The Meaty Urologist

THIS BLOG HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED

2005-07-05T22:54:00.000-05:00

(pick it up here)

Peachy. Iran's President-Elect May Have Been Involved in '79...

2005-07-04T00:45:00.000-05:00

"There's no question about it. You could make him a blond and shave his whiskers, put him in a zoot suit and I'd still spot him."

Live 8

2005-07-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

On R.E.M.'s set: Something about the earpieces Michael Stipe was wearing, coupled with the bizarre blue makeup mask...makes him look like Batman.

Floyd reunion story. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2005/07/live_8s_histori.html

So...Pink Floyd just finished up. They played Breathe, Money, Wish You Were Here, and Comfortably Numb. During Comfy, some little irritant from MTV Europe started talking, and then so did her irritant cohart from VH1. Further proof that both of these channels need to fucking go away. There is no respect for the artform they claim to carry the flag for.

Now the irritants at the show in Philly are talking over Stevie Wonder. I'm sure they're doing all of this because they want to keep people from creating their own MP3s, and therefore not buying the inevitable album. But it's just sad.

Tsunami Alert System

2005-07-01T23:47:00.000-05:00

Nice to read some good news once in a while...

Make that Four

2005-07-01T23:44:00.000-05:00

2005/07/02 04:11 M 5.9 COAST OF NICARAGUA Z= 36km 11.21N 86.55W

Earthquakes

2005-07-01T22:33:00.000-05:00

Three of 'em , between 5 & 7 on the scale, off the coast of Central America in the last 29 hours.

2005/07/02 02:16 M 6.7 COAST OF NICARAGUA Z= 46km 11.18N 86.40W
2005/06/30 21:26 M 6.0 PANAMA-COSTA RICA BORDER REGION Z= 61km 8.41N 82.74W
2005/06/30 21:26 M 5.8 PANAMA-COSTA RICA BORDER REGION Z= 43km 8.40N 82.79W

Last month it was California and Alaska. And I'm noticing there's one of that strength every day (at least one) in or near Indonesia.

Fascinating stuff. I've been on the email list from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ for months now. Interesting to see where they hit every day.

Livan 12-2

2005-07-01T21:51:00.000-05:00

July 1, 2005
Washington 4, Chi. Cubs 3 at Wrigley Field

Winning pitcher - Livan Hernandez (12-2)
Losing pitcher - Mark Prior (5-2)
SV - Hector Carrasco (2)

Watched most of it. Great game. Cubs made me pretty nervous in the 6th: Livan gave up 2 homers in that inning...

AIDS in Asia

2005-07-01T15:26:00.000-05:00

Twelve million extra people could be (AIDS) infected in Asia within the next five years - an increase of 150%...

Nats/Cubs

2005-07-01T13:26:00.000-05:00

Three games at Wrigley this holiday weekend, just a few hours away, and I can't get out there. Damn.

Nationals and Politics

2005-06-30T15:35:00.000-05:00

Saw this in my local newspaper and decided I had to bring it here for future reference. Again: not my work, and I'm not claiming it. This was written by Jason Kelly.

The level of stupidity at work here is amazing...

DC wants owner as red as the uniforms
COMMENTARY

By JASON KELLY

No less a partisan political figure than George W. Bush once owned the Texas Rangers.

One of his partners in that enterprise, Fred Malek, now wants to buy the Washington Nationals.

Malek's political leanings -- Hits: Right, Throws: Right, Votes: Right -- do not impugn the integrity of his bid in the minds of elected representatives looking out for the national pastime.

Lefty George Soros, on the other hand, represents a contaminating danger to peanuts and Cracker Jack.

Not to mention the republic.

Hence the Congressional high heat intended to brush his group back from the negotiating table in the sale of the Nationals.

Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) told Roll Call that "Major League Baseball understands the stakes" of selling the team to Soros.

With more bully than pulpit he added, "I don't think they want to get involved in a political fight."

So Congress might consider a bench-clearing brawl -- unrelated to battles over judicial nominations -- to prevent a baseball team from falling into liberal hands.

Implying they might pull out the heavy lumber, Rep. John Sweeney (R-N.Y.) offered a subtle reminder that baseball's antitrust exemption could be revoked over politically polarizing ownership.

Specifically Democratic ownership, because anything worth hundreds of millions of dollars should be reserved for Republicans, who retain the twin freedoms of expression and expenditure.

A managing general partner of the Rangers while his father served in the White House, President Bush's partisan politics didn't summon Congressional review of his ownership qualifications. Those connections probably got him the gig in the first place.

Now the hubris his political success created in the Republican party has seeped into the business of baseball.

As Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins put it: "I must have been napping, and that's why I missed the part where we became a country in which Democrats are no longer allowed to buy things."

Worse than a mere Democrat -- at least they have to register, so the government can keep an eye on them -- Soros actually funds liberal causes.

Imagine the ways Soros might Kerry-fy the franchise to his bleeding heart's content:

1) Change their name from the Washington Nationals to the United Nations, so as not to appear so ... unilateral.
2) Replace general manager Jim Bowden with Hillary Clinton to assemble a roster that "looks like America."
3) Fire manager Frank Robinson. Hire Jesse Jackson.
4) Design a new rainbow color scheme for uniforms.
5) Reject season-ticket applications from John Bolton and Karl Rove.
6) Janet Reno, relief pitcher.
7) At every April 20 home game, the first 10,000 fans arriving before 4:20 receive free "medical" marijuana.
8) Move out of RFK Stadium and build new Teddy Kennedy Park. Lobby local government to raise taxes on tobacco to pay for it.
9) Two words: Recycled bats.

Soros should just stick to Major League Soccer, the Euro pseudo-sport he helped finance in the United States. Or so Congressional power hitters Davis and Sweeney seem to be saying with their threatening rhetoric.

Admitted liberals like Soros with the net worth to buy a baseball team need to watch what they say or risk government interference with their purchasing power.

It takes integrity, not just money, to stand with the noble owners of Major League Baseball. Try saying that out loud without hacking like Marge Schott herself.

It takes principled leadership, not just power, to put personal interests aside for the good of the game. Try saying that out loud without whimpering like Bud Selig himself.

If Congress felt so inclined, it could just deport the Nationals, considering they were born north of the border.

Come to think of it, that probably explains why Soros wants this particular team.

It's Canadian.

French-Canadian.

Now that the franchise represents the nation's capital, it needs a red-meat, red-state sort of owner whose money will not support the campaign of anyone to the left of Rudy Giuliani.

Not some practicing Democrat who feels entitled to buy the team on the dubious basis that he and his partners can come up with $400 million to pay for it.

Because then, regardless of the standings in the American League East, the terrorists win.

Meanwhile...

June 30, 2005

Pittsburgh 5, Washington 7 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium

Winning pitcher - Esteban Loaiza (4-5)

Losing pitcher - Kip Wells (5-8)

SV - Chad Cordero (28)

washington nationals

LIVE 8

2005-06-30T14:59:00.000-05:00

Pink Floyd, reunited with Roger, are expected to spend their 15 minutes of the concert thusly:

Breathe/Speak To Me
Comfortably Numb
Wish You Were Here

Justifiable Warfare

2005-06-29T19:21:00.000-05:00

I missed the President's speech about the War In Iraq last night. But from what I hear, it laid out exactly why the war in Iraq is important and must continue.

A country with a history of violent activity, some of it even perpetrated against it's own people, found to be in posession of weapons of mass destruction. Worse yet, the country has direct influence on your country's economy. It's citizens are constantly over your border. The livelihood of your people hangs in the balance.

It only stands to reason. Invasion is the only option. This kind of dangerous element has to be erased.

Piano Balls

2005-06-28T21:09:00.000-05:00

Playing Piano with his balls. And why not.

Clickity-click.

Earthquake Science

2005-06-28T15:11:00.000-05:00

(found in outgoing email from June 17th)

All the talk of earthquakes lately prompted a discussion at the
bar a little while ago about whether or not California could
ever actually fall off.

I came back, and while my production crap is loading, I found
this: http://www.moorlandschool.co.uk/earth/tectonic.htm

Nifty science stuff.

FNC Alert

2005-06-28T13:17:00.000-05:00

This continues to be a shitty week for helicopters...both civilian and military.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: BREAKING NEWS <breakingnews@foxnews.com>
Date: Jun 28, 2005 12:52 PM
Subject: FNC Alert
To: BREAKINGNEWS Subscribers <mailto:BREAKINGNEWS-Subscribers@foxnews.com>

U.S. MILITARY HELICOPTER WITH 16 ON BOARD CRASHES IN AFGHANISTAN

Tribe.net update.

2005-06-27T15:00:00.000-05:00

Yes. So far, it's fairly useless. But I have hope that I will see some good conversations eventually.

Iran elects hardline new leader

2005-06-24T21:19:00.000-05:00

Someday, we'll reflect on how incredibly sad it was that this went virtually unnoticed in the US...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: BBC Breaking News Alert <dailyemail@ebs.bbc.co.uk>
Date: Jun 24, 2005 8:08 PM
Subject: Iran elects hardline new leader
To: writtenword@gmail.com

Iran elects ultra-conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president in a landslide vote, the interior ministry confims.

For more details: http://www.bbcnews.com

Captain's Log, Stardate 48576.2. I'm going windsurfing. Striker is in charge until I return.

2005-06-24T15:41:00.000-05:00

Oops!

U-2 Crash in SW Asia

2005-06-24T15:28:00.000-05:00

Hmmm...

Re: Hockey Team For Sale. First of many?

2005-06-23T15:25:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I figured their would be casualties in this war, I just wasn't sure how many there would be. The whole fiasco is heartbreaking, not to mention frustrating. To be honest, I've been tuning out all NHL updates and I will continue to do so until I hear that that negotiations are over and the season is on.

Dot (disgruntled fan)

Hockey Team For Sale. First of many?

2005-06-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

"...The Blues and their home, the Savvis Center, have made losses of more than $225m (£122.8m) since 1994..."

I'll be impressed if most of the teams south of Washington make it in the New NHL...assuming there is one...and that includes the current champs.

I enjoyed ESPN's Virtual EA Sports 2006 Stanley Cup report this week, by the way, if you missed it. Colorado over Toronto in 5.

Pterry quote from Maskerade

2005-06-23T11:49:00.000-05:00

This one got my attention last night:

Hate is a force of attraction. Hate is just love with its back turned.

NONE SHALL PASS!

2005-06-22T16:18:00.000-05:00

"The secret of our universe's beginnings was being protected by caribou and polar bears," said John Kageorge, communications manager for AMEC Dynamic Structures Ltd. in this Vancouver suburb. "As it turns out, the scientists needed to go back with a rifle to protect themselves."

Kyrgyz unrest continues

2005-06-22T15:14:00.000-05:00

More and more, this story keeps lifting my eyebrows. Georgia, too. I've always been fascinated with The Soviet Union. Can't help but wonder if there's ever going to be an end to the hardships there, especially in the former sattelites in Asia ...

Preparing for the daily avalanche of Update Emails...

2005-06-21T23:54:00.000-05:00

I am intrigued by tribe.net, and have joined 14 tribes in the last thirty minutes (with membership at a Masonic one pending).

If this place turns out to be mostly useless, so be it. But it's amusing enough...

I mean...hey...there are tribes for each of my favorite teams, writers, etc. Some of these people have to have something interesting to say...right?

Sutter out today as Blackhawks Coach

2005-06-21T16:58:00.000-05:00

How much would it suck to get fired from a job coaching a team that didn't play a single game in the last 14 months? How sad is that? To lose a job in a non-league that didn't have a season?

Suppressed Nagasaki Reporting

2005-06-21T12:44:00.000-05:00

I read part of this yesterday in the Chicago Sun Times (almost a newspaper). The Dark Lord Warren Ellis found a link for more of it. Impressive work.

Livan again.

2005-06-20T23:27:00.000-05:00

June 20, 2005
Washington 7, Pittsburgh 4 at PNC Park
Winning pitcher - Livan Hernandez (10-2)
Losing pitcher - Mark Redman (4-5)
SV - Chad Cordero (22)

HR: WSH: J. Guillen (13)
Washington Record: (41-29)

You know, a season ago, no wanted this guy. The MVP of the '97 Series for FLA, and no one would touch him with a ten-foot bat.

He hasn't lost since his third start of the season.

Go get 'em, Livan. Be the first to 20. Heh heh heh...

The past 72 hours

2005-06-14T13:06:00.000-05:00

Michael Jackson Not Guilty on all 10 counts.
Mike Tyson quits boxing.
Cubs beat Red Sox 2 out of 3.
Alabama Girl still missing in Aruba.
Spurs go up 2-0 over Pistons in NBA Finals.
Phil Jackson hasn't decided about coaching next year.
Soap Operas will soon be availible on Cell Phones.
Wal-Mart is still selling VHS movies. (ooh. ahh.)
Blah blah blah blah...

Meanwhile, in "minor headlines"...

Americans with AIDS has topped 1,000,000.
7.9 Earthquake last night in Chile.
A 6.6 this morning in Alaska.
4 year-old boy dies on a ride at Disney World.
24 killed, scores injured in Iraq.
Africa is at a critical political turning point.
Iran is facing an important election.
110 degrees in Northern and Central India.

Which would YOU rather read?

A Star In The East Heralds A Miracle...

2005-06-12T17:30:00.000-05:00

The Floyd. Reuniting. With Roger.

Seriously.

First Cream, now this. Can The Police be far behind?

Daaaaaaaaamn!

2005-06-12T16:28:00.000-05:00

June 12, 2005
Seattle 2, Washington 3 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium

That's a sweep of the weekend series. Hell, that's ten in a row.

Daaaaaaaaaamn!

How can the Nationals be this good with no defense to speak of???

Other weekend sports: Watched the NFL Europe World Bowl yesterday. Not bad, actually. The players aren't up to the NFL standards for the most part, but there was some damn fine playing in the game. The Bears backup looked good playing for Amsterdam, and so did Sweetness' kid. Very close game, went down to the final play, Admirals wound up winning it by 6.

Watching the Arena Bowl right now. Colorado & Georgia tied at 41 with about 5 min to go. Another close game.

Gotta appreciate football in the Spring...no matter what level it's played at...

And He Shall Be Livan. And He Shall Be A Good Man (pt. 2)

2005-06-09T22:05:00.000-05:00

June 9, 2005
Oakland 3, Washington 4 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Winning pitcher - Livan Hernandez (9-2)
Losing pitcher - Joe Blanton (1-6)
SV - Chad Cordero (17)

Oak 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 10 0
Wsh 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 X 4 8 1

Washington Record: (34-26)

The Nats are 34-26, on top of the division that has Florida and the Mets in it. They're near the basement of MLB teams in terms of defensive stats, and somehow they still find ways to win. They have the most amazing luck I've ever seen.

And the fact that I even really care in June about a baseball team is proof that one year without the NHL was not good for my well-being...

The Origin of Deep Throat

2005-06-07T23:11:00.000-05:00

No, not the stag film. The important one.

Pterry 17

2005-06-07T21:21:00.000-05:00

Closing in on the final pages of this:

On November 30th, I started a re-read project of all 30 Discworld Novels.

It was something I promised myself I would do when I was finally able to track down a copy of the last one that had evaded me, Witches Abroad. The idea being...since this series isn't one that you have to read in order...that once I finally owned them all it would finally be time to re-read all of them. And this time, do it in the order they were published. I've read all of them before...except for book #30, which I got from The Beloved Wife as a gift and incentive for this project.

Read them all again, in order, in a year or less. And after I turn the last page on Monstrous Regiment (#29) I'll have two brand new Terry Pratchett Discworld novels to read. Because by then, #31 will be in stores, as well.

So I was off to the races.

So to speak.

Because right about two months into this...I was promoted at work. My free time went out the window. Instead of doing two jobs there, I was covering for a third. And my expected pace of 3 books a month became a pipe dream of epic proportions.

In the last few months, though, I've managed to get back fairly close to where I should be, and I'm feeling confident that I can manage to hit my November 30th date with time to spare.

Anyway, digress over. Back to the Golems.

It's amazing to me how good repetition can make things (sex, for example, leaps to mind). Some movies become better with repetition, like Star Wars flicks. Some make more sense (like Memento or Pulp Fiction). This is the first time in a long time that a book has gotten better the second time around for me.

I've enjoyed revisiting each of these books. The first three, like they were the first time around, were a breeze, centered around the wizards, clever references, and the most unlucky bastard in all human existence. Mort was what it's always been: the first peek at how brilliant a writer Pterry can be when he has the right subject matter. And on I went, through the introductions of the witches, the Night Watchmen, and all the rest. The side-trips for the one-off books (Moving Pictures, Pyramids, and Small Gods), especially relishing Pyramids (always one of my favorites) and Small Gods (the first one I ever read, roughly 8 years ago). And just last weekend, I dipped into book #17, Feet Of Clay.

This is the first one that made me want to write something about it. I barely remember hitting this one the first time. It was the first in a series of five books I had found at once, as I recall, on sale at Borders in Colorado Springs (DAMN that was a great bookstore...sigh...). With the happy prospect of five new (to me) Pratchetts ahead, and the next new one due in stores in a couple months, I ripped through this one and the next two or three in a hurry (which is great, considering those others are next up again, and I can give them better attention this time...).

I remember liking the story, as I have done with all of them (except maybe Jingo which I didn't devote much brain to, as I got to that one when my marriage collapsed and EVERYTHING sucked in my opinion). I remember being impressed with his use of Golems in his first real murder mystery novel, and that it was a solid outting for the characters in the watch. But the next novel was a Rincewind story, with a China-like setting, and Clay wound up being forgettable because I was so excited to have another story of my favorite wizard.

This time around, I've spent a week absorbing every word, shocked at my inability to remember whodunnit. And what a ride it was. Pterry wove a fabulous tapestry of mystery, twists and turns, and blew me away this week. My favorite has always been Lords And Ladies, because the book is just so brutal and heavy. But I think Feet Of Clay just unseated it. And I can't wait to see if another one bumps this one in the coming months.

If someone is reading this (which I doubt, as I very seldom ever promote this blog anywhere), I urge you to think long and hard about who your favorite author is. Pick up one of their titles you don't remember very well.

Maybe it'll surprise you, too...

Watchmen movie pulled

2005-06-07T13:01:00.000-05:00

(from SciFiWire)

Paramount has pulled the plug on its proposed film version of Watchmen, Alan Moore's celebrated superhero graphic novel, Variety reported. Producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin were taking the project, with British director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy) attached, out to other studios, the trade paper reported.

Watchmen came under heavy scrutiny in the wake of Paramount chief Brad Grey's surprise move to replace Donald De Line with Gail Berman as studio president in late March, the trade paper reported. De Line found out about the change while in London meeting with Greengrass about Watchmen and the need to cut its budget, rumored to be $100 million, the trade paper reported.

Paramount had been aiming for a summer start, but began releasing crews working on preproduction at that point.

I'm relieved. Some books shouldn't be made into movies. This is one of them. You can't cut the budget on a story like this one and be able to pull it off properly. No film could be as good as this book was.

Tommy Lee spoof

2005-06-03T17:42:00.000-05:00

To check out later, when I have time. Email isn't working so posting it here.

And this, and this, too.

Ultra-Rare Jimmy Page

2005-06-03T17:15:00.000-05:00

Entirely too cool. Clickity-click.

Deeper nail for the NHL coffin

2005-06-01T14:15:00.000-05:00

ESPN has decided not to pick up the broadcast option for next season. Assuming there is one.

Blueprints For The Destruction Of The Earth

2005-06-01T11:47:00.000-05:00

Interesting article. Originated here. For budding Supervillains, perhaps...

Integrity in marketing

2005-05-31T22:56:00.000-05:00

Pretty ironic...

(for Dumbass file)

2005-05-31T16:58:00.000-05:00

Rev. Creighton Lovelace, of Danieltown Baptist Church in Forest City, NC, was trying to exalt the Bible, not insult Muslims.

Wow am I glad I'm dumb enough to swallow THAT...

In a statement, Lovelace said that after prayer and reflection, he now realizes that Muslims revere their holy book more than many Americans revere the Bible.

The statement said:

"Now I realize how offensive this is to them, and after praying about it, I have chosen to remove the sign. I apologize for posting that message and deeply regret that it has offended so many in the Muslim community. I remain committed to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and renew my commitment to proclaiming that message in the true spirit of Christ's love."

Lovelace said the church sign's message has been replaced with a new one that reads: "Jesus said, 'I am the way.'"

Milagros means Miracles

2005-05-31T16:33:00.000-05:00

A century ago, collectors of oddities would fill freak shows with "monsters" like this.

How fortunate she is to live in an age where attitudes have changed. And how fortunate for us all, as well...

Brian Walden

2005-05-31T13:46:00.000-05:00

I recall an extraordinary character named Konni Zilliacus. He was always being expelled, or about to be expelled, from the Labour Party. For a time he was the MP for Gorton in Manchester and, though I didn’t share his views, I liked him. He’d met Lenin and was forever wedded to a Socialist Utopia. One evening tears trickled down his cheeks as he explained to me the beautiful vision that American capitalism had destroyed.

“Nobody should want possessions,” he said. “Whatever their faults, Lenin and Stalin never had any money. The Socialist dream was to produce a new man who loved society and was loved by society. Capitalism, in general, was no threat. It worked badly. But this Yankee capitalism has corrupted everybody. People want cars, clothes and gadgets. America has destroyed mankind’s future.”

Pterry

2005-05-28T13:31:00.000-05:00

No words coming on my novel, so I've picked up one that won't piss me off today.

Here are great quotes found this morning while gliding through 100-odd pages of Soul Music by Terry Pratchett:

"IT'S AN INTERESTING FACT THAT MUSIC, BEING OF IT'S NATURE IMMORTAL, CAN SOMETIMES PROLONG THE LIFE OF THOSE INTIMATELY ASSOCIATED WITH IT, he said. I'VE NOTICED THAT FAMOUS COMPOSERS IN PARTICULAR HANG ON FOR A LONG TIME. DEAF AS POSTS, MOST OF THEM, WHEN I COME CALLING. I EXPECT SOME GOD SOMEWHERE FINDS THAT VERY AMUSING. Death contrived to look disdainful. IT'S THEIR KIND OF JOKE*."

(* And, of course, one that misfires. Deafness doesn't prevent composers hearing the music. It prevents them hearing the distractions.)

- and -

"BUT MOST PEOPLE ARE RATHER STUPID AND WASTE THEIR LIVES. HAVE YOU NOT SEEN THAT? HAVE YOU NOT LOOKED DOWN FROM THE HORSE AT A CITY AND THOUGH HOW MUCH IT RESEMBLED AN ANY HEAP, FULL OF BLIND CREATURES WHO THINK THEIR MUNDANE LITTLE WORLD IS REAL? YOU SEE THE LIGHTED WINDOWS AND WHAT YOU WANT TO THINK IS THAT THERE MUST BE MANY INTERESTING STORIES BEHIND THEM, BUT WHAT YOU KNOW IS THAT REALLY THERE ARE JUST DULL, DULL SOULS, MERE CONSUMERS OF FOOD, WHO THINK THEIR INSTINCTS ARE EMOTIONS AND THEIR TINY LOVES OF MORE ACCOUNT THAN A WHISPER OF WIND."

Both quotes are from Death himself, speaking to his Granddaughter.

I've always loved this book.

On a lighter note...

2005-05-27T22:20:00.000-05:00

This. If I had money to throw away, I would seek these out at niche record stores across the country. There's a horrible art afoot here. And I could probably own dozens of them for about twenty bucks altogether, tops.

Hotel Fucking Rwanda

2005-05-27T21:50:00.000-05:00

Hotel Rwanda has to be one of the most devastating films I've ever seen. This is not a review. It's a reaction. Don Cheadle got screwed. Jamie Foxx should have walked off the stage and just handed Cheadle the Best Actor Oscar. (But when did the Academy ever have a clue about talent?) I just can't shake everything I just saw. I spent much of the movie trying to put myself in this man's shoes...and realized how small my feet truly are.

I have always been something of a History and Geography and Social Sciences junkie. When the butchering of the Tutsis happened in Rwanda in '94, I lost the last of my faith in Western Politics. No one who can sit idly by and watch this happen without doing anything deserves to have any power.

This movie, unfortunately, was exactly as engaging as I knew it would be, fueled by a story that rips at your soul. It's Schindler's list with the same monstrous villain, on a different continent, in a different time...but still mired in the same madness. You don't watch this movie. You survive it. And you appreciate what you have, even if you think it isn't much. Just amazing.

Whoopi Goldberg: Mexican Samurai

2005-05-26T23:06:00.000-05:00

Or, from the top...

Max Ehrmann

2005-05-26T15:08:00.000-05:00

Sent just now by a friend on Planet Florida:

This was written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann. Simple, positively reinforcing, and well placed counsel that applies no matter the religious background of the listener. Still amazingly refreshing and uplifting if you let it be. (The poem apparently made the rounds in the 60's as some sort of hippie street wisdom, when - as the story goes - Crane read it on a street poster and decided to record it. The musical background was by Fred Werner, who found the poster in a Los Angeles store. It won the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Recording in 1971. (The first recording of the poem was by the UK group Every Which Way in 1970 as "Child of the Universe". National Lampoon parodied this on the album Radio Buffet as"Deteriorata." It starts: "You are a freak of the universe. You have no right to exist.") My dad won the 45 rpm record of this from WGBS in Miami when I was a child.

Desiderata“Things To Be Desired”
-- Max Ehrmann, 1927 --

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Farewell, Pretoria

2005-05-26T14:30:00.000-05:00

Interesting. The South African Capital is moving much closer to changing it's name to Tshwane. The old name comes from Boer settler Andries Pretorius, and obviously still smacks of apartheid. Tshwane is the name of a pre-colonial local chief and means "we are the same", according to the BBC.

I like.

Lord Stanley, Earl Of Preston

2005-05-26T10:53:00.000-05:00

If there had been an NHL season this year...two teams would be facing off this week, starting the best two weeks the sport has every year.

No league, no season, no Cup, no Champ. No fair.

I call Five For Fighting on every party on both sides. Sit your asses down and give me back my NHL.

Prank Art.

2005-05-25T20:44:00.000-05:00

Brilliant.

From the AP:

LONDON -- This image released by the British Museum shows a hoax cave painting of a primitive man pushing a supermarket trolley which was on display in the British Museum. The work was planted by an anonymous "art terrorist" called Banksy and museum staff were made aware of it after he put a message on his website, saying that the 10in by 6in rock "had remained in the collection for quite some time." This is not the first time Banksy has stuck fake objects to gallery walls and waited to see how long it takes before curators notice. (05/23/05 AP Photo/British Museum/HO)

TV Weather Will Never Be The Same

2005-05-25T17:16:00.000-05:00

heh.

ESPN Spelling Bee Promos

2005-05-25T16:50:00.000-05:00

Genius. Absolute genius.

Exceptional creative lesson.

Phil Spector

2005-05-24T18:57:00.000-05:00

I'm not entirely sure what he's going for here...but for the sake of his neck, I hope he achieves it sooner rather than later...

Warren Ellis is referring to it as "Phil Spector's Holy Wig Of Innocence"...

Frosted Flakes Spokesman On Ice

2005-05-24T15:39:00.000-05:00

The beloved Thurl Ravenscroft...voice of Tony The Tiger, and singer of the "You're A Mean One, Mister Grinch" song...is dead today at 91.

My daily work discussion group has been chatting about it this afternoon. Best comment so far comes from one of our guys in Eastern Michigan:

Favorite Tony Tiger Moment: I grew up in Battle Creek, home of Kelloggs. We held a debate tournament in High School called "The Cereal Bowl" and we went to Kellogg's HQ to get the Tony Tiger outfit, so Tony could hand out the awards. We walked out of the building with my friend carrying Tony's body in a plastic bag and me carrying his head. We were passed on the steps my a mother and her son (approx: five years old). The kid points and says "Hey Mom! Look! Tony the Tiger." My friend shakes the bag a little and says "Yep. We just killed him."

I wonder whatever happened to that kid.....

Wormholes...

2005-05-24T13:49:00.000-05:00

...have a wormhole.

Fat Smokers Should Pay More

2005-05-24T13:44:00.000-05:00

A new opinion poll, released in Canada, provided by a good friend in Kelowna, British Colombia.

Looks like I quit smoking fat just in time...

JC: note to self

2005-05-24T10:35:00.000-05:00

Johnny Cash Box Set Delayed
Rare CD Package From June Carter Cash Also Late
POSTED: 7:38 am EDT May 24, 2005
UPDATED: 8:08 am EDT May 24, 2005
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The box sets from Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash will be a little later than promised.

Columbia/Legacy has moved the street dates for "Johnny Cash - The Legend" and "June Carter Cash - Keep On the Sunny Side: Her Life In Music" to August 2, bumping it back from the July date promised earlier.

"Johnny Cash - The Legend" celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Man In Black's recording career, in 107 tracks on four CD's.

Carter Cash's two-CD set delivers the first-ever comprehensive overview of her 64-year career span.

The 40 tracks tap into rare 78's, 45's and album cuts that were originally on half-a-dozen labels, in addition to Columbia.

Mermaids

2005-05-22T22:35:00.000-05:00

Found through some link somewhere. Innerestin'...

Morons

2005-05-22T22:28:00.000-05:00

I just made a particularly damn fine looking sandwich for tomorrow's lunch, and as I threw away the empty meat wrapper...I noticed the wording at the top:

98% Fat Free...A Good Source Of Protein!

Really? MEAT is a good source of Protein? How have I not heard about this?

How stupid can one society actually become? How hard-up for nutritional information can you possibly be where you are forced to include something we all learned in Kindergarten?

Going back to The Hunt For Red October now. All hail Spike TV...

edison hate future

2005-05-22T19:34:00.000-05:00

Personalized Google Starts

2005-05-22T18:36:00.000-05:00

Sell a little more of your soul to Google. Come celebrate the evil.

Like MyYahoo, but smaller. And Googler.

http://www.google.com/ig

Alternate Ending For Empire

2005-05-22T18:25:00.000-05:00

Emailed to me recently. I've seen it before: it's at least three years old...but worth repeating:

A furious light sabre duel is under way. DARTH VADER is backing LUKESKYWALKER toward the end of the gantry. A quick move by Vader chopsoff Luke's hand! It goes spinning off into the ventilation shaft. Lukebacks away. He looks 'round, but realizes there's nowhere to go butstraight down.
DARTH VADER: "Obi Wan never told you what happened to your father."
LUKE: "He told me enough! He told me you killed him!"
DARTH VADER: "No! I am your father!"
LUKE: "No, that's not true! That's impossible."
DARTH VADER: "Search your feelings; you know it to be true."
LUKE: "NO!"
DARTH VADER: "Yes, it is true and you know what else? You know that brass droid of yours?"
LUKE: "Threepio?"
DARTH VADER: "Yes, Threepio, I built him when I was seven years old."
LUKE: "No."
DARTH VADER: "Seven years old!! And what have you done? Look at yourself, no hand, no job, and couldn't even levitate your own ship out of the swamp."
LUKE: "I destroyed your precious Death Star!"
DARTH VADER: "When you were 20! When I was 10, I single-handedly destroyed a Trade Federation Droid Control ship!"
LUKE: "Well, it's not my fault."
DARTH VADER: "Oh, here we go. 'Poor me, my father never gave me what I wanted for my birthday, boo hoo, my daddy's the Dark Lord of the Sith...waahhh wahhh! ''
LUKE: "Shut up."
DARTH VADER: "You're a slacker! By the time I was your age, I had exterminated the Jedi knights!"
LUKE: "I used to race my T-16 through Beggar's Canyon!"
DARTH VADER: "Oh, for the love of the Emperor, 10 years old, winner of the Boonta Eve Open. Only human to ever fly a Pod Racer, right here baby!"
Luke looks down the shaft. Takes a step toward it.
DARTH VADER: "I was wrong. You're not my kid. I don't know whose you are,but you sure ain't mine."
Luke takes a step off the platform, hesitates, then plunges down the shaft.
Darth Vader looks after him.
DARTH VADER: "And get a haircut!"

Sith Happens, part deux

2005-05-21T23:21:00.000-05:00

Finally saw it. Nicely done. Great out.

Internal debate going on as to whether or not it's better than E5. Hayden actually tried to ACT in this one.

Didn't do real well...but hey, he tried...

Class

2005-05-19T23:02:00.000-05:00

A little over 7 months ago, I watched the Pistons and Pacers display the worst of sportsmanship, when a fight went into the stands.

A little over an hour ago, I watched the Pistons and Pacers display the best of sportsmanship, when...with 15 seconds to go and the Detroit victory assured...Larry Brown called a timeout.

He called the timeout so he...and his Pistons...could walk out onto the floor and applaud Reggie Miller, who had just left the floor in his final game in the NBA.

I dislike both teams (Go Bulls) and have a begrudging respect for each. I've never been a Miller fan, but his career deserved to be applauded.

The fact that Coach Brown recognized this gives me a little hope for The Pro Athlete. Not much. But a little.

And he shall be Livan. And he shall be a good man.

2005-05-19T15:39:00.000-05:00

POSTGAME ALERT
May 19, 2005
Milwaukee 2, Washington 3 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Winning pitcher - Livan Hernandez (7-2)
Losing pitcher - Victor Santos (1-4)
SV - Chad Cordero (10)
Washington Record: (23-18)

My Nationals are creeping back up, little by little, puttin' some W's together.

Nice.

Even nicer that it's partially due to the same pitcher I cheered on from under my Marlins cap in '97.

The Dark Knight Returns Some More

2005-05-18T23:16:00.000-05:00

Caught the special "15 Minute Sneak Peek At Batman Returns" at the end of Smallville tonight.

Wow.

Since I've already been in full geek mode today (I'm not alone, given the fact that Episode Three premieres in 46 minutes...) let me dive in all the way:

It appears that this story focuses on the Detective Angle, which was always my favorite, and was missing in the other flicks.
The Scarecrow looked awesome...and I'm drooling at the thought that HE'S a/the villain for this flick. Very underused nutjob. Always good fun.
Gary Oldman as Gordon looked pretty good in the brief scene he was in.
Michael Caine as Alfred. Liam Neeson as Bruce's mysterious sen-sei. Morgan Freeman as...as...hell, I don't know. Lucius? That would make sense.
And I coulda swore that was Katie Holmes.

This movie looks like it's passed worthwhile and collected $200...with tons o' hotels on The Big Two...

And YES I know I've fallen prey to bullshit marketing tactics as a faceless, soulless corporation uses it's TV holdings to shill for it's major motion picture and whet the appetites of the exact audience they want to put in the seats.

And I don't care. It's fucking Batman. Shut up.

Today's sign of the impending apocolypse is brought to you by Sylvester Stallone.

2005-05-18T17:59:00.000-05:00

Rocky VI is in the works.

Yes, really.

Just go.

Probably not the most reliable source in the world...but the mere thought was disturbing enough to post...

Bitchin'

2005-05-18T17:10:00.000-05:00

Found this on Fark...must review later when I have time to play. Antarctic Ice Links, too.

This is fantastic.

2005-05-17T01:00:00.000-05:00

I love the concept, if nothing else, of what this guy is doing with his blog.

And the title.

FHL Update

2005-05-17T00:33:00.000-05:00

The Girl is utterly defeated. OK, so maybe she's barely defeated. But the undefeated season remains solvent either way. The Girl had a stretch of bad luck in the 2nd, and I had good luck. Enough to go up by 7 and never look back.

Afterwards, she whupped me in an exhibition game. And then The Boy did. All three kids (myself included) go to bed happy tonight.

But she damn near stopped me. A few miscues lining up her shots are all that had me on top of that game.

To hear her tell it...it was the band-aid on her left hand.

Defiant to the end, that one...

Our Daily Dead

2005-05-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

Rather bizarre little website sent to me by my brah, Steveo.

http://www.ourdailydead.com/

FHL Update

2005-05-15T02:00:00.000-05:00

Well...The Girl had an off-night. I beat her unstoppable Florida Panthers with the Devils, like, 25-9. This was after narrowly losing 9-8 in OT to The Boy (Sweden) with England. Before that, My Czechs had beaten his Canadian team. I forget the score.

After they went to bed, it was back to the real season. Avs are now 27-0 after shelling New Jersey 30-1. No trades dangled in front of me after the game. Shame, too: I would have entertained a good one. There's a few guys on the 3rd Line I could stand to get rid of.

Even more enjoyable to me right now on Playstation, however, is the effect Spyro is having on The Beloved Wife. The kids introduced her to the game and it's like crack for her. She'd play it 24 hours straight if she didn't have other stuff to do...just like I would do with hockey, I suppose.
Last night, I tried to get past one certain part of the Spyro game that was giving her fits. It was so bloody irritating I had to walk away, cussing like a sailor, my hands shaking like Beyonce's ass. I was so wired and so pissed off that I didn't get to sleep until after 4am. Yipe.

There's a lot of shit going on that has me highly irritated, and I've decided not to write about any of it. I'll find my own solutions without giving the problems any credence whatsoever.

This is so wrong.

2005-05-14T00:19:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows that if you're going to start teaching them early...you should do so with a REAL beer. (sigh)

Just DISCovered

2005-05-13T19:32:00.000-05:00

...while reading through some old email, and finally looking over three months worth of Terry Pratchett Fan Club messages...this website.

I'd really like to try the beers.

Further: http://www.discworldstamps.com/

And:

Review: Once More* With Footnotes Reviewed by Jason Anthony...not me, finding it's way to me through Discworld Monthly. I'm posting it here so I can find it when I'm ready to try and order it.

I say unto thee...Oook.

Once More* With Footnotes was created as a Guest of Honour book for Terry at the Noreascon Convention in September 2004 and as such is only available from the Nesfa web site located here.

The book is thus far the most complete compilation of Terry's short stories ever published. There are still a couple of notable omissions, which I suspect may be due to copyright reasons, namely Night Dweller and History in the Faking. The book also features lots of short pieces of prose written by Terry for various and diverse entities. Pieces range from The Story of Thud via forewords for Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and The Wyrdest Link to the excellent No Worries that is basically an Australian tour report from the author's perspective (with only the names changed to protect the innocent) and A Word About Hats. I expect the short stories will be of most interest to Terry's fans and it is great to see so many in one place. I suspect many fans will have read one or two of Terry's short stories (we included Incubus in full in Issue 6 way back in October 1997) and will have heard of a couple more. Seeing so many in one location reminds us just how prolific a writer Terry is.

My first desire upon receiving the book was to read The Hades Business (Terry's first published short story, written when he was only 13). Terry's introduction leads us to believe he is quite embarrassed by the cliches used within it (but I guess any professional will look back at something produced over 40 years ago with slight trepidation). When reading this story you have to keep reminding yourself that it was written by a 13 year old as part of a school project. I wish I had half the skill now that Terry had at 13. I have read stories by established and much older authors that can't match the quality of the writing. I did find the Discworld short stories, The Sea and Little Fishes, Troll Bridge and Theatre of Cruelty, more enjoyable that the others, mainly because that universe is already well defined leaving Terry more room for the story. Whist I enjoyed most of the short stories, I think Terry's work is much better suited to full novels, as this appears to give him much more room to expand his ideas.

This book is a must for any fan. You could spend several years and lots of money trying to track down half the material in this book. Which is why it represents such excellent value for money.

It's time.

2005-05-13T12:37:00.000-05:00

You know it to be true.

It is time to create a maximum driving age in this country.

If one more old person tries to kill me with a car, I'm gonna be in jail after my response, I just know it.

Uzbekistan

2005-05-13T01:41:00.000-05:00

BBC Breaking News Alert

Snipers reportedly fire on crowds in the Uzbek city of Andijan, after gunmen storm a prison freeing hundreds of inmates.For more details: http://www.bbcnews.com

Not nearly as sad, but still unfortunate, is that most of the people I come in contact with on a daily basis don't know where this is, and couldn't care less about the misfortunes facing these people...

Obligatory comment about Episode III, Part One (pre-viewing)

2005-05-13T00:27:00.000-05:00

The TV ads...now that we're only a week out...have stepped up in frequency. Each one looks really, really, really fucking good.

Hockey needs to come back

2005-05-12T22:50:00.000-05:00

Soooo...great joke overheard today.:

A lady walks into a tattoo parlor. She's been told that the artist is the best. Being a HUGE Wayne Gretzky fan, she requests that he put Wayne's face on her right inner thigh. After an hour of work, the artist finishes and shows the lady her work, "This doesn't look anything like Gretzky," she says. He takes out a picture of Wayne and compares them... "See, they look just alike." The lady does not agree. So, the artist agrees to do Wayne on the other thigh for free.She comes back the next day to have her left thigh done. He does the tattoo and excitingly shows to her. "This one doesn't look like Wayne Gretzky either!" The artist insists that this one is identical to the picture of Wayne that she brought. To solve the debate, the artist calls his friend, a huge hockey fan, over to decide. The friend comes over and the lady lifts her dress to show the tattoos. "Hmmm, I'm not sure who the wingers are, but the center is definitely Todd Bertuzzi."

Eyescan

2005-05-12T18:45:00.000-05:00

From my friend Laura.

The future is now. Eyescanning begins at an airport.

Muhahahaha...

http://www.local6.com/news/4479554/detail.html

Love, Big Brother.

From Jeff D.

2005-05-12T11:04:00.000-05:00

http://footballguys.com/05bang_easyrider.htm

Classic. Turn up the speakers.

FHL Update

2005-05-12T01:34:00.000-05:00

My Avs are a perfect 25-0. Still winning by an average of 15 goals. Next time I do this, I'll do it on the All-Pro setting instead...but I'll run this season out as-is so I can experience a perfect season. I am now unbeatable with this team at this setting. Not even The Girl can crush me with this lineup.

I'm leading the league in scoring, The Boy is in 2nd place.

Sakic was back from a shattered heel, played ten minutes, was reinjured, will be out another 6-7 weeks. Mighty Pete still out for the season. I'm playing without two of the best players in the game.

Forsberg, in fact, is injury prone in every game, no matter what roster is loaded. Methinks the people at EA Sports hate him or something...

Listening to the new Styx album

2005-05-09T14:04:00.000-05:00

All classic rock covers, comes out tomorrow.

Thoughts:

Now that Stevie Ray Vaughan has been dead for over ten years, it's time to finally pass the law making it illegal for anyone to cover Jimi. Period.
A new version of "Blue Collar Man" is unnecessary, thanks.
I Am The Walrus. No, sorry, you really aren't...
The Blind Faith cover is one of the best things these guys have done in the last two decades.
The Allman Brothers cover ain't bad, either.
Sticking with mostly obscure songs doesn't make you any safer from ridicule.

That is all.

We now return you to whatever you were doing. Or, with any luck at all, whomever...

Belmont Shore

2005-05-09T01:57:00.000-05:00

Soon I will answer the age old question...can you write with great detail about a place you've never been to, based solely on research?

Welcome to scenic Belmont Shore in Long Beach. If you've been there, you're one up on me, but most of my new alleged novel will take place there.

Sith Happens

2005-05-04T18:20:00.000-05:00

Blood?

Excellent.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4513837.stm

Maybe it'll be Jar Jar's. Flowing in mighty, sticky rivers.

And while we're at it, the Mighty Kevin Smith saw it, too. He gives us the fanboy run-down. Read all about it at his blog. And then check out the rest of his website, for he is The Man.

From Michael S.

2005-05-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/urbanlegends.html

That is the worst description of the scream in the Ohio Players “rollercoaster.”

You would think by now that people would be smarter than that. Never mind. What am I thinking?

Stupid. Idiots.

They're The Creamiest

2005-05-03T13:12:00.000-05:00

The boys from Cream are back, if only briefly.

Clapton, Bruce, and Baker (listed in diplomatic order, choosing no sides) played their first show of the 4-date London Reunion last night.

If you're a fan (and you should be), here's the set-list:

I'm So Glad
Spoonful
Outside Woman Blues
Pressed Rat And Warthog (one of my all-time favorite titles)
Sleepy Time Time
I Feel Free (my 9 year-old son's favorite Cream song)
Badge
Politician
Rollin' And Tumblin'
Stormy Monday
Born Under A Bad Sign
We're Going Wrong
Crossroads
Sitting On Top Of The World
White Room
Toad
Sunshine Of Your Love (Encore)

Fan freakin'-tastic. Conspicuous in it's absence is "Strange Brew", but then again, could Eric really still hit those high notes? No "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" either...

I wish they would do more than four reunion shows. Hopefully they're using this as a warm-up for something more. It would be neat to hear the three of them after so many years. Maybe there will be a DVD. Next best thing, I suppose.

I'm too young to remember them as an active band, but I owned Disraeli Gears at the age of 13 and consider it partly responsible for my interest in music.

A Curious, Welcome, Mysterious Appearance

2005-04-30T00:59:00.000-05:00

The cookie jar, a wedding gift, has been bereft of cookies for some time now.

Or has it?

In the course of wiping counters, shifting this and that, making space to prepare what turned out to be another fabulous meal, The Beloved Wife moved the cookie jar. And discovered an unexpected heft to it.

Opening it, she discovered a rich vein of Oreo Double Stuf. When the jar was new, we quickly learned that a full bag of oreos fills it to the little ceramic lid. Such test drives are important, as you well know. And this, suddenly, was a full cookie jar...indicating a bag had been dumped in there, and somehow forgotten.

She doesn't recall buying them.

I don't recall buying them.

We have decided that one of the following options must be The Truth:

One of us bought Oreos and forgot about them. C'mon. Who does that? You always remember Oreos. I'm dismissing possibility #1 on principle alone.
The apartment repairman, Oscar, who came in today to look at one of the walls, noticed we had a Cookie Deficit in the midst of his work, and dashed over to the Meijer up the street to rectify the situation. Good man, that Oscar. They should name an award after him or something...
The Oreo Gods have blessed us, for we have been good people lately, and deserve their fruits. (I've been reading too much Pratchett, perhaps...)
The crumbs at the bottom acted as seeds, and new cookies have grown to greet the springtime.

They don't taste stale, either. But we ate a few before we tipped the kids off to them. Can't be too careful, you know. They could be dangerous or something...

1950s Advertising

2005-04-27T16:36:00.000-05:00

http://lileks.com/oldads/50s/1.html

Interesting...or should I say Keen!

Creative Video

2005-04-25T17:30:00.000-05:00

Doc: It would be worth it to take an hour and sit down and watch it, then discuss it. I could set it up on a laptop in the boardroom.

http://www.newstoday.com/_tpl/qbn/film_16.html

- JB

Conclusions about The Grateful Dead

2005-04-24T11:59:00.000-05:00

A bit of research has come to a close.I have spent the better part of the last 2 weeks spending my spare music-listening time with The Grateful Dead. My lady fair at home, and my partner at work...who have to spend time with me in close proximity...can confirm this. With a sad sigh, I'm sure.

Not being a drug person, and being one who likes to wash his feet, I skipped that part of the culture and went straight to the music. I have, over a few months of buying cheap used discs and pawing through the library at work, managed a modest collection of five studio albums, and three of their infamous Live sets.

I don't think I'm remotely able to call myself a Deadhead, per se, because I've come to them far too late to truly be "on the bus". But I've been doing reasearch about the band, absorbing as much music as possible, and talking to a few friends who love them (and in one case, lost a job to follow them around). Here is what I've concluded (feel free to post a bit more education if you're a Deadhead and notice a glaring error...or think I've missed the point) :

Not a single man among them can sing worth a damn for more than two minutes without bending a note.
Despite the inability to sing...every single person in the band is a near-virtuoso on their instrument. Jazz, Blues, Country, Swing, Open-Throttle Rock...they're Money.
Melody = fantastic. Harmony = Not So Much. Free-Form Jazz/Blues = Masterful.
Best studio album? 1977's Terrapin Station (despite what the critics say) or 1970's Workingman's Dead (which just edges out 1970's American Beauty). However, I've not yet heard most of Mars Hotel or any of Wake Of The Flood)
Best live album? Any of them. The singing will be suspect...the song will ten minutes longer...but the playing will be superb.
Their What the Hell Were They Thinking Album? Probably Built To Last, which showed, if anything, that they weren't.

I used to just dismiss this band, but I think I'm starting to get it. The live stuff, in moderation, is great to unwind to.

Frogs has been absorbed

2005-04-15T22:19:00.000-05:00

And for the record, regarding my post of a couple weeks ago...it can be Pretty Bad...

I despise Wal-Mart with every fiber of my being.

2005-03-29T16:06:00.000-05:00

The people who shop there, their screaming broodlings, the soul-less punchers of the cash register buttons...even the octogenarian greeters get on my nerves a little, every now and then. But around these parts, the bastard spawn of Sam Walton have put together a store that saves me money on the good blank video tapes. And loathe though I am to admit it...we save a lot of dough when we shop there.

So I hide my contempt for the corporate rape, and away we go.

So away I went today, on a quick break from work, a man with a mission: Quick In, Quick Out, No Mucking About, (Yo Ho, Yo Ho, Yo Ho). Moving quickly to the back, I snatched my quarry: the blank videotapes with the cool write-over labels.

Once they were procured, I made for the express lane out of hell...when There They Were.

The $5.50 DVDs.

"Damn you, Wal-Mart!" I shouted to the heavens. So clever an adversary, putting a library right next to the escape hatch to distract me. Because as we all know, for every 30 copies of Bloodsport IV: The Bloody Bloodenning of Blood City...you inevitably find that elusive copy of something cool. Something like Plan 9 From Outer Space. Something that makes you happy to have stopped and looked. A quick check of the clock on my cell suggested I, indeed, had time to peruse.

Crap. More Crap. Legally Blonde 2 (recently saw the original for the first time, but that's not even remotely on my must own list). Further Crap. Crap en español. Even one piece of Crap that appeared to be auf Deutsch.

And there it was. Green letters on a black spine, done in a neon pond-scum font.

This: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068615/

I never knew this existed before this moment. How could my life possibly have been complete before now? 1972. Sam Elliot (who doesn't even rate top billing yet). The classic struggle of man vs. nature gets mystically amped up. Plus Joan van Ark...and Adam Roarke!

This seemed like a suitable project to dedicate a mere 87 minutes and $5.50 of my life towards experiencing. This shall be my finest B-viewing since I discovered MST3K. Popcorn will be consumed, Guinness will be poured...and quaffed, TV screen-hypnosis will be the order of the night...and The Beloved Wife will no doubt shake her head in private horror as she runs for the solace of the bedroom to watch Walker, Texas Ranger.

I shall, of course, deliver a full review once I've had the chance to participate in this great cosmic dance...

Worst Fiction Entry

2005-03-19T20:57:00.000-05:00

I have decided to enter the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest this year.

It's an annual search for the worst written sentence by a writer.

Here is mine:

"Suddenly, all at once, and as if out of nowhere, Jean-Pierre was besiged on all sides...enveloped entirely by a blanket of rabid lemmings, which dropped into the scene from a clear blue sky as if shat by a C-5A Galaxy Millitary Transport Plane or, at the very least, an extremely large albatross that had scooped them up from an open field in the Nunavut Taiga...and he shuddered like a man who just had a particularly satisfying urination at a baseball game on dollar beer night."

Triumph Weather

2005-03-13T15:31:00.000-05:00

Sent to me by a good ally, Jeff in Canada.

http://i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=8845

So Long and Mahalo

2005-02-21T12:08:00.000-05:00

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson shot himself yesterday.

I'm extremely pissed off about it. Which is equally pointless.

Ambrose Bierce.

2005-02-11T23:42:00.000-05:00

http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/devils/

Writer who comes highly recommended by allies who Get It. Note to self to seek him out and absorb him.

Recommended by Warren Ellis

2005-02-01T01:14:00.000-05:00

The Dr. Pepper Show.

Hardly the best webcomic I've seen...hell, not even the best one he's recommended at his site, but it's interesting enough to link to.

Comment from my son

2005-01-19T02:45:00.000-05:00

...while playing video hockey.

"He got KNOCKED!"

Maybe you had to be there, but his delivery of those three little words had me in stitches...

Meanwhile, his sister continues to dominate the Family Hockey League with her Florida Panthers. How she can take someone like Ray Whitney (it's the 2000-2001 season game) and have him score a Hat Trick (including a shorty) on my Patrick Roy is insane. The Girl is one of Nature's Video Hockey Players.

I'm preparing an Avs team to play a full 82 game season with full 60 minute games. Not loading it up with stars, but grabbing a few of my favorite players from other teams (i.e. Zhamnov fr. Chicago, Satan fr. Buffalo, possibly one or two others but not top shelf guys).

I NEED HOCKEY. If this strike isn't resolved soon, the season is a wash.

Who am I kidding...it already is.