The Royce Files

Way back in July 2010 the Man of 3 Names and I set out from Grand Forks, ND on bicycles to sojourn to the Center of North America (Rugby.) This is the continuing log of that eventful journey. We left off as 3 Names and I descended upon Langdon along Highway 1. We arrived in Langdon about dinner time on July 4th. I stopped at the local grocery before it closed to get some food, including 1/4 of a watermelon. Afterward we rode to a local park to rest and eat and fill up on water. The park was deserted but had water and restrooms and if we so desired we could have camped there for $10. Not bad, they even had cable TV hook-ups. However, I wanted to make it a bit further today so we pushed on. Upon leaving town we encountered an obstacle which we would meet many times- farm dogs. This dog put up a good chase. We needed to push ourselves over 25 MPH in order to escape and even then the dog nearly kept up. Once that ordeal passed, we co...

Way back in July 2010 the Man of 3 Names and I set out from Grand Forks, ND on bicycles to sojourn to the Center of North America (Rugby.) This is the continuing log of that eventful journey. Part 3 left off  with 3 Names and I at a crowded campground in Wahalla on the evening of July 3rd. I finally got to sleep after the pre-Independence Day racket died down in the wee hours of the morn. We awoke, ate a little breakfast, filled up on water, then began our trek to the Pembina Gorge west of town. The wind was against us as we made our way up the first hill traveling out of Wahalla, but it was warm and I did not mind it much. Now the Pembina Gorge is unlike any other place in North Dakota except perhaps the Badlands. Most of eastern North Dakota is flat prairie but the Pembina Gorge region is hilly and wooded. An ancient and much larger iteration of the Pembina River of today carved out the gorge. Once the edge was reached we descended quickly reaching speeds of 40 MPH along t...

I decided to go to the performance of Dakota Air this weekend. This monthly radio show is recorded live someplace in North Dakota each month. Today it was a few blocks away from where I currently reside. An acquaintance at work is the music director for the show and since it seemed pretty similar to the show I do at Christmas I decided to check it out. I was not disappointed. The show was chalk full of musical performances intermixed with historical and local flavor in the form of skits and monologues. Steve Stark anchors that side of the show flawlessly. The host, Merill Piepkorn, kept the show flowing and often sang and played superbly on the harmonica. Now the show is definitely a step-child to Prairie Home Companion minus fake sponsorships and a fake town which a monologue is delivered about. In fact, the show is a lot less fictionally based than Keillor's gig. Dakota Air is also missing the big name acts which often appear on Prairie Home. Instead, they utilize local talent...

Went shopping today but I was amazed at how many times I could have been taken had I not piped up and said something. 3 time! Actually the 1st time I let it slip. The clerk caught the markdown on one item but not on the other. Next at the hardware store I often frequent, I was nearly charged from 4 feet of an item instead of the 3 which was on the order slip. I caught that one. I am not sure why the clerk input 4 when it clearly said 3 on the slip. The last time was at one the big box home improvement stores. It was sort of was my fault- I decided to pick up a live Christmas wreath because they were free now. I put it on the belt and the clerk rang it up. I interjected that it was supposed to be free. He mentioned the sign near one entrance and assumed it was for live items at that door. Finally another clerk had to step in and verify that indeed all live wreaths were now free. Hurrah! Now my balcony is just a little more festive. I found it odd that this retailer (rhymes with jac...

Seems like Star Wars is coming to blu-ray. Oh, really. Star Wars is also making its way in swimwear . You can take a dip in the pool pretending to be Threepio or Artoo. But these are only for the ladies. Guys, you'd look rather strange in these suits. The swimwear seem to harken back to Underoos. I seem to recall that Star Wars had quite a line of underwear for the kiddies. I think I had Darth Vader.

 Nothing like a little make-up and some photoshop to uglify yourself into an online ad. I doubt the woman in the picture ever looked this way when she could not sleep through the night. The photo itself might make you not sleep through the night but I think that is a little exaggeration. The stare get us to look closer and pay attention so it is debatable whether this indeed could count an UOA (ugly online ad.) Next is a much more distiburbing image. The Hulk was finally cured but kept all his bulk. Getting buff ads have been popular since the old pulp fiction days. Looks like they are trying to break into the online world in a bulky way. This speciment of a man only confounds me. What on earth could  you do with all that muscal matter. I mean this guy needs something like a XXXL shirt. Anything else will burst at the seams. He certainly could pass as a super hero. Maybe an X-Man hanger on. "But Dr. Xavier I'm not like all the lik...

Apparently the go-to guy in this scenario is Kirk Cameron. The interview is actually pretty hilarious. Not sure why CNN's  Anderson Cooper gave Kirk a ring. Perhaps he equated Kirk's role in those Left Behind movies as some sort of official spokesperson for End Times. Strange, I don't equate birds falling from the sky with the end of days. It is certainly odd. However, there is one point in end times which birds do play a role; I saw an angel standing in the sun. He called in a loud voice to all the birds that fly across the sky. He said, `Come, gather for God's big feast. Come to eat the bodies of kings, the bodies of captains, the bodies of strong men, the bodies of horses and those who ride them, the bodies of all free men and of slaves, those who are great and those who are not great.' I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies. They were gathered to fight against the One riding the horse and his army. Then the beast was caug...