Ooh look! It's a name generator that teaches a valuable lesson in security! It was inevitable: the Mr. T Name Generator.

AUGH! Apparently Trubie is a bit east of me. I thought I'd catch up on my blogs before X-Files came on, and THERE WAS THE FREAKIN' EPISODE. Ow. That hurt. No reading Trubie on Sundays. No, no, no.

Frytopia is almost a year old. Launched on 10 May 2000, I didn't think it would hold my interest for more than a month or so. I'm glad I was wrong. I've made some great friends and had some damned interesting moments.



I've spent this morning going through the archive to create something of a birthday present for the site. It's The Best of frytopia: Year One. I've chosen what I feel are the more interesting rants from the past year. I hope you enjoy them. They certainly made me realize how much happens in a year. Wow.



Hope I'm here next year to do this again.

Woohoo! I finally got Janie's new design up. It's all perty.

By the way, I take back what I said about Danny Boy. It grows on ya.

I'm listening to this song, and one lyric that repeats goes "how green was my valley", but I keep hearing "Harry was my valet". Ack.

My latest client got her face plastered all over the cover of the local weekly. She's the serious one on the left (sorry, that link will only work this week).

My boss just had to reset someone's password. He gave the guy "id10t". Heh.

So what's bugging me? A lot of things are bugging me. If it were just one thing, I wouldn't be so bugged. But you know what's bugging me the most? The fact that I'm bugged.

Reminder from the clerk by the fax machines in our office: "Please remember to send your fax face-down."



Top that.

I continue my quest to obtain everything David Bridie has done so far:

Okay, okay, so the card the boss gave me will work, I just have to connect the other pc through a network card. Of course, in his original explanation of how that all worked, he neglected to mention this. He's not a horrible boss, but I'm afraid to ask him to explain anything anymore. He rambles off in a non-linear fashion and leaves out huge chunks, and I'm left with shit for instructions. I'm getting a little frustrated. It's a shame, 'cuz he's not an idiot, and he's not a bad guy...I'm just left figuring out a lot, and missing the mark a lot because he's moved the target and didn't tell anyone. Heavy sigh. I think I'll hide in my office today.

Kitty is having a baaad gear day. So it's a week late, but I finally decided to dig into various boxes and get my DSL hooked up. I've got a router that my boss gave me and I should have several static IP addresses in my Qwest kit to get my server going again. Problem the first: My boss, may he rest in peace after I get hold of him tomorrow, didn't give me a router. He gave me another DSL modem. Problem the second: no static IPs. Well, I figure what the hell, I'll put Qwest's modem in my workhorse computer and see if I can connect dynamically. No go. Just out of sheer curiosity, I call tech support. Turns out I'm not signed up for static IPs at all. I spent 30 minutes on the phone with Qwest getting everything just right, and they fucked it up. They fucked it up so bad I can't connect at all. I'm on my stupid laptop dialing up through work.

So tomorrow I get to look forward to calling Qwest and signing up for the service again. Oh, and buying a router, which I hadn't planned for so I may have to wait a while. The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get. So I'm gonna go think about something else now.

I think I've decided why I don't buy reincarnation. It has nothing to do with the concept itself, which I think is elegant, hopeful, and even intuitively attractive. Nope, I don't buy it because of a cardinal mistake committed by those who believe. A mistake regarding me.



Whenever I meet someone who believes in reincarnation, they inevitably pronounce me an old soul. This could be for a couple reasons. First, it could be vanity--they think they're pretty cool and must be an old soul, they like me, so I must be an old soul too. The other possibility is that I just have them fooled. I'm good at charisma.



But charisma is where it stops. Sure, I'm smart and I've done some pretty interesting things--but on the whole, I'm really a big loser. No, no this isn't low self-esteem talking. This is a person who can spend all weekend at home watching rented movies and eating bagels, okay? L-O-S-E-R. That's my life and I'm in it.



So back to reincarnation--there's no way an "old soul" is gonna be a loser. Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Joe Dominguez, these folks get out there and do it. They make a difference and follow their dreams. I just muddle along doing my best to live by my principles. I get a little better at it every year. But I don't make the big points. If there is reincarnation, I'm kind of a middlin' soul. Probably lower-middlin'. It's a lovely idea, and I wish I could believe...but if those who do believe are so deluded as to think I'm Ghandi, well, what am I supposed to think?

"There are no small parts, only small actors."

One of AIM's little irritations: the buddy list is stored locally. This is where Yahoo Messenger has a huge advantage...but that's not the point. The point is, I frequently reload my OS for one reason or another, or set up a new computer, or whatever. And I keep forgetting to copy over my buddy list. So for heaven's sake, if'n you wanna talk, pop a message to frytopia. And I'll put the list somewhere permanent this time...probably on Yahoo.

He probably thought you got in the other line because you were embarrassed. You're doomed, and I'm laughing my ass off.

The smirk is back. Apparently, it just needed glass. For those who don't believe me when I say how icky this is:

Feeling prankish? Read about the best phone pranks of all time.

This is me braggin' on my city. Best of all, if you look at the results of the poll, most folks say we STILL don't do enough. And I agree.

This is a placeholder entry. The purpose of this entry is to let all my friends know that I'm not dead just because I haven't blogged in a few days, because I know if it goes one more day, I'll start getting email. Though I admit I kinda like email. Maybe I should just shaddup.

This was better than I expected. At an isolated outpost in the 1870s is the scene where an inveterate coward (the real kind, not the funny kind) played by Guy Pearce must marshal the courage face Carlyle the Cannibal. Pearce mumbles, but we're used to that. Carlyle goes wiggy, but we're used to that. Kidding aside, they both do a great job. Their characterizations, some gorgeous cinematography, and a remarkable score all make Ravenous worth a watch. Be warned, it does have some standard horror bits, and it does slow down in spots, but it ends well. Not happily, mind you--but well.

This I rented expecting a schlocky bit of gothic horror, and wasn't disappointed. While Kim Basinger is usually weak, everyone flailed in this formula story. Even Rufus wasn't particularly convincing as a Minion of Evil. The only thing that could have made this film a little more interesting is if they'd gone further into formula, and developed a romance between Basinger and Smits (the cop who left seminary school--where have we heard that before?). Passable if there's nothing else to rent? Sure, but The Prophecy it ain't.

I have the highest admiration for actors who can play counter to their own sexuality, and do it convincingly. Anne Heche, Greg Kinnear--always great chemistry no matter what the sex of the love interest. Unfortunately, Natasha Lyonne is not in this league. I wasn't convinced even for a moment that she was a lesbian. It didn't work. Which would be a real shame if it turns out Lyonne is gay. The story was a cute one, and a good idea. I hope someone comes along and does it better someday. I always find RuPaul irresistable--so that was fun to watch, but overall I could have lived without seeing this one.

This was my fave of the bunch [Note--this review was originally one of a lump of rental reviews--c]. This story of a woman who confuses reality with a soap-opera is completely original and marvelously done. Rene Zellweger has never disappointed me, and she's great as Betty Sizemore, who travels cross-country to find her "ex-fiance", a fictional character. Just to make it all even better, Greg Kinnear plays that character (have I mentioned lately that I love Kinnear?), and Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock play a team of killers chasing her in her travels. Perfect pacing moves everything along without needless hand-wringing. The dialog is perfection--John C. Richards uses language to express his characters effortlessly. Don't miss this one.

I've been looking for this film for two years. For some reason, fate perhaps, we were never in the same store at the same time. I have a thing for plays made into movies. Yes, the movie is always a bit stagey, but on the other hand, this one is supposed to be stagey. It is, after all, a movie based upon a play based upon two characters from another play. If you are at all delighted by verbal acrobatics, the laws of physics, and existentialism (as I am), then this is the movie for you. Additionally, if you hate the art of mime, rent this movie and it will change your mind. Tim Roth and Gary Oldman are the lead characters, though we're never quite sure which is which. They stumble through their part, trying to figure out why they are there and what is going on. The audience knows their fate and that they can't escape it--but the process of getting from point A to point B is fascinating and hilarious. If you're idea of entertainment is a good monster truck rally, do skip this film. But if you think, rent.

I don't wanna get buried in a pet semetary. One of the true greats of punk passed today. We'll miss ya, Joey.

Death and Justice

a doubt. Because of this, there are no appeals. With that in mind, in this

perfect world I would support the death penalty. I would, in fact, support

the death penalty for a much wider range of violent crimes. Considering a

recent white-collar case where hundreds of people were taken for large

amounts of cash, causing one victim to commit suicide (sorry, can't quote

sources; this is something I've seen at work and the details are

confidential), perhaps the death penalty would be applicable even there.



Is it about justice? No, not really. Is it about revenge? Sorry, I don't

give a whit about revenge. It's about hard choices, responsibility, and evil.



There are too many people on this planet. Far, far, far too many people. I

cannot fathom why, considering this fact, we should allow someone to live

who willfully damages society. Every life is not sacred. All humans

are not created equal. Why do we continue to labor under the misconception

that every human being is worth keeping alive?



For many reasons, we are afraid to choose.



Most of the people on this planet believe in a god, and we are loathe to

usurp his authority. We feel we don't have the right to decide that one

human is more worthwhile than another. In slippery-slope land, this may

well be true; however, it's pretty obvious from where I'm sitting that a

serial rapist has considerably less value to society than a concert

violinist. Provided, of course, that the violinist keeps his nose clean.



We are afraid of appearing heartless or elitist. This is a good social

mechanism that keeps us from being complete assholes to our fellow humans.

It becomes self-defeating when it runs counter to the greater good of

society.



Finally, we do not, in any way, want the responsibility. The god we fear

will take care of it. We can ignore it and it will go away. Sometimes,

sometimes we can act in concert and vote, shifting the responsibility from

one set of shoulders to many.



We don't see our responsibility to each other, and to the planet we live on,

and therefore we refuse to make the hard decisions. Someone else can live

without a car. Someone else can turn off the lights. Someone else can

refrain from having children. Someone else can kill the evil people.



Of course, the world is not perfect, and we don't know who is evil and who

is not beyond the shadow of a doubt. It is in this unfortunate world that I

find myself frustratingly undecided about the death penalty. In principle,

yes. In current practice, it is a balance between hard decisions,

responsibility, and evil.

D



A little more than ten days ago, I met someone online named D. She was

funny and bright, and I enjoyed talking to her very much. The only problem

was she lived alternately in reality and in a world she'd carefully

constructed. This other world involved a mystical meeting of souls, a Lady

from Alabama, a Starfucker, and of course, a Celebrity (whom she loved,

naturally). I knew it was fabrication, but I liked this person, and I

thought, hey, crazy people need friends too. I'd had some experience with

this from my "interesting" upbringing, and I thought I could handle it.



I think my cardinal mistake, though frankly I didn't let anything get very

far, was cutting off her means of validation. She needed to talk about her

big dramatic story of the Starfucker going after the Celebrity and getting

so close...but I soon became a bit irritated with it and insisted on

real life. Silly kitty, what was I thinking?



It didn't take long for the other characters to show up. The Celebrity

showed up in AIM a few days ago. Likeable and pragmatic, "he" (I'd talked

to D on the phone, so I'm pretty sure she's a she) gave a different

perspective, but stayed close to the facts of the Great Drama as D had told

them. Small inconsistencies in how the Celebrity found me at all were

explained nicely--with vagaries and feelings. I'll give points for

that--complicated "factual" explanations are much less believable than "oh,

I just figured it out." All in all, I didn't mind the Celebrity, and if he

shows up again, I might answer. Haven't decided yet. He was a protagonist,

and therefore tolerable.



But then our antagonist showed. She may even have been an anti-hero, not

sure.



Backing up, I'll admit to being under the spell of the story for a few

hours. During these hours, I wrote a short note to another character for

confirmation. My suspicions ran high, and D was willing to provide an

email, and even phone numbers, though I think she provided those knowing I

would never, ever just call someone out of the blue.



The Lady from Alabama sent a terse "lose my address" note. This is where I

dropped out. I didn't want to deal with Alabama, especially since I knew

the real antagonist, the Starfucker, was coming in a few months.



Sorry, but I have to safeguard my own sanity.



Sent D a note saying goodbye. As I said, it's only been a few days, so for

me it's not a big deal at this point. Of course I checked my mail this

morning to find three notes from her. They will remain in a folder, unread,

until I'm motivated enough to either read them or delete them. Curiosity

will probably get the better of me. I still expect to hear from the other

two characters--maybe even the third--a couple more times before it all dies

down.



Might these other characters actually exist as people? It's extremely

doubtful, but some part of me hopes they do. That would make it all so much

more entertaining. On the other hand, it would also make it much more

complicated, and in the end I can hardly take that risk. That would be

worse than the delusion.



That's what I get for trying. I should have known--I am not the type

to be tolerant of mental illness. It just isn't a strength of mine. But

for a few days, I knew a nice person.

Go vote! And for a change, it has nothing to do with politics.

A regular at my favorite Yahoo club received an interesting conversation starter in the mail and posted it. I wanted to go point by point, and figured it would be too long to post there. So, for your radical political viewpoint of the day, I present my rebuttal to:



"I Guess I'm a Bad American"

By some anonymous asshole

1. I like big cars, big boats, big houses.
   
   
   
   Americans make up 5% of the world's population, yet they use a quarter of its resources. Your sense of entitlement is a big (and you seem to like it big) part of the problem. May you live long enough to experience first-hand the destruction of your short-sightedness. In fact, I hope you've had children so you can die knowing you've left them nothing.
   
   
   
   
   
2. 
   I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some middle-aged governmental functionary with a bad comb-over who wants to
   give it away to crack addicts squirting out babies.
   
   
   
   
   Absolutely. Keep your money. However, you will no longer be allowed to:
   
   
   
   • Drive
     
   • Use the library
     
   • Call an ambulance when your son is in an accident
     
   • Walk on a sidewalk
     
   • Vote
     
   • Call the police when your home is robbed
     
   • Sue anyone in any court
     
   
   In addition, you will have assure the purity of your own food and water, and you will not have the use of publicly owned utilities.
   
   
   
   
3. 
   I don't care about appearing compassionate.
   
   
   
   
   I don't care about appearing compassionate either. It's what we do, not how we appear. Though I have a feeling you meant it both ways.
   
   
   
   
4. 
   I think playing with toy guns doesn't make you a killer.
   
   
   
   
   Of course not. Nothing we do as children has any affect on our attitudes as adults. Girls watching MTV don't wear midriff-bearing shirts. Boys that see girls treated as objects would never treat them that way in their own lives. The violence of the parents is never passed on to children. Playing with toy guns doesn't make you a killer. Ignorance about the influence of the world could certainly do so for your children.
   
   
   
   
5. 
   I believe it's called the Boy Scouts for a reason.
   
   
   
   
   Ya lost me on that one, big guy. Do you mean they should be boys? That they should scout? Well, there ya go. As long as you didn't mean something stupid like, oh, boys who are attracted to other boys are actually girls, and should be excluded? Nah, that would be too ignorant even for you. Maybe.
   
   
   
   
6. I think I'm doing better than the homeless.
   
   
   
   
   Again, need some clarification. If you mean financially, then sure, I gotcha. Heck, I'm doing better than the homeless too. What, exactly, is your point? Oh yeah, that's right. You like to keep your money.
   
   
   
   
7. 
   I don't think being a minority makes you noble or victimized.
   
   
   
   
   Noble? Victimized? I wouldn't go that far. I would, however, say that being a minority in this country is a shaft, mostly because of people like you. It isn't about a better chance, it's about a fair chance. It isn't about being a victim, it's about never being a victim again.
   
   
   
   
8. 
   I have the right not to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird or piss me off.
   
   
   
   
   Yes, you do. Provided you aren't in a position to pass legislation about it.
   
   
   
   
9. 
   I know what SEX is and there are not varying degrees of it.
   
   
   
   
   No, I imagine for you it's meat and potatoes pretty much all the time.
   
   
   
   
10. 
    I believe that if you are selling me a Dairy queen shake, pack of cigarettes, or hotel room you do it in English. As a matter of fact, if
    you are an American citizen you should speak English. My father and grandfather shouldn't have to die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come disrespect ours.
    
    
    
    
    Your grandfather spoke Lithuanian. Mine spoke Gaelic. I agree, they didn't die so you could disrespect them.
    
    
    
    
11. 
    I think the cops have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you're running from them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand
    the word freeze or stop in English, see the previous line.
    
    
    
    
    Absolutely. Just because the cops beat the crap out of your neighbor, arrested two of your friends for nothing, releasing one of them after six months, stopped your 12-year-old sister as she was coming back from the store and accused her of prostitution, just because they've stopped you three times this month, don't run! Nah, stay there! C'mon, trust us!
    
    
    
    
12. 
    I don't use the excuse "it's for the children" as a shield for unpopular opinions or actions.
    
    
    
    
    Me either. No, seriously, we're in agreement. It won't happen often.
    
    
    
    
13. 
    If I received oral sex from one of my subordinate employees in my office, it wouldn't be a private matter or my personal business. I would have been FIRED immediately.
    
    
    
    
    And I'm sure that where ever you work, you wouldn't have been missed. Your firing would not have caused the entire company to come to a grinding halt.
    
    
    
    
14. 
    I know how to count votes and I feel much safer letting a machine with no political affiliation recount when needed.
    
    
    
    
    Which leads me to believe you work with your hands. I work with machines. I'd rather have *you* do a recount than a fucking machine.
    
    
    
    
15. 
    I know what the definition of lying is.
    
    
    
    
    And I'm sure it serves you well, in the limited scope of your tiny little world.
    
    
    
    
16. 
    I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you qualify for any special loan programs, govm't sponsored bank loans, etc., so you can open a hotel, c-store, trinket shop, or any thing else.
    
    
    
    
    Absolutely. Our country has become nothing but poorer and nastier through the industriousness of those from other countries. God knows it's bad for the economy, all these fucking businesses run by conscientous people.
    
    
    
    
17. 
    I didn't take the initiative in inventing the Internet.
    
    
    
    
    Yes, and for that, the Internet thanks you.
    
    
    
    
18. 
    I thought the Taco Bell dog was funny.
    
    
    
    
    Me too.
    
    
    
    
19. 
    I want them to bring back safe and sane fireworks.
    
    
    
    
    I have no problem with those who choose to do so blowing their heads off.
    
    
    
    
20. 
    I believe no one ever died because of something Ozzy Osbourne, Ice-T or Marilyn Manson sang, but that doesn't mean I want to listen to that crap from someone else's car when I'm stopped at a red light. But I respect your right to.
    
    
    
    
    I'll turn down my Ozzy when you turn down your Shania.
    
    
    
    
21. 
    I think that being a student doesn't give you any more enlightenment than working at Blockbuster or Jack In The Box.
    
    
    
    
    That much is obvious from the rest of your screed. School and work both have their place, but you're too busy being jealous of them smart folks to realize that. Congratulations, your attitude will cripple your children.
    
    
    
    
22. 
    I don't want to eat or drink anything with the words light, lite or fat-free on the package.
    
    
    
    
    Me either.
    
    
    
    
23. 
    We did not go to some foreign country and risk lives in vain to defend our constitution so that decades later you can tell us it's a living
    document ever changing and is open to interpretation.
    
    
    
    
    Could you look up a couple things for me? Good. Go to the library, and find instructions for building a transistor. Got it? Okay, next, I'd like you to find something on infrastructure for cities with populations over a million. Ready? Okay, last thing--find the plans for a good car. Or even a bad one--but it has to have a combustion engine and an automatic transmission. Got all that? Oh darn! I forgot! You're only allowed to use books *over 200 years old*.
    
    
    
    
24. 
    I don't hate the rich.
    
    
    
    
    I kinda do, but I admit that's a grevious fault of mine.
    
    
    
    
25. 
    I don't pity the poor.
    
    
    
    
    Can't disagree there.
    
    
    
    
26. 
    I know wrestling is fake.
    
    
    
    
    NOOOOOO!!!!
    
    
    
    
27. 
    I've never owned or was a slave, and a large percentage or our forefathers weren't wealthy enough to own one either.
    
    
    
    
    ...and?? Oh, I get it. You think that a systemic problem doesn't need to be corrected just because you aren't personally responsible. Remember that next time you get a snakebite. You didn't do it, and it's only in your ankle, but it will spread and poison your body until you die.
    
    
    
    
28. 
    I believe a self-righteous liberal with a cause is more dangerous than a Hell's Angel with an attitude.
    
    
    
    
    I'm hoping so.
    
    
    
    
29. 
    I own a gun, you can own a gun, and any red blooded American should be allowed to own a gun, but if you use it in a crime then you will serve
    the time. A rubber band and a paper clip is a dangerous weapon in the hands of someone with malicious intent.
    
    
    
    
    'Scuse me while I trot down to the local elementary and take out a few kids with my trusty box of paper clips. Time and time again the rest of the world has proven that fewer guns means fewer gun deaths. On the other hand, I think the world is overpopulated anyway--so hey--go for it.
    
    
    
    
30. 
    I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it pisses you off, invent the next operating system that's better and put your name on the building. Ask your buddy that invented the Internet to help you.
    
    
    
    
    Unlike you, Bill doesn't think he's entitled to keep his money, and he gives away billions. But since we're on the subject, it isn't about better, it's about business. Yes, he has the right to make or buy it, then market it. But if you build a better OS, he doesn't have the right to use every dirty and illegal trick in the book to make sure you can't put your name on the building. Even at that, he makes a better American than you do.
    
    
    
    
31. 
    I like the convenience of buying oranges from a sidewalk vendor or while I'm waiting at a stoplight, and I'm pretty sure the Latin midget selling them to me is glad she no longer lives in a refrigerator box in East Dallas or is sleeping in the streets of her home country.
    
    
    
    
    The appropriate term is "little person".
    
    
    
    
32. 
    We don't need more laws! Let's enforce the ones we already have.
    
    
    
    
    Like the ones where corporations aren't allowed to pollute and rape and pillage the environment? Alright! I'm with ya! Oh wait, you were talking about guns again, weren't you?
    
    
    
    
33. 
    I believe that it doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes a parent with the guts to stand up to the kid and spank his butt and say "NO."
    
    
    
    
    Look how well it worked for you.
    
    
    
    
34. 
    I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement.
    
    
    
    
    Once again we agree. Well, unless of course the tattoo says "VOTE NADER!" That would definitely be a political statement.
    
    
    
    
35. 
    I'll admit that the only movie that ever made me cry was "Ole Yeller."
    
    
    
    
    Steven Segal doesn't make a lot of tear-jerkers.
    
    
    
    
36. 
    I didn't realize Dr. Seuss was a genius until I had a kid.
    
    
    
    
    A little late on board, but I'll still give you a brownie point for that.
    
    
    
    
37. 
    I will not be frowned upon or be looked down upon or be made to keep silent because I have these beliefs and opinions. I thought this country
    allowed me that right. I will not conform or compromise just to keep from hurting somebody's feelings.
    
    
    
    
    Slight correction: you can believe anything you like. And I can look down upon you and frown upon you. That's *my* right. Too bad about your feelings.
    
    
    
    
38. 
    I'm neither angry nor disenfranchised, no matter how desperately the mainstream media would like the world to believe otherwise.
    
    
    
    
    Sorry, not to poke fun, but I have a really hard time believing you have any idea what "disenfranchised" means. Though you're right, you're not it.
    
    
    
    
39. 
    Yes, I guess by their definition, I'm a BAD American.
    
    
    
    
    No, not really. American standards are pathetically low. Bad world citizen? Yeah, I'll go that. You're the reason the rest of the world are alternately amused and appalled by Americans. Congratulations, your a laughingstock, but only to people you don't care about, so it's okay.
    
    

Nitpicking? Over-sensitive? I don't think so. When I watched Myers' intro during the Oscars, I commented right there that it was in bad taste. He was an asshole, and I'm glad someone apologized to some very hard-working people who deserved better.

I was flipping channels when I stopped briefly on the Food Channel. The host was talking about ancient meals. He said, totally deadpan in a family-show kind of way: "There are three things that no ancient dinner was without. The first was bread, which was eaten. The second was wine, to be drunk. The third was oil, which was used in some ways you might not imagine." I just lost it. I think I laughed for five minutes. Oh, I think I can imagine.

I've got that feeling again. The last time I thought something was going to happen, all I got was a disembodied voice. We'll see. Maybe it's just a weird manifestation of some Springtime allergy. Yeah, that's it. Cherry blossoms give me a sense of anticipation.



Speaking of anticipation, I wish this bloody domain point would propagate. The other one already has. I'm starting to get annoyed.

Am I the only person who thinks putting the word L@@K on an eBay description is stupid?

I cross the street on the approach to my apartment building. There is an older man coming down the steps; he glances at me momentarily. Another man is going into the rental office--I only see the back of his head. I hear a male voice say: "Cute bike, Cat." I admit I'm not the most observant person in the world. There may have been someone sitting in a car that I didn't see, but I don't believe either one of the men I spotted said that. Also, I don't know any males in the complex. All the folks in the office are women, and this was a distinctly male voice. So I'm left wondering.

Hmm. I just got that feeling. That "something is about to happen" feeling. But enough has already happened, dammit! Oh, and my current favorite musician wrote me today! He just responded to a post I left on his guestbook--pining for a U.S. Tour. Apparently, he's working on a release with Luaka Bop Records, and a tour to go with. I would do some considerable travelling to see this man--so even if he's not in Portland, I will catch a show, if he comes. Sorry, Australia is a little too far. For now. If I get any more hooked, I may be looking at tickets.

The site may be messed for a day or so. Or not. I have too many "frytopia" directories on my hd, and I grabbed the wrong one. So my graphics are screwed up. Not that they weren't anyway, heh. Bear with me here.

Well, my ISP did burn to the ground...financially. I have a hard time believing that they didn't know at least a week in advance. The idea that they just turned off the lights and walked away--on a FRIDAY, pisses me way off. Fuckers. In any case, I'll be back up on my own server in a couple of weeks, and I'm arranging for temporary hosting until then. Can't live without my sites!!