at a very nice restaurant, that, Sarcas-bro just happens to manage. It is a rare occurrence for us all to be seated at the same time.¹^&2 Looking around the table, young Thor noted that we are a lot of people. I agreed, reminding him that not everyone had been able to make it, so our family was really larger. And I told him that the assemblage represented half of his gene pool. Usually quick with a snappy comeback, Thor was uncharacteristically silent. The occasion was important enough that Sarcasmo Jr. made the 4 hour trip home to be with us. In the course of a conversation she , myself and Sarcas-sis discovered that we had all been friended on Facebook by an old boyfriend of Sarcasmo's. A name we had not heard in a long long time. And we all agreed it was weird.
On Sunday morning Sarcas-dad and I had a date for breakfast with Sarcasmo's roommate from her college days at Pitt. We hadn't heard from her in a long time either, but in this case we were very happy she friended us. Sarcasmo Jr was able to join us and we all had a delightful meal and some conversation around a much smaller table.
Before we parted, Kelly gave us photos of Sarcasmo from those college days. We remembered their off campus apartment that had a definite slant in the floor, and a red flashing light in the coat closet from a piece of street signage that had found it's way there mysteriously. Or so they said.There were photos from Sarcasmo's wedding and I said to Kelly that I had forgotten that she knew this person and that person who were friends of Sarcasmo's but who had not gone to Pitt. Sarcasmo had that knack, of bringing people together from all the different parts of her life, and making them friends as well.
Guess who was in one of the pictures.
Yep. The old boyfriend.

¹ Not that we stayed seated for long. There was seat trading and baby walking and restroom trips. And the restaurant is situated in among some quaint little shops so there was some between course shopping. In fact at one point between the smokers, the leg stretchers, the baby walkers and the shoppers, Sarcas-sis was heard wondering out loud "who is left at dinner?"

² Our poor patient waiter had taken very detailed orders from the lot of us only to find that few of any of us were in our original seats when he returned with dinner. Noting his distressed we returned to our places. It was not unlike a Chinese fire drill.

Sarcasmo's Corner invites you to participate on this blog. If you have any stories to share, or links you think Sarcasmo would post, please send them to; slf1954@verizon.net . Or leave them in a comment. We thank you all for keeping Sarcasmo's Corner a place for her friends to gather.

We Take the Fifth

2010-07-05T10:25:00.010-04:00

I was looking for an Original Sarcasmo that related to the Fourth of July. What's that you say? Today is the fifth of July ? A day that does not even warrant capitalization ? Ah well, yesterday was a holiday. Technically, as my fair city, the US Postal Service, and many union employees are celebrating the Fourth falling on Sunday by having off today, it is still a holiday. The second Fourth. The Fourth, part II.
It doesn't matter anyway. This Original Sarcasmo was posted July 3, 2006, ( otherwise known as Fourth of July, the prequel ) and has absolutely nothing to do with Independence Day. (the day, not the movie, which, it has nothing to do with either.)
The link it appears, takes you to all the posts for July 2006. Possibly something to do with all the moving around. All of the posts are worth a read. The one I am referring to is :

My Life with That ~~Know It All Bast~~... Jeeves

All because she couldn't find a decent pencil.

Enjoy !

Oh, and may the Fourth be with you, which admittedly was more amusing yesterday, and actually somewhat funny on May the fourth.

All Hail Sarcasmo

2010-06-09T18:07:00.019-04:00

Today is her birthday. She would have been 37. What do you think would have her attention these days? Having already portrayed the victim of a zombie attack in an independent film, and a pirate on haunted ship, done voice over work for video game, co-authored ,with Peccable, an award winning IF game, road tripped around Europe with her sisters, did karaoke in Tokyo with Sarcas-sis and her BIL, visited London solo, wrote for Phillyist & Shiny Shiny, not to mention building a global following with this very blog, well, what would be next ? I don't pretend to know, but without a doubt it would be interesting, and she would be giving it her all.

Speaking of that global blog following, I very recently made a new friend, thanks to Sarcasmo. Someone I already knew but had never met. He has been stopping here at the Corner for years. Not a fellow blogger, or a personal acquaintance, justme_in_here wandered through one day, liked what he read and stuck around. He commented off and on, first here and later on Wednesdays Off as well. As if by some sort of telepathic connection, just when I would be wondering if he had forgotten about us, he would post a comment or send an email.

That's just how it happened one day in May. I wondered and he emailed. He was here in Philly on business and had been to Rittenhouse Square, but hadn't found the plaque. I gave him directions and invited him to breakfast.

I have to deviate from the story for a second and just let you in on this. If you tell people that you are planning to meet up with a person who you only know from an online relationship, chances are they will assume he is an ax murderer. I'm just saying. Back to the story.

As we ate , justme_in_here shared his photos from his trip to Philly with me, Including, photos of doorways. Inspired, he said, by Sarcasmo.

She is still, an inspiration.

If you feel inspired today, toast her with a Starbucks. Or dance to the music, even if everyone is watching . And if you can, kiss the frog.

Any Day in May

2010-05-25T08:00:00.002-04:00

Vis Major wished me a Happy Towel Day this morning. Were it not for Sarcasmo, I would not know what Towel Day is, or that it even existed. I figured there was probably an appropriate original Sarcasmo to mark the day, so I searched the archives. Since the big move, the search feature on the blog itself is a little wonky. But this was an easy quest as Towel Day is the 25th of May. So I paged through the archives. May 2006; 2005;2004;2003;. Found nothing about Towel Day, Douglas Adams, or Hitchhikers.
What I did find was that Sarcasmo was loquacious, even for her, in the merry month of May.
So I wish you all, a Happy Towel Day. And urge you to pick a May. Any May. And pick an Original Sarcasmo to share with all of us. And if you find a reference to Towel Day, feel free to point out my oversight. I have a bit of a time constraint as, unlike everyone else in the free world I do not have access to the internet at work. Work to where I should have been gone 10 minutes ago !

Recycle Responsibly

2010-05-12T17:43:00.017-04:00

Today Sarcas-dad and I visited the local city recycling center and disposed of an old laptop battery. It was quite a simple task. I could not help but compare it to the time Sarcasmo wanted to dispose of an old, broken computer monitor. Simple? Of course not. But it made for a great Original Sarcasmo, complete with references to Alfred Hitchcock movies, and Sarcasmo's faithful minion Trotwood.
I get to recycle that post for you thanks to Friend of the Corner, Wandering Star, without whom the Corner would be a nice place to visit, but not a place to post to. Despite Blogger's handy dandy migration tool, the move was not without glitches, late night emails, and although he never let on I imagine there was a new level of frustration experienced. But here we are. Thanks Wandering Star.
Now that we are settled in our new digs I hope to get back to posting all kinds of fun stuff. You know what that means:

Sarcasmo's Corner invites you to participate on this blog. If you have any stories to share, or links you think Sarcasmo would post, please send them to; slf1954@verizon.net . Or leave them in a comment. We thank you all for keeping Sarcasmo's Corner a place for her friends to gather.

Here's one, just to ease back into it. An alphabet Sarcasmo would love. Recycled from Friend of the Corner Cheryl.

Star's Barleywine

2010-04-18T16:24:00.004-04:00

Usually at the end of my very infrequent posts, I ask for readers to share stories about Sarcasmo with the rest of us, I knew you guys were reading it! This lovely sweet story was sent to me by friend of the corner Tom.

Several years ago now I made a small batch of strong beer, sort of an attempted belgian ale thing, as sort of a tribute to sarcasmoscorner. I owed her a bottle of Chimay, y'see,and I never got to pay up.

The results were disappointing— it didn't ferment much at first, basically a mild ale with a lot of extra sugar— so I never mentioned it to anyone. Left one bottle in the basement, didn't even bother to put a suitable label on it. Forgot about it entirely.

Now I'm discarding box upon box of stuff in preparation to move, and amidst four dozen empty grolsch bottles (I will never again ask movers to move my empty beer bottles for me, geez what a jackass move) I come across this thing. Still labeled "BAST.BOB ROSEMARY BREW."

Y'see, a decade ago (!) I made a batch of beer with rosemary rather than hops, out of historical curiosity: they used rosemary before they used hops. Guess what, it was weird and different and people largely didn't care for it.

I thought it was that stuff so I wasn't too excited, but I was curious what ten years might have done, so I poured a glass anyway.

It was the beer I'd made for Star. Apparently it decided to take its own sweet time fermenting in the bottle.

It is Star's barleywine. It is heavenly. And there is just one bottle in the world, half of which is already in my belly. Sorry about that guys. (:
--
Tom Boutell

http://www.tommybgoode.com/
http://boutell.livejournal.com/

Sarcasmo's Corner invites you to participate on this blog. If you have any stories to share, or links you think Sarcasmo would post, please send them to; slf1954@verizon.net . Or leave them in a comment. We thank you all for keeping Sarcasmo's Corner a place for her friends to gather.

All Hail Sarcasmo, and Her Friends

2010-03-04T06:24:00.008-05:00

Clearly as you are reading this, I have stopped wringing my hands and cursing my wretched fate. It's tough to type and wring at the same time.
Relief has come in the person of Friend of the Corner, Wandering Star, ( how appropriate is that alias in this situation ?) who has gallantly stepped forward to facilitate moving Sarcasmo's Corner. By facilitate, I mean he is doing it all. He is optimistic, and so am I.
As with any move, things don't always go back into place right away. Since we don't know what the initial result will look like, WS suggested a please excuse our dust post until he neatens it up. So this is it.
To all of you who, like myself, lack technical expertise but sent wishes of good luck, and moral support, I want you to know that it means a lot. And a big thank you to this Friend of the Corner who also offered his assistance.
What a tribute to Sarcasmo that her friends are there for her.
See you when the dust settles. And if anyone wants to help with the unpacking, well,

Sarcasmo's Corner invites you to participate on this blog. If you have any stories to share, or links you think Sarcasmo would post, please send them to; slf1954@verizon.net . Or leave them in a comment. We thank you all for keeping Sarcasmo's Corner a place for her friends to gather.

This Blog Is Moving and I Need Some Help With the Heavy Lifting

2010-02-21T18:28:00.012-05:00

Dear Friends of the Corner, I think I may be in over my head here. We all know that Sarcasmo was the technical support of both this blog and mine. She set them up, and whenever there were any little hitches, I wrung my hands and cursed my wretched fate while she made all the necessary adjustments. She promised that one of these days she would teach me what she knew. I honestly don't know how she came by all this internet savvy. Except that it often strikes me as a foreign language, and she was good with that. Ask her sisters about the time she got them directions in Europe using her high school french.
Now, Blogger has notified me, and the rest of the 5% of their customers who use FTP publishing that they can no longer dedicate their resources to that. So, if I want to continue posting to Sarcasmo's Corner, as well as my own blog, Wednesdays Off, I have to move them.

Shudder.

If it were just Wednesdays Off, I wouldn't care too much. If I screw it up, I can just start over.But that is not an option for the Corner.
I have been doing some research on the site that hosts the blogs, and on blogger. It has answered some questions, but created others. I think there are a couple of things that could happen.

1. I don't do anything. The blog will never be updated, but all of her words will still be there. Not the way I would want it to be, but better than having the whole thing go poof.

2. I find another platform that does support FTP publishing. I am guessing that would require it's own expertise that I don't possess the skills for either. And, who's to say I won't find myself right back in this position in the near future ?

3. I try to move Wednesdays Off first, and if that goes horribly wrong I revert to option number 1. Sounds like a plan except that Wednesdays Off is a sub domain of Sarcasmo's Corner.
I am not sure if they can be separated.

4. I use the migration tool that Blogger is supposed to release tomorrow to relocate Sarcasmo's Corner, and let the chips fall where they may.

What do you think? I would like to back up both blogs before I do anything, but having watched the tutorial video several times, I know that I still don't know what I'm doing. I called the host site support the last time I had a technical problem. I explained the level of my technical prowess. The tech was very nice, and I think he did his best to simplify his answers. It was still beyond me. If you watch The Big Bang Theory, I felt like Penny listening to Sheldon.
I am open to any and all suggestions, and welcome any assistance you can offer. Is there someone, or a service, that I can hire to do this for me ?( while I wring my hands and curse my wretched fate?). If you can help, or you know someone I can contact, please email me at slf1954@verizon.net .

In case this is my last post here, I wanted to let you know that Slouching Towards Bedlam is, well, Slouching on. Peccable let us in on this news:

http://umu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:281798

A gentleman in Sweden, going for his doctorate in a Studies in
Language and Literature program did an analysis of the Gothic
tradition in what contemporary interactive fiction.

He analyzed 4 pieces, including Slouching, which he did a 30 page
analysis of before comparing and contrasting it with other works,
including Bram Stoker's Dracula.

He compared it to Bram Stoker's Dracula. Can you imagine her joy?

Interest in Slouching has also been expressed by another party for use as an example in a textbook.

If by chance this is the last post, many thanks to you all. For everything.

Enlightened by Monkeys

2010-02-14T07:13:00.009-05:00

Sarcasmo was quite enamored of monkeys. For that reason alone she would have been delighted by the baby shower. Monkeys were represented. On outfits with feet, crib sheets and blankets and all kinds of baby accoutrement. She would also have been delighted that the party was for Friend of the Corner Poppy, who was looking all lovely and radiant. There was much of the traditional ooohing & aaahing, and we had cake and got to play with crayons and watercolors before we went home.
According to a few online references, the baby shower was originated in the 18th century by a German silversmith named Franz Schauer , to encourage gift giving by the well do do in New York. Kind of like the way Hallmark has made up holidays to sell greeting cards.
So what essentially began as a marketing ploy was morphed into yesterdays lovely gathering of friends, old and new. And monkeys.
Today is Valentines Day, or as we suggested in a previous post, Compulsory Love day. Sarcasmo was a fan of love, but not so much the day. According to those online references, handwritten valentines gave way to the mass produced variety in the 1800's.
So, baby showers, traditionally a gathering of women were started by a man in order to create a need for his product, and, personally expressed declarations of love were overshadowed by mass produced greetings, both in the Victorian era. That is not what I thought was implied by the term Age of Enlightenment.
Consider yourself enlightened.
Happy Valentines Day.
Much love to Poppy & Feanor and our soon to be here newest Friend of the Corner. May he love monkeys too.

It's All Part of Her Rock & Roll Fantasy

2010-01-17T17:44:00.004-05:00

Sarcasmo was always open to a new adventure. When I heard about the upcoming Ladies Rock Camp here in Center City, I felt sure she would have been organizing the troops into signing up. Who among you would be in the band? And what would you call yourselves?

Sarcasmo's corner is hoping that you will include us among your new year's resolutions. Send any links you think Sarcasmo would have posted, or any Sarcasmo related stories you want to share, to slf1954@verizon.net. Or post them in the comment section. And thanks for hanging in with us for another year. It means more than we can say.

Damn you Currier & Ives

2009-12-22T21:54:00.012-05:00

Okay, show of hands. Who else woke up this morning and realized that tomorrow was Christmas Eve? Anyone ? Anyone?
Somehow, the lovely serene feeling of presents bought and wrapped and tree bedecked in living room gave way to OMG I STILL HAVE STUFF ON MY "TO DO BEFORE CHRISTMAS" LIST. How did that happen?
Among the things still on the list for which I was sure I had another week to accomplish was, write an outstanding Christmas themed post for Sarcasmo's Corner.
See:

Bake cookies
Lose 10 pounds
Buy matching Christmas outfits for Sarcas-family.
Write outstanding Christmas themed post for Sarcasmo's Corner
World peace

I tend to over reach every year.
When all else fails I as usual turn to Sarcasmo for some holiday musings. or, as some might consider it, reruns. While searching for the penultimate of her yuletide posts, I came across this Original Sarcasmo. Originally posted December 23, 2003, it is as you would most likely have guessed, about pirates. If you thought it was going to be about Christmas you are either new to the Corner, or you have not been paying very close attention.

Have a wonderful holiday.

Sarcasmo's corner is hoping that you will include us among your new year's resolutions. Send any links you think Sarcasmo would have posted, or any Sarcasmo related stories you want to share, to slf1954@verizon.net. Or post them in the comment section. And thanks for hanging in with us for another year. It means more than we can say.

All Hail Sarcasmo

2009-12-08T08:11:00.023-05:00

I never quite know what to post on this day. It is not a day to be heralded, but all the same, it cannot go by unacknowledged. And in many ways, it is just a day.
It is a day to remember. A day to kiss the frog .
It is a day to reflect on what was, and a day to wonder what might have been.
It is a day, like every day I think, to hold her in your heart.
It is a good day, as really is any day, to go to Starbucks and hoist a brew in her honor.

I heard a quote attributed to Ghandi this morning, that I thought was appropriate.

"There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are you will always be in my heart"

And then I thought, seriously, can I bring everybody down just a little bit more, thereby ensuring that they never, ever want to visit the Corner again?

So I perused Sarcasmo's posts¹ for a quote she favored. I found this Original Sarcasmo. I dare you to read it and not smile as she takes us on a tour of what was going on in her head at that very moment. Oh, and the quote? It's not in there. You have to get all the way to the last footnote² and follow the hyperlink to the quote, which was her very first blog post on Sarcasmo's Corner, June 21, 2002.

1.It's a lot like going through old photos. You remember this one and that one, and you keep on going long after you find the one you are looking for.

2. Her footnotes are the best, aren't they?

Of Tributes and Turkeys

2009-11-22T14:20:00.006-05:00

Don't you love it when you check your email, and there, nestled among the newsletters you regret having signed up for, notices of available billing statements and requests for assistance in transferring large sums of money, you find a missive that warms your heart? I do. One came yesterday from Brian Rapp, who tells me that he was inspired by Sarcasmo's Interactive Fiction. He said that his own work, Orevore Courier was written as a tribute to her.

I am constantly amazed by how many people she touched. Although they never met, Brian tapped right into the Sarcasmo vibe, His game has pirates, and zombies, and zombie pirates!

Just today I heard about this exhibit at the MoMA. I think Sarcasmo would have made plans for a trip to NYC.

I was searching for a Thanksgiving themed Original Sarcasmo , but mostly she just mentioned that she was full. This one is from the Monday after the holiday. Enjoy both. The post and your turkey.

Apparently, She Was on to Something

2009-11-04T13:37:00.005-05:00

A few posts back I told you Sarcasmo's theory about babies. That they are born with all the knowledge of the world but no way to communicate it. The knowledge eventually slips away as the babies acquire motor and language skills, until it is gone forever. Basically, we learn it out of them.

Sarcasmo Jr. sent me the link to this video. As I listened to the very entertaining Sir Ken Robinson espouse his theories on education, I could not help but notice a similar premise.
The video is 20 minutes long, but I enjoyed every minute. Let me know what you think about it.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T21:45:00.003-04:00

Halloween and Saturday ! Can it get any better? Possibly. Here's an Original Sarcasmo to get you in the spirit.
How did you celebrate Sarcasmo's favorite day of the year?

As always, Sarcasmo's Corner is hoping you will join in the conversation. Send any stories or photos of your Halloween hi -jinks, or any links you think Sarcasmo would have posted, to slf1954@verizon.net. Or leave them in the comments.

Sarcasmo's Corner

Monkey Do

All Hail Sarcasmo

Sarcasmo in the Cemetery with a Flashlight

Free Comic Book Day !!!

Better than a Milk Carton

Fans of SarcasmosCorner: I am working on a project for school, compiling a selection of her blog posts and turning them into a book. If anyone has a favorite post of hers, let me know. Thanks.

Philly Famous

What Was I Waiting For

Kiss The Frog

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Avast Me Hearties

We Now Return You to My Regularly Scheduled Life

We Take the Fifth

if (typeof(subject[subject_count]) != "undefined"){ link[subject_count]='#115190626185321532'; subject_count++; }

All Hail Sarcasmo

Any Day in May

Recycle Responsibly

Star's Barleywine

All Hail Sarcasmo, and Her Friends

This Blog Is Moving and I Need Some Help With the Heavy Lifting

Enlightened by Monkeys

It's All Part of Her Rock & Roll Fantasy

Damn you Currier & Ives

All Hail Sarcasmo

Of Tributes and Turkeys

Apparently, She Was on to Something

Happy Halloween