I'll be off....

Or at least Friday morning I will be. I'll be off to Maryland to see relatives for the Christmas festivities. Leading up to this I've been poor about new posts. I haven't been able to get stuff together to do a summary on the NYC trip so it will likely have to wait till after the New Year.

So posts will be sparse for the next dozen days or so. I simply have too much to do, and unfortunately this wee hobby of mine has to fall victim to more important priorities for the time being.

So I hope everyone has a good holiday season and a happy new year!!!!

Get some rest, I'd sure like to!

I leave you with will Ferrell caroling. Enjoy.

a Very Connery Xmas

For an explanation of this meager posting... see the start of yesterday's post.

Happy Holidays.... Happy Holidays...

This Just in: George Parks whines about a lack of time, as though he is the only person in the World who is busy.

I should have plenty to write about, and I do.. its just that whole time component thing. First off... I've decided that I really want to get my pictures developed before I get into the details about my NYC trip with Kate. We definitely had a blast, although we were tired from a lot of walking and a frantic pace. Sooo look forward to that. As a couple of the pictures will have a "Christmassy" theme, I'll do my best to have them developed ASAP. I may finish the roll of film with some of the locale decor in Beantown... so that all of you who are far away can appreciate what this humble city has to offer in the way of commercialized Christianity.

I'd like to thank Caprio for taking the time to add me as a friend on Myspace. Looks like Caps already had a page!? You are a mysterious mysterious man Mike.

Christmas on the airwaves and the whole Political Correctness Fiasco

One snippet of my trip with Kate that I'll touch upon today was our car ride. No complaints on traffic, getting to White Plains from Boston was a breeze. The item of importance had to do with the radio. I hadn't had time to make mix cds like I wanted to and so rather than go through the dozen or so cds I had in the car we did something I seldom do. We listened to the radio. The shocker, well, the shocker to me at least was the level of Christmas music on all of the stations. As I am blessed not to have to work in a place with piped in music, I definitely enjoyed hearing the Bing Crosby, Mel Torme and the Ronnettes amongst others sing those warm mushy songs so many of us love. I've found that just several years ago, it used to be difficult to find holiday music, in fact I recall some of the rock stations pledging NOT to play Christmas songs. I think there definitely has been a shift in sentiment and a thirst for old fashioned romanticism of the holidays. I wonder if this is subject to our increased vulnerability in a post 911 world? Is it a passive display of solidarity in Christian roots?

The article that got me going: Play a song of Christmas, over and over and over

I know many on the far right are screaming lately about the secularists trying to remove Christ from Christmas. I honestly don't see what the big deal is about the government calling the season "The holiday" instead of Christmas, and why everyone is making a big stink out of it. Stores on the other hand are private institutions and should have the right to do whatever they want regarding their use of the holidays. If you don't like stores that refuse to say "Christmas" don't shop there. Likewise, if you are SOOO touchy that you feel the need for your minority religion to have representation in stores, only shop at ones that do. Personally I don't care either way and I think the whole argument is completely stupid and an enormous waste of energy.

It is nothing more than a bunch of folks with inferiority complexes... anyway, that's how I see it.

Happy Festivus, you filthy animals..... (the airing of grievances)

Holy crap here comes Jesus....

And he doesn't look to happy... Everyone sing along!

Sooo.... One last bit o fun before I go. I Axed the old Friendster link, and along with it my account there. Instead please check out my "Myspace" page. Yet another amusing way to waste quality time where productive things could be done.

If so inclined please sign up and be a "real" friend of mine. Charles Darwin & that dude from the Daily show aren't particurally talkative. ;)

I think if we set our mind to we can take over myspace.... AND THEN THE UNIVERSE muhahahahahaaa!!!



Enjoy this holiday cheer.

Off on Vacation

I'm going to NYC for a long weekend with Kate, and I won't be returning until Sunday night. So anticipate the return of the blog probably next Tuesday. I'll take pictures and hopefully have some good stories to share.

Sending me off.... Here's Ole Blue Eyes singing the NYC anthem we all know.

Try to ignore the little remark about the Evil Empire before he begins his song and dance.

Viral Vid- Salemart

That's all I got.... Enjoy, & happy shopping.

The fears of feeble faith

Personal freedom, and independent thought are under attack. It is under attack by an increasingly fundamentalist Islamic population which is one of the fastest growing. It is under attack by an increasingly fundamentalist Christian population in the southern U.S. It is under attack in Europe as intolerance feeds more intolerance by the opposition. (Think cartoons and plays involving Mohammad & Islam; think "banning" head dresses and veils). This all stems from the ludicrous idea that one publisher of faith, apparently uses a better type face or something. One prophecy is real, one isn't. One interpretation is real one isn't. All of this is apparently much more important than peaceful coexistence... and those basic principals... don't kill, don't steal, treat other people as you would want to be treated, that all comes second to what you call the spirit you pray to, or what you take solace in. Everyone else is a threat or a devil.

"You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the
LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name."
This commandment prohibits not just swearing but the misappropriation of religious language in order to commit a crime, participating in occult practices, and blaspheming against places or people that are holy to God

Now perhaps, just perhaps I'm totally off base, but win you imply that your faith denotes others of a different faith as inferior, aren't you making an assumption on how God or Allah thinks? When you "bless" your armies to fight in wars, aren't you taking the lord's name in vain? When you wage a conflict for a faith... for an ideology, shouldn't this, I mean doesn't this break the rule? Other than self defense how can you justify it? And even then, wouldn't claiming "God" wills your victory once again be breaking this rule? Aren't people REALLY just using their "faith" as a means to quench their thirsts for power? Again.....?

To a lesser degree, but none the less, a symptom of religious insecurity see below:

The following is an excerpt from the link below:
http://www.studyphysics.ca/newnotes/20/unit01_kinematicsdynamics/chp05_forces/lesson13.htm

Galileo & the Catholic Church

• In 1609, based on information from Holland, he built a telescope.
  
• What he saw made the Catholic Church… “grumpy.”
  
• He found “mountains” on the moon.“But God put it there, it should be perfect,” said the Church.
  
• Discovered four of Jupiter’s moons.“But everything is supposed to orbit us on Earth, because God put us at the centre,” said the Church.
  
• He looked at the sun (not a good idea) and saw “sun spots,” areas where the sun appears blotchy.“But God created the sun, so it’s perfect,” said the Church.
  
• He supported the Copernican theory that the Sun is at the centre, not the Earth.“Alright, enough’s enough, Galileo! You’re in trouble!” said the Church.
  

In 1633 the Inquisition (sort of like a Catholic Church courtroom trial) forced him to renounce (abjure) his theories

• As punishment he was placed under house arrest for the rest of his life.
  It is claimed (but often disputed) that as Galileo stood up from his recanting, he uttered "Eppur si muove" which is Latin for "And yet it moves".
  This is a reference to his belief that the Earth was not the centre of the universe.
• In 1979 Pope John Paul II called for Galileo’s conviction to be annulled. (what a swell guy that John Paul was! A little late, but I suppose its the thought that counts.)
• Finally in 1992, after looking at the legal issues involved, Galileo’s conviction was reversed.

This post is not intended to single out Catholicism as being intolerant of new ways of thinking (science basically). Rather I selected it with the intent of looking at an example among many when the fears of those weak in their own convictions let rational thought shake the ground they stand on. Rather than embracing "science" as the beauty that a higher power created, religious organizations tend to give into fear and promote hatred towards those who embrace science. Science is immoral, or it it heresy. It is easier for them to claim that texts (written by man) were directly inspired by God (going back to that commandment again) than to see them for the stories of moral guidance that they are, most of them still relevant in a world that is far removed from the time in which they were created.

Perhaps in 400 years they'll be willing to forgive today's scientific advances, maybe Darwin? In a free society it is difficult to pull the wool over every one's eyes because eventually evidence catches up with you.

Returning to my initial topic, the most fundamentalist believers (or those who claim to be) don't believe in personal freedom. (Oddly both Islam, and Christianity use freedom and free will as general principles in their doctrines). I suppose it is difficult to keep a flock of sheep in line without some baring of teeth and some barking.

I fear the new rise of fundamentalism (across the globe) could turn much of the progress humankind has made backwards. Perhaps the second dark ages are upon us..... a time of true faith and devotion, or a time of intolerance and fascism? I guess it will all depend who's side you are on. My Western Civilization Professor at Saint Joseph's College, who was a tough as nails nun, seemed to think the middle ages were a time of great enlightenment and progress. I had a tough time stomaching it.... or ignoring what history books said, and I got a C. (darn convictions)

Priceless!!

Random links...The Pop Queen unravels (literally and figuratively)

Man allegedly tries to put wife in oven

Well kids.... I couldn't afford to get a turkey this year, so I just thought.... Awww come on stop you're bawling, all she ever did was take up space and spew out hot air.

Scientists: Climate Change Clues in Sky

Super cooled liquid water at minus 30 degrees. That's some pretty fascinating stuff.... it doesn't even seem possible, although I'm certain it has to do with air pressure and the gas composition of the atmosphere at higher levels.

Jay-Z ties Stones for No. 1 albums

I guess you know you are out of touch when there is an article like this one, and you realize that you couldn't name a single Jay-Z song if your life depended on it. The only Jay-Z I ever wanted to here was the Grey album, a "Danger Mouse" remix of a Jay-Z album and the Beatles "White Album". Critics who did hear the album said it was great, however Apple silenced it before it spread to much into the populace.

Britney Spears exposes herself

Funnily enough it was just a few days ago and I was talking to Kate about Britney (in regards to her divorce) and I mentioned that a couple years ago I predicted pretty much everything that was happening to her. The only thing that hadn't come true as of that conversation was Britney posing nude or doing porn. This latest development is about as close as you can get... and much faster than I anticipated.

Since she is a talentless hack, and her whole thing since her first single was always a semi smutty girl next door image (which broke down into full throttle white trash....). Paris made a career out of her ahem... "accidentally leaked skin flicks", however Paris is shrewd and lacks any moral conscience what so ever. Britney on the other hand doesn't strike me as incredibly bright. She has the intellect of a junior high student, because... that's probably about as much "legitimate" schooling she ever received; further more she led by puppet strings for many years by her mother, producers, record companies, etc. Now she has less direction which has been extremely obvious after a sequence of decisions so ridiculous.... that Jacko's attempt to purchase the elephant man's bones almost seems to make sense.

There is a chance this could all work out for her.... and continue to damage the psyche of American youth (as if Lohan and Hilton weren't enough bad news). There's also the possibility of a complete break down. Then again, Mom Spears could step in and talk some sense into her... of course previously it hasn't seemed to have a lasting effect.

This is what happens when you rank fame, fortune, and glamor (although its debatable whether Britney was ever glamorous) over education, responsibility, life experience, and decency. I wonder if Ma and Pa Spears lose sleep at night over the monster they created.... nah, I suppose they are too busy counting their money and planning how to use Britney's little sister for more funds. Perhaps they'll make improvements on the second try?

You know K-Fed isn't really as stupid as people take him for, con artists all over the world hope for an eight of his success.

The Panel Speaks

Report: Panel to advise U.S. pullback, no timetable

Big News and a big compromise, but will it be enough to appease the new legislature or the American public? (Or the World?) Will this be a recommendation that the president will be willing to swallow? Early indications suggest that he would be very reluctant to engage in such a plan.

Bush: No pullout from Iraq until 'mission is complete'

"There's one thing I'm not going to do, I'm not going to pull our troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete," he said in a speech setting the stage for high-stakes meetings with the Iraqi prime minister later this week. "We can accept nothing less than victory for our children and our grandchildren."-W

I'm beginning to believe there may actually be a possibility to get support from neighboring countries if the cards are played right. The problem has been all along that this administration has refused to talk to people who "disagree" with them. Alienating Iran, which was becoming more secular and democratic prior to the Iraq invasion, is nothing short of a disaster.

This Time article describes the debacle that has been U.S. foreign policy as of late.
The Five Fatal Mistakes of Bush's Mideast Policy

Whether any shreds of hope can be salvaged from this grim situation remains to be seen. There is a high probability that this could turn into a large scale regional battle which could have a domino effect across the entire globe. It is in our best interests, to try and make lemonade from this lemon, the future of not only the middle east, but much of Western Civilization may depend upon it.

MY LIFE
Work was a blast today. A little mishap caused me to end up staying late. A co-worker said to me that morning that it would be "one of those days" and as it turns out he was right on the money. There was a "Much ado about nothing" sort of hysteria in the air due to the up coming schedule of one of our large co-operative experiments. This on top of an already busy schedule sort of pissed me off.

The highlight of my day was ultimately making it over to Brookline to spend some quality time with Kate. She made some baked chicken which was nice and warm when I arrived. Additionally we had a garlic flavored rice pilaf, and some broccoli and cheese. I had stopped to pick up a loaf of Italian bread from Shaw's before heading over.

I ended up being a little late due to the turmoil in the lab, however, in the end I fared much better than I anticipated. After a mistake on one of my experiments, I had initially called Kate to cancel, but in an hour or so I recanted as I was only 40 minutes behind schedule, instead of the 2 hours that I anticipated.

Anyway, tomorrow is THURSDAY, which means the day after is FRIDAY... and we all know what that means!! THE WEEKEND!!! Yippee.

Uncanny Valley

Ever heard of the term? Apparently it applies to a theory that there is a hypothetical response curve when humans take in humanoid objects in relation to how real or how fake they seem. The uncanny valley represents a region of negative response which can occur when something looks very real, however has an underlying trait which betrays or exposes the non-human qualities.

Check out the Wikipedia page, there is a whole science to this term.

The term originally was created to apply exclusively to robotics, however now it applies extensively to other scenarios, such as film.

This entertainment article from "slate" livens up the "uncanny valley" description.
http://www.slate.com/id/2102086/

Below is the article which originally made me explore further.
Lifelike robots: Cool or creepy?

In Defense of Rachael Ray

I could talk about how everyone in the world (including many conservative commentators) have come to the conclusion that Iraq is in a civil war..... (NBC is 1st to call it that... check out the conservative blog newsbuster... which does a poor job of busting this piece of news) everyone with the exception of Bush who just this morning said otherwise.... But instead I'll focus on the real news. Some people don't like Rachael Ray.

Yes yes...

Rachael appears to have reached full celebrity status, meaning there is an "Anti-Rachael Ray" Community.

I was a bit taken a back by this, because amongst people I know, I've only heard positive things about Rachael.... other than her being a "cheap tipper" on her $40/day show.

As some of you know... I have a little crush on Rachael. Truthfully, she's not my type... but its one of those silly crushes that have little foundation outside of the inner workings of my mind.

She's bubbly, fun, seemingly down to earth, and cute in that "girl next door" sort of way. And her cooking show actually caters to "reality". When I say reality, I mean they are 30 minute meals. In this world where people have less personal time this is key. Realistically we aren't going to be cooking like Julia Child or having any "Iron Chef" competitions in our homes. (except perhaps a potato salad cook off?)

Anyway, curious as to why people would "hate" Rachael, I looked at the Boston.com article and then looked up the Rachael Ray Sucks community. I thought the posts were quite revealing. An overwhelming majority of the posts were women. Now in all fairness, maybe more women watch the food channel, but I would expect it to be more like a 60%/40% statistic rather than the 95%/5% that this community represents. This got me thinking... why is this?

One of the reasons I like Rachael Ray is that she seems to be someone who is confident in what she does. In other words, while Cosmo may be entertaining to her, she doesn't strike me the type of woman who would treat such a piece of trash like the bible. She laughs loud, uses silly phrases like "yum-o" and she waves her arms around when she talks, and she always seems happy go lucky. Now this "community" singled out these things as reasons they don't like her..... funnily I think these are the sort of things that make her likable. She's herself!

To contrast... if you are a food channel fan, as I am... allow me to bring up Giada the dull professional chef. While Giada is a stunning beauty, she has an insincere, monotone, nerdy school-girl voice, and often patronizing personality. Giada, as it turns out comes from money and was raised by a silver spoon. Sadly for Giada, I have a feeling she probably acts up tight and restrained 24-7. So one might argue that she is "herself", I might argue that her true self has been kept bottled up most of her life.

Since Ray is building an empire of sorts, (She's even on my box of Wheat Thins.....mmmmmmmm Wheat Thins...... droool) why not compare her to Martha Stewart? While she hasn't quite established herself as the cook/entertainer that Martha's become..... who would you rather spend time with? The icy crook, or warm bubbly Rachael. Hey, its a no brainer that's all I'm saying.

Back to why all of the community members are women.... Rachael Ray is an "Elaine Benes" type character. That's what I've decided. I bet most of her friends growing up were guys. I say this because she strikes me as the type who would seek to "enjoy life". While ambitious, it would seem that her top competition is likely herself, rather than keeping up with the "Joneses".
Rachael does not strike me as one who would sit around with the girls and decide what fashions were in. And... in a couple of improvements over Elaine, she does not strike me as one who would gossip about who was "hip" and who is not. She also strikes me as someone who would be inclusively friendly to all. Lastly I believe Rachael just does what she wants, and what feels and seems right to her. Rachael's choices have obviously been good ones.

Now of course I'm basing this all on the TV persona... but Rachael comes off more likable and sincere where others have not. I believe this is the key component of why an average looking, woman with no culinary training, has persevered on hard work alone. (And the luck of getting the attention of the Great and Powerful OPRAH)

Yes so there is that contingency of "Sex in the city" women (well wanna-be Sarah Jessica Parkers), with their Gucci hand bags, and their strict behavior rules; then there are the traditionalists, the women who believe they should doll themselves up for their men, and have supper... that has been cooking for several hours, waiting for their men when they get home; then the jealous type, which really can overlap the first two categories. These women all hate Rachael Ray, because they feel that they can do some minute detail better than RR. They just don't get that they don't have the whole package, and most importantly the ambition.

So if you look at the community, you'll find a minority of the posts actually dislike her actual cooking, and when they do, its usually for its simplicity. (HEY IDIOTS SIMPLICITY IS THE WHOLE POINT! And they wonder why they don't have their own show.)

The vast majority of the posts criticize her for being happy (Yes... I'd much rather watch an angry cook teach me how to make dinner), they criticize her appearance, (they sound like a group of snotty high-school girls), they even try and tarnish her husband. Think about how the kids treated "Carrie" in Stephen King's novel/movie.... this is essentially the language, and implications thrown towards Rachael Ray.

I think many women see Rachael as a threat, because men find her attractive, yet she doesn't adhere to so many of those principles that they've spent their lives worshiping, whether it be fashion, or simply being able to have a beer with the boys. It irritates them because she's breaking their rules. Rachael is a Tom-boy of sorts I think....while holding firmly onto very feminine qualities. (I can just hear the women saying, "That bitch" "That whore" "She thinks she's so great")

There is also a group that seems to think that a real "chef/cook" should be fat. So Rachael Ray is apparently too thin to cook and eat. (oddly enough there are several posts.... by the h.s. snot types calling her fat) There's this thing called Physical fitness... if they have questions perhaps they can find something in Wikipedia. Granted some of us were more blessed than others... but, if you want, you can have your cake and eat it too. I think I'd want to look good if I were a TV personality.

Oddly enough when I was searching for Rachael Ray info I found these two links with Men's magazines references. Not reading Men's magazines myself (I just criticized Cosmo... who am I to call the kettle black) I was unaware Rachael would be discussed in these. I guess it just goes to prove my point that men dig RR.

Ask Men rates Rachael 80 in their top 99 women.
So she has a smile like the Joker.... she's the one laughing all the way to the bank.

And FHM (another men's mag) pictures of Rachael... ooh la la... didn't know she had it in her.
http://www.torontopics.com/digital/ray.html

A quote:
"My life came out way better without me planning it." -Rachael Ray, on her success.

A woman after my own heart.... planning schmanning!!!

Here is an article by a woman defending Rachael Ray.

Ringing in the 2006 Holidays

I hope all of my American readers had a lovely Thanksgiving and a good start to this very hectic, albeit, comforting time of year.

Last Tuesday Scotty, Mike and I went to the new Kelly's Roast Beef at Station's Landing next to the Wellington T stop. I considered it a primer to the full course Turkey day festivities which would arrive later in the week. Scotty and I had fried clam dinners (mmmmm-mmm!!!) and Caprio, aka., Mike, had appropriately, a roast beef sandwich. It's a great location, I'm sure I'll be visiting it again.

Wednesday night I saw Casino Royale with my father. It was an excellent movie that brought back much of the charm of the earlier Sean Connery films. I look forward to seeing Daniel Craig's next two installments.

Thanksgiving day came and went much as expected. My family discussed our trip to Maryland to see some other family for Christmas. This will mark my second Christmas not spent in Maine.

Black Friday I went shopping with my mother. Saw Jess Wheeler selling the wares at L.L. Bean. My mother was pleased to have met another of my elusive college friends, as she's kind of pestered me about it in the past. Hopefully that will help silence that subject in the future... (Yeah right...).

Put up an old Polaroid into my sidebar here of Mom & I in front of a Christmas tree. I thought it added some cheer to the site. Tis the season... so they say.

I have a busy week coming up, both at and outside work. My company party is this weekend, and I also plan on doing some holiday shopping, putting up my wee "apartment tree" and finalizing planning for the upcoming trip to NYC the following weekend with Kate. I'd like to get a digital camera before I go, which will be my gift to myself. (Gotta do my part to keep the American economy humming :D )

And now for some of my mental insanity...

Holiday lights... yes yes... you've seen them, those homes that make their yards look like Disney land. Now, I used to very much be a fan of the tasteful lights on the trim or candles in the windows. I have fond memories driving around the snow frosted expanses of Maine suburbia looking at the various canvases of middle class creative expression. Tasteful however seems to be a thing of the past.

The modest plastic Santa on the steps has been replaced by wire mesh reindeer flickering with lights, fake psychedelic Christmas trees to place on lawns, and perhaps most horrendous, giant inflatable snow globes, polar bears, snow men, Santa, Rudolph, and the list goes on. Now... I'm not going to ever be one of those people that seeks to ban folks from decorating as they please, but.... Come on!!!

You know these people are raising spoiled brats, they are stopping traffic, in many cases causing accidents, their lights may disturb the peace, and its quite simply wasteful.

I know, I know... I'm such a scrooge. But lets just think of the fuel consumption. I hope none of these people claim to have environmental sentimentality. Not only that, you could argue that they are making a larger donation to nations that seek to destroy Christianity... of course we all know what modern Christmas is "really" about, and I suppose fuel consumption and cellophane trees fit in rather nicely.

Ahhh... Charlie Brown, I sympathize with your seasonal affective disorder, and Linus I see your serious, yet often ignored wisdom.
Charlie Brown is (drum roll) depressed. This show is a classic, the music is beautiful and so is the message. I hope the networks never stop airing it.

Monday, Monday.... can't beat that day

Have to catch an early train
Got to be to work by nine
And if I had an air-o-plane
I still couldn't make it on time
'Cause it takes me so long
Just to figure out what I'm gonna wear
Blame it on the train
But the boss is already there

It's just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
'Cause that's my funday
My I don't have to runday
It's just another manic Monday

Yeah... I know, I know, but it seemed fitting. And Sundays piss me off by the way, it is of course their close proximity to Monday.

Kate met me in Central Square tonight after work and we went to Mary Chung's for Chinese food, just like the old days when we used to go to Salsa dancing class. I sort of miss the dancing class in a way, even though I struggled a lot with this one suzy-q dance step. The food at Chung's always promises to have real zing. It is without doubt the spiciest Chinese food I've ever had. I would definitely put it in the top ten Chinese food establishments in the Boston area too. It has a real cozy atmosphere that allows for a great evening of conversation.

I've been taken in the past couple of days with my Chris Hayes's political blog. Chris is the brother of my friend Tim. Tim let me know about it knowing I have a bit of a thing for politics. I try to keep my posts in here politic-light for the most part, although I do have my moments. I don't want my blog to be too divisive.

http://c-hayes.blogspot.com/

Chris is very very right wing. I think his site attempts to take the pulpit in order to assemble like minds, more than it does seek to convert. If you enjoy political commentary, and you enjoy a good debate, I think you should check it out. If you dissent at all from the GOP platform, I'm sure you'll find something to really think about.

I weighed in a bit on embryonic stem cell research over the last couple of days. Take a look in the comments on his site. (link is above)

I consider myself a fiscal conservative, and social liberal... so neither party really fit my needs. I honestly find that their platforms are strange, and that they contradict themselves.

Democrats tend to support the ACLU and other libertarian ideals such as a pro choice agenda, but then they tote censorship, political correctness, social programs that take away independence etc.

The Republicans claim to support lower spending small, government, less bureaucracy and stand against federal regulation. Republicans support libertarian ideals like the right to bear arms, but then they want to impose various legislation which often blurs the separation of church and state. Additionally, as of late, they are not fiscally conservative.

So I struggle to find a direction in the mess.

The Seas are getting choppy

-for George Walker Bush. A rather common statement by Cheney, Rumsfeld and Bush has been, "We'll let history decide on the success of our efforts." Unfortunately the history books are starting to be written, and what will decorate those pages does not promise to be good news for anyone.

It is bad news for George Bush, who led America blindly into a misguided, poorly planed, attempt to sway an entire region of the world into his mind set. If anything, his efforts have swayed these people further away, increased the perception of the U.S. as untrustworthy, and supported the spread of "radical" Islam.

George Bush is quite possibly the biggest screw up that the United States has ever had at its helm. The last of Bush's loyalists are now quickly jumping off a quickly sinking ship.

Tony Blair has come out saying that the situation is a "disaster".
Blair: Force alone can't beat terrorism
It is interesting that Blair's staff is trying to pass off the "disaster comment" as a slip of the tongue. A Freudian slip perhaps?

Here's an article commenting on the fallout: Blair does not concede Iraq a disaster

Much more surprising than Blair, and perhaps invoking an "Et tu Brutus?" from the Bush administration is Henry Kissinger. The slimy thing about this is Kissinger has been giving W advice on how to conduct the war. So he is criticising what he helped create. Dare I say, a very Rumsfeldian act? I guess you can expect much more from someone who was an architect of the Vietnam war and a former Nixon advisor.
Kissinger: Iraq military win impossible

One thing that W has going for him is the off-loading of Rumsfeld. The legislative branches seem eager to replace Donald, in order to bring about desperately needed change.

Senate Leaders speak well of Gates

Henry Kissinger mentioned that it is perhaps necessary at this point to actively engage surrounding Islamic nations in assisting with temporary control and stabilizing Iraq. I think this is probably something that is in every one's best interest, however the association of an Islamic nation with the west has become such a stigma, it may be a difficult prospect at this stage in the game.

John McCain, who I admire as a politician for his independent views, has mentioned increasing the amount of troops in Iraq. I'm not sure at this point this is a viable option either. Basically, the United States does not have the military to send to Iraq, and it is something that should have been done from the battle's onset. At this point we have been worn down, and I fear if North Korea, Iran, or even the dormant China (Think Taiwan) should get feisty in their desires, we could be forced into making detrimental draconian battle moves, or inaction. Neither of these options are particularly thrilling.


I invite everyone to read this article on a recent John McCain speech, because I think it paints an accurate picture.
McCain: Send more troops to Iraq or face threat at home

I can't blame people for not wanting to jump on this bandwagon. I mean, I'm not going to give up my life at this stage to fight in this battle if I don't have to. (Honestly I would probably really suck as a soldier, you'd want me fighting on the other side so you could blow my head off while I was tying my boot)

Unfortunately McCain's solutions are some which an increasingly pacifist west will never embrace. (I really don't see them as feasible without a draft) McCain's solutions are probably, coupled with some increased involvement of other Islamic nations... probably the only real solutions to a problem that the Bush administration created. Yes, that's right if Bush didn't attack Iraq, Al-Qaeda would not be there, and we'd be fighting them in Afghanistan in increased numbers, and perhaps trying to resolve other pockets like Somalia.

We are naive to the increasing faith-based violence of the Islamic world. To paint a picture of the Islamic world and show everyone what it is becoming would be "politically incorrect". We can do this intelligently without insulting the decent people of Islamic faith. Of course not attempting to engage in this could result in one of those scenarios where nice guys ultimately will finish last. If we continue on our current apathetic track with our blinders on, time will surely tell.

My World: I had a good weekend. Kate and I did a bit of planning for our NYC trip which will be coming up shortly. I'm hoping to get a digital camera so I can post some pictures of our adventures. I'm meeting Kate tomorrow night for supper which will be nice... and then Tuesday Scotty?, Mike? Kelly's Roast Beef and some damn good steak fries are calling out our names!

Well, it will be an indulgent week when it comes to food... to say the least.

Onion Soup and the Rain

This evening I made an onion soup from left over pot roast broth, and some leeks and a packet of Lipton soup mix. I used Sweet, Vidalia, and Spanish onions which I baked in olive oil and brown sugar before adding them to the broth. I also added a couple of chopped up leeks and garlic cloves. I bought a can of extra beef broth, however it was unnecessary to use.

I used french bread slices, Swiss cheese, and sharp cheddar to form my layered cheesy soup creation in a oven friendly soup bowl. It was a nice change from the norm.

I'm almost done reading the Amityville Horror. It definitely keeps me wanting more, and since it is fairly easy reading too, I am finishing it up rather fast. It could start me on a kick for the paranormal, probably not though, as it seems like too much mindless fun.

Some good news on the newly forming political front. Representative John Murtha has lost a bid to become the new majority leader, and it wasn't close. This is a positive sign to me, because it is a rejection of Pelosi's leftist cohort, and bigger than this, I see it as a rejection of the far left. Additionally working against Murtha is a possible scandal that garnered the attention of the FBI, and one of the largest collection of lobbyist funds in the house ($685,000). This should not be the type of person the democrats bring in to replace Tom Delay. See the following article for more details: Pelosi wins No. 1 spot, loses battle over No. 2

About this loss for Pelosi, Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank says:
"She's a very smart woman who made an error in judgment."

Lets hope it isn't the first of many, and if it is, lets hope that her fellow legislators have the good sense to stop errors in judgment from being errors acted upon.

James Carville, Ugly as Sin, Political Genius: Listen to the troll democrats, I know he's from an era past, but he did wonders for Clinton. Howard Dean must go. That's right, who cares if the Dems won? Did they really win? Perhaps they just didn't lose like the GOP. After all they had no unity or stance, and if the scandals hadn't broken out in the GOP on top of the war, we may still be looking at the GOP, a creaky corrupt GOP holding on to a slim power advantage.

Howard Dean is a man of deception, he's posed as a political independent in the past, but in reality he is a caustic left winger, who can only serve to damage the democrat agenda in a still vastly conservative nation. Dean did not get out the vote. It was really a continuation of the same problems that have been plaguing Democrats for many years. No vision.

This may be changing, but Democrats should bring this change about faster and get rid of Howard Dean. Carville Says Dems Should Dump Dean over “Rumsfeldian” Incompetence

By the way, Rumsfeldian Incompetence? That's priceless. Sounds like it should be a permanent entry in the American lexicon to me.

Casino Royale : I'm hoping to talk my father into going to see the new Bond movie on Thanksgiving before we eat. Sounds as though it is going to be quite good. I've heard that it may hearken back to Connery's more stripped down Bond.
"Casino Royale'': Bond series pulls an ace in Daniel Craig

Pizza that smells like body odor...

That's what I had for supper tonight, and I enjoyed each morsel of it. Kate purchased a Shaw's pizza dough, something I do fairly often, and decided to give this whole quick pizza recipe a whirl. Of course what Kate did not know, and what I should have told her, is that you need a little bit of flour for your hands when you are preparing the dough. With a lack of flour, we decided to use "Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs". At the time this seemed like a nice idea. It removed the "stick" factor from the dough, and added seasoning.

So after the sauce, cheese and toppings were added the pizza was shoved into the oven. The required 12 minutes went by and I checked on it... and it barely looked cooked at all.. "Kate, is this oven even on?" I asked, a little incredulously. "Oops, I only have it on warm!" Replied Kate.

An additional 12 minutes floats by and once again Kate checks on the pizza. The cheese doesn't look crispy yet, and there is a puddle on top of the pizza. Apparently the peppers on top overwhelmed it. That was totally my bad.... I said a lot of peppers wouldn't be a problem. In reality, that many probably should have been cooked a bit to remove some of their moisture.
We decided to stick the pizza in for another few minutes.

Any way at this time I noticed a salty sort of smell. It was about this time when Kate's roommate Joanne came in to prepare her self supper. Not wanting to draw attention to the smell I didn't say anything.

This time we took the pizza out and it looked nice. Unfortunately it looks like the pizza pan may not have had enough oil, and/or was not seasoned enough. The dough was stuck to the pan in a couple of spots. A puddle remained on top of the pizza, but this was of no concern to me. I was hungry and melted mozzarella cheese is almost always good. So, after Kate & I have consumed about half of the pizza... and Joanne has retreated to the living room, Kate whispers "Do you smell B.O.?"
"It's not me!" I defensively reply, once again smelling my self in an attempt to reassure my beliefs.
"Do you think its....?"Kate starts to say,
"I think its the pizza...." I interrupt.
"Oh" Kate sullenly responds. This depresses Kate as she feels responsible for this strange occurrence.... which she in no way was.
"I don't want any more" Kate says
"What? It still tastes good!" I put another piece into my plate.
"Do you want to take it home with you?" Kate responds with a bit of sarcasm...
Of course I respond with a shrug "Sure, Why not?"
I go on to explain my theory about the Italian bread crumbs being the culprit. I take out the crumbs and give them another sniff and pass them to Kate. It sort of stunk in the same way that an Italian Sandwich can stink after getting warm in a lunch box all day... except in this case it was getting baked into the air.
Later I realized that the smell had permeated the entire apartment. It really is quite funny in hindsight, or at least I think so. Kate, much like myself had initially thought the smell was Joanne. It didn't take too much time for us to unfortunately realize our supper was the source of the unpleasant odor. Ahhh well... what are you going to do?

Kate gave me "The Amityville Horror" by Jay Anson to read after I whined that my mp3 player battery would likely lose its charge on the way back to Melrose. Its pretty good and a fast read too. I'm already on page 50. I suppose I'm a sucker for things like ghost stories so it draws me in.

There was a great article on Boston.com today about the 30th Anniversary of the Hancock building's completion in Back Bay and it's history. I knew that the project was an engineering disaster... but I didn't know quite to what extent. I guess this may have contributed heavily to the hub's sour attitude towards high rises.

Hancock at 30, Behind the Looking Glass

Only recently is Boston really beginning to catch up with several new sky-scraper projects in the works. The most notable a 1000 foot tower going downtown which will likely be 70-80 stories, and replace Hancock's status as the highest building in the Northeast U.S.

One bidder for 1000-foot tower site in Boston

Lastly I wanted to mention how pissed off I am that the GOP is stupid enough to vote Trent Lott back into a seat of power. It was Soooo close too. Lamar Alexander lost by 1 vote, a political moderate... not a old cog with racist tendencies.
Lott succeeds in leadership comeback

Please excuse any growing pains my blog has been having, I switched over to a new formatter and I've had a couple of glitches. I'm trying to work on some long over due items such as refining the format & organizing my side bar better.

I put Drano down the bathroom sink....

Highlight of my evening actually.

Had left over pot roast, and some garlic bread. It was a delight.

In Politics:

Iraq panel offers hope, but unlikely to end debate

James Baker and company are busy mulling a possible plan to help rectify the battles both in Iraq, and a likely 2 year quagmire that threatens to unfold between our legislative and executive branches of power. Of course this will not likely be unleashed full throttle until January when the Democrats get their chance at the reins.

There are several points to keep in mind heading into this. One, often left on the back burner is the interesting tid-bit that the Democrats were able to gain power, in part, due to a conservative group called the Blue Dogs. These are Democrats with often social and fiscally conservative routes. They often won in areas that typically lean to the right. Some of these candidates are said to have little difference policy wise than their Republican opponents did. It is fair to say that the "Republican Brand" was severely tarnished in this election, but people from below the Mason Dixon line were still looking for the same ideals to be championed. They just wanted to punish the Republicans for, uncharacteristic spending, legislative inactivity, corruption, and in some cases incompetence.

The big issue of contention is the idea of setting a time table for withdrawing troops. While I think Iraq is a fiasco, I feel it is our duty not to leave until we can feel comfortable in Iraq's ability to maintain, if nothing else, a loosely held sense of order. We are obviously quite far from that, as just today 100 Iraqi government officials were kidnapped. As I've said before, ultimately politics will win over reason, after all that is sort of the reason we are there to begin with! So I think you can fully expect that eventually, perhaps not for two more years, but eventually we will pull out before securing the country. This will likely go down as one of the worst debacles of Western policy since the treaty of Versailles.

Fundamentalist hatred is at an all time high, and western hatred and blood lust is quickly transforming from something that is supported by the few, to the accepted beliefs of many. It is Jihad that is the abused term. It is one easily abused too, and is perhaps the source of much of the ease in transforming what should be a religion of peace to one of confrontation, intolerance, and war.

This page is an Islamic site which appears to preserve the intent of jihad in a manner that allows for coexistence with the western cultures. allahuakbar.net Movements such as this, as well as Cat Steven's return to pop culture (Yusuf Islam) can help promote a positive, civil, and accepting voice to help drown out extremists.

I am concerned that ultimately the trends appear to favor the rhetoric of hatred and fear ultimately winning the minds of much of the Muslim world. These are people who glorify death and fighting. School children are being taught that we are murderous devils. In light of recent failed U.S. policy, it is easy to see how this can be spun with little to no effort. Iran was on its way to becoming a secular, more liberated society before the latest Iraq incursion. Now it has done a 180 and threatens to be the seat of the iron fist that could begin a quest unlike any seen for more than half a century.

It is an interesting contrast between Western and Mid-eastern societies. Where as our culture treats these topics with kids gloves (Prevention of planting seeds of hate within our own people?), much of the middle east is filled with fascinating stories of our uncontrolled evil. Will we make the same mistakes of past World Wars? Probably...

It's kind of like a filling that you know you need but you put it off until you have a horrible tooth ache.... or its like my leaky kitchen faucet. I'll have to fix eventually but I'm avoiding it as long as I can. Trouble is, in this case, we will all have to pay for the water bill.

My Ice Cream Scoop Broke Tonight

And so I stopped using it.

I have a leak in my kitchen faucet... and I think it is getting worse. I really don't want to call the land lord because:

A. He'll likely never get back to me, and will be irritated.

B. I'll probably have to take time off from work to let the stupid plumber in.

I'm kind of tempted to try and fix it myself because it may be easier than the alternatives.

I watched "You Can Count on Me" tonight which won dome Sundance Film Festival awards back in 2000. It stars Laura Linney, Matthew Broderick and Rory Culkin. It has to do with life in a small town and a family that was scarred by a horrible accident in childhood, that took away their parents. The film takes place some 15-20 years later and we see the characters deal with their various weaknesses. The set is a small town in the hills of Western Massachusetts. It was an excellent film, but be forewarned, it is a slow moving drama (Think the Station Agent). If you need a quick paced plot, this one won't be for you.

Well... I should have a lot to do tomorrow, and I'm not looking forward to it, so I should go to sleep.

Peace Out...

Pumpkin Bread Crumbs

Saturday night I made a pumpkin bread. When I took it out of the pan it fell apart and I became very sad.

Luckily Kate came over and the pot roast that I'd been making came out quite nice. Despite the pumpkin bread being pulverized it still tasted good so it was not a total loss.

Today I went to Kittery with the intention of beginning some Christmas shopping. Kate came along and we walked around through a torrential downpour. The forecast of course called for intermittent rain. Despite the deluge, we had a decent time. On the way back to Boston we took a detour into Portsmouth and got supper there. We ate at this quirky place called "The Friendly Toast". It had an eclectic menu with an eclectic decor (and staff). I had a vegetarian burrito, called "The Mission Burrito", Kate had an egg sandwich with a special bread which I want to say was habenero and cheddar, but I'm probably wrong.

I was pretty out of it on the way back to Boston, too over tired from too many nights of little or broken sleep. I missed the turn to get on route 1 because I wasn't paying attention, and it just got worse. I decided it would be best for me to probably cut my night short and get some rest... So as I finish this I'll be headed to the comfort of my bed which will hopefully return some sensibility to my being for the week ahead.

Here's an amusing Rumsfeld clip from CBS's late late show....

WWII Vet - Saturday Slumber

It was a relaxing day today as I slept until 1:00. I must have shut off an alarm clock in my sleep, woke up at 11:00 then went back to sleep. So even though I lost a good chunk of my day, I suppose I definitely needed the extra rest.

I woke up and embarked dutifully on my fairly busy schedule today. The dishes are done and I have a Pot roast cooking in the Crock Pot for tonight when Kate comes over. I used rosemary today in addition to the usual thyme, garlic, and pepper that I use. When I went to Salem with my Mom, Aunts, and Cousin hope in early October, I bought some freshly dried rosemary at one of the herbology places there. Should be tasty. I'm thinking of doing some baking too, although I have a couple of small apartment cleaning items on the to do list, and they take priority.

Last night I found a cool Video- blog series which I may occasionally post from in here. It is a WWII Veteran talking about his time in post war Japan. It is very interesting. He's an excellent story teller, great vocabulary, very sharp. I hope that somehow I can be as remarkably together when I am his age. (I'm not even sure I'm as eloquent or coherent right now to be truthful.)

So... Enjoy, hope your weekend is going well.

A day later

Well... The Republican loss was well deserved and it needed to happen. The corruption had run out of control. Spending is unchecked. The war is a mess. And of course this goes on.

The powers that be needed a wake up call and this was it.

Already we've seen Donald Rumsfeld step down, which can only be a good thing. One would hope...

Anyway, I honesty can't compose myself still, It's too late tonight, and I haven't had enough time to process.

I'm obviously worried about Nancy Pelosi, and the prospects reinforced fiscal irresponsibility, but I suppose it is a risk we are going to have to take.

The Democrats have been trying to paint themselves as budgetary conservatives in light of recent deficits under a GOP run legislature. Now its time for them to prove that they can live up to the sermon.

-Till I have time to write something... ummmm better,
Good Riddance Donald!



We'll see... we'll see...

Democracy works.... now what? (for full effect turn on sound)

When I'm stuck with a day, that's gray, and lonely

I'm so excited... and just can't hide it... I know I know I know...

Actually I don't know any more of these lyrics..... but its election day. It's like Christmas, but instead of candy we can all anticipate lumps of coal in our stockings. Its just a matter of checking out the quality of that coal. How efficient is it? Does it burn fast or slow? Does it bring a fire storm with it? Is it perhaps tough to light? Perhaps it will just give off a lot of pollution and not much else?

ONLY time will tell.

But... I will be going home early tomorrow to vote, and I will be staying up late to start and get some off those exit polls.

To make good for the following rant, please see the clip of an adorable bunny at the end of the post.

WARNING: The following is a rant, things will be said, streams of consciousness will be spewed.

Exiting the gym tonight I saw a bunch of students reminding me to vote for Deval Patrick, or in my case not to vote for Deval Patrick. I'm old enough to remember what Massachusetts used to be like before it had a system of check and balance. There is a slight chance that Patrick will be reasonable... but it is VERY slight. This could bring back the taxachusetts that the entire country used to laugh at.

I'm always completely baffled by people who waste their precious time campaigning for democrats in Massachusetts. Its like performing rain dances in Seattle or London... anyway I digress.

Patrick is campaigning saying that the Massachusetts economy has problems right now. This really is a crock of sh*t. The Massachusetts economy went through some rough times, and with Romney's leadership came out on top of the pack. While not perfect, Massachusetts's economy leads the national average in growth, although you wouldn't know it from the TV ads. Trouble is we have a bunch of spoiled Gen-xers and Gen-Y folks who haven't got the slightest clue about what hardship is. They think the government is supposed to take care of them like mummy and daddy. Well a couple years from now after Patrick and crew have made the state more unfriendly to big business we'll see how well they do at the unemployment office. A state bureau filled with many (I'm sure not all.....but MOST are) complacent lazy people who are cogs in a corrupt careless system. (Has anyone had any experience with someone getting a job through unemployment's help? I'd really like to know... additionally, I'd love to hear stories about difficulties getting paid due to misinformation... I have them that's for certain). Lets bring that joy to healthcare, lets expand the damn organizations that brought us the big dig, and everyone knows what fixes everything.... more money. So get ready.... the big dig came out of the Donkey run era. Expect that more of that.

And you know, the Republican candidate just quite simply doesn't deserve to win... which really screws over everyone in Massachusetts (Unless you work for the government I suppose). How on earth did she win the primary? Kerry Healey has run a lousy campaign that no one seems to care about. The one memorable TV add she has is a joke... not to mention extremely questionable. Shoddy editing and accusing her opponent of supporting a rapist because of discussions with his client?! Who dreamed this stuff up?

Patrick has played his cards well. As much as I don't want him to win, he has taken the high road and this dirty campaign and it will only serve to help him.

Healey comes off as being distant, and arrogant. Its almost as if she believes she deserves to win and so she's not going to exert to much effort.

She will get slaughtered... double digit lead, I predict Christy Mihos... and Ross (Who I was tempted to vote for just out of spite :D) together with Healey, won't even add up to half of the total vote. I'm voting for Healey begrudgingly, because it is my only safe bet.... Patrick will win, I just fear for the worst.

Anyway.... I'd say the sun will come out tomorrow, but it probably won't.

Till then....

Gloomy Sundays.....

I feel strangely depressed. OK it isn’t really all that strange, I just have a bit of seasonal depression.

Today played out for me a lot like the days I had several years ago when I used to be living in Lowell. Well I didn’t have any middle aged Asian men try and solicit me for gay sex and trips to strip clubs, but it was “almost” like the days spent living in Lowell.

I woke up, late, not really wanting to get out of bed. I didn’t shower, instead, eventually around 1:00 pm I threw on a ball cap, sweater, and corduroys. Before doing anything of significance (or insignificance) I checked my email and scanned over the stories on CNN.com. I had no mail other than a couple of spam letters and some weekly crap I get from astrologers.com. I sat around a few minutes listening to the distant tick.. tick … of the clock on the kitchen wall, and the hollow drone of jet liner thousands of feet above, circling before arriving on the tarmac at Logan Airport. Eventually I decided to escape the noise of emptiness and I headed out for an afternoon drive.

My initial plan was to drive to Newbury Comics at Square One mall in Saugus. Upon arriving I realized that I had never returned a Blockbuster movie from last weekend. I drove back with the late fall sun flickering through the balding trees, and the car bounded along as though it was hurtling itself off a cliff like a lemming. A song played on the stereo and its lyrics and notes scuttled about the entrance to my mind never quite penetrating.

Upon turning into the Wyoming Station terminal parking lot and re-entering my apartment lot, I lightly cursed my negligence a couple of times. Luckily, I don’t believe there was a late fee as it was a weekly rental.

Video in hand I headed out to Stoneham to drop off the DVD.

After walking around in circles at Blockbuster to reassure myself that I would not have a late fee, I got back in the car. A Subaru was parked next to me, and three dogs inside barked excitedly at me as I seated myself. Once the door was shut, one of the dogs, the oldest, stopped barking. The other two continued until I started the car, and then they gave up their vocal assault.

I think a little part of me is like that old dog. I’ve sort of realized that all of the barking is sort of pointless, even though it may be fun, and it seems to give purpose to my life. Of course like the old dog, a part of me wants something that will get me to start barking incessantly again. You could see it in his eyes. It was the sort of look that said “Oh well…. Life goes on”. Also, much like the old dog, I occasionally drool uncontrollably.

Before leaving Stoneham I stopped at a “Fye” records which used to be a Strawberries. I literally walked in the door and right back out. I looked at the “top twenty sellers” and it was all a bunch of crap. Rap stars with short fuses and brainless bimbos whose music will be about as timeless as snowman that a child builds after a winter storm in Virginia. Nauseated, as I opened the exit door, I believe I even said “This place sucks…” loud enough so that the clerk, and two customers (an old guy looking for some Tony Bennet or something, and a kid with baggy wind pants and crooked hat, aspiring to a life of hate and laziness) could hear me.

I went to Newbury Comics finally, although I couldn’t bring myself to walk around for an hour in the store. I used to salivate at all of the great music that would be there. It was almost as if purchasing CDs would some how enlighten and expand me as a person, and that with every new listening experience I might be closer to some sort of imagined perfection.

Today I was feeling like it was all just a bunch of the same old crap with slightly different perspectives. The thought also crossed my mind that soon Newbury comics, and places like it probably won’t even exist. Hell, if Tower and Virgin records go down how can Newbury comics even hope to survive?!

Anyway I finally bought Arcade Fire, which I had been avoiding for a real lame excuse. I figured everybody likes it so it really can’t possibly be that good. It is pretty good. They are contemporaries of the Talking Heads, and perhaps expand upon a style popularized by Modest Mouse. Unlike Modest Mouse the music is much more layered and polished, and Arcade Fire seems to understand how to combine sounds and harmonies in a manner that builds a much more impressive sound. I also bought Pink Floyd’s “Piper at The Gates of Dawn”.

I next bought myself a small pizza and Buffalo wings at Dominos. (I don't really like the pizza at dominos, but the wings are great, I should have just got cheesy bread) I wolfed down all but two slices of pizza as I watched commentators talk about Iraq, Saddam, and the elections… oh yeah and the gay Christian Fundamentalist who just got fired from his gigantic tele-parish. At least there is occasionally some decent comedy in reality. (ahhh hypocrisy.)

As I write this…. I can hear people hollering in the apartment building across the way. By people, I mean one guy with more testosterone than he knows what to do with. A football game must be on, probably the Patriots. Too bad I don’t care. It would be a nice distraction from myself. Of course if I were watching the game I wouldn’t yell so three city blocks could hear me at 11:00 pm at a game of little significance to the season… I wouldn’t yell like we had just defeated foreign invaders and triumphed over evil. I wouldn’t yell like I had just won a million frigging dollars. As emotionally attached as I might become to a bunch of millionaire thugs with an 7th grade reading level, I’d like to think I'd have slightly better control of myself, and that I'd have an ounce of respect for my neighbors.

Perhaps tomorrow I will write about politics or something more interesting than a couple pages of me droning on about the meaninglessness of life.

HAPPY MONDAY :D Yeh, yipeee!!! Wooo Hooo HOOT HOOT HOOT!!!

The Information

I have been thoroughly enjoying the new Beck album "The Information". As it so happens, I typically enjoy new "Beck" albums, however this one is an improvement over Guero which was Beck's anticipated return to that off beat and often nonsensical sound he is famous for.

The first single, Nausea, actually did not stand out as one of the more memorable tracks from the information (for me anyway). That being said it definitely cooks along. I've attached the official music video here which recollects the Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony".



The thing with Beck is you can't tell when he's trying to be profound or simply absurd.
While often appearing to rhyme for the sake of sound... his delivery is almost always steeped with conviction and a certain style and swagger.

For a Beck album that is the antithesis of his norm check out "Sea Change". It's style is perhaps a contemporary of the sound established by the under appreciated, Nick Drake. There is a cover of Drake's "Parasite" that Beck had on his web site for a bit, if anyone knows a way to get a hold of that one, please let me know.

I'm sure Beck Hansen often sits back either laughing at fans trying to find depth in meaningless rhymes, or perhaps steeped in frustration over a public that doesn't understand him. Who knows... after all the dude's a Scientologist.

Nausea [Version (a)]:

1, 2, 3, 4

I'm a seasick sailor
On a ship of noise
I got my maps all backwards
And my instincts poisoned
In a truth blown gutter
Full of wasted years
Like blown-out speakers
Ringin' in my ears

Oh it's nausea, oh nausea And we're gone
It's nausea, oh nausea And we're gone

Now I'm a straight-line walker
In a black-out room
I push a shopping cart over
In an Aztec ruin
With my minion fingers
Working for some God
Who could see his own reflection
In a parking lot

Oh it's nausea, oh nausea And we're gone
No it's nausea, oh nausea And we're gone

Now I'm a priest teenager
On a tower of dust
I'm a dead generator
In a cloud of exhaust
I eat alone in the desert
With skulls for my pets
I rate the days, one to ten
With lead cigarettes

It's nausea, oh nausea And we're gone
It's nausea, oh nausea And we're gone

Hmmmm.... an expression of the futility of it all perhaps??

The following is a song (video) from the Sea Change album, "Lost Cause". I never saw it because I'm too old and crinkly now to pay much heed to MTV. Amusingly enough, apparently you can no longer say the word "gun" on MTV, as it is censored here. (wow.... I know people are dim, but please give kids a bit more credit than that!)

On the Eve of November

Because it was too much effort to write Happy Halloween, and it would take a hell of a lot of gummy bears.

Hope everyone had a good day. My "treat" for the day was to go get myself an order of buffalo wings from domino's. And yes, I know some of you are wondering, despite the temptation to do the contrary, I did wash my hands before I went to the bathroom.

The server was awful today for blogger, and I don't know if it was just me, but I found the net to be slow over all through out the day. It was slow both at my apartment and at work. Ahhhh... who knows.


"You know, education -- if you make the most of it, you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well.

"If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." -Senator John Kerry

John Kerry knows how to say some dumb sh*t that's for sure. He can make excuses all he wants, the fact is Kerry said that people only join the service because they can't navigate the educational system. That is such an elitist and absurd suggestion. It is just plain ignorant, arrogant, and completely out of touch. Many people serve because they want to, because they know they'll gain discipline in their lives. They'll also learn many valuable skills, leadership being one of the most important. I voted for John Kerry out of protest against the current administration's high risk behavior and constant spin to serve their outlandish agenda. That is truly what it was, an anti-Bush vote, not a pro-Kerry vote.

It is sad, but generally speaking that seems to be how politics works today. Instead of candidates promoting their great ideas, they just list all of the horrible things about their opposition. With W, no lists were necessary. I guess for the short term he's at least done well with the economy (until the debt catches up with us in a bad way).

On that note....

My nostrils

This past weekend was a fairly lazy one. The highlight was hanging out with Kate Sunday. We went to the Texas Roadhouse for lunch and I indulged in an excellent sirloin. Kate had a pulled pork dinner. Of course the rolls, ahhh the rolls, are definitely the best thing about this kitsch steakhouse chain.

I've been very tired lately, I don't know if it is the changing of the seasons, or what in particular has brought it on. I've been sleeping well at night, but I still find myself dozing off after getting home, and my whole evening slips from my grasp.

I have a pimple in the inside of my left nostril, and it is quite awful. It is intense enough that it is making my nostrils asymmetrical, my right nostril appearing visibly larger. I knew that this is very interesting information, and I just thought it would be appropriate to share with all of my readers.

I watched The Inside Man & Lucky # Sleven. Out of the two Lucky Number Sleven was probably my preferred film. I thought it was a bit more creative and entertaining. While the Inside Man was good, I actually fell asleep before it ended and had to watch the last few scenes again. In The Inside Man, Jodie Foster had one of the more "saucy" roles I've seen her play. It was a powerful cut-throat role, so despite the unusual suggestions of sex appeal, it still worked out well for her. (One usually thinks of Clarice Starling who did not want to be judged, or use her sexuality to accomplish things). Josh Hartnett was surprisingly bearable and appropriate in his role in "Sleven". Usually I find him rather boorish and he always seems to play that "complacent jock" type, this was a step up for him.

I don't know about everyone else but I'm sort of excited for election night... I still think if there is any victory for the Democrats it will be marginal, but who knows what will happen. Honestly I have mixed feelings because I think the republicans stink, but I don't think the democrats (as a broad assessment) have earned a take over bid. Republicans involved should be held to account for excessive spending and corruption. Likewise, democrats exhibiting these traits should be held to account to. Unfortunately only the truly dedicated will dig up a canidates' voting records on spending, and in this climate their opponent likely will not be an improvement.

Childhood nostalgia

Weird Al made the top ten!

I used to love Al's stuff when I was a young sprite.

Here are a couple Weird Al clips... first his new hit "White and Nerdy", which is a parody of a rap song I honestly have never heard, because I'm an old man. (Wild and Dirty)




And here, because it was well done... an old "fake" interview with Eminem. Its long, so I'd watch this one on break or at home if you have the inclination.

Stream of conscience? (open for debate)

I thought that I would take time to deviate from my path of late. You know the whole political bit... Its a tough deviation for me, I must admit.

First off, I just finished watching Philadelphia. Yes I know, the movie is pretty much a classic now and is quite old, but it is one I did not see. I have to say it was a terrific film, Hanks (Andrew Beckett) was at his best, and even Denzel Washington, who I'm usually not "wowed" by was amazing. Washington played a hire-by-infomercial claims lawyer named Joe Miller. Miller was a last resort hire for Hank's character who sought to press discrimination charges and a wrongful termination suit against his own law firm. Beckett (as everyone must know by now) was fired when it was discovered he was gay and that he had aids. Miller had to over come his own prejudices to proceed with the trial. Well... If you are like me, and you've somehow made it 13 years with out seeing this film, go out and rent it.

Now that I've gotten my blurb on my evening entertainment out of the way, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on some of the various conversation had this weekend.

Topics:

John first brought up most attractive woman in Hollywood, the consensus was Scarlett Johansson. Next Hayes challenged "Who is the most attractive Man?". The answers here were all different.. which perhaps demonstrates that we aren't women. The guys scoffed and my inclusion of lesser know actor Cillian Murphy... which I suppose reveals I like pretty men? Actually truth be told I want to emulate pretty men.... although oddly enough in my older age I seem to have acquired too much testosterone to even have a fighting chance. (The 3 o'clock shadow, and prominent chin don't help) Hayes picked Christian Bale.... John was busy cursing everyone who attracted a lot of female attention (Josh Hartnett>>mainly because he supposedly dates Scarlett, and Colin Farrell earned the "douche bag" title amongst others).

Another topic: Meth Amphetamines... that's right. Meth labs. Actually in a rather pathetic moment we were all discussing how Meth is actually "used". Really pathetic since I'm sure I learned this (in a class) in college. So... I had to look it up.

The usual route for medical use is oral administration. In recreational use it can be swallowed, snorted, smoked, dissolved in water and injected (or even without water, in what is called a dry shot), inserted anally (with or without dissolution in water), or into the urethra. [22]

As with all addictive drugs, the potential for addiction is greater when it is delivered by methods that cause the concentration in the blood to rise quickly, principally because the effects desired by the user are felt more quickly and with a higher intensity than through a moderated delivery mechanism. In fact, studies have shown that the subjective pleasure of drug use (the reinforcing component of addiction) is proportional to the rate that the blood level of the drug increases. In general, smoking is the fastest mechanism (i.e., it causes the blood concentration to rise the most quickly in the shortest period of time as it allows the substance to travel to brain through a more direct route than intravenous injection), followed by injecting, snorting, anal insertion, and swallowing.

Next on the list... the "High Fidelity/ Nick Hornby" style top ten lists. Actually it was top five songs... which on the spot, I find nearly impossible. (as did everyone) Really it is impossible, but to participate, I thought I'd go ahead and form a top ten list... which of course is really fluid. These would consistently fit into my top fifty for certain. Some of these are very bread and butter, but as far as I'm concerned there is a reason they were so revered to begin with.

Imagine- John Lennon

Let it Be- The Beatles

Here Comes the Sun- The Beatles

Isn't it a Pity- George Harrison

Circle Game- Joni Mitchell

Don't Let it Bring You Down- Neil Young

The Battle of Evermore- Led Zeppelin

Which Will- Nick Drake

You know what.... I just can't do this... its a bunch of crap really, you can't exclude all of the excellent music that's out there! I keep writing things.... then erasing them. Too much pressure. I couldn't even make a top ten artists list, let alone songs. I'd have to come up with some elaborate system of rating.....I'm thinking lyrics slightly over sound... although it seems circumstantial.

Really you would have to make lists for moods, lists for genres, lists for times of the year, times of the day... which they get into in high fidelity, also with mixed success. Lists for songs by an artist, that might be a lot easier.

Well... Gute Nacht!

In a Nutshell....

Jaunted up 95 to the ole state of Maine this weekend. A chance to see the folks and my Aunt, and also catch up with some friends from St. Joe's.

On Friday I stayed with my family. Upon my arrival I was hungry as I had made my trek as soon as I returned home from work. I decided to head out in search of some food. I had a craving for Chinese and figured the quick take out places are usually open late. Sadly I could not find an open Chinese restaurant.

Having difficulty satisfying this craving I ultimately settled on Sam's Italian sandwich Shoppe, and got myself a ham Italian. Ham Italian's from Sam's are a piece of nostalgia for me (and that's probably true for many people from Maine & New Hampshire. They are a relatively simple seasoned-oil drenched, sandwich on a moist sub roll.. which is actually unique in that it is more like a giant ultra moist and decadent hot dog roll. They are the size of sub rolls, but they are backed together when cooked so the sides are crust free, and split down the middle almost completely. Sandwiches are filled with pickle spears, tomatoes, green peppers, and a heavy helping of onions. Some times Spanish black olives are added. After the seasoned oil, salt and pepper is generously sprinkled on the glistening vegetables, meat and cheese.

Next after consuming my vittles from Sam's I crashed on the sleeper sofa in the den and fell asleep with the remote control in my hand. The low drone of whatever uninteresting crap the fiber optics were delivering, apparently serving as an excellent lullaby.

My mother woke me around 4:30- 5:00 am because she thought my car was blocking her exit from the garage. She needed to go to work.

As luck would have it she was simply being nervous and there was plenty of room. With some minor frustration, I directed her path out of the garage and past my car.

Drowsiness quickly anchored me back to the sleeper sofa and I slept until noon.

Dad walked through the door and smirked at me still sleeping. Without much doubt he must have been shaking his head at the laziness of my generation. Here he is working seven days a week, and yet I'm too exhausted to wake up at a reasonable hour on the weekend.

Eventually I showered up and Dad & I went and got a pizza at Papa John's before Mom returned home from work.

Next, when Mom had arrived she needed some assistance with some home finance record keeping on the computer. I helped with this, going over some Microsoft Excell tricks. I needed to burn a CD per request for one of my college friends. This particular friend had some had some moderately snide criticism of the blogging world. Sounds insanely jealous if you ask me. His skill sets reside more in the wild wild world of internet profiles. Ahh... what can I say people can't all be as awesome as yours truly.

Onward, into the evening, I visited with my Aunt Virginia in Auburn, and finishing up the night I went to Rosie's... a small bar in Portland's Old Port. It's a bit quieter than the typical establishment making it more effective for good conversation. It is one of those unusual places where you actually have a chance in hell at hearing what you program into the Juke box. Tim Hayes, Brandy Rogers, John Madden, and Michelle Arsenault all were there for the merry spirits.

I crashed on Brandy's futon and the next morning Brandy, Tim, and myself indulged on some Cinnamon buns that Miss Rogers had concocted. Later we caught the Patriot's Game in which Buffalo luckily dropped the ball, literally at times. John, Tim, and myself went outside and tossed around a football for a while. Eventually John punted the ball and got it stuck in a tree. Tim and I spent twenty minutes trying various creative ways to get it to fall out. I climbed the tree and shook the branch. Tim handed me a broom. At first I swatted at branches close. Ultimately the broom also got stuck in the tree out of reach. Still perched up in the branches I broke a small limb and used it to dislodge the broom. I continued shaking the branch for about ten minutes straight. (You can't doubt my persistence!) Next Tim decided to get a big rock and try to hit the ball. After about ten tries, instead of hitting the ball he clipped one of the branches which held it and the tree released the ball. At this time I headed back for supper with the folks before finally going back to Melrose.

! May your week bear the fruit of prosperity and joy ! (cough, cough... Ahem)