Unexpected Road

A fine noteworthy article:

Customers cook up trouble with fake penis

And yet another

Psycho Path voted wackiest street name

I kind of like "farfrompoopen rd" myself.

I watched "Donnie Darko" tonight, and it definitely did not disappoint. It made me chuckle more than a few times. It kept me guessing, was very original, and had some great plot twists. I highly recommend it. It has a heavy sci-fi taste to it, but unlike many, (about 2/3 at least) the story overcomes any campiness that it may encompass. I'd categorize it more as a psychological thriller/drama with a bit of dark comedy, before I'd bill it as a sci-fi flick because I know the genre often brings about some negative connotations. I think sci-fi must be one of the most difficult genres to direct. You have to make it believable and captivate a increasingly cynical modern audience so they don't sit there rolling their eyes for 2 hours.

Tuesday here I come! Slumber time!

Gluttony, Politics, and yet another dawn of another week

Weekend up In Maine:

My Weekend started with hanging out with Kate Friday night, which was great as it always is.

Saturday I made it out of Massachusetts just as the snow started to really come down. Once I got past York on the Maine Turnpike, the snow really tapered off. They really didn't get much snow at all up in fabulous Lewiston/Auburn.

I went up for my Aunt Virginia's birthday (or Aunt' Gigi, as us kiddies in the fam call her>>> It stems from the youngest of my cousins not being able to pronounce her name, and I guess it just stuck). We had Ham & baked beans, that coupled with massive amounts of Chinese food I had with Kate the night before (and more Saturday morning for breakfast) had me feeling a bit ill. But I'd probably do it again... because, I really like food.

So here I am, dreading a new work week after a bit, but not nearly enough relaxation. I've been spoiled with only nine hour days at work lately (by lately, I mean the past few work days), I reckon that it will be inevitable that the 10-12 hour days will start up again. Grrrrr...

I artificially inflated my blog hit counter by mistake tonight. I'm going to have to see if I can fix it. I was trying to replace my "devil/goat head" with a new picture... and it isn't working for some reason.

Anyway...

In the news

South Dakota nears abortion ban

It looks like it could be a bit riskier to be a woman in South Dakota soon. I'm not quite sure if the Supreme court could step in and over rule it due to Roe vs. Wade and "Stare decisis" meaning that the past ruling has been legitimized as law by past precedent. John Roberts used this in explaining what his policy on Roe vs. Wade would likely be.

I find it odd for a few reasons, as the article says, apparently even in cases of rape, incest, endangering the mother or severe birth defects, apparently it would still be illegal. This seems a bit extreme. I've heard that it says it would be allowed to save a mother's life, but there would need to be proof of certainty that the mother would die. Since this is an often impossible thing to predict doctors could risk manslaughter charges or law suits by other family members, etc.

Having been to South Dakota, I was a bit surprised that this is the first state to recently challenge Roe vs. Wade. While they may be conservative by New England, NY, & West Coast Standards, they are no means a solid "Red State". This is the same state that brought us Tom Daschle (Thank God he's gone.... Now Delay, trouble is new creeps keep rising to take their place. What ever happened to good ole Cute Gingrich, Gephardt and Bobby Dole? :D Ahhh memories).

Well, I reckon it's time to hit the hay.

Oooooh Pictures....

Tonight I bought myself a scanner. It was a display model and I got $25 knocked off of the price including an extended warranty which wasn't initially included. The scanner rang in incorrectly, and I made sure not to mention it. I should have at least paid probably $100 rather than the $75, even including the 10% off. Bonus.

Work was reasonable today. The two experiments I've been working on finally got accomplished despite the injector on my HPLC being broken. I had to rig a manual injection with a 5 ml sample loop added on at a rather unconventional location. I was kicking it "ole school" style, doing things manually. Much to my surprise it worked and my eluted samples are going through some further testing this evening.

Peachy.

Anywhoo... I decided to test out the scanner, and as I haven't really had time to refine my skills of the software I haven't gotten too creative with these pictures. They are from my trip down to Orlando last year to see Jason Duplissis, my long time compadre from childhood. Kate came with and we did the whole theme park thing plus a day at the beach & Kennedy Space Center. I'm doing a reprisal this year, however I'll be spending a couple days in South Beach, then coming back up to Orlando to see Jason. We are going to Busch Gardens on one day followed by a Sox game in Tampa that night. I'm pretty psyched. Our Sunday, and Monday before the flight remains unplanned. I think Kate is going to try and stir up a plan for that.

This first picture is a shot of some thistle-like plants at the Harry P. Leu gardens. Kate and I went there before finally heading back to the airport on the day we left. It was her idea and it was a free, and pretty fun day. I enjoyed watching turtles and tiny lizards eat, and looking at all of the various palms, flowers and tropical plants.


This next picture is Kate, looking very youthful & chipper on a bright spring Orlando day. This is once again at Harry P. Leu gardens.


This last picture is one of me grasping a hold of Jason's naturally hairless leg at Pleasure Island, Disney's night life area. We are in front of one of the coolest things I've ever seen. It is a giant lego serpent that is coming out of the lagoon behind us. Unfortunately the cheap disposable camera coupled with the scan, did not translate its glory affectively. This picture demonstrates how I may occasionally be embarrassing to be around in public.

I think that I managed to screw up the quality more by messing around with the effects. It looks a bit pixelated, but I really don't have the time or energy to fix it. Imagine.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a snappy weekend.

"Arrrrghh!" he thought in muted exasperation.

So I think I lied, as in, I'm not going to make up for last time tonight, or maybe I will, I don't know, stay tuned!

So work was a bust today, the instrumentation had problems and the proper amount of sample I needed to load wasn't getting processed. Of course it wasn't evident until late afternoon. It is very likely that I might not get it fixed tomorrow, because the repair man may not make it in. There are a couple of other options on loading my sample, although they are undesirable I may go that route. Of course I have these items on my agenda in addition to a meeting that starts at 9:00 that I just plain out don't want to attend.

I'm frustrated because my tasks are difficult enough without machine malfunction. Even when this beast starts running, I'm afraid that some unanswered problems of the past may rear their ugly head again. They are inexplicable too... defying physics and all literature regarding the materials I'm using.

Anyway, that's enough ranting.

I just watched "Bottle Rocket" which I finally got from Netflix. You can never find it in video stores. It was Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson's first screenplay and directing collaboration. (Think, Rushmore, Royal Tennenbaums & The Life Aquatic) It was milder in many ways however the smart comedy, dark topics, dysfunctional protagonists, and even some of the extras were standard "Wes Anderson" material.

In the news:

San Francisco Hopes to Harness Power of Dog Poop


Mutant Chickens Grow Full Set of Teeth
Sounds like the work of the DEVIL to me!! :D

Willy the hog pairs with antelope at zoo
Sick and wrong, they should be euthanized for their sins & bad choices. What is the world coming to? This is just going to legitimize Pandas and Yaks to finally give into their most basic desires. You can just imagine the torrid scandalous road this will take the Animal Kingdom down. I think everyone is dying to know what the geese have to say about all of this. They are likely to carry on honking it all over the northern hemisphere. Vile avian perverts, why can't they be more like the modest chickadees?

Well, that's all I've got for tonight....

Busy busy...

Hello all,

Hope a good President's day was had by everyone, and for those not in the states, that your week has gotten to a good start.

I've been busy with work and errands and haven't had much time to write. Tomorrow I will play catch up.

Tonight, with Kate, I went to Changsho, a high end chinese place in Porter square. The food was quite good, and the atmosphere was very nice additionally. While "Americanized" the food still was better than standard chinese food from your neighborhood quicky place.

Got my taxes done last night... anxiously waiting for the refund.

Anyway... have a Wicked Good Wednesday!

-George

TGIF

I recently signed up for Netflix. Thus far I've rented "Finding Neverland" which probably everyone has heard of or seen, and "The Machinist". The latter stars Christian Bale looking very emaciated and sickly. I couldn't decide whether he was digitally edited to look this way or if he really got that thin. The movie is sort of part "Memento" part "Fight Club". It is definitely a very cerebral film. For those who like suspense and puzzles, I would highly recommend it. Finding Neverland made me gain a greater appreciation for "Peter Pan". It explores a real life story that was the inspiration for the play, and touches upon various metaphors which are employed by the tale.

Here is a great review on the Machinist, and it answers the question on Christian Bale.... the answer may scare you.

Getting the Skinny on Christian Bale

Friday at last!!

A long weekend too!

Pop culture and toxic toads

It was just occurring to me, as I sat on the futon this evening... that the "smart member" of the current administration shot someone in the face in an open field.

Anyway.

Is anyone besides myself sick of this "Date Movie" over promotion? I think the thing looks pretty awful but I thought the same thing about the scary movie flicks, and those were hits. I was watching bad comedies in the big blizzard, instead of doing my taxes or something else useful. Comedy central had Alyson Hannigan, and the no name British dude that's her co-star doing commentary at commercial breaks, and showing clips from their movie. The whole movie is essentially a sequence of spoofs, and bad ones at that.
And is it me, or does Alyson Hannigan have an "Erkle" aftertaste. I think she's always going to have the bandcamp and "Buffy" stigma attached to her until she's fifty. I fully expect her to start getting gigs hosting sci-fi awards and comic book conventions. I'm sure she's made many a lonely greasy "Buffy" fan court possible permanent blindness. But hey, its probably an easy living, just get a good security system and a couple mean guard dogs to keep away the occasional stalker.

And here is my article of interest for the day, and the expression of my true "dorky" self, that I don't exactly hide.

Toxic Toads Evolve Longer Legs, Take Over Australia

Another trick of the devil obviously to try and fool us into believing in evolution. Damn that devil! Oh wait.....

I Heart Pizza

Hey there peeps..

The Hallmark holiday has come and gone, and coincidentally the Dow rose above 11,000 on the same day. Can you feel the LOVE! Oh yeah...

Kate and I had a "romantic" dinner at.... um..... UNO's. Hey, they had a all you can eat special on Salad, Pasta and Pizza for only $7.99 Quantity reigned over quality tonight, with the exception of Kate's high caliber company ;D.


I realized tonight that the Chili's that was on Mt. Auburn St. in Harvard Square is no longer there! I guess that is a victory for the anti-franchise folks. I probably noticed this previously but forgot.

Some little, for lack of a better term, bimbo (who I will refer to as "Pinky") was being horrible on the T ride home tonight. She ran into a friend and had valley girl speak to the nth degree. She was wearing a hot pink parka, and I would have pegged her around 25 years old at least. The clincher for me is when she spoke about the Olympics and said the following:

"Get this, um, I like watched the girl's (yes she said girl's, not women's) snow boarding? And now I know why guys don't like male figure skaters. Those girls were like, totally disgusting, like, I mean, like, act like women for Christ's sake. Like, Women don't wear baggy clothes. It like totally pissed me off that figure skating was interrupted for this."

In my head I imagined that at this point Pinky's head suddenly exploded.

First I don't think some dunce in a hot pink puffy parka should be handing out fashion tips. The only thing she was missing was rainbow bright leg warmers. Baggy uniforms are pretty much universal in snowboarding, gender aside. Next, I think she
was trying to imply that aggressive athletic women are lesbians, although I'm sure she was thinking of an alternative term to describe their sexual preferences. I really thought she was going to say it too. I was glaring at her revoltingly, but I think she was way too intoxicated with the sound of her own voice to notice.

Women tackling sports like snowboarding have made tremendous progress and should be commended not criticized. And these women for the most part struck me as girl next door types, not testosterone envious ragers. And hey... I don't think that makes them disgusting even if they are, different strokes for different folks. Pinky on the other hand, Pinky was incredibly loud, and incredibly dim....and what is a word for something that invokes disgust?

Speaking of people who over estimate their self worth:
Poll: Fifth of Americans think calls have been monitored

Don't feel so bad Dick...

Man's elbow, mistaken for squirrel, shot

Anyway... For all of those pundits saying Cheney is damaged goods for his little accident; And for all of you saying that he was wrong not to go immediately to the press, get real. Seriously. People who think this is some calamity that this is cause to change the course of the American gun ownership, are the same people who were anti gun and anti Cheney (although now days who really thinks Dick is a swell guy?)before hand.

In all seriousness, although many people perceive "the right" to be on the upswing, and the NRA to be at the height of its power etc., etc., trends point that ultimately we are on a path to becoming a Country that will regulate gun ownership more like Britain. Guns won't exist outside sports clubs, and the government will keep tabs on and tax everyone who has one.

Before you poo poo me and say I don't know what I'm talking about.. and point out the republican congress and such, let me outline where I'm coming from.

Here are a few articles with statistics regarding the decline in hunters.

Make hunting and fishing cheap and easy

The Decline in Hunting

Rural tradition of hunting shows signs of decline

Hunting on the Decline in Florida and Nationwide

Please make note that the first two are from the perspective of hunters, then there is the unbiased CSM article, and lastly, the leftist Animal rights article.

Next to point out is the consumption of public land available to hunt on. In Maine out of staters who don't want people on their land, or in some cases are opposed to hunting, are gobbling up land at an alarming rate. Now while this trend is likely more severe in Maine than in the Midwest or Rockies, it is likely to repeat itself elsewhere once the land has all been purchased. A lot of this land is being sold inexpensively by locals who have lost their source of income in a changing economy. In addition some of it has been land released by paper companies. The movement to save the "North Maine Woods" which arguably encourages development rather than discouraging it, also has contributed to the lack of available land for hunting. Ultimately this movement's affect depends on who has the upperhand on the "saving". If sportsmen alliances ultimately are involved, as they are in some cases, than perhaps the traditional land use can be preserved. If certain leftist causes and movements to establish a National park take hold, than it could accelerate the demise of the traditional American Hunting/Fishing traditions.

This article does a fine job explaining in brief some of the issues:

New U.S. Park? Maine Bid Draws High-Profile Debate

Lastly, the new republican party is liberal (in regards to spending---it is split on other issues giving the edge to the left) This is something tough for the average New England liberal to grasp because many are so fundamentalist, yes you read correctly, fundamentalist, that they believe all conservatives and republicans are nothing short of evil scourge. Since they are incapable of rationalizing and compromising, (unless someone like Bill Clinton suddenly says its a good idea) they assume the opposition thinks in the same manner. Each younger generation is getting more liberal. They are also more sedentary. The education system is liberal, as are the values taught to kids in school.

All this on top of the fact that the Republican party, corrupt with power, is on the verge of a collapse, contributes to an acceleration back towards the left. Really the speed of the destruction of the second amendment depends how badly this administration crashes and burns, and who the next republican nominee will be. But if not in ten years, definitely in twenty, our gun legislation will look a lot more like that of the UK than what we currently know. The NRA can't keep growing in strength if there are fewer members to fund it.

I kind of like to believe that we should be a bit "Libertarian" and give people the benefit of making their own decisions. Personally I support the second amendment, but I think it is on its way out.

Oh Yeah, its Winter....

And so Old Man winter snuck up from behind and reminded me that I live in New England. At least I hear it will be warm this week.

For the most part it was a decent weekend. Supergrass Friday Night! It was a good show. I drank a bit too much, but for the most part it wasn't a bad evening. I missed the T back to Melrose and had to take a taxi. The taxi meter said $35 and change all thought that included starting from $3 and a wrong turn. The driver charged us thirty but unfortunately Jess & I ended up forking $40 over. Around 1:00 pm Jess headed out to see an old high-school friend who we had drank with a bit the previous night, and ultimately I got around to officially waking up late in the afternoon. After cleaning up and running a few errands I made it over to Brookline to hang out with Kate in the calm before the storm. After lounging about a bit, Kate introduced me to a fabulous little joint called "Eagle's Deli" which I think must be just over the Brighton line, but is only a block or two from her place. This review from the Boston Phoenix is a bit dated, but probably the best out of the couple I scanned through: EagleÂ’s Deli: Classic fare takes flight

Sunday was extremely lazy, but probably helped me get caught up on some well needed sleep. My one activity of the day was leaving the apartment to walk to Wyoming Square and pick up a pizza I ordered. Its not even a block from my complex so it didn't involve too much exposure to the elements. The commute to work tomorrow should be a blast.

Anyway Have a good Monday Everyone!

Digital Debauchery

Just when I thought things were simple, well OK, I never thought that.

Anyway, I need to call my phone company tomorrow morning because it looks like I may be the victim of something shady. I received an a letter from Verizon thanking me for my "Assumption of Liability Name Change" application to transfer the service for my cell phone number. "For your convenience" the letter reads, "We have sent a request for required information to the prospective customer. In the event that we
do not receive the completed forms from the prospective customer, we will assume that you no longer wish to transfer the service out of your name." This apparently sounds like someone is trying to steal my number and stick me with the bill, however this letter is notifying me of this process midway. Whether I'll be able to nip it in the bud before it becomes a big mess remains to be seen. Never a dull moment, as they say.

This morning on the T I was sitting down reading my copy of the metro, squashed in my seat with my paper open well above my lap as not to bother anyone. Suddenly I noticed my paper began rustling un-naturally as I read. I looked up to see a gloved woman's hand pushing my paper towards my face. Not accidentally mind you, this was deliberate. One hand was clamped over the top of my paper and moved it several inches forward so it was inches from my face. Then she pushed her own paper over my lap into my personal space so her apparently far sighted ass could read. (Probably doesn't like the way her reading glasses look or something)

The sad thing is I actually stopped for a minute and actually thought "Perhaps I'm taking up too much space?", I tried moving my arms in with no luck. Then I said wait a minute what the hell am I doing. While I'm trying to read what the flaky "Metro" journalists have to say I'm still rehashing this little confrontation in my mind. I argue with myself, that she was being unreasonable, and then think that perhaps I was the thoughtless one. This goes on before I look up at my confronter which is some wealthy bitch who's idea of a day of hard work is probably finding her new daily Channel suit at Filenes or the Copley plaza. (Not that I'm a classist or anything :D, its just that women who wear mink hats generally suck at life, what more can I say? Don't give me that generalizations are wrong B.S., we all make them we all guess what people are like, and if you are world wise, your generalizations will probably tend to be right on. If we didn't "judge books by their covers" we'd likely routinely put ourselves into unsavory relationships and situations. Mind that you have to give people the benefit of the doubt: a chance to prove a bad first impression wrong, if the situation warrants this. However in fleeting circumstances such as a T ride, it generally doesn't apply. Just try your best not to be driven postal, you don't want to "become" one of the many idiots out there.)

My frustration simmering like grease in a pan, I open my paper wider than before. It intentionally brushes hers which is held beneath her elevated aristocratic snout. It actually made me anxious to get to work.

I can't wait till this weekend. A Nor'easter is apparently going to hit on Saturday night. Should be a good time to cozy up to some movie rentals.

Keep your fingers crossed that I'm not a victim of identity theft or something like that. This is the second scare I've had over a couple of years. Hopefully if I catch it immediately I can prevent any problems.

I think I'm going to book a Florida vacation with Kate, for mid April this weekend. Not sure what I'll do. I'm planning a long weekend with a couple days in Miami and the rest back up in Orlando with my friend Jason. Having done the "Theme Park" thing last year, I can say been there, done that. Aside from Miami, (as Bugs Bunny says, MIAMI BEACH!) I think I'd like to check out some nature preserves, perhaps see a gator farm. I wanted to visit "Downtown" Orlando as I saw Rachel Ray do it a while back & it seemed nice. I have the hots for Rachel Ray, but seriously how can you not?

How to dismantle a bomb in a turban

I'm kind of disappointed that I missed most of the Grammys. Generally each year I'm disappointed, if not with the nominees themselves, than ultimately who wins. None the less, there is always a major curiosity factor for me, and perhaps I must confess that I am taken in maybe slightly by the glitz and the hype.

I caught the end of the Grammys starting with the Kanye West performance, which I felt was piss poor. Jamie Fox just grunted, and his Ray Charles sample was more or less piped in. I never quite got why they just didn't use the original, rather than get Fox to mimic him. I guess its just medicine for a guy that desperately wants to always be in the lime light. Fox was great in Ray, and if the talent warrants it, which for the most part it does, then attention is deserved. That being said, whenever someone thirsts unapologetically for praise and attention, It kind of makes me feel a bit less appreciative of them. Basically going back to the "Gold Digger" performance, it was nothing more than a big stage act. A lot of ass shaking and unexceptional dancing and choreography. The crowd went crazy and I sat on my futon mumbling about how much it sucked.

Another performance by Christina Aguleria and Herbie Hancock definitely took mad skills and talent, however I felt Aguleria was off key (not to mention looked sort of like Marilyn Manson) and that the matching of her Mariah Carey-esque warbling with Hancock's stellar jazz piano was odd and uncomfortable at times. Hancock visibly held back as not to upstage her, he really need not, the average Aguleria fan wouldn't know the difference, and wouldn't grasp concept of talent, only seeing the pop-fame as the more important factor.

I'm kind of surprised that U2 won again, but pleased because West's shameless self promotion was not endorsed by votes by the Grammy committee. I hate to say it but I think West's clients and proteges, John Legend to name one, are much more talented, musically than he is.

The ending star-studded tribute to New Orleans was quite good.

Upon reading reviews I am disappointed with what I missed, namely three Paul McCartney performances. One of "Helter Skelter" which was described as "Scorching" by an associated press writer. Another performance of "A fine line" and then most surprising a collaboration with Jay-Z and Lincoln Park on "Yesterday", maybe it was a train wreck, but I would have liked to have seen it for myself. I'll probably try to find over the next couple days. I do hope that McCartney doesn't get too discouraged by lack luster album sales and getting passed over for a Grammy. Nigel Goodrich has definitely breathe life back into the McCartney studio. I'd like to see that partnership continue.

The one performance I caught off of Yahoo, was a Madonna/Gorillaz opening act, which was quite a neat spectacle. The 3-D animation was great, and at one point Madonna appears to walk behind one of the characters. I'd be curious to know if the people in the theater saw the same thing we did at home.

I unfortunately stayed at work late today preparing data and a presentation for tomorrow (whoopie). So much for getting out before 6:00 every night this week.

I finally picked up Louis the 14th's album. I always knew in the back of my mind that I'd get it, but didn't make it a priority. The lyrics are raunchy and the music rocks hard. What more can one ask for out of a new CD? :D Substance can be over rated. (Yeah, that's the last time you'll ever hear me say that line!)

So I had to include this, because we hear everyone talk about it, but we can't see it first hand because no one will publish it.

The infamous Muhammad Cartoon

So, there are Muslims out there who are upset about this violent portrayal of their prophet. What better way to protest a violent depiction of Islam, than through, hmmmmmm lets think? How could they let people know that they aren't happy? There certainly are a lot of options.

WARNING: generalizations and opinions contained

Paper to run “Holocaust cartoons”

This Article speaks for itself, but I have to contribute my two cents.

First off I would like to point out my recognition that there are many Arabs and Muslims out there who are well educated and don’t fall into the generalizations I may appear to make in this following blurb. Next I would like to ask, why aren’t these people being more vocal? I suppose it is probably like trying to talk to a wall for their part. It is like trying to show scientific evidence of evolution to a Southern Baptist. Not even one of their own people would be likely to convince the other, if they were so inclined. If the devoted believe the sky is purple, you may never be able to convince them that it is actually blue.

I don’t understand these people, basically because I am in disbelief that they can be so stupid. All Anthropology B.S. aside; mayhem, anarchy, destruction of property over something this trivial, something akin to taunts by kindergarteners on the playground; these attitudes should not be tolerated. These people, I hate to say it, but their culture and beliefs are a century behind those of the Western world (If not more in other aspects).

It seems to be almost an insurmountable task to remove this ridiculous logic that name calling has to be met by retribution with violence. They really don’t understand that in the United States we have Skinheads and the KKK spouting off whatever they like, and that we feel it is their prerogative. Granted we weren’t always this civil, and unfortunately I probably still only speak for 95% of the population of industrialized nations.

Physical and emotional taunting of people that might occur in say, a public KKK rally is far worse than some silly drawing. While there may be heavy police forces out to ensure it, generally Americans and probably many others have learned to, to use a Christian euphemism, “turn the other cheek”.

I don’t care what the Koran says, people need to be rational. If it is a “sin” or what have you, than the “peaceful” religion of Islam should feel comfort in the cartoonist’s eventual descent to hell. The destruction of people’s property who have virtually nothing to do with this cartoonist, except association by nationality, (not even in some scenarios) is insane. If this had to do with imaginary weapons of mass destruction, or faulty intelligence I might at least be able to say, well they are wrong, but I get it… but I can’t make that connection (Well faulty intelligence, perhaps). I might understand if a Western leader verbally called Muslims “devils” or something along those lines (Something Iranian leaders seem to be well versed in doing) but this is something so passive, that was passed literally by word of mouth. People have made less of a fuss over mass murder.

I feel like some British colonist or Spanish conquistador writing about the uncivilized natives, and really the fact I could say these things about anyone is concerning. Despite the fact that these people are a hop, skip, and a jump away from acting like bears that eat their children they still must be treated equally. So those who conduct these crimes of passion about a bad joke gone wrong, they should be brought to justice accordingly. People who are spreading violence by vocalizing their angst, they are innocent of crimes and guilty only of free speech. To truly show the Muslim world what democracy is about, this needs to be remembered. Bigotry & Prejudice is a moral crime, but is not a crime that governments have authority to punish. Moral crimes are generally “up for debate”.

I must make this assertion; religious states are detrimental to the peace of the world. As long as they exist we will have these problems, regardless of what religion they are based in. The problem with organized religion is that virtually all of them promote intolerance. You can't seem to have one with out the other. Governments should not be in the business of associating with such antiquitated ideals.

I realize there are individuals within all faiths that aren't prejudiced towards those of other beliefs, however generally the fundamentalists believe only one can be right. Personally I think that with all of the contradictions within any of the faiths out there, that it is ones duty to understand that there is no one true path. There may be, however, one that is right for you, if organized religion is something you desire to gain strength from. Different Strokes for Different folks.

The top danger by this latest movement by much of the Muslim world is that I fear that if this continues their intolerance will serve only to be contagious and spill over into western worlds which unfortunately appear to have their own fundamentalist uprisings beginning to bloom (I’m talking about Christian fundamentalism here of course).

I fear the current protests are much like children unwittingly throwing rocks at a hornets nest. When the rocks eventually cause the nest to swing and violently and break free of its branch, I fear the deluge and irrational anger of the swarm that will be released upon the world.

The Colbert Report had some amusing bits regarding this topic on the show tonight. I would suggest catching the rerun tomorrow if you can.

The fine lines of simplicity

My Monday

So I woke up this morning and realized that my head wasn't properly attached. My upward momentum out of my bed caused it to roll onto the floor when I went to shut off my alarm clock. I ran around for a bit headless and blind. I was stumbling and bumping into things before I accidentally unplugged my alarm clock. I found my thick skull when I kicked it and stubbed my big toe. After the panic had subsided I managed to pick it up and fasten it back on with some scotch tape.

Luckily I didn't lose much blood. The cold morning air coupled by my heat being turned down too low restricted my circulation. I had some difficulty fastening the scotch tape, but found that a couple of layers did the trick.


After the neurons figured out how to reconnect with my brain my body mechanically began its venture towards public transportation. I boarded the train along with the other cogs, pawns, and plebians, and basked in the collected misery of an over tired commute to launch a new week. Unfortunately it wasn't until I was boarding the train that I realized that I had no pants. Luckily the winter cold caused severe retreat and successfully prevented me from exposing any genitals.

My day went by slowly as I turned through the motions. I would have liked to accomplish more, however I did leave at 6:00. Six used to mean I stayed at work an extra half hour, now it means I've gotten to go home early.


I hope you enjoyed my stick cartoons. If you were in anyway offended by any of this, by all means, feel free to burn something down in my honor.

My Superbowl Sunday

Well, Superbowl Sunday has come and gone. A chili that I made was for the most part consumed. I had other goodies such as Wings & Whoopie Pies (Thanks Caps!). Scotty's dog Shadow did not kill me, which is always a good thing.

What did everyone think of the commercials? I think I liked the fed-ex commercial (with cave men) the best out of the ones I saw. The Pepsi "brown bubbly" campaign is irritating, horrible, and cheesy and I hope it dies off soon. There were a couple others that elicited laughs from me, such as the "Horse" football game with the sheep streaker.

The game was OK. I the Sea Hawks just couldn't seem to bring their drives to completion, otherwise it would have been much closer. A couple bad calls were likely made in the Steeler's favor, but overall Pittsburgh deserved to win the Championship.

I've decided that I really need to get a digital camera. It would be a source of entertainment to me, and would add to the long list of hobbies that I don't have the time or ambition to give proper attention to. Anyway, if nothing else, it would help me make this blog more amusing.

Well... I think this is going to draw my weekend summary to a close.

Good luck to all in the week to come!

A late evening in Central Square

Well.. My hectic week is taking a toll.

I fell asleep when I got home last night. I actually got in at midnight, yes you heard correctly. Of course this is in part not just due to work. I was at work, or I was actually working, I should say, until 9:00. I really had been looking forward to watching the State of the Union being the political junkie that I am. So realizing if I headed out, I'd miss it, I just watched it on my computer. So after the completion of W's harangue, I was hungry and realized quickly, that at 10:00 it probably would be 11:00 when I got back to Melrose with lack luster late evening train schedules.

So, I tried going to McDonald's, but it was closed (Weird right?). Next thought I was going to go to the lovely Pu Pu Hot pot. Hey I know the name sound funny but my tiny little Central square Chinese haunt has fabulous food at fantastic prices. The open sign turned off, just as I approached. Starved, and not wanting to go to Wendy's because its usually filled with the mentally ill, I went to Cinderella's. Actually the Pizza was delicious. I read some of my current Subway book "The Hotel New Hampshire" while waiting for my feast to be prepared.

I wolf down my pizza, and box up a couple slices. It is around 11:00 when I head out to the Subway station in Central square. The streets have a light dusting of snow, and the crisp air and glow of the halogen lights provide a placid evening atmosphere. The buildings of Mass Ave appear like tired sentinels watching the world weary stragglers find their way home. Part of me wants to rush home, yet another part of me feels strangely compelled to take my time.

I force myself to pick up the pace knowing I'll regret it later if I linger. Crossing the street on a icy winter's evening is a fantasy. Cars appear in the distance and you proceed at your own will.

Aside from a few groups of people in front of the Middle East and the Phoenix Landing, the gritty streets of Central square are nearly deserted. I continue to hurry and upon arriving at the stairs down to the train, I can hear the arrival of one of the MBTA's tin can processions. I make a mad dash through those nut-cracker turnstyles, only to find with repeated attempts that my card isn't working. I'm right there, the doors to the subway cars haven't even opened. Swearing I continue to try, and at this point, people are coming out of the train and through the turnstyles in the opposite direction, and so I must stand aside. "Are you using the wrong card?" No, its still f@#%ing January, I think to myself. None the less, out of options I try my February Charlie Card. At 11:10 on January 31st, my February T pass allows me through the gates. I continue cursing, now vocally, as the train has closed the doors coinciding with my arrival through the gate. I was going to be there likely for twenty minutes... and I wasn't happy. I watched some others on the opposite side of the tracks struggle with the same problem I just had. I yelled over to them the solution, but they just ignored me and continued trying to get through.

Anyway, I read quite a bit in "The Hotel New Hampshire" on Tuesday night, for obvious reasons. That book is so well written. It isn't often that a book goes beyond just intriguing me, and actually invokes emotions, but this one definitely does. The more of Irving that I read, the more I appreciate him.

Getting to Oak Grove, I enjoyed my walk back to the apartment. The snow was coated with a fine ice here, and the effect on the trees and pavement was nothing short of surreal. I leisurely walked along, and I had chosen Iron and Wine as my soundtrack. My feet left footprints in the virgin dusting of snow. Willow trees that stand majestically next to an old mill were glistening in the layer of frozen winter precipitation. Looking through the wispy branches at light on the mill, was like glimpsing a kaleidoscope of gold. The warmth of the light shined forming concentric circular formed from the branches. I can barely describe how these simple sights touched my inner being.

In light of everything, my lack of time, the stress or work, and the grind of life, in this moment I was truly content.

I know that I promised comments on the state of the Union, etc, however at this time I'm going to have to cut this off.

I'll try to give my take on W's 2006 agenda tomorrow.