On September 9, a local radio station is sponsoring some sort of Summer dance at the waterfront. What's so special about that? Herman's Hermits will be there. What's so special about that? My boss is playing keyboard for them. I, of course, think that's hilarious, and may turn out just to heckle him. I just wish I could get that Henry song out of my head.

Just got back from seeing The Cell. Glad I paid matinee price. It looks like someone had ideas for a lot of cool effects they wanted to do, and they thought up a vehicle to string them together. Yawn. No movie with visuals so interesting should remind me that my seat is uncomfortable.

Finally, Hugh Jackman. I've been looking for a decent pic of this guy ever since I saw X-Men. I'm very picky. Now that I finally have it, I think I'll leave him up for a month. Thanks Janie for the tip on Detour Mag. I didn't end up using those pics, but I found what I was looking for along the way!

I was talking with a friend today about getting old. I am so there. I have to save a lot of money to do what I want to do (that's what employee retirement accounts are for!), but I have it planned. I want to live in a cool home where I have my own little efficiency apartment. Of course, I'll have to have at least one cat . Probably only one, since I'll be home a lot to give it attention. Someone will check on me every day to make sure I'm okay. Every day, I'll go have communal meals in the cafeteria (the food isn't great, but I don't have taste buds so I don't care). I'll sit in the rec room and flirt with all the old guys. Maybe get me some wrinkly booty. I'll rant about the damned teevee, and I'll play scrabble and UNO, and sometimes I'll go outside and grab a spot by the tiny pool.



The best part: bus trips. I want to go on ALL the bus trips. Anywhere. Just toolin' around the country with a bunch of cackling old farts, taking a bunch of pics with my digicam so I can put them up on my page. Yes, of course I'll still have a page! And I'll belong to lots of online communities where old ladies talk about their operations. I'll lie about mine, of course. "Yep, yep, got the triple bypass with local anesthetic! Didn't hurt a bit! I got to watch!"



I wonder what this generation is going to be like when they're old. All the tattoos faded to unrecognizable blobs, all the piercings sagging. My theory: we'll find a whole new way to modify our bodies in our old age...because we'll have EXTRA SKIN! Think of it...a Cardassian-like ridge of extra skin coiled down each side of the neck...braided wattles...sinuous patterns from elbow to wrist. Combine that with creative tattooing for color, and you've got some bitchin' geriatric bodmod.



Old is gonna be great. I honestly get excited thinking about it. I know I know, it's not all booty and bus trips. Contemplating it, I think I'd better get my ass on my bike or it's not gonna be any fun at all. Ah well, even if I'm sickly, I'll at least make sure someone dyes my hair a couple different shades of blue. And green.

This is me hawking Scott McCloud again. I swear, the guy should pay me a commission.

So I was on the phone with Tami, lamenting about how I wanted to start packing, but didn't have any boxes. 30 minutes later--taptaptap--there she is with bunches o' boxes! YAY! Tonight, I begin. I've got about 45 days (saying it like that makes it seem so short) until I actually move. It's been almost 9 years since I did this, and I figure I should take my darned time. Of course, the probable outcome of this is that I'll get to my new place, start unpacking, and think hey, I lived without this for a month--why am I keeping it?



Oh how I love to get rid of things.

Lunch shoppie:









And, unbelievably, a copy of Ulysses on tape. I figured if I can't get through it that way, I'm just incapable.

Update: This was fine. Phew.

Won this today on e-bay. I feel bad because I'm sure someone thinks I sniped them in the last 30 seconds of the auction. Truth is, my browser crashed and I had to close it and start it up again, so I didn't mean to snipe them in the last 30 seconds. I meant to snipe them in the last minute. In any case, I'm getting this vid sight-unseen. It's nearly impossible to find any decent Sean Pertwee films, and it isn't only because he's made so few. I think $hopping was released in the U.S. at some time or other, but I've never seen it.



Oh, I know, I live in Portland and I could get off my butt and go to one of two incredible indie rental shops and find it. Does anyone else think it's ultimately cheaper to spend $30 to have it mailed to me than it is to take three buses and spend a couple hours to go rent it? I admit sometimes my carlessness is a pain...but hell, I probably would want to buy it anyway. I like following the NaturalNylon folks.



Which reminds me, NN has a sucky site. You can hardly tell anything about what they have in production, and you have to look up news articles to see who they even are. Okay, here's the skinny for everyone that clicked on that link and is now pissed at me:



NaturalNylon is a production company founded by Ewan McGregor, Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Jonny Lee Miller, and Sean Pertwee. They formed it for the same reason most actors form production companies. To give themselves good roles. So far they've done eXistenZ and Nora, though there's still no U.S. release date for the latter. Can someone explain to me why there's no such thing as a worldwide release date yet??? Why does the U.K. get our movies late, and we get their movies late. It sucks. Rrr. Now where was I?



Ah yes. NN



Anyway, I think the NN crew are a fine bunch of actors. In fact, if Edward Norton were among their number, they would (in my decidedly un-humble opinion) encompass the best acting talents of the generation. So I like to look up their catalogs and see as much as I can. Next I want to get my mitts on Final Cut, so I'm ready for Love, Honour, and Obey. If it ever gets released over here.



For the truly interested, there is an NN webring.

Sorry if I've become boring. It comes and goes.



I've noticed that as I go from hot new thing to hot new thing in this wonderful electronic world, that there is one constant: people don't have a helluva lot to say. Clubs, b-boards, chat, and mailing lists get old but fast. I've been really happy with the blogging folks, in that they stay fascinating over time. And the ones that aren't...well you don't have to read them. That feature is somewhat unique to blogging. If you're on a mailing list for a specific interest, you have to read all the crap to make sure you don't miss anything. B-boards are a little easier to weed. Clubs...yeeg I'm sick of clubs with few exceptions. Chat is the worst of the lot.

Snugglyface: Hi! Welcome to the room! :)

Grubfarmer: Thanks! A/S/L? ;)

Bagofpuss: LOL! ROFL! ROFLMAO!

I love the variety of community that can be found on the web. I look forward to new incarnations thereof. Still, I hope THIS one doesn't get boring. Ahem. Like I have. ROFL!

I'm exhausted. I'm sunburned. My best run was 1:05. I simply must get under a minute next year. Right now: naptime.

Well in a few minutes Darin and Kelly will be here to take me off to the Alpine Slide. Sliding is one of those really fun things you can do no matter how crappy your physical condition is. This is important. If you're unfamiliar, the slide consists of riding a ski-lift up the side of a mountain, then putting a sled in a track and careening down the mountain at high speeds. Yes, it's a blast. Best of all we like to time our slide day so it corresponds with a popular run here in Oregon, the Hood to Coast. Why? Because when we're all exhausted from sliding, we drive back down the mountain and ogle runners. Hundreds of them. Sweaty, sweaty runners. I love my life.

Some people have no follow-through. Tami is not one of those people. As soon as I wrote the entry below, she was on the phone asking if I wanted to go out to dinner. I just got back. What a wonderful day it's turned out to be!

The coolest thing just happened.



Of all the people I knew in high school, there really aren't a lot of them I'd want to know now. On my way home tonight, one of the exceptions sat down beside me on the bus.



If you've never got in touch with anyone you knew in high school, it's quite the dose of perspective. Her impression: she never had any friends in high school. My impression: everyone was her friend in high school. Her impression: she always admired my spirit. My impression: I was incredibly depressed all the time. It's a strange, strange thing. I'm looking forward to getting together with her again. Not to dredge up the past, though it can be interesting, but to see what's up now.


Hi Tami! See ya soon!

[BEGIN GENERAL MEDIA RANT]


I'm very sick of hearing about Survivor, and the only thing remotely interesting about knowing the winner is that he shares a name with the guy from Battlestar Galactica.


What irritates me most is that all of this is considered news. What the hell? Since when does the media have permission to generate its own stories? It's like watching the X-Files and the news show afterwards has a tie-in story. Sorry folks, that's not news, that's wrong. As I get older, I have less and less faith in mass media. If I watch news (or read it, for that matter), I'm constantly trying to figure out what the angle is. Who paid for that study? For whom are they advertising today? Who wants us scared of __________?



Which, finally, brings me to the cover of Time. Remember I said I was reading Susan Faludi's Backlash a decade too late? I'm so ashamed that it's still timely. The cover story of this week's Time appears to be another "suffering single woman" story. Why they chose to run on 80s headline on a very good, 90s article, is beyond me. Frankly, it's about time someone examined how MEN feel about remaining single as women are no longer required to marry.



[END GENERAL MEDIA RANT]

When I was in my 20s I temped a lot, and had the good fortune to work in many offices. On the wall of one of those offices was the most amazing print. It was of a landscape painting. It used ice-cream colors and seemed to be tipped on it's side, giving the impression of an aerial shot--though you could tell it wasn't quite. I loved the print. I stared at it every chance I got. I even dreamed about it. But I never knew who painted it. Later, going through some of my then-husband's art magazines, I saw pictures of pastry paintings. Cakes. Texture so rich you could see it even on the printed page. I'm sure I saw the artist's name, but it didn't stick with me.



Until now.



I was watching an artist profile on the News Hour and there was my landscape, followed by those edible cake paintings I remembered from the magazine. Both were by the same artist: Wayne Thiebaud. I know I sound like a drama queen, but my breath really did catch when I saw that landscape. Seeing it brought back those years with instant clarity, so deeply had it been ingrained in my subconscious. I think it's my new mission to find a print of that landscape. I don't actually have anywhere to hang it, but I'll figure out something.



You can see 304 of his works at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco site, including many proofs so you can see how he arrived at the finished product. Right now there is a retrospective of his work in SF, and it will travel to about five cities after that--none of which I will be in.

Alright then, I'm under orders to update my blog. I'm thinking light and superficial. Oh, yeah. Definitely.


I've been renting a lot of movies lately. Going through one of those stages. In the last week I've rented The Sweet Hereafter (very good), Felicia's Journey (well-acted but plodding), Scream 3 (I actually figured out who the killer was), Sophie's Choice (about time I watched this movie. Very good. And starring Peter MacNichol--yes--of Ally McSqueal! Oh what a career he squandered.), The Spring (oops, made for cable: sucked). I have Shadowlands and Life in the Fast Lane waiting. I really wish there were a way to tell if something was made for cable. Since I don't have it, I never see the ads. So I'm beginning to get leary of off-beat titles. Ah well.

From time to time I've managed to keep journals. They are, depending on my time of life, cool to look back on. I can see either how I've progressed or (more often) gone in the same stupid circles. Sometimes I've progressed so far that I'm inspired to burn a journal lest I die and someone reads about what a fuckup I was. My point, and I do have one (yeah, I stole that from Ellen), is that this is becoming just such a future resource. No, not the burnable kind, but the kind I believe I'll look back on with wonder. Which made me think about the kinds of things I put in here. I leave a lot out because it might be a little personal, or a little medical, a little embarrassing, or what have you. But this is my legacy to me. There are things I'm going to want to know when I look back on this. No need for great detail, but some things should be skimmed.



Which is why I want to put down that I had a biopsy today. I know that word brings up painful visions, but it really didn't hurt. But it may change my life. I'll know more next week. And that's skimmed enough.

A note to my tender-eyed readers: yeah, I've been getting a little personal. Sorry about that. I've bottled this stuff up for a long time, not saying the things I wanted to say to avoid hurting feelings. There is some merit in that. But now that it's done, I refuse to hold back. This is my ongoing record of myself. I want this here.

Sometimes it can be fun when someone makes assumptions about you--provided they're correct. It's like they know something special about you, and you relate on a deeper level. Just the opposite happens when people make incorrect assumptions. When someone tries to decide who you are without your consent, it feels like your boundaries have been crossed. Personally, it makes me very angry. I know who I am. I have a good understanding of my motivations, whether or not I choose to share them with you. You are not me, and you don't get to decide who I am. Not one little fucking bit.



Okay, that rant probably needs a little explanation. The person mentioned in the long entry below had a bad habit of making incorrect assumptions about me on a regular basis. It was a major factor in my decision to back off. Constantly explaining myself and being willfully misunderstood got old. So of course, she sees the blog, writes me making a mess of bad assumptions, then ends the note by saying: "And I doubt that I have as many presumptions about your character as you think I do."



Wrong.

10 Reasons Why I Am ^Not A Whole Lot Better Than You

1. My house is nearly always a wreck.
   
2. I don't give a shit about my appearance.
   
3. I'm addicted to Mountain Dew.
   
4. There is one John Tesh album I really liked.
   
5. I don't clean the cat box every day.
   
6. I don't have a college degree.
   
7. I suck at geography.
   
8. I can't remember dates.
   
9. I have large pores.
   
10. I don't like coffee.
    

Labels that will make you think you know me better than you actually do:

1. Atheist
2. Humanist
3. Feminist
4. Liberal
5. Environmentalist
6. Geek Lite
7. Celibate
8. Narcissist

So I'm cleaning house, playing on the computer, doing all these mundane things while there's a really serious entry on my blog, just below. It's a little weird. I'll regain my equilibrium eventually. And my sense of humor.

Friendships end.



Not all of them, to be sure, but many of them. A vast majority.



Usually they end because people are naturally separated. One moves, or perhaps they just drift apart in time. But sometimes it's more difficult. Sometimes, one person is done with the other, and the other doesn't know it. I've been on the receiving end of this, and I am very good at taking a hint. A few unreturned phonecalls or an obvious avoidance will do it. More often (though still rarely), I've been on the giving end. Only once was a confrontation required, and it still bothers me. What is it about some people that they just don't get it?. Why do they invest so much in one person? Am I too cold to understand?



So here I am, for for a couple of months now, I've been trying to end two friendships. My time on this planet is finite, and I must be sure that I'm spending it in a worthwhile fashion. That means a few friends whom I dearly enjoy. That leaves out the people with whom I have grown to have nothing in common. Those that have gone from merely uncomfortable to excruciating. Not the actual person, mind you, but my interaction with them.



One friend caught the hint early and easily. I think she knew we just didn't have squat in common, and our time together was becoming more and more awkward. Also, I don't believe she had a great deal of emotional attachment invested in the relationship. If you're reading this: thank you. This will bless you karmically.



The other friend I've known for a while, and is more persistent. She's not stupid by any means, but she wouldn't know a hint if it broadsided her. Which I should think mine have.



So why don't I just confront? I have some good reasons:

1. I'm a coward.
   
2. This person is NO fun to confront. She's one of those people that only asks why so she can dig up some piece of twisted contradictory logic.
   
3. I may be a coward, but I'm actually much more cruel in person than I am in writing.
   

Blog of the week is sevencrabrangoon. It used to be the blog of the day, but I'm too damned lazy to think of a new blog every day. I've been reading Rangoon for a while, and I just enjoy it. I can't think of anything witty to say like: fresh boob pics every day, or, guess the secret word and win prizes. No, it's just a blog, but it's a very good one.

10 Random Things That Make Me Unusual.

1. I love my job.
2. I don't really like children.
3. I prefer living alone, except for one time when I had a really good roommate (darn you for moving, Scott!).
4. I don't own a car, on purpose.
5. Two hours of television in a week is a lot for me.
6. I don't like talking on the phone.
7. I own neither a cell-phone nor a pager.
8. I have the word "YES" tattooed around my left wrist in old-style computer script (kind of a stylized OCR A).
9. I don't wear jewelry.
10. I don't wear makeup.
11. I wear Chuck Taylor High-Tops 360 days a year.
12. I can't count.

Ah, the sweet feeling of sleeping in. I needed a day off. My boss was giving me a hard time, jokingly, about taking time off. I've been a little stressed, and I'm afraid I didn't get the joke.

Me: "Do you have a problem with me taking leave?"

Him: "Nah, I was just kidding with you."

Me: "That's probably not a good thing to kid me about."

Him: "No, really, it's okay. You need the time off."

Me: "That's why it's not a good thing to kid me about."



Oi. Maybe I need more time off.

Random angst:


Ugh. I'm so full of cognitive dissonance I could explode, spewing blood and gore in all directions.

Remember I said part of my job is processing pictures of bad guys? Here's one. He's a very bad guy. No, I didn't actually take the picture. If it were me, I'd probably have them portrait-posed and smiling sweetly.

This link will hurt. Don't go unless you're prepared. 60 Minutes ran a brief story on this exhibit of lynching photos some time ago. I don't usually react to television, and I'm as jaded as any other American. I couldn't watch the end of the segment before I had to leave the room in tears. Forget everything you've learned about the subject from movies. Lynchings weren't a back-woods affair with a few redneck bigots in attendance. They were parties. Bring the whole family--pack a picnic.



I think most people in this country have no idea how fucked up we were. They think there is no "race problem", because they don't understand the depth of the trespass. Yes, we've made progress. Yes, there are still problems. Big ones. Maybe this exhibit will help people understand why.

If I'm not answering your e-mail, it's not because I don't love you. My e-mail (Yahoo), has been down more than up lately. As soon as their back up, everyone can expect a mass e-mail with a new address. YAHOO SUCKS!

Okay Jerwie, I'm officially weirded out. I watched a little bit of blurry Buffy last night (it doesn't come in on my set) and was missing Spike. Thinking today about how James Marsters would make a darned good crush. So I went cruising around the web, found a couple of pics (nothing I like, yet), come back to do my daily reads and saw the entry in your blog. I'm sorry, Jerwin, but that's just weird. Repeat after me: I will not send psychic messages to Cat, I will not send psychic messages to Cat..."

Ever stay up too late out of sheer self-destruction? Well, it's better than heroin, I suppose. Not as much fun, but cheaper. Tried to get some sleep on the train this morning, but the guy next to me was snoring. While he was awake. I'm thinking to myself he should just give a good snort instead of trying for one long sniffle. Heh, sorry, that was gross. Hmm...time for breakfast!

Good luck, hon. As always, there will be people who are fabulous, and people who will be so nasty you can't believe it. We're right behind you.

Good morning darlings. I'm here to report that...well...actually I have diddly to say this morning. I just feel guilty when it hits 10 am and I haven't updated. Stupid, eh? I'll get over it. Someday, I'll be one of those bloggers that only updates every few weeks. But that update will be good.

What the hell is the deal? Nearly every day, someone finds me because they're looking for Donna Pescow. I had no idea she was so popular.

YAY! Thank you Mattfor finding a decent picture of Harlan. 'Twas sorely needed, and I am eternally grateful.

Blog of the day is Geegaw, and not just because she (he? crap, I don't know!) says nice things about me. In cruising around this delightful blog, I found I have a lot in common with this person. She (I'll just pretend) has a great comics section, and hails from the Pacific Northwest. Plus other things. Anyway, she doesn't know it, but she's my new best friend. Right up until I get the e-mail saying: "You fartbrain! I'm a GUY!!!"

Good morning sports fans! Sigh. I'm a bit miffed. The boss just told me that the higher-ups want to use this ridiculous net-nanny that only works with NETSCAPE. What genius thought of this, I have no idea. Kind of takes the joy out of designing our website. Sure, it works in Netsuck, but it isn't as nice. I always cross-test, but I truly resent the switch. I hope they come to their senses.

I just did a second watching of Eye of the Beholder and I still don't understand why the critics had it in for this film. I enjoyed it even more the second time. It was full of delicious subtleties and tragic ironies. The score was used to great effect, and the performances were very solid. And I'm not just saying that because I'm hopelessly in love with Ewan McGregor. If that were true, I would have sat through more than 20 minutes of that awful bit Rogue Trader. Yech. What I think it really boils down to is that I'm strange, and likely to enjoy some things that others don't. Either that, or everyone else is stupid.

Blog of the day (like I do this every day, ha) is phattitude. Great resources and the blog is always interesting. I only wish they updated more often.

Well, I've gone and killed my webring, and removed myself from the two others I was on. While I removed my rings because of the Yahoo takeover, I have to admit they weren't really for me anyway. The onepercent ring didn't live up to its criteria, which is something I had really hoped for, though I do understand it's hard to say no to someone. The breast ring...well, I do still have breasts. Anyway, bye-bye rings.

Somebody found me in Google because they were looking for Rick Lieder. This is good. No, that link isn't to the usual Google search page, because I want everyone to go see Rick.

Me: Wow, Adam has been up waaay too long.


Voice in my head that sounds like Alan Rickman: No bloody kidding. Looks like you've got a serious thing for this guy.


Me.: Nah, not really. I'm just lazy. And I haven't been able to find a good picture of Hugh Jackman.


Alan: An Aussie? Spare me.


Me: You've got a problem with Aussies? Sheesh. How about that nice Brazilian guy, Eduardo Noriega?


Alan: You've only seen him in one thing.


Me: Are you trying to tell me something?


Alan: You've seen me in lots of stuff. And there are plenty of delectable pictures of me on the web.


Me: Mmmhmm.


Alan: Okay then, you have to admit I'm the only crushable cast member from Galaxy Quest. You liked that, didn't you?


Me: True, I loved that movie. You were really good in Dogma, too.


Alan: I liked that part.


Me: Shame about your willy in that.


Alan: You're telling me.

I'm going to take a small risk here and say openly that Stuyvesant Parker is the best designer using Blogger. Far-fetched? Sure, there are lots of truly great designers out there. Fantastic stuff. But none of them crank it out like Stuy. About once a week, he puts up something new. That new thing is consistently beautiful. No false starts. No derivative nonsense. His vision is unique and prolific.

Jerwin confesses his Satanic leanings. I don't know anyone who has a dog that can summon Lucifer Himself. I'm pretty damned impressed.

Well, it's ten years late, but I'm finally reading Susan Faludi's Backlash. Shame on me for waiting. Now I have to apologize for something.



I managed to avoid believing most of the anti-feminist media myths: the man shortage; the misery of the single woman (HAHAHAHA!); the fertility crisis. There is one, however, that I fell for: the inferiority of day-care. I have espoused the belief that one parent should stay home with their children. I believed the day-care scares and the bonding-problem myths. Well, I was wrong. After thinking about it, I realized there's nothing wrong, and probably everything right, with leaving children with day-care while the parents go to work. Few people are actually cut out to be parents--they have expertise in other areas instead. Why not leave the bulk of child care to a professional? Kids still bond with their parents just fine, and mom and dad get to go to work and do something fulfulling. Thinking back, I kinda wish there had been day-care when I was a child. I look at these day-care centers with their bright colors and their cool toys and thing Hey! I'm signing up now!



So I take it all back. I allowed myself to be duped by the media, and I'm sorry. Day-care rocks.

My boss keeps telling people I hate to drive. That's not true. I admit I only get behind the wheel about three times a year, so I end up a little terrified, but I don't hate to drive. My problems with cars are political, not personal.



I resent that the priority for transportation dollars is building infrastructure for cars, instead of making streets safer for bikes and pedestrians, and developing mass-transit.



I resent cities that are designed around the primacy of the automobile at the expense of bikes and peds. Biking and walking are healthier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly than any automobile, yet they are consistently given second-string status.



I resent that people consider driving a right rather than a privilege. I resent that drivers complain about "high" gas prices, and vote to drastically reduce registration fees that are actually reasonable when the cost of building roads and repairing damage are considered.



I actively hate those that would spike a bike path with glass, nails, or other debris. I hope those that do this drop dead. Soon.



I resent consumers that cannot disengage from the culture of acquisition long enough to realize that they don't need an SUV.



Writing this list has made me angry. Maybe my problem with cars is personal. Fine. Fuck cars.

Danger Will Robinson! Do not pay full price to see Space Cowboys! By all means, see it, but don't expect too much.



The happy list:

Donald Sutherland is fun

Good concept

Bad dialog

Plot holes you can fly a shuttle through

None of the timing works

Score is sparse and ineffective

Did I mention bad dialog?

Boring, over-used effects

Hackneyed plot points

Oh, and bad dialog

The funny thing about Stuy redesigning every two weeks is that he always comes up with something really good. Something unique and inspiring. And yes, he has an archive so you can see what I'm talking about. Yum.

Yes! Finally someone is taking the big labels to task for ridiculous CD prices! I'm so happy. Dancing, dancing, dancing.

I have a finite amount of attention to give. It's true. Whenever I'm interested in something, everything else suffers. I'm really interested in a project at work. That I update here twice a day is a miracle, and a testament to how much I love my little blog. Love, love, love my blog. Love you too. Every last eency-weency one of you. Yes, all three of you. Kisses.

Hey! Someone found my page looking for Eric Rathbun! Eric? Eric is that you?? WRITE ME FOR GOD'S SAKE!

I just had a disturbing political epiphany. Our country is run primarily by old white guys. Our choices for president are old white guys. I know a lot of old white guys personally, and as a group, they don't give a shit about the things that are important to me. In fact, the old white guys I know pretty much think I'm a freak of nature. Guess I'm screwed.

Ah, charming. Looks like everything but the main portal is down in Yahoo. I've got to find a better way to get my mail.

Back from Seattle. Kinda groggy. Had a great time, got lots of exercise, had some fantastic food. Speaking of food though, there were weird food issues all weekend.



Food issue #1

Note to waitpersons: If someone only eats part of a dish, it doesn't mean they didn't like it. It means restaurants serve enough to feed a family of four. I'm not particularly fond of getting so full I feel sick--so shut up and just take away the bloody plate when I say I'm done.



Food issue #2

Spending a few days with new people can be an irritation--not because I don't like meeting new people--but because we always have to deal with "the food thing". I base a great deal on how gracefully this is handled. What's the problem? Well, almost everyone has something they just hate. That bit of food where, if given a choice between it and a dish of monkey-shit on toast, you think you could at least pick at the toast. With me so far? Okay. Usually, that bit of food is some rare delicacy that can be avoided quietly. Sigh. I wish. No, I happen to hate alcohol and coffee; two items inextricably linked with social functions in our fair country. It isn't a moral issue or a choice, I simply loathe both of those items beyond all reason. If the tiniest smidgen of either passes my lips, I'll get a look on my face like someone is under the table giving me wet-cement enema. Still with me? Okay, say we've just met, and this comes up (and it always does). Just take note and let it go. Do not question me about it, because any question you could ask would be a stupid one. Why don't you like coffee? Uh, I don't know, why don't you like the color magenta? Next, don't bring it up again. And again, and again. No, I don't want to try a little. I don't care how much you like that tiramisu, please let me pass on it. If you insist, I'll just look at you like you dropped out of a flying saucer. Why would I possibly want to try something that I hate??? Jeezus.



The last food issue isn't really an issue, just a little bit of weirdness. We went to Beppo's (wonderful!), and there was a guy at the table beside us that was just finishing up. He kept insisting we have some of his food. I did my best to be nice and just say no at first, but finally ended up turning my back completely and ignoring the obnoxious bastard. We had ordered enough food to feed a continent, and he wanted us to have his? No, no, no. Go away. What is it with the whole sick feeder-feedee thing in this country? Thank you, I can feed myself.

Welcome to our newest Poser, Sweet Innocence. I like da kitty kat.

Hey everyone--I'm here in Seattle showing my buddies Blogger!

Well kiddies, in a couple of hours I leave for a weekend in Seattle. Oh, how happy I am to get out of here for a day or so. Though I plan on taking this opportunity to show The Incredible, Edible Blogger to a couple of people, my own blogs will be rare. I'll make up for it next weekend.

Wow, I just took a few minutes to go through some of the blogs that mentioned newsblogger. Mostly just links. Aren't you at least glad someone said something? Hell, that probably makes both our points.

Good points. I absolutely agree with you that it is the accompanying commentary that makes all the difference when linking to news items; however, because of the huge corporate conglomerates that control most of the news we see, I do feel it's important to do your own cruising and pull from unusual news sources when possible. That's just my personal take though. Not everyone's cup of tea. I have to admit that when I made my comment, I had no idea of the sheer number of sources moreover uses. But I am, by nature, suspicious of these things. As I said, it's a great tool if I just want to comment on a generally available news story. It just isn't a tool for the funky news hunt.

New issue of I Can't Stop Thinking! Great tips for web comics.

So Kelly says I'm depressed because I'm listening to Crowded House. Nonsense. I'm listening to Crowded House because I'm depressed. When I get home it's Mystic Mint cookies and The Cure. Then I'll sit with my stats page up and hit refresh all night.



Somebody kill me.

Blog of the day is Someone completely obscure. Yeah, yeah, I'm lying. Thing is, some people are popular because they're good.

The Hollywood Video by my house is charging $19.99 for previously viewed tapes of American Beauty, while all their other PVTs are under $10. I'm ticked. I may as well buy it new.

Now you're just arguing for the sake of the argument. Does not infinity. Nyah.

Jeeze, this is a first. Someone else with the nickname Fry. Of course, this guy probably got it post-Futurama. Nothing wrong with that--just weird to see it proliferate.

We are in complete agreement. Making the mechanics easy is a good thing. Making the thinking easy is probably not. Now, I think we should talk about seam-free bras. I'm wearing one right now. Are you?

Dang. Lunch is over and I need to go get a book. Molly Ivins is one of my favorite humans. Her assessment of Bush should be a raucous and informative read.

Greetings from Bloomington-Normal: welcome Kellie of Connection to the Posers! webring. That is one weird name for a town.

I got to meet one of my favorite readers yesterday! Mary has a ton each of attitude and wit--what a cool chick. Apparently she and Kelly schemed. I was meeting Kel at a shop (which I can't disclose, because I was getting someone's b-day present), and she "happened" to be going to the same place. Hee. Anyway, had a great lunch and made a new friend. Hi Mary!

Of course they will, but will anyone else get to hear about it? I'm greedy. I want the dissemination of creativity to be easy so I can see it, hear it, read it, touch it.


One of my closest friends is a brilliant artist. When his next show is ready, he will go through the gallery mechanism to get a showing. He would still paint without a showing because he must--he's driven, but the public would never get to see it, and that would be a shame. He's shy, not necessarily good with groups of people, and definitely no salesman. He could never run his own showing or gallery. Even if he could, it would take time away from painting.



This isn't the best example because the gallery system is not really easy--but it's the best that can be done with something that must be seen live to be appreciated. Not so with the written word. Our thoughts can be disseminated in print, on cassette, on the web. The less cumbersome the process, the more people will be able to create. Sure, that opens the floodgates. I don't care. I'm sure that many of our greatest current writers are completely computer illiterate. I want them on the web. The easier the better.



So what were we talking about to begin with? Hee.

Blog of the day is Wiremommy. If you follow MeFi at all, you're familiar with her insightful writing. Now get her from the source. Oh, and she rocks 'cause she likes the Judybats.

Sometimes, e-mail is too good to leave in my mailbox:



fry



I just saw something in your blog:



"Napster bad. RIAA bad. It is the people caught in the middle--the artists--that deserve our support. "



this from the same person who buys *used* CD's? you of course realize that when you buy a used cd the artist gets nothing from it? no money, no fame, no little notch on the bedpost of record sales. I understand your desire to buy direct from the artist, and i understand your desire not to give good money to big chain record stores who don't care about what we (the people who have good taste)want. but if you buy used, you are refraining from giving to the artist. and i don't just mean money. now, in defense of used cd's, sometimes it's the only way to find things, and sometimes I really don't mind buying used, for example any of the bands who get constant radio play......but in some cases the artist must know that we support them: The Beautiful South, The Trashcan Sinatras, The Lucksmiths, The Manic Street Preachers (the list is endless!) otherwise they never tour here....



ok, now defend yourself.



;)



jamie



my response:




Jamie:



Firstly: I'm only boycotting the big five. Most of
the music we listen to doesn't have anything to do
with them. I bought Lucksmiths new. I'm getting
Judybats directly from their website.

Secondly: I truly feel that the best way to encourage
artists to break free from their RIAA contracts, or at
least encourage the RIAA corps to have better
contracts, is to buy directly from artists. I'm using
artistdirect.com to do that.



I won't even talk about the inflated prices of CDs,
which really pisses me off, because you're right in
that some artists need to be purchased new just to show support.

But no, I'm not supporting RIAA artists. Boohoo forBritney.

I can only do so much, and whatever anyone does is
unlikely to be a perfect solution. For example, it
would be rather difficult for me to research every
single subsidiary of the big five and make sure I'm
not buying from them. So I'll screw that up. Because
I feel changing the system is more important in the
long run, I've made the imperfect decision to not buy
new from RIAA artists. I have to live with that.



All clear now?

I've done several blogs on this subject as my opinion
has developed--and some things I haven't even bothered
to talk about. So the blog is probably not a clear picture.



Mew.

There is another thing that books were before the printing press, Jerwin: rare. Think of all the creative voices never heard because the means to expression was unmanagable.



On the other hand, Newsblogger is a separate issue. This isn't about making expression easier, it truly is about homogeneity of that expression. I don't think it will ruin the web. I think a lot of folks, me included, are scratching their heads saying "why would I use that?" Sharing news on a blog is as much about sharing diverse sources as it is about sharing my opinion. That's the fun of it--when a blogger finds something completely off the beaten path.



Sure, when I just want to make a point about something, I'll share a mainstream source. I guess that's what this is for, ease of hyperlink. I hope people aren't planning on using this for a major source of content--but I guess that's their business. We'll see where it goes.

Finally, someone's got it right. Napster bad. RIAA bad. It is the people caught in the middle--the artists--that deserve our support. He's got a darned good idea on how to be a sizeable thorn in the side of the RIAA. If only I had some files to send. Guess a tongue-lashing will have to do. Maybe I'll read an extensive essay into their voicemail...



Link via MeFi

I had one of my cravings for Apple Jacks. Delicious, nutritious, and hell on the soft palate. My point, and I do have one, is that this box of AJ has a cool toy! I got a Pikachu Battle Top. Remember years ago, when it said "collect all 8", you'd end up buying 50 boxes of the same thing in hopes of lucking out and getting all of whatever toy it was? Well, handily enough, this one doesn't work that way. Different characters go in different types of cereal. I thought that was very considerate of them. In any case...I'm not keeping my cute little Pikachu. As much as I like him, I'm not really into either Pokemon or clutter. Dave? Megan? It's yours. I even left it in the bag, so it's a virgin Pikachu.

Oh for goodness sake. I come up FIRST in Google when you search for "CRACK WHORE".

Blog of the day: SiteSherpa. I just turned on to them a day ago, and already I'm getting links I find indespensable. These guys know the wheat from the chaff.