Phantasmic Links 12.31.07

At my Aunt's 80th Birthday Brunch, one of my other Aunts loaded up on pastries and later dumped the contents of several plates into plastic bags she had in her purse. My dad bickered with his sister constantly about her weight while she countered that the doctor said she was in good health. When the waiter distributed slices of birthday cake, inadvertently putting a second slice near her because my dad wasn't eating his, he asked him to take it away “...because she's fat enough already!”

At this point my cousin's girlfriend stuck her nose in, announcing that she believes what she does with her body is her own business and my Aunt should do the same. “So if you saw a person drowning, you'd let them drown?” snarled my dad. I actually agree with him; it's ridiculous that she was stockpiling bags of sweets to smuggle back to her apartment. I just realize that his concern blinds him to the flaws in his approach. When we were in the car afterwards, I pointed out that there might have been a more tactful and private way to handle things within our family, and not make a scene like that with the waiter. “You have to embarrass her!” he countered. As far as I can see, the more my dad and my other Aunts go the tough love route, the more she eats out of spite and/or depression.

Otherwise, it was a pleasant afternoon. The food was amazing and it was great to see my cousins and how big all of their kids are getting. It doesn't seem like my dad nor my Aunts have changed, and when any of them argue I feel like I'm seeing how they were as kids. My 80-year-old Aunt amused her grandchildren by borrowing her son's glasses and my youngest Aunt's cane, and hobbling around like a feeble grandma. This contrast demonstrated how spry she normally is, and I'd guess her to be 60 if I didn't know better. My dad's oldest sister lives in Florida and is still going strong at 82. My grandparents might not have made it through their ‘60s, but they seem to have passed stronger genetics down to their five offspring. Either that, or that brood wore them out.

As 2007 winds down, my dad and his sisters are still with us. My mom and her two older brothers are still around as well. May we all have such good health and longevity, and be ourselves no matter how many years we have behind us. For the last time this year, here are this week's PHANTASMIC LINKS:

(1) MYCLOFIGIA now has roads and crops! I'll keep reminding everyone to visit. If we all stop by once a day, it won't be long before we have skyscrapers.

(2) FWG Pinball is a pinball game with several unlockable levels. This thing is so addictive, I was nearly late for a movie the day it was sent to me.
Hat Tip: B13.

(3) Happy belated 85th Birthday, Stan Lee!

(4) What the--?! Now you can't copy music from a CD to your computer if you own the CD??

(5) Let us observe a moment of silence for Netscape. Was anyone still using that?

(6) This Mario Mod is beyond difficult and well into the realm of evil.

(7) The level of detail in Ron Mueck' work is terrifying. I hope those are just sculptures...

(8) A robot that can draw portraits? Is this the day a chain of events were set in motion to someday make me unemployable?

(9) The Vinyl Sleeve Heads are here! Can pygmies with CDs be far behind?

(10) Check out this nifty retro X-Men poster. I want one!

(11) Trajan IS the Movie Font.
H.T.: RC.

(12) I now leave you trapped in a room with no escape. Actually, there is an escape, and it even calculates your time. Can you beat my eight minutes?

Have a link to a game, movie, article, or anything else you think might be “phantasmic”? E-mail me and it just might appear in an upcoming PHANTASMIC LINKS!