Old gang I put together for Z-squad, years ago.

The “Top 5”

Five Teens in the early 60s, at an abandoned radio station during a freak lightening storm… the place is hit, and they’re transported forward in time to the modern world, and acquire metahuman abilities from the process. A gadgeteer gets them to perform crimes in return for the promise of a return trip home. Ultimately, they’re caught during a caper, and are taken to prison.

Members –

• Johnny Angel (Winged Martial artist 50’s style – sunglasses/ leather jacket / DA haircut, Leader)
• Run-Around Sue (Speedster with a lasso, for some reason – could stick to any surface if she kept moving. atop water, up the side of a building, etc) – Poodle Skirt & the point of the background Johnny’s Girl, Heart of the Group “Bones”)
• Wolfman Jack (Multiform- Big hairy guy to bigger hairier guy- DJ /wild man)
• Long, Tall Sally (Stretching, Serious / educated / on the ball “Velma meets reed Richards” #2 in charge, the “Spock” to Johnny’s Kirk)
• Who was #5? I can’t recall now. Another male… oh, I remember. Cathy’s Clown (Sort of an Acrobat / Ralph Mouth guy. Confetti Flash bombs, cream pies, Groucho nose glasses.)

I played Sue, for a change of pace.. I normally don’t play female characters, but it was interesting to try. I forget who she teamed up with… Maybe it was a variation on Katt’s Ghost-character? It was only a one-shot, but I remembered the ease with which the history came together.

I haven’t thought about Z-squad since 8pm of 2001, and even then it was Grenouielle / Weasel / Ice Gal, not these guys.

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Downloaded a bunch of old Laurel & Hardy videos, and they’re some of the funniest things that I’ve seen in a long time. I’ve not seen many of these, and the ones I have seen, it’s easily been twenty years or more since the last time. (They’d come on early in the morning before school, but after Robotech.)

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No word from big Kahuna. I’ve called twice now. I hope everything is ok… Rhode Island wasn’t home, either. Not Getting together with the Bro, because he found a last minute paying gig.[update- BK is beat after doing all the press up north this week. No Ren-time. just as well…I think I’ll take a little walk in the cool weather, and have a nice calm Sunday. Until Later, dear journal]

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Random Money factoids, after looking to see why paper money is oblong –

• In 625 B.C., metal coins were introduced in Greece. They replaced grain – usually barley – as the medium of exchange. Stamped with a likeness of an ear of wheat, the new coins were lighter and easier to transport than grain, and did not get moldy.
• Until 1929 currency measured 7.42 x 3.13 inches. Since then it has remained at its present size of 6.14 x 2.61 inches–an easier size to handle and store. Since that size requires less paper, it is also less expensive to produce.
• Silver certificates were first issued in exchange for silver dollars in 1878. They offered many varieties of design and subject matter including inventors, military heroes, a Sioux Indian, and the famous Educational series of 1896. An 1886 $1 silver certificate is also the only piece of U.S. paper currency to bear the portrait of a woman–Martha Washington.
• More than half of a dollar bill is considered legal tender, and only the front of a dollar bill is valuable. If you could separate the front of a bill from the back, only the front half would be considered “money.”
• The first paper notes printed in the United States were in denominations of 1 cent, 5 cents, 25 cents, and 50 cents. The U.S. Department of the Treasury first issued paper U.S. currency in 1862 to make up for the shortage of coins and to finance the U.S. Civil War.
• When using the first pay telephone, a caller did not deposit coins in the machine. He or she gave them to an attendant who stood next to the telephone. Coin telephones did not appear until 1899.

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one year ago – playing with palm-modem, dream of hot applesauce vendor & snuggling up at a basketball game.

two years ago – bro hit on his bike by a cop, bibles in hotels, walkies, FMM lost use of the Net during working hours, Talk about Chupa / small hands, tiffany in playboy.

three years ago – 100 monkeys debunked, FMM sold Tampa, fending off the end of a flu (history repeats itself, I guess!), Suzy’s crappy computer

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current mood: “And then, a butterfly landed on the gun, and changed the settings from kill to Loooove, baby…” – Barry from Angry Beavers.

current music: Best of Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy – The Musicbox – On WinDVD