Idly Musing

For some reason, I'm thinking that "musly idling" makes as much sense. Don't disabuse me, please.

Is the wearing of one's keys on a ring attached to a belt or belt hook a new thing, or an old thing I'm just now noticing? Seems I see it everywhere nowadays.

I have many complaints with IKEA furniture - it's too expensive for its crappiness, they make you cart it around the store, you have to assemble it yourself - but on my mind today is those stupid Allan wrenches. Ever notice that you either have six zillion of these or not one? Hey IKEA...use Phillips or flathead like every other damn furniture manufacturer. Yeah, yeah, I know you're Swedish, but knock it off with the hexagonal thingies, all right.

Still going to San Fran next week and still excited about it; even more so, in fact, when I saw that the forecast was for clear weather with temperatures in the low-to-mid 60's. Step back!

I'm going to be deleting some of my old posts because I read them over recently and they annoy me. Also, in one I was a bit indiscreet in terms of name-dropping. So, if you can't bear to be without my years of blogging, save those pages now!

New favorite lyric:

"And the taxis and the trucks
Everybody's blowing their horns
And I got a bicycle bell to ring
And I got a notion to sing as I'm riding along."

Artist: Amy Correia (Amy Correia)
Song: The Bike
Album: Carnival Love

Up too late

I'll regret it tomorrow morning, which starts in approximately six hours, but right now it's fun!

Dan and I wandered about the city Monday afternoon, taking pics for his card game (I won't say the name here until he gives me the nod), so we put on our Sarcasmo eyes to see familiar things in a new way. We took dozens of pics, my personal favorite of which appears here. If you look closely you can see in the pawn the reflection of Dan and I crouching to get the right angle. Who knew that the plaza around the Municipal Services Building was strewn with giant chess pieces? There were dominoes, bingo chips and Monopoly game bits too.

We trekked through Love Park, took some pics of the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, got some nice shots of the Free Library, and stopped for a while at the fountain near the Academy of Natural Sciences. It being a hot day I decided to dunk my feet in the fountain, which was a good idea at the time. I didn't realize that the little pebbles strewn about the water are Stones of Eternity, meaning they get in your shoes and stay there forever. I'm like the Princess and the Pea with stones in my shoe; they have to come out right away, wherever I am, whatever I'm doing. (Some might say I am a princess in other ways. Quiet, you!)

Then it was vanilla-butterscotch ice cream with bits o' Kit Kat. Mama.

New favorite lyric:

"Every time I see him he smiles
And he tells me how well he's walking these miles
But he never, ever asks a single thing about me
If I died, he'd hear about it eventually"

Artist: Patty Griffin (Patty Griffin)
Song: Moses
Album: Living With Ghosts

Yay! Yay! Yay!

I'm going to San Francisco, and I'm staying for free! You see, Dan's flying out to attend the Apple conference (sorry, VisMajor), and he gets his own hotel room on the company nickel. Yesterday he said, "You want to fly out and stay with me?" Needless to say, I did, and do, and am.

Unfortunately I have to fly by myself, which I dislike since I hate air travel, but the prospect of a free room for five days is too good to pass up. I'll also have to spend the days alone - Dan will be at the conference - but that gives me opportunity to troll the streets of San Francisco and get to know the city a little better. I really enjoyed my last trip, and I am sure I'll enjoy this one no less. So excited! So excited!

Hey, can I tell you that Alberto Gonzalez is my new favorite person? Seriously. The longer he hangs on at the DoJ the worse Bush looks, assuming of course that it's possible for Bush to look any worse. Go Alberto!

New favorite lyric:

"We played cards, mostly blackjack
As we sat out on the tarmac
We sang songs we knew in Spanish
As we both loved songs of language
He'd heard me on the radio
I'd seen the flyers of San Antone
Now I would give anything to have that flyer for my own"

Artist: Nanci Griffith (Nanci Griffith)
Song: The Flyer
Album: Flyer

Wishful dreaming

I dreamt last night not of Manderly but of the Go-Go's. I was interviewing them for a magazine or something so Dan and I flew out to L.A. to meet them at the offices of their record company. They were fun and friendly, but so normal and easygoing that I knew it was a dream. While I was interviewing Belinda, Dan and the rest of the gals went down the hall and were giggling like crazy. Just as I was sitting down with Jane it was seven o'clock and my alarm was alarming. Stupid buzzer.

Here's an untimely comment, now that the Democratic primary is over. Since when does a millionaire political candidate qualify as unbribeable? If people with lots of money somehow shed their avarice no millionaire would ever become a billionaire. As Genna Lannister asked, "Why does a man with one pot of gold want another? Men are greedy." Also, just because a person can't be bought with money doesn't mean he can't be bought at all. Their are inducements other than cash, such as power, influence, and prestige, that can be just as tempting.

I'm currently engaged in a war with the houseflies somehow infiltrating my apartment from the back yard. I found today what I think (hope) is their point of entry, and Flypocalypse Now ensued as I killed about a dozen of the little bastards and then sealed up their secret tunnel. It was one of the few times I wished for a spider.

New favorite lyric:

"If you've got somewhere to be, if you've got someone besides me
Let me know, don't put me on, if it's not right then I'll be gone
All those dancers can't be wrong
All those answers would take too long
So tell me, tell me, now"

Artist: Go-Go's (Jane Wiedlin/Ron Mael/Russell Mael)
Song: Yes or No
Album: Talk Show

Isn't George Bush...

...like a real-world, male Cersei Lannister? Both possess a certain cunning but are blinded by arrogance and hampered by incompetence. They both deal with massive debts they're doing nothing to pay down, tick off foreign powers, use their military in the wrong way, and cover up malfeasance in government. But at least Cersei's hot.

I'm wearing my "Intelligent Design Isn't" t-shirt today. I've worn it around Center City dozens of times, yet today it's getting all sort of positive attention: smiles, chuckles, nods, etc. I'm still waiting for money, because nothing says appreciation like dollars tucked in the waistband.

Mama!

I bought some chocolate milk - which I hadn't enjoyed in a long time - at the Reading Terminal Market yesterday. I've always liked milk, but lately I've had a hankering for it but good. (Of course I like chocolate, but then who doesn't? Terrorists, that's who.) Anyway, after one sip I said to myself, "Why the heck did I ever stop drinking this wonderful stuff?" Then I turned around the container and read that the pint of chocolate milk contained 400 calories. "Oh. That's why."

The biggest news is [blare of trumpets] that I finished my graduate certificate this week. Somehow I pulled off an A in my last class (pixies, I tell ya) which put me over the finish line. A master's degree lurks about another 18 credits beyond my grad certificate, but I think I'm going to leave that beast alone.

Hey, hey! The Decider is doing his level best to sink the Republican Party. Who knew he was on our side? Seriously, though...28%? I imagine that if you polled Americans about my performance at least a third would say, "Well, I don't know who he is, but he's probably doing an OK job."

New favorite lyric:

"They invented a reason, that’s why it stings
They don’t think you matter because you don’t have pretty rings
I keep telling you I don’t care I keep saying there’s one thing they can’t change"

Artist: Jonathan Coulton (Jonathan Coulton)
Song: I'm Your Moon
Album: Thing a Week IV

Bitch, bitch

I saw the other day what must have been the overlord of all foolish driving maneuvers. A woman was backing her car out of a parking garage, across a sidewalk and into rush-hour traffic, watching for pedestrians and oncoming vehicles, whilst yammering away on a cell phone. Yes, I am one of those curmudgeons who thinks that cell phone use and driving just don't mix.

Part of my objection I can support empirically. Look at this, and this, and this. Google it yourself and you'll find more. The rest of my objection is more anecdote, but in my view no less compelling. When you're having a conversation in person, you are in the present, aware of the space you're actually occupying. When you're on the phone, you're kind of in between where you are and where the other person is. I've had phone conversations whilst staring at the TV (when I had cable service, that is), and I found that I could concentrate either on the program or the conversation, not both.

Maybe you're thinking, "Well, that's just you." Is it? Those studies I cited earlier indicate that it's not just me, and my own experience confirms this. Being a Center City resident, I'm always walking about crowded streets, and the most obnoxious walkers are those on cell phones. They'll walk into traffic, step directly in your path, completely unaware of what's going on around them. That's the point: They're unaware of what's going on around them. On the sidewalk it's no big deal, but do we want that kind of behavior encouraged on the road?

Maybe you trust that drivers will be responsible regarding distractions, and if so I applaud you. I find it refreshing that in this day and age anyone can hold that kind of unblemished, idealistic faith in the skill and dedication of the average motorist. My own view is a bit more cynical, shaped by years of driving to work watching people eat, drink, shave, apply makeup and read the newspaper behind the wheel. Ban cell phone use while driving, I say. If you have a conversation that's so important pull over; if not, keep your mind on your driving and we'll all be safer for it.

Ooh baby baby!

Title is apropos of nothing, except for my super-charged self!

I played Ultimate. All. Weekend. Rock! Good exercise, except that it got canceled out by the Vanilla Swiss Almond ice cream I ate afterward.

I did classwork. All. Weekend. That was also exercise, but not nearly as fun except that it ended in ice cream as well.

Dan showed me a time-travel movie that wasn't annoying or self-consciously clever. Although "Predator" remains my favorite time-travel movie (EverMike knows!), "Primer" really wasn't bad. Throw that in my face and there's going to be trouble in River City.

New favorite lyric:

"You know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you can get just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?"

Artist: Billy Joel (Billy Joel)
Song: Vienna
Album: The Stranger

And the aftermath

The reunion was last night, and now I report!

I looked pretty good, I must say, and I spend a good deal of time making sure of it. There was no way I was going into that mess without confidence that every seam, fold and strand of hair was exactly in place. I deliberately arrived 90 minutes late...like I was really going to get there on time! What was neat was that almost no one recognized me at first, so I kind of stealthed around the place, checking out who had gotten fat (a number of people) and who bald (a slightly lower number). Eventually people started recognizing me, and when they did the most common remark was, "Wow, you look exactly the same!" I managed to avoid preening, mostly because I was aghast at how not exactly the same some of the remarkers looked. Great Zeus...had it only been twenty years? One guy I spoke with looked 48 if he was a day!

I expected that it would be embarrassing and mind-blowing, and possibly awful, but it was really just awkward; I had very little to say to most of these people when I was in high school, and even less twenty years removed. I did have kind of a revelation that I won't reveal here; no true confessions on this blog! (Or at least not today.) I left after 45 minutes and went to meet some friends in town, where I had an infinitely better time.

BTW, I wore my snazzy outfit the rest of the evening. Hey, it was too good to waste on a high school reunion.

New favorite lyric:

"And if I had a jetpack I'd bust into your door
I'd take you by the hand to the Jersey shore
And underneath the moonlight you'd want me even more
'Cause I'd have a jetpack."

Artist: Jill Sobule (Jill Sobule/Robin Eaton)
Song: Jetpack
Album: Underdog Victorious

Yes, it is still true...

...that my 20-year high school reunion is tomorrow. I have this fear that it will be really lame and that everyone who is there will remember me as an integral part of that lameness. And I'll remember it too. Forever and ever. Save me.

Mock trials are fun, as I learned the other night at SuperTarzan's. My favorite part was when ST responded to an objection thusly:

"Your Honor, it doesn't take any sophisticated legal knowledge to know that confessing to murder is going to hurt you at your murder trial."

Heh.

A great weather weekend looms before us, for once. Given that winter has made several encores, I'm keeping my heavy coat at hand until, like, July. However, I am also keeping my disc handy, and tomorrow I am using it! How can anyone not love Ultimate? If I were the FBI, I'd profile for that, because Ultimate-haters are terrorists.

I was walking along Boathouse Row today, and I used my Sarcasmo eyes to look at the buildings I've passed a zillion times before but never really seen. One of them has this little tower that looks rather like a miniature lighthouse, and I wondered if anyone ever used it as such. The only watercraft you'd guide in are the little boats the crew men and women use.

I hear that DRAGON is going out of print. The news made me a little sad, as at one time I was a regular subscriber and, once, an author. In a way I'm sheepish about admitting that, but in another way I'm not; at the time I published, that magazine had a circulation of around 100,000. If you Google my name (no, I'm not posting it here) along with the title of the magazine you can find pdfs of the article. Someone still reads the thing, for which I was paid the princely sum of $60. I still have a copy of the check.

I decided that, when I'm too old to work and too young to sit around all day, I'm going to become a crossing guard. I don't much care for children, but I like the idea of helping protect them from traffic. Evidently I dislike drivers more than children. That's the awe and wonder of me.

Whoa!

Two whoa things today.

Check out how well the "troop surge" is working. Of course, I am sure the Bush administration will be quick to say that the surge is too recent to have had any effect, or that this is the insurgents' Last Throe #703. Boy, do we have this coming.

I am going to my 20-year high school reunion in two weekends, may the Seven protect me. As the song says, don't ask me why. Actually, I know why; I want to see who got fat and who got bald, or (please, please!) both. While I'm being honest, I had thought about hiring a gorgeous model for the evening and telling her to call me "doctor" but I finally decided that would be lying. I guess. I'm divided on what to wear; half of me wants to hew to something sharp yet conservative, and the other half wants to drag out my quilted gold brocade, black-velvet-trimmed Versailles waistcoat. Since it will by then probably be too warm for quilted brocade, I'm probably going to stick with my new linen jacket.

Dan asked if I wanted him along and I said no for this reason. I have no idea how this evening's going to be, so I want the freedom to be able to walk (or run) out after five minutes without worrying about upsetting anyone. Such an exit might upset my former classmates, and I am sure that I'll toss and turn for at least three seconds over that.

New favorite lyric:

"And they'd say 'Granddad, Mom has told us
Is it true you were alive
When there were forests in New Jersey
And Windows 95?' "

Artist: Deirdre Flint (Deirdre Flint)
Song: Old With You
Album: Then Again

A podcast is a podcast*

I'm recording a podcast for my class, and in addition to becoming rather hoarse, I'm also noticing something I hadn't before.

Could my voice get any faggier? Geez Louise!

Ultimate Sean lent me the first season of "Beauty and the Beast" on DVD. I'm not a very romantic person, but that show should have been true. Seriously. And it had action! And an archrival! Not too many cute guys, it's true, but Linda Hamilton's shoulders were padded like a linebacker's. The latter really doesn't make up for the former, but I thought I'd point it out nonetheless.

New favorite lyric:

"At any convenient time
Funny how my memory slips
While looking over manuscripts of unpublished rhyme
Drinking my vodka and lime**"

Artist: Simon & Garfunkel (Paul Simon)
Song: Hazy Shade of Winter
Album: Bookends

*While writing this title I wanted to add "...but a Manwich is a meal." Podcasts and Manwiches have no ostensible connection except in my brain tonight.

**I'm not much of a drinker, but vodka and lime sounds really gross. I'll take a Manwich*** instead.

***Manwich sounds way dirtier now than it did when I first saw the commercial, way back when.

Some of my favorite songs

These are songs I can listen to over and over without tiring. And have.

The King is Half-Undressed

"She dots her i's with a smiley face
A work of art in all but taste
The fool deserves the bed he's made
Where idiots slumber"

Ah, Jellyfish. Only two albums did they produce before Roger Manning and Andy Sturmer started disliking each other, but, boy, were they good! I'm not exactly sure what the song means, but the lyrics are neat and the drums incredible. Sturmer was the drummer and the lead singer, too...how cool is that?

Our Lips Are Sealed

"Careless talk through paper walls
We can't stop them, only laugh at them
Spreading rumors, so far from true
Dragged up from the underworld just like some precious pearl"

Written by Jane Wiedlin and Terry Hall during their ten-minute love affair and originally recorded by the Go-Go's, this song is great no matter who covers it. Good bass line, singable melody and, in the original at least, you have Jane's pixie-ish bridge vocals. Love. Her.

Troy

"I remember it
Dublin in a rainstorm
Sitting in the long grass in the summer
Keeping warm"

Sinead O'Connor may be many things, but talentless she ain't. This song is both sad and screamy, and she makes both extremes work just fine. She's like that.

Closer to Fine

"I went to see the doctor of philosophy
With a poster of Rasputin and a beard down to his knee
He never did marry or see a B-grade movie
He graded my performance, he said he could see through me
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind
Got my paper and I was free"

The Indigo Girls are liberalism made flesh and given guitars, and this song is liberalism to music. Still, it's got winsome lyrics and a nice rhythm, and of course Amy and Emily are vocalists without peer.

Revolution Earth

"While the wide arc of the globe is turning
We feel it moving through the dark
Hear the hills scrape the sky
And our eyes fill with the falling sparks"

The B-52's are pretty good at writing songs about nothing (see Hot Pants Explosion), but although this one doesn't exactly tell a story it paints a picture so vivid that I can't help but be transported. They recorded this one without Cindy Wilson, and although Kate Pierson does a fantastic job solo, I wish CW had been involved.

Are You Happy Now?

"I smashed the pumpkin on the floor
Candles flicker at my feet
As goblins flew across the moon
And children peered into the room
A cowboy shivered on the porch
Cinderella checked her watch
A hobo waited in the street
And an angel whispered, 'Trick or treat' "

This is an entry in the (presumably tiny) category of Halloween break-up songs. Richard Shindell gets all of the emotions involved in a parting of the ways just right, and even laments that his departed lover took the damned Halloween candy with her too. Bitch.

Sister Catherine Claire

"Her candy jar was always stocked
Her holy card collection rocked
She had the really gory ones
Like Vincent lanced and Stephen stoned"

Oh how I adore this one! This song really encapsulates Deirdre Flint's music: funny, accessible, and poignant. I defy your heart not to lift a little when "they declare Pope Catherine."

***

No favorite lyric today. You just had seven!

A few pictures

These were on my hard drive, and now they're on your screen!

The first one is Star in Rittenhouse Square, and was taken by the Philadelphia Inquirer. If you didn't know Star you missed out on a part of life. If you knew Star and didn't like her you missed out on basic humanity or good sense, or something.

The second one is me at Dover Castle in - surprise, surprise - Dover, England. (I should put in the county name but I don't feel like looking it up.) I'm way off to the right, barely visible and irrelevant in light of the wonderfully green grass. No Photoshopping on this pic...that color's all nature. The day that picture was taken was like many in England, blustery and cool, partly sunny but largely not, but it was a great visit nonetheless.

Looking back I think I realize the connection between these two pics. My trusty London map has been to the UK more times than I have, because Star took it with her during her own London trip. I hadn't remembered this until I came across the map in my desk at home, and then it seemed very precious. Having something that went along with Star on one of her adventures is like owning Bilbo Baggins' travelling* cloak.

New favorite lyric:

"Dreams that are towers that rise above
The bower of dreams where I lie with my love
Dreams that fly from our hearts to each other
Shared thoughts of our love under the covers"

Artist: B-52's (B-52's)
Song: Dreamland
Album: Cosmic Thing

*I thought the British spelling only appropriate in this context.

What's Going On?

That title is not a Marvin Gaye reference, but I am sure Mr. Gaye would totally have grooved* on my blog.

I bought my first linen jacket last week, and I am wearing it today. The jacket, which I got at Daffy's, natch, is a dark blue that’s lighter than navy (one of my most hated of colors) yet darker than royal, and it’s really snazzy. It’s just a wee bit big for me in terms of width, but the sleeves and shoulders are fine. Maybe I’ll get the thing altered a bit so it’s more form-fitting. But I like!

A bunch of us played Descent last weekend, with the full benefits of electric lights, and it was fun. The rules are totally non-intuitive so it’s not a quick game, but I had a great time dropping ice storms on those pesky hellhounds, and others seemed to enjoy it as well. We didn’t all drop ice storms though; the other players were using weapons. In case you were wondering.

The scavenger hunt was a success, despite the distressing absence of VisMajor. We came in a strong first place, leaving the runners-up way in the dust. They sucked. Harsh words but true.

I’m not a huge fan of red meat…except when it’s barbecued. I could chomp through a whole herd of sheep if they came off the grill. We got great BBQ at the Sarcas-home Sunday, and although none of it was sheep I happily stuffed my face nonetheless. There was pie too, and brownies. Oh, the face-stuffing!

New favorite lyric:

“You were born to touch, born to want too much
Let the bodies fall, you were born to have it all”

Song: Born to Have it All
Artist: Katie Irving (Pino Donaggio)
Album: Carrie (Original Soundtrack)

*For some reason I wanted to write "have grooven." It seemed strangely grammatical.

I love this stuff

Here's a bill that truly addresses a burning social need. I wonder if the South Carolina legislature will follow it up with requirements that women send their fetuses a Hallmark card, and maybe hold a "I Just Had an Abortion" party in their honor.

(Anytime South Carolina wants to secede from the union again...why, that's just fine and dandy with me. If they take Alabama and Texas with them, so much the better.)

In case you didn't know, the 16th annual Philadelphia Film Festival's in town, so grab you a catalog and start blocking out your movies. I'm going to do four or five, the names of which I'll email around to interested (and disinterested) parties.

Has anyone played "Descent", the dungeon-crawling boardgame that weights half a metric ton? It's neat. Dan and I lost power last Friday night, so we played by candlelight, raising the geek quotient of the experience by an extra order of magnitude. It was fun. Unfortunately, our heat is electric, so as the geekitude rose the temperature fell. That part was less fun. The whole experience made me realize that people who lived before electric lights must have hated their lives.

An angry proposal

When a Democratic president lies under oath, it’s an offense worthy of impeachment. When a Republican staffer lies under oath, it’s a “non-crime” that “should never have been prosecuted” and is worthy of a presidential pardon. I’m beginning to think that Clinton should have pardoned himself.

I was remarking to someone the other day that everything liberals predicted about the Bush presidency has come to pass. We said Iraq was a quagmire waiting to happen and we were right. We said that the PATRIOT act would lead to flagrant abuse and we were right about that, too. We said that a “take no prisoners” attitude to foreign policy would be produce nothing but alienated friends and more powerful enemies and it seems we got that right as well. Correct on every single issue.

What should we do about this? I have two proposals.

We forgive those Americans who voted for Bush in 2000. Even though the man had a record of non-accomplishment (according to the dearly-departed Molly Ivins, Bush failed upwardly in business), no one could reasonably have predicted he would fuck things up as thoroughly and horrifically as he has. Reasonable people can expect conservative presidents to cut taxes for the wealthy, slash services for the poor and use gays as political punching bags, but with a historically unprecedented and disastrous preemptive war and a massive rollback of civil rights Bush was quite the overachiever.

We set a ban on voting upon all those who supported Bush in 2004. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, prevent me from electing any more presidents until I smarten the hell up. After four years of watching His Fraudulency blunder his way through foreign, domestic and economic policy, always using the destruction of the World Trade Center as a handy justification, these people had ample opportunity to get into their heads what liberals knew from the start. Many of these have repented, and although I welcome their change of heart, intransigence has its price. They helped bollix up the nation, so if they can’t come up with a solution (and so far they haven’t) it’s only fair that they stand aside while the more level-headed among us fix it.

New favorite lyric:

“Caroline talks to you softly sometimes
She says, ‘I love you’ and ‘Too much’
She doesn’t have anything you’d want to steal
Well, nothing you can touch”

Artist: Psychedelic Furs (Richard Butler)
Song: Pretty in Pink
Album: Talk, Talk, Talk

Mmmmm

Heh…I like being vindicated. This is hardly the first study that shows that a majority of Americans want universal health care and are willing to pay for it, but it’s refreshing nonetheless. After years of gaping at widespread public support for the steaming puddle of madness that is this nation’s current foreign policy, it’s nice to see that Americans are sane on at least one topic.

Oh the hurting! I twisted my back in a major way playing Ultimate this weekend, and I’m only now feeling halfway normal. Thanks for the sympathy, but it’s really all my fault; I’m just too damn old to play the way I do. Argh.

True things (I think)

Here's some stuff I've found to be true.

1. Most people make the majority of their decisions emotionally, so giving them rational arguments is like offering ice cream to a Eskimo.
2. Dogs are almost always faster than you expect.
3. No matter how bad you think things are, they can always get worse.
4. People change their opinions when they're ready, not because of countervailing evidence or because you want them to.
5. It's not what you say; it's how you say it.
6. A good leader wears authority not like a golden crown but as a normal suit of clothes. He soon forgets what he's wearing, but everyone else sees it.
7. I don't look good in green.
8. The people who make a point of telling you how straightforward they are usually turn out to be the most dishonest.
9. If you can't explain a good idea in two minutes, it's probably not very good.
10. At least 30% of the corporate world possesses no discernable talent other than a knack for self-promotion.
11. Three Krispy Kreme donuts eaten in the span of five minutes is NOT a good idea.
12. A resolve not to suppress your feelings is not an excuse to be mean to others.
13. Keep your damn advice to yourself. It usually sucks anyway.
14. A knowing smile is one of the surest ways to ruin someone's day.
15. When you start a new job, it's best to use your ears more and your mouth less.
16. Don't carry pens in your pocket. Seriously.

I'll probably think of more later, but this'll do for now.

New favorite lyric:

"I wanna be a big shot and have ninety cars
I wanna have a boyfriend and a girl for laughs
But only on Saturdays, six days to be alone
With just me, myself, I"

Artist: Joan Armatrading (Joan Armatrading)
Song: Me Myself I
Album: Me Myself I

In an email, my friend Cathy included this delightful observation:

Did you ever notice sometimes when you go to typing, your fingers start on the wrong keys? When that happens to me, my name looks like "Cujo."

Freakin' awesome.

New favorite lyric:

"A bridge to cross, a cross to spare
Pass it around, too much to bear
A genius plan, I'll give 'em that
We've all been bad but Eve took the rap."

Artist: Kathy Valentine (Kathy Valentine)
Song: Creation Myth
Album: Light Years

Yuh-huh...

If England withdraws troops, it's a positive sign. If the U.S. withdraws troops, or even votes on a non-binding resolution opposing the troop escalation, it's validating terrorist strategy. Isn't that what we call "flip-flopping"?

Added a new link my to bro's live journal on the side, there. Click! Click!

As you may know, my self-created RPG Altonomy (a.k.a. Winged Cheetahs) is going through some rules updates, so look for a new edition within the next year. This one will actually be available for sale; the other wasn't bound properly and I just couldn't in good conscience charge for it. If you want a copy drop me a line and you'll get one for nothing (well, if I have to mail it you'll pay postage).

New favorite lyric:

"And when the world stopped spinning 'round
I picked the pan up off the ground
I read my upheaves much like tea leaves
They said it's over so get sober or you'll die
Again"

Artist: Jay Brannan (Jay Brannan)*
Song: Soda Shop
Album: Soundtrack of "Short Bus"

*This guy has on Youtube a video of him singing this song. The video is annoying since he spends the first three minutes talking about the IMDB brush-off "Short Bus" has gotten, but hang in there. The song, which is admittedly about nothing very important, is cute, charming and very singable.

As Bad as Schizophrenia

My mom (TrackerMom) told me this story, which I suppose is insulting but I find incredibly funny.

TrackerMom meets up with a long-time friend for shopping, lunch, etc. During conversation, the fact that TrackerMom's elder son (me) is gay. Also during conversation comes up the fact that Friend has a friend who's daughter (we'll call her Trisha) is schizophrenic. Friend then says:

"Well, I guess every family has its burden. My friend has Trisha, you have Neil."

TrackerMom was not amused, but I sure am! I've been trying to come up with catchy, brief copy for a commemorative t-shirt; if anything deserves to end up emblazoned across my skinny chest, it's that. Comments are solicited.

New favorite lyric:

"So now I blame my problems and the fact that I have no girlfriend on the government
It gets me through the day, and what the hey, I'm young and single and I'm lovin' it
And if you believe that, you're a moron."

Artist: Sean McGarry (Sean McGarry)*
Song: Shades and Walkman
Album: N/A

*Yup, it's that Sean McGarry. Love this song. So. Much.

On the next episode of Immigration Theatre...

...Bank of America makes its stunning debut!

This is just another punchline to the joke of the national immigration debate. We're told how evil illegal immigrants are, while American businesses are scrambling to exploit their labor and, now, their finances.

::shakes head::

New favorite lyric:

"They say 'We're looking for illegal immigrants, can we check your car?'"
I say, 'You know it's funny, I think we were on the same boat back in 1694.'"

Artist: Indigo Girls (Amy Ray)
Song: Shame on You
Album: Shaming of the Sun

Got this from EverMike

And now you must read it!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:40 a.m.
2. Diamonds or Pearls? Uh, I guess diamonds since they’re worth more.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Children of Men.
4. What is your favorite TV show? I only watch one thing, so I guess “Battlestar Galactica.”
5. What did you have for breakfast? One granny smith apple.
6. What is your middle name? Don’t have one.
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Hmm…overall, probably Italian.
8. What food do you dislike? Fish and bananas.
9. Your favorite chip? I’m currently digging Soy Crisps from Whole Foods.
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Kathy Valentine’s “Light Years.”
11. What kind of car do you drive? A 1993 Toyota Corolla.
12. Favorite Sandwich? Currently, bacon and turkey with American cheese on flatbread. With honey mustard.
13. What characteristics do you despise? Phoniness and rudeness, in that order.
14. What are your favorite clothes? From my closet? My white-and-black vertically striped long-sleeved shirt, over which I like to wear this Italian light denim-ish jacket. It’s cut like a sport coat and fits me like a dream. And my fake snakeskin jacket. (Babyraven knows.)
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? I’ve already been to London, so…
16. What color are your eyes? Brown
17. ??? This is definitely a trick question.
18. Where would you want to retire? San Francisco, I think.
19. Favorite time of day? Early evening, when the shadows are going the other way but the sun is still up.
20. Where were you born? Philadelphia.
21. What is your favorite sport to watch? Ultimate Frisbee or lacrosse.
22. Who do you think will not send this back? I’m bloggin’ it.
23. Person you expect to send it back first? Nobody. I am blogging this bad-boy.
24. Pepsi or Coke? Diet Coke.
25. Cats or Dogs? Dogs
26. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Night owl.
27. Pedicure or manicure? Pedicure, I guess. My feet are hideous.
28. Do you prefer funny or mushy cards? Funny.
29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? Uh, I got a B+ on my case study?
30. What did you want to be when you were little? First a wizard, then a Colonial warrior, then a novelist.
31. What do you have in your trunk right now? All the accoutrement necessary for a game of Ultimate: cleats, cones and discs. And a spare tire, which in case you were wondering is NOT necessary for a game of Ultimate.
32. What is your best childhood memory? Dividing my summer days between swimming at the pool and researching vampires at the public library.
33. What are all the different jobs you have had in your life? Hmm…mail room clerk, file clerk, permissions assistant, new files clerk, new files supervisor, editorial assistant, editor, senior editor, production assistant, document production specialist. Some were part-time.
34. What is your favorite Holiday? Halloween.
35. What is your favorite dessert? Double-Stuf Oreos, chocolate-covered Nutter Butters, chocolate cake, all of the above with milk.
36. Favorite Summer getaway? Montreal!
37. Ever been to Africa? Nah.
38. Glasses or Contacts? LASIK surgery baby!
39. Ever been toilet papering? Nope.
40. Been in a car accident? Three accidents, two injuries, and not one claim against me. I stand by my record.
41. Favorite day of the week? Friday.
42. Favorite restaurant? Maybe 10th Street Pourhouse.
43. Favorite flower? Wooden ones I don’t have to water.
44. Favorite movies? Aliens, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, Carrie, Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
45. Favorite Past time? Tabletop combat and Ultimate.
46. Favorite ice cream? Chocolate.
47. Favorite fast food restaurant? Ishkabibbles
48. How many times did you fail your drivers test? Once.
49. From whom did you get your last email? VisMajor.
50. Sandals or tennis shoes? I prefer hiking shoes
51. At which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Daffy’s.
52. If the speed limit is 60 what is the fastest you will drive? 65.
53. What is your bedtime? On weekdays, around midnight.
54. Whose response to this are you most curious about? The comments box won’t hold one anyway.
55. Last person you went to dinner with? Ed and Mike.
56. What are you listening to right now? Madonna's "Like a Prayer."
57. What is your favorite color? Blue.
58. How many tattoos do you have? None for me, thanks.
59. How many people are you sending this Email to? Blog only.
60. What time did you finish this email? Twoish

New favorite lyric:

“It knocks me out when she acts so strange
Like a Big Mac truck cut across two lines of my soul
Conductor, let’s throw some metal down, roll”

Artist: Liz Phair (Liz Phair, Scott Litt)
Song: Baby Got Going
Album: whitechocolatespaceegg

'Cause another's just what we needed

Fox News has a new cog in the right-wing noise machine; namely, the incomparable Greg Gutfeld. A newcomer on the TV scene, Gutfeld is working hard to beat Bill O'Reilly at the ignorant fool game. Check out these comments on Biden's ill-conceived remarks about Barack Obama:

"Ok, the thing about what Joe Biden says is, isn’t he saying what every liberal is thinking? That Obama is acceptable because he’s basically like Lionel Jefferson, and he’s not threatening...Liberals have this secret racism about blacks. They’ve got to be light-skinned in order to be acceptable."

Conservatives, on the other hand, have always stood ready to accept blacks of all hues. To prove it, one need only look back at the conservative icons of yesteryear: Bull Connor, Strom Thurmond, and George Wallace. Those men, clad in the snow-white vestments of righteousness, used the burning flames of enlightenment to show blacks the crosses of their acceptance.

(OK...I think I abused sarcasm in this post.)

New favorite lyric:

"Now sometimes late on some interstate
I hear the sad country songs, true love found and true love gone
Lately I just turn the damn thing off."

Artist: Richard Shindell (Richard Shindell)
Song: Kenworth of My Dreams
Album: Sparrows Point

My Man!

I applaud John Edwards’ willingness to admit that health coverage for all Americans would necessitate an increase in taxes. Yeah, the Club for Growth has got its panties in a bunch over it, but can anyone really act surprised? Do Americans really think we’re going to solve the health care problem with a few tax cuts and some handshakes?

Good government costs money, a lesson conservatives (and, regrettably, some liberals) either refuse to learn or refuse to admit. You can’t have low taxes and a high level of government services, unless of course you follow the borrow-and-spend Bush strategy that pushes the pain for our tax breaks to the next generation. Assuming, then, that you want a sensible fiscal strategy and not some Bush fuckup, you either cut your services or increase your taxes. Period.

I’ve blogged previously about how Americans already pay for the care of the uninsured, so I’ll say only that the choice before us is to pay smart or pay dumb. Pay smart: Make sure every American gets a reasonable level of preventative care, which is cheaper in the long run. Pay dumb: Stick with the current system that sends the uninsured to emergency rooms, which is more expensive. You decide.

New favorite lyric:

“I thought that we’d be joking, having long talks on late nights driving
But you drive so bad I lost my patience, pass the chips and turn the station”

Artist: Dar Williams (Dar Williams)
Song: Road Buddy
Album: End of the Summer

Another oldie

Back by popular acclaim*, you should first read this to get some necessary background. (Yeah, I know it's Wikipedia, but in this case it's basically correct.) Then read on.

Promise of Some New Gays**

Colorado’s going to have to adjust
‘Cause Amendment 2 just bit the dust
What did the high court say?
Promise of some new gays
Homophobia it just took a fall
And though Scalia wants to kill us all
Looks like we’ll have our day
Promise of some new gays

Oh, small-minded laws, they can’t change the world
So the only promise is that gays in Denver will live
And marry one another

See the lesbians all skiing the slopes
The Constitution crushed the bigots’ hopes
What did the high court say?
Promise of some new gays

Oh, small-minded laws, they can’t change the world
So the only promise is that gays in Denver will live
And marry one another

Now the drag queens have the freedom to roam
Into Boulder and then call it home
I think they’re going to say
Promise of some new gays

*Popular acclaim meaning I damn well felt like it.
**This counts as today's favorite lyric. It's called "multi-tasking."

Some newsy things

• A guy takes Crystal Gayle's tour bus as an escape vehicle. I'm sure that if Gayle had been in that bus at the time, the man would have turned himself in to police in exchange for a guarantee of a silent cell.
• Some kook thinks that "An Inconvenient Truth" is a liberal finger-in-the-eye to Judgement Day. This proves that even the anti-Bible Belt has its share of ignorant fools.
• Life in prison for cheating spouses? And you thought lord-and-master laws were bad.

This isn't breaking news, but I needed to mention it regardless. Did you know that potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers are in the family of deadly nightshade? That's right. Go Google this. I'll wait.

What the hell? Did some long-ago salad-maker, whilst looking down at the meal he'd just prepared, think to himself, "This salad looks pretty good, but you know what would make it better? Deadly nightshade!"

Ain't nuthin' but a Hounddog

Heh...nothing like some overblown outrage to make your Wednesday, right? Here's the really choice part:

"The Catholic Church has been criticized for allowing sexual abuse of minors to occur, he said. "Let's see now whether Hollywood will be held to the same level of scrutiny."

He's right! Dakota Fanning acting as if she's being raped by an actor not even in the same room with her at the time, all while surrounded by the director, the camera crew, the makeup people, the sound folks, gaffers, best boys and dozens of other human beings is totally equivalent to Catholic priests using their religious influence to sexually molest boys (and girls). Damn Hollywood hypocrites!

New favorite lyric:

"Watch her whirl, watch her spin
Even the veils pay her homage as they dance against her skin
And I long to breathe the secrets that her hands tell to the air
I think some answer to my soul is waiting there"

Artist: Deidre Flint (Deirdre Flint)
Song: Introduction to Bellydancing
Album: Shuffleboard Queens

Now THIS is tough!

Check out this story about a diver who escaped a shark by poking it in the eye.

Horrific as a shark attack is, I'm not feeling the horror. I'm feeling awestruck. How tough was Eric Nerhus? The chick in "Jaws" just screamed when she got attacked; this guy decided to bring down the pain. I'm envisioning the shark's thoughts...

"Boy, this water is warm. I want something sweet;
I wish sharks had invented Oreos. Oh, there's a fish...nope, he's too small. I'll look for something bigger. Still wanting Oreos. Oho! Look at that guy! Alone, apparently healthy, and sufficiently tasty, I'm sure. Plus, he's Australian. Man, I hate those fuckers. I'm going to chew on his head."

(Shark attacks.)

"Holy fucking shit! He just poked my eye! My eye! What the hell's up with that? Crap! Crap! Crap! He was supposed to scream uselessly like that chick in 'Jaws.' Instead, he poked my eye! It hurts! And I still don't have Oreos! This sucks. I hate being a shark."

New favorite lyric:

"You might think I'm crazy, so what if I am?
My head is full of good things and not for everyone."

Artist: Go-Go's (Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock)
Song: Beautiful
Album: Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's

Oh the mooching!

I have a rocking new scarf, emblazoned with the logo of the Philadelphia Wings in red and black, which are good colors for me. I got it free on Saturday when the Wings (Philly’s lacrosse team) defeated the San Diego Stealth 9-8. Since I got the ticket for free, too, Saturday evening was a moochfest. I had to pay for the subway ride to the Wachovia Center, tho.

SuperTarzan GMed a great game of The Shadow of Yesterday yesterday, at which my character got to shoot the jaw off a sweet-talking zombie. I’m still chuckling about it.

Our cable service, which we use almost exclusively for Internet access, insists upon kicking out during the one hour a week we watch “Battlestar Galactica.” I’d like to phone Comcast with complaints, but I have a strong feeling I will get the telephone equivalent of a shrug and a rueful smile.

New favorite lyric:

“First it was a question, then it was a mission
How to be American, how to be a Christian
If the law is their cross then the cross is burning.”

Artist: Dar Williams (Dar Williams)
Song: I Had No Right
Album: The Green World

So much already!

Stuff I have seen or learned today, in the order I saw/learned them:

• I saw a flock of pigeons swirling around a church steeple today, in graceful formation.
• For the first time I put “pigeon” and “graceful” in the same thought.
• Judicious use of hood-head can turn a bad hair day into an acceptable hair day.
• Don’t give a professional presentation dressed in a tight yellow t-shirt and green stretch pants, particularly if you’re significantly overweight.
• The talent most often found in grad students is the ability to write long, dense paragraphs that say nothing but what they think the instructor wants to hear.
• I’m not a very talented grad student.

You had a favorite lyric last night, so don't be greedy.

It's about time

Say what you will about the Democratic House of Representatives, but they've turned (at least temporarily) government back to considering sane, realistic government policy. Let's review some of the first 100 hours accomplishments:

• Lower interest rates on federally subsidized student loans
• Expand government-financed embryonic stem cell research
• Raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour
  
• Force the government to bargain directly with drug companies to reduce prices
  
• Require more cargo inspections to thwart would-be terrorists.
  
• Repeal $6 billion tax breaks for the oil industry

You can argue, and I think reasonably, that these might not benefit the everyday American as much as might at first be believed, but at least these are solid, bread-and-butter issues that touch millions and millions of lives. Contrast that to Republican initiatives that touch the lives of almost no one, or in no positive way:

• Federal amendments to ban flag-burning and same sex marriage
• Allowing Bush to indefinitely replace U.S. attorneys without Senate confirmation
• Make it more difficult for everyday folks to declare bankruptcy
• Allow warrantless wiretapping and other eavesdropping

It is a relief to know that, at least for the next two years, those days are behind us.

New favorite lyric:

"All in love is fair
(She'll rip out your hair)
Now I'm declaring war
(You know she's killed before)
'Cause I'm a lover and a fighter, bitch"

Artist: Julie Brown (Julie Brown, Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly)
Song: Girl Fight Tonight!
Album: Trapped in the Body of a White Girl

It IS easy being green!

My mom gave me a green sweater for Xmas, and I’ll admit I was dubious about it. Green clothing to me is like New Jersey to the Republicans: No matter how sweetly it promises, you never get what you want. Not the case with this sweater, though, which looks good on me both in hue and in fit. Plus I am having a good hair day, so at this point I’m ready for the frakkin' runway.

Now let’s talk cereal

Lucky Charms: Whoever said that multi-colored food is the healthiest never had a bowl of these babies. The queen of all cereals, Lucky Charms are about as non-sublime as they come. They. rock.

Cap’n Crunch: Eating this stuff is an S&M sort of experience. It tastes good, but it wreaks havoc on the roof of your mouth. There’s also a very brief window of opportunity once the milk is added before the cereal turns into a sweet, yellow, gummy paste. The problem’s not so acute in the peanut butter variety, yet it’s still troublesome. Not sure how to feel about it.

Apple Jacks: This is what I eat when I want something sugary and still maintain the illusion of healthy eating. After all, it’s got apples! Good stuff.

Corn Pops: Tasty but not oversweet, gently textured and good with milk, this is the friendliest cereal of the bunch. It’s friendly, non-pretentious, and always delivers, like that boyfriend you kept because he never disagreed with you in any significant way and was fairly good in bed.

Cookie Crisp: Oh. My. Goodness. It’s chocolate-chip cookies! It’s cereal! This marvelous substance is proof that man is indeed the pinnacle of evolution. Yeah, dolphins may be sentient, but you don’t see them at the breakfast table, do you? Also, this leaves the milk pleasantly chocolatey, which for me is great as I am a long-time post-cereal milk-drinker.

Today’s favorite lyric:

“Tea, girls, warm and sweet
Some are set up in the Somerset Maugham suite”

Artist: Murray Head (Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson)
Song: “One Night in Bangkok”
From the musical “Chess”

Here's an oldie

Wrote this a long, long time ago, in tribute to my 1997 kidney stone. Sung to the tune of "Jailhouse Rock", in case you were wondering.

***

It happened in the morning around 2 am
A pain that gave me nausea and my head a spin
I had to wake my brother and get in the car
And rush on down to Frankford Hospital ER

It was a rock, oh, yeah it was a rock
Everybody in the ER stopped
To take care of my kidney rock

I staggered in the door and went up to the nurse
I thought by then that I was ready for a hearse
They said I was the worst that they had ever seen
But soon I was in bed with my friend morphine

It was a rock, oh, yeah it was a rock
I was tripping ‘til the morphine stopped
And thinking ‘bout my kidney rock

So now I have to drink a river every day
And strain it all before I can throw it away
I hope that someday soon this kidney stone will pass
‘Cause peeing in a bottle is a real pain in the ass

Oh rock, come on pass now, rock
Keep the door on the bathroom unlocked
Until I get rid of this rock

Now THAT'S the Bush administration I know!

Condi Rice has pretty much summed up the entire Bush presidency in her testimony at the U.S. Senate:

Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), during a sharp exchange with her, said he failed to see how the troop-increase plan could work absent timetables and clearly articulated consequences for the Iraqis if sectarian violence was not tamped down.

"What will our government do if benchmarks are not met?" he asked.

"It is a mistake to speculate about what you will do if a plan fails that you are trying to make work," Rice responded.

Exactly! Making alternative plans for the possibility that your best efforts might not be sufficient isn't just wrong, it's defeatist! And possibly treasonous! That's like bringing two #2 pencils to your SAT's, or carrying a spare tire in the trunk of your car. Who does that kind of thing?

Today's new favorite lyric is...

You're like a winter without the flu
You're the best exhibit in the boyfriend zoo
In a Hardy Boys' mystery you're the greatest clue
Though I've always been partial to Nancy Drew

Artist: Bootlickers (John McNeill)
Song: "Sure of You"
Album: Universal Nancy

New favorite lyric

I think I'll start citing really, really cool lyrics with each post, either I get tired of it or somebody comments and tells me to knock it off. Today's new favorite lyric...

"Hostess for the show and tell, shepherdess of the muscatel flock."
Artist: Jellyfish (Andy Sturmer, Roger Manning)
Song: "Sebrina Paste and Plato"
Album: Spilt Milk

A brief news break

State rep John Perzel, ignominiously kicked out of the speaker's office despite his frenzied attempts to prevent it, is now getting a new title: Speaker Emeritus. Listen to what Gene Stilp has to say about it:

"We are starting the effort to call him 'Speaker Demeritus,' " said Stilp. "For us, he is the best source of material in the world."

Heh. I can't make it any funnier than that.

***

Apparently, Philadelphia's attempts to enforce the smoking ban are reminiscent of the Third Reich. Check out this comment from bar owner Frank DiClaudio, who was ticketed for $150 for allowing smokers to light up in front of the health inspector:

"We're talking Gestapo tactics, storm troopers," complained DiClaudio. "I guess they're trying to make a point."

Yeah...I'll bet Anne Frank was so relieved to be taken to the gas chamber instead of, you know, receiving a couple of citations.

***

George Bush is taking responsibility for mistakes made in Iraq, or so he pretends.

"Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me. "

Isn't that on par with saying, "I'm sorry if your feelings were hurt"? In other words, Bush - who's not admitting any mistakes - will take any credit for mistakes that might have been made. Kinda like the Catholic Church admitting several hundred years later that they, gosh darn it, they were wrong about Galileo. Sorta.

***

You comic-book fans should check out this place. OK, so that's not newspaper-style news, but shut up!

Racing to the bottom

Apparently, USA Today is reporting Bush's approval ratings at 26%. I'm guessing he's jealous and wants to prove he can outdo Bob Taft. Unlike Taft, however, Bush has two more years to prove that a 0% approval rating is attainable.

Utahns stand by the big guy, however; they're not going to let those big-city, small-town, rural-area, coast-and-heartland snobs tell them what to do. They'll even misspell "Cheney" if they want!

And kinda justice for me

I had attending the hearing today on my conviction (to which I never got a chance to plead!) on driving on a suspended registration, and it's the last time I have to deal with this mess. The long and the short of it is that I pleaded down to a lesser charge with no license suspension, no points on my not-to-be-suspended license, and a return of most of the money I've paid in fines. The D.A. agreed that my situation was a bit more severe than a citizen with an unblemished driving record deserved, but he wasn't so agreeable about returning all my money. (He looked really good in his suit, too, for which I wasn't sure to admire him or hate him.) Anyway, I'll continue to be a presence on the road until my tired but serviceable old Corolla finally shuffles off this mortal coil.

It was kind of a funny scene. The D.A. and I never made eye contact. My attorney would consult with me, go to the D.A. and negotiate, come back to me with an update, and so forth. I felt like one of the nobles in "Rome", who never speak directly of money matters but instead have their servants do the haggling. If I really were a Roman noble I'd make sure I had the nastiest servants breathing, to make sure I got all the best deals. The merchants would hate it, sure, but my servant would have to deal with that, not me. Oh, and I would have a purple toga trimmed with red. You know, if I were a Roman noble.

My Six for '06...and after

Before I get started, big thanks to Feanor and Poppy for their New Year's Eve brunch. Tasty food and good company are the basic ingredients of any enjoyable party, and both were in abundance at theirs.

Now back to blogging. As some of you know, I’ve been reading and, yes, even posting to RedState.com. Initially I read the site simply to do some secret gloating over the 2006 elections, but after a time I decided to actually post there. Not to snark, mind you, but to see if these folks were any more reasonable to deal with than the folks on MediaGirl.org. The experience has been largely the same, except in place of liberal wack-jobs it’s conservative wack-jobs, with a few sensible people to leaven the bread of craziness.

In any case, the whole experience has gotten me thinking about my own liberal views, and how I might best summarize them. Here goes.

1. I believe in transparent political processes that encourage participation and that tend to result in a spread of power over a diversity of political points of view.
2. I believe in a transparent political system in which government bears the burden of proof in determining what secrets may be kept from the public and what information may be collected about private citizens.
3. I believe that any use of government power must be directly related to an objective, rational, achievable public interest, and not based on narrow ideas of morality or propriety.
4. I believe that taxation is not a burden but an investment in the societal structures from which all citizens, rich and poor, benefit.
5. I believe that basic, affordable health care and education should not be privileges enjoyed by a relative few but rights shared by all, and that it is the duty of government to make them so.
6. I believe that just as citizens should expect equality of treatment from society, so should society expect quality of contribution from them.
   
   

These aren’t my six just for ’06, though; I pretty much believe them all the time.

Ready for a laugh?

Check out this gem from the American Spectator. I'll quote a few choice passages, with my replies, natch.

The Republicans lost control of Congress. They deserved to lose, but we don't deserve what's going to happen because they did.

So, really, it would have been better to keep a corrupt, arrogant, incompetent leadership even when you are aware they are such. Check.

From here on, we shall never speak ill of a fellow conservative. Yeah, it's okay to blast any faux-conservatives who deserve it (such as the "Republican" co-author of the McCain-Lieberman "global warming" bill and the Georgia fellow who thinks we have to limit the First Amendment in order to win the war). But no more bashing other Conservatives, even when they deserve it.

So no speaking ill of conservatives, except those conservatives who piss you off. Them you can bash.

The test case will be illegal immigration. The Senate Waffle House will produce an amnesty bill, and the House will have no problem rolling over the few tough Republicans left there. But we can fight a holding action in both, and I promise to fly lead and drop all our rhetorical smart bombs right through the windows of the Oval Office.

I believe he's referring to the dreaded filibuster. Whatever happened to a "straight up-or-down vote"? I guess that's attractive only when you're certain the vote will go your way.

Oh, and in case you didn't notice, this guy is pushing a Rumsfeld-Bolton ticket for 2008. Yes, I read that too. No, it wasn't a trick of your eyes. If this is what we've got in terms of opposition, how could we lose?

No one to fight

Dan and I once realized that we handle problems very differently. You know that fight-or-flight response? Well, he flees and I fight. Seriously. You might not think it to look at me, but I have the ability to make an incredible nuisance of myself when I feel I've been wronged or misused in some way. I've gotten lots of free stuff from companies via this technique: free shipping from Gateway, $100 credit on my Visa from FirstUSA, a complimentary pay-per-view Indigo Girls concert, etc. It's useful.

What I want right now, however, I can't get, no matter how many letters I write or phone calls I make. I can't complain to Death's supervisor, or threaten to report Death to the Bureau of Parts of Life, and it really makes me angry.

A Warm Interlude

Florida's not my favorite state, but as a break from a Philadelphia winter it's not bad. Couple that with lots (and lots) of to-die-for Italian food and you've got yourself a recipe for an enjoyable winter vacation.

Staying with Dan's parents is like being at a resort. There's always great food (and plenty of it) and you don't have to do anything but sit around in bare feet and watch TV. Which I did. I caught an episode of Jerry Springer entitled, "My Sixteen-Year-Old Daughter is a Drug Dealer and a Whore." That's entertainment, my friends.

The flight out was suspiciously on-time departing and arriving, but we paid our dues coming back when our flight was an hour late. During our wait I did some brisk laps around the terminal, and I can therefore say with some authority that there was nary a cute guy to be seen. Apparently, it was No Cute Guys Flying from Fort Lauderdale day, so I was reduced to reading my book about Darwin and the theory of evolution. (Yeah...like that's important to anyone.) Also, either I had some bad luck, or everybody and his sister Sue is wearing those awful, awful velour track suits, in a horrid profusion of colors: brown, black, pink, and even peach. The prize winner was a fiftyish man in a black version of said suit, wearing a large gold medallion over a hairy chest exposed by the partially opened zipper of his jacket. Not making that up.

Closing up

My company's closed betwixt Xmas and New Year's, so right now I'm wrapping up a few things, a.k.a. cruising the Internet until I can sneak out. A number of things are going on during the holidays, among them various Eve gatherings, a sweet sixteen party (no, not mine, unless you mean sixteen on Jupiter), and a one-two New Year's brunch and Sex Dwarf. Oh, and there's a brief foray to Florida in there, too, which I wasn't looking forward to until last week. Now I'm kind of anxious to get out of Philadelphia for awhile; these days there are a few too many ghosts around the corners.

I'm looking forward to seeing my nieces on the Eve; I haven't seen them for ages, and recent events have made me want to stay in closer touch with people. I promised the older one I'd teach her to drive when the time comes, and I think that'll be fun. I've taught two people before her, with no freak-out and a distinct minimum of wiggins. And that was in the days when my car was worth more than, say, a big pack of gum.

Speaking of cars, it's kind of fun to have an old car that runs well but otherwise doesn't matter too much. I've managed to bang the right side on a post leaving the garage roughly once every two or three times I pull out, leaving a scrape and a deepening dent. Ten years ago that would have sent me scurrying to the repair shop, but now I just shrug. My car and I are very alike: We turned 30 the same year, and these days we're both older and more battered, but we still get the job done.

Now here's some gall

Apparently, the city officials in New London, CT, can't imagine why they got, uh, unusual Christmas cards from Susette Kelo. Here's a particularly choice reaction:

"It's amazing anyone could be so vindictive when they've made so much money," said Gail Schwenker-Mayer, a development supporter who received one of the cards.

Umm...maybe because she wanted her home more than the money? Hey, Ms. Stupid-Hyphenated-Name! Some people might possibly value something like a home over a bunch of money. Folks are just crazy that way, I know. And check this out:

"I still feel bad for Susette," Burdick said. "The sorry part of this is that the things she's angry about were not done to be mean-spirited toward her personally."

He's right. I can't imagine why she would take personally being kicked out of her home so that the city could put in condos she most likely could never afford to buy. Lighten up, Susette.

Burdick and Stupid-Hyphenated-Name, in my view, are so out of touch with reality that you'd have to bitch-slap them from now until mankind evolves into pure energy beings before they'd understand how wrong they were.

Attention last-minute shoppers!

Has Colombia got a deal for you!

As hulking as they are, hippos can outrun humans on land, which helps explain the periodic deaths of unsuspecting safari travelers in Africa. That speed, and their highly aggressive disposition whenever their turf is invaded, makes them a threat and is the main reason authorities are offering the animals, or at least most of them, free to anyone who will come and take them off their hands.

Sounds neat, but I'm not sure where I'd actually keep sixteen of these bad boys. I hear that VisMajor now has a backyard...

Miscellany

I've obtained a username for Redstate.com, and, yes, I've been posting there. I don't expect to change opinions, but I'm enjoying myself for now. I'm a fish out of water there not only because I'm damned liberal (unless of course you ask Mediagirl), but also because those folks hew closely to conservative political philosophy. Personally, I don't think most Americans worry overmuch about political philosophy; instead, they go with what seems to work. Case in point: Mississippi, among the reddest of red states and a foe of gub'ment intervention was happy to take the federal dollars it was offered for Katrina relief. And I'm not saying they shouldn't be, but if they do I don't want to here any more whining about the "evil" feds. Let's face it: When Uncle Sam wheels out the government trough, every little piggy - rich or poor, liberal or conservative - is happy to put in a snout.

Dan and I are flying to Florida on the 25th. I'm sometimes asked, "Isn't it kind of depressing to have Christmas without cold and snow?" My answer? Nope. In my view, nothing says "Seasons Greetings" quite like eighty-degree weather and palm trees. I can drink egg nog just as enjoyably in shorts, t-shirts and bare feet, thank you very much.

Can I say how good freshly ground peanut butter is? We've been buying it at the Reading Terminal, and it's delish. I've had spoonfuls of that heavenly treat for dessert and been completely satisfied. Why the hell does Jiffy add sugar?

Does this entry seem kind of frantic? It's a good reflection of my current state of mind, which runs frantically from distraction to distraction to avoid slipping into thoughts that, for now, are just not good for me to think.

A little good news...

...and some is long overdue, I'd say. I got permission to substitute for a required course, which means that (assuming all goes well) I will finally finish my graduate certificate this spring. I'm totally hardened by last summer's schedule-busting, seven-week proposal writing course, too, so right now I fear no graduate work.

Sex Dwarf was fun Friday, despite the drunken yuppies who managed to shove people around, drop several glasses (making the floor a jagged peril), and get creepy with Babs. At one point the bouncer was leaning on a nearby ledge, staring right at them, but they refused to get the hint that maybe they should tone it down a bit. They left shortly after midnight, off to annoy and grope other clubgoers, no doubt, but in any case I was glad to see the back of them. They couldn't diminish my gratitude in seeing that the beloved Sex Dwarf DJ team had festooned the walls with silver stars, in remembrance. It was like Star was with us, even if not in the way we would have chosen.

Another Day

The services were yesterday, and they were both heartbreaking and strangely uplifting. Not sure how those two things go together, but they did. Sooo many people attended...it was a real testament to the lives Star touched.

When I got home around 5pm, I remembered that my department's office party was that evening at a bar in Center City. Remembering that the party featured an open bar, and needing a drink* after the day's events, I decided to go and at least put in an appearance (and down some free booze.) I had promised the party planners that I would do karaoke there, but I was reconsidering it given that I'd spent the last four days in a daze. Then I thought of what Star would have counseled, which was that I should not only do karaoke, but that I should bring that motherfucking place down. So I took the mic and belted out "Dancing With Myself", with a mental nod towards an invisible Billy Idol, and I did bring that motherfucking place down. When I was done I threw the horns, which I expect my coworkers took for bravado. I knew who those horns were for, though, and my Movie Night peeps, had they been there, would have known too.

*I've drunk more alchohol in the last four days than I have in the previous four years. No regrets.

Is this getting by?

I'm at work today. I didn't want to go, but since I didn't want to stay home either and white-water rafting wasn't an option, I decided to work. Not sure if that was a good idea for me, and I know it wasn't a good idea for the coworker whose head I nearly took off over pretty much nothing.

Anyone else having trouble sleeping? Takes forever to drop off, and then you wake up a hundred times a night, always thinking of the same thing? I haven't had any bad dreams, though; I guess my subconscious decided that Sunday morning was nightmare enough.

I've found food a wonderful method of coping, and Monday I said to myself, "If some of a good thing helps a little, way too much will help alot!" That sent me on a junk-food frenzy until I felt sick and realized what I was doing to myself.

Another coping method has been busywork. Monday night I decided that those summer clothes I'd neglected to put away just couldn't wait another minute. Tuesday Dan and I did housework. Actually, the place needed it; after Sunday we did nothing to clean up, and there was food sitting out getting grosser by the day. I usually don't do stuff like that, but then this week's not been very usual. The place is clean now, though, so Movie Night people can be assured they won't be walking into a mess tonight. Would that the hosts were as tidy.

I don't know what to say

Most of you reading this know that Star Foster, a.k.a. Sarcasmo, died yesterday morning of a pulmonary embolism. Those of you who didn’t…well, I’m sorry you had to hear it this way. I’m at work today, because I can’t take another day of thinking about it. That’s small of me, but over the past 24 hours I’ve learned that the small things are what get you through. Of course, I’m here at work blogging about it, so I guess I didn’t do myself much good after all.

Dan and I got the call around 11 am, and we were at Graduate Hospital shortly afterwards. We walked down Lombard to get there, and it was a beautiful winter day, which somehow seemed wrong. You know what else seemed wrong? There were all these people out enjoying the (relatively) mild day, and it struck me that they had no idea what had happened. Dan and I were in a completely different world, and I almost expected them to be able to walk right through us. I don’t know if they were the ghosts or we were.

All I’ll say about how things were in the ER is that no matter how bad you think it was, it was worse. I don’t know how those ER nurses and doctors do it, witnessing that kind of awfulness every day. Maybe you get hardened to it, but I don’t know if I want to get hardened to that. I never know what to say in these circumstances, so I settled for looking at the ground or – really close up – at the shoulder of Dan’s coat. I’ve been told that I’m very diplomatic, but when Star’s folks approached Dan was the one who said the right thing, while I hid my face in the crook of his arm.

We invited everyone who was interested to gather at our place, which turned out to be a better idea than I at first realized. On the way back I found myself fretting endlessly over what we should have in terms of food. Food happens at these times, I knew. (Remember, the small things.) Mouserobot held down the fort while Dan and I went out and bought pasta and chicken and cheese and chocolate cake. The pasta turned out badly because I screwed up boiling it, which sounds funny. How do you screw up boiling stuff? You screw it up by putting in too much pasta and not enough water, that’s how. Given my state of mind at the time I guess it’s fortunate I didn’t stick my head in the pot. Bad pasta notwithstanding, lots of people came over, the Movie Night crowd plus others who’d known Star. Two people were missing, the first being VisMajor who had very kindly volunteered to help go to upstate New York and get Star’s younger sister. The other was Star herself, who I kept expecting to walk in at any moment.

The knowledge of Star’s death keeps coming at me from different directions. I’ll try to get my mind off it and think of something else, but the knowledge just pops up right along each train of thought and slams into me. I’ll think about the concert I was planning to attend that weekend (the one Star wanted to see), or the next episode of Battlestar Galactica (Star will never get to see how it comes out), or about Sex Dwarf (Star was so excited about the New Year’s Eve bash). It’s like the knowledge is saying, “Howdy doo! You thought you could lose me by distracting yourself, but here I am. I think I’ll settle in and stay awhile. A good, long while.”

I guess this is the time to say nice things about Star, but others have done that more eloquently than I’ve a heart to. As I said, I’m not very good at coming up with the right words at these times. I’m pretty much just thinking one thing.

I wish that Star wasn’t dead.

If I were to convert to theism...

...this is the kinda think that'd do it. The God Squad's all worked up and they can't do anything about it. Nice.

I don't have any sympathy for Mary Cheney, by the way. I think she's a mealymouthed orientation traitor who's happy to feather her own nest by stepping on every gay person in the U.S. Yeah, yeah, I know Dick Cheney can't legalize gay marriage, but for Pete's sake, he doesn't have to oppose it to gain traction among the bigot set. Yet he does, and he and his master have profited handsomely from it, and so has his daughter Mary. As far as I am concerned, she and her partner can fall off the earth into some heterosexist hell, leaving behind their baby to be raised by people who won't teach it that treachery for profit is fun.

Oh, and Andrew Sullivan, who makes an appearance at the article's end, is quite the fool. He thinks liberals are wrong, wrong, wrong, yet he ignores that liberals are the ones who make it possible for a gay man to be Republican. Kinda like Ann Coulter decrying feminists; if she really hates feminism she should get married, stop earning money and just stay the hell in the kitchen.

Election Dreaming

I had a really vivid dream a few weeks back, the details of which I'll relate here. It was Election Night, and while watching the returns on CNN I was surprised to see myself projected as the winner of the congressional race in my district. This was particularly surprising since I wasn't running. Apparently (I knew this in the way you just know stuff in dreams) someone had mounted a write-in campaign on my behalf, and that campaign was successful.

Cut to the first day of the 110th Congress, with me in a waiting room with dozens of other freshman reps, all waiting to be sworn in. I'm chatting with reps from Iowa and Arkansas and such, and in comes my friend Cathy with congressional cupcakes. Those of you who know Cathy have experienced her tasty and creative treats, so you'll believe that she could make cupcakes appropriate to a congressional swearing-in ceremony. She passed them around to all the freshman reps, making me (for an hour at least) the most popular congressman on the Hill.

Congressional cupcakes...heh, heh...

I can't believe I just remembered this...

...but apparently typesetting utility industry catalogs makes you think of embarrassing situations. Here goes.

A friend of mine had just moved into his house, so I went over to check out the new place. After the tour and renovation/decoration talk was finished, we put on music and starting dancing. (Gay guys do this. Don't ask.) Anyway, one of the albums was "Television Hits of the 70's", with theme songs from stuff like "Welcome Back, Kotter" and "Barney Miller", etc. When the theme for "Laverne and Shirley" came on, we started acting out the stuff Laverne and Shirley do in the montage: opening the doors into each other, putting the glove on the beer bottle, running out of the apartment, and all that. We were having a blast, and just as we were imitating the gals on the bike - me Shirley bent over the handlebars pedaling, and my friend being Laverne behind her standing up, arms raised - in comes my friend's cousin. He thought to surprise my friend with a housewarming gift, and walks in on us in a posture that I'm guessing did not immediately remind him of that lovable TV duo.

He didn't ask any questions, and we didn't explain. It was an object lesson in how innocently acting out a 70's sitcom montage can be badly misinterpreted.

A little bit of disillusionment

In case you thought that wiretapping was bad, check this out. Here are some of the highlights:

The scores are assigned to people entering and leaving the United States after computers assess their travel records, including where they are from, how they paid for tickets, their motor-vehicle records, their previous one-way travel, their seating preference, and what kind of meal they ordered.

Better think twice before pre-ordering that kosher or vegetarian meal. Everyone knows that Jews and vegans are soft on terrorists.

The government notice says ATS data may be shared with state, local and foreign governments for use in hiring decisions and in granting licenses, security clearances, contracts or other benefits. In some cases, the data may be shared with courts, Congress and even private contractors.

Well, there's something to be said for near-total disclosure, even if the subject of the record is the only one who can't see it.

The Homeland Security privacy impact statement added that "an individual might not be aware of the reason additional scrutiny is taking place, nor should he or she" because that might compromise the ATS' methods.

Or it might, you know, reveal that the criteria are pure bullshit. Either or.

Nevertheless, Ahern said that any traveler who objected to additional searches or interviews could ask to speak to a supervisor to complain. Homeland Security's privacy impact statement said that, if asked, border agents would hand complaining passengers a one-page document that describes some, but not all, of the records that agents check. It also refers complaints to Custom and Border Protection's Customer Satisfaction Unit.

Does it take a whole page to write out, "Fuck you, it's a secret"?

"If this catches one potential terrorist," he said, "this is a success."

Uh-huh. Does that mean if it doesn't catch a potential terrorist we get to can it? Also, exactly what is a "potential terrorist"? Someone who intends to attempt a terrorist act? Someone who plots one? Someone who might be sympathetic to someone either attempting or plotting one? Nothing like deliberately vague language!