*Now there is a funny response which should be left alone but is changed into some sort of personal diary entry whining about parental units or some such shit. If you're lucky enough to get a funny response. Ugh.
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Holidays I hate the most
Saint Valentine's Day, naturally, bites it royally. I think it does for every single person. Also for those who are unhappily attached. It's a sucky holiday meant for the priveledged few who are in love and happy about it.
Good thing: cheap chocolates the day after.
New Year's sucks ass even more though. There's supposed to be this whole thing of reviewing the year past and getting started anew on the year ahead. My New Year's events always suck and are always with a parental unit. This year, Mom. It will be very, very bad. I had the opportunity to spend New Year's alone in my elder sister's house, but opted to stay here with Mom. I know all we'll do is fight and maybe drink champagne. I think the only reason I'm here is the champagne, which I like if it's good, and my mom's as choosey as I am about champagne. Every year starts the same and I hate that horrible feeling that I should start afresh but knowing it'll all go into the same shit as the previous year no matter what. I am who I am and all that. There will be no improvement. I don't need that depressing reminder every g*ddamned year. I'd rather just pretend it's not happening, beyond the change in year on my checks.
Good thing: champagne. And sometimes shrimps and cocktail sauce. I like sharing the shrimp tails with Oscar, who likes them even more than I do, which seems impossible.
My birthday, which is not a holiday but shall be included here for pretty much the same reason as New Year's. Except there's no champagne. And most everyone forgets my birthday. It's not that I mind bothering with my age, which is thirty, thank you very much. It's that there's nothing to celebrate at this point. What the hell have I done with my life? How will my life be better a year from my birthday? I won't, unless I can pull off another stunt like just after my 29th, when I quit my job from hell and went back to school. Can't do that. It'll just remind me of how much I haven't done and will never get to do. How nice. Lovely.
Good thing: my nephews still cared about my birthday last time. S-- got really excited about giving me my presents from France. It was really sweet. Lord knows that won't last much longer.
Good thing: cheap chocolates the day after.
New Year's sucks ass even more though. There's supposed to be this whole thing of reviewing the year past and getting started anew on the year ahead. My New Year's events always suck and are always with a parental unit. This year, Mom. It will be very, very bad. I had the opportunity to spend New Year's alone in my elder sister's house, but opted to stay here with Mom. I know all we'll do is fight and maybe drink champagne. I think the only reason I'm here is the champagne, which I like if it's good, and my mom's as choosey as I am about champagne. Every year starts the same and I hate that horrible feeling that I should start afresh but knowing it'll all go into the same shit as the previous year no matter what. I am who I am and all that. There will be no improvement. I don't need that depressing reminder every g*ddamned year. I'd rather just pretend it's not happening, beyond the change in year on my checks.
Good thing: champagne. And sometimes shrimps and cocktail sauce. I like sharing the shrimp tails with Oscar, who likes them even more than I do, which seems impossible.
My birthday, which is not a holiday but shall be included here for pretty much the same reason as New Year's. Except there's no champagne. And most everyone forgets my birthday. It's not that I mind bothering with my age, which is thirty, thank you very much. It's that there's nothing to celebrate at this point. What the hell have I done with my life? How will my life be better a year from my birthday? I won't, unless I can pull off another stunt like just after my 29th, when I quit my job from hell and went back to school. Can't do that. It'll just remind me of how much I haven't done and will never get to do. How nice. Lovely.
Good thing: my nephews still cared about my birthday last time. S-- got really excited about giving me my presents from France. It was really sweet. Lord knows that won't last much longer.
Saturday, December 27, 2003
More stash!
More things arrived yesterday.
Also...
THANK YOU, SHEEPBOY, FOR THE SPLENDIFEROUS LEGOLAS! My nephews are jealous. ;)
- From Nice Guy SheepBoy:
LEGOLAS! 12" figurine. (Can't find a picture of it anywhere.) Now I really can play at Battle of Bath Tub Deep. - From elder sister:
a little shopping trip to Eddie Bauer which resulted in more p.j. bottoms, some socks, and a nice sleeper top.
Also...
THANK YOU, SHEEPBOY, FOR THE SPLENDIFEROUS LEGOLAS! My nephews are jealous. ;)
Friday, December 26, 2003
LotR diary
Have finally seen Return of the King. Am v. happy that Aragorn has finally taken a bath. Looks v. sexy washed and kingly. Definitely shaggable.
Legolas so cool as to give me fits. Still the prettiest, but also now the coolest. Also v. funny with counting of his dead enemies. Would shag him senseless after battle if were resident of Minas Tirith. Am v. jealous of residents of Minas Tirith.
Think am now in love also with tiny hobbit. Mothering instinct? Perhaps would not shag so much as cradle in arms and kiss tiny forehead. Must see film again to test this. Wonder if so v. pretty, always-washed Legolas would be jealous.
Legolas so cool as to give me fits. Still the prettiest, but also now the coolest. Also v. funny with counting of his dead enemies. Would shag him senseless after battle if were resident of Minas Tirith. Am v. jealous of residents of Minas Tirith.
Think am now in love also with tiny hobbit. Mothering instinct? Perhaps would not shag so much as cradle in arms and kiss tiny forehead. Must see film again to test this. Wonder if so v. pretty, always-washed Legolas would be jealous.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I saw it!
Finally!
I saw The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
Now I have to go see it again.
Especially the part with Legolas and the oliphaunt. (hee!)
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
Finally!
I saw The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
Now I have to go see it again.
Especially the part with Legolas and the oliphaunt. (hee!)
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
Oh, yum
We brined the turkey this Christmas, then grilled it on a Weber gas grill on the front porch using mesquite chips to smoke it, too. It was sooooooo good. It was the first turkey I've eaten where the white meat was even more flavorful than the dark. It was so tender, so juicy-sweeeeet. Nice turkeyes. Yesss.
We told Mom she has to use that special holiday brining stuff for every turkey from now on. Apple juice and oranges and ginger and garlic and kosher salt and I don't know what else. Some bay leaves. Cloves. Stuff. Anyway, it was good. I ate more turkey than anything else, even the stuffing, which was better than ever since Dad decided to change the age-old, tried-and-true recipe and stick apples and chestnuts into the stuffing. And it was good. But we ate so much turkey, collectively, that we stuffed ourselves too full to eat stuffing, which is usually the first thing to go (followed closely by the cranberry sauce, as we are good Northeasterners and use real cranberries not that horrible crap in a can).
I want to have turkey for breakfast. Or maybe second breakfast.
We told Mom she has to use that special holiday brining stuff for every turkey from now on. Apple juice and oranges and ginger and garlic and kosher salt and I don't know what else. Some bay leaves. Cloves. Stuff. Anyway, it was good. I ate more turkey than anything else, even the stuffing, which was better than ever since Dad decided to change the age-old, tried-and-true recipe and stick apples and chestnuts into the stuffing. And it was good. But we ate so much turkey, collectively, that we stuffed ourselves too full to eat stuffing, which is usually the first thing to go (followed closely by the cranberry sauce, as we are good Northeasterners and use real cranberries not that horrible crap in a can).
I want to have turkey for breakfast. Or maybe second breakfast.
Thursday, December 25, 2003
Stash!
Didn't get a lot this Christmas, but I got what I wanted.
The P.J.s are really pretty and make me very happy as I very much wanted new ones in which to lounge about the house.
- From friend C---, who's been working in Hong Kong:
small backpack-type terrycloth bag with smiling Catbus face and tiny dustmote
Totoro phone mascot tassle with two of the small totoros, the catbus and a mushroom, attached to a opaque, soft plastic leaf
SUPERCUTE! will post picture of bag on fotoblog when the server there is running better - From my eldest sister in France (along with her new husband and my eldest nephew):
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Collector's Gift Set - From my elder sister, her husband of, like, 20 years, and my other two nephews:
super-comfy and very pretty blue-green p.j.s/loungewear from Eddie Bauer - From Mom and Dad:
an Xbox and Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix and mat
The P.J.s are really pretty and make me very happy as I very much wanted new ones in which to lounge about the house.
LotR diary
Discovered that delicious smoothies fat with carbohydrates. Decided to stick with sliver-of-fudge diet, as can obtain protein from walnuts in fudge. Except for today, when will forego all food except for large Christmas dinner, when will eat only turkey breast meat w/o fatty gravy.
Am thrilled that lovely sister has given special gift box of Two Towers. Huzzah! Can watch extra time of Legolas, who is still the prettiest, even though tiny hobbits v. cute indeed when find stash of apples and "weed".
Still have not seen Return of the King.
Am thrilled that lovely sister has given special gift box of Two Towers. Huzzah! Can watch extra time of Legolas, who is still the prettiest, even though tiny hobbits v. cute indeed when find stash of apples and "weed".
Still have not seen Return of the King.
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
LotR diary
Have spent entire day with paper and ribbons. Am disgusted with whole wrapping-of-gifts tradition. Refuse to ever touch paper again, even if as pretty as the paper I saw at shop weekend last.
Still have not seen Return of the King. Am going through elf withdrawl. Am inseperable from Legolas doll. Still upset. Where is beautious elf? Where is sweaty yet attractive future king? Even beginning to fancy tiny hobbits with large, innocent eyes. Must go to shop and find Pippin doll. Am becoming pervy hobbit fancier?!
Still have not seen Return of the King. Am going through elf withdrawl. Am inseperable from Legolas doll. Still upset. Where is beautious elf? Where is sweaty yet attractive future king? Even beginning to fancy tiny hobbits with large, innocent eyes. Must go to shop and find Pippin doll. Am becoming pervy hobbit fancier?!
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
LotR diary
Am no longer going to make large pig of self. Start mornings with half grapefruit, then delicious smoothie for lunch and dinner. Will be gloriously thin for new year. Go me! Will, naturally, start this as soon as fudge is gone. Tiny bits of fudge will take place of lunch and dinner calories. Shall be v. thin after running off all icky fat. (New trainers for Christmas?)
This dieting and running shall distract me from my complete inability to get to theater to drool at Legolas and Aragorn in v. nice new armour thing with pretty silver tree. Am still v. worried about tiny hobbits.
Still have not seen Return of the King.
This dieting and running shall distract me from my complete inability to get to theater to drool at Legolas and Aragorn in v. nice new armour thing with pretty silver tree. Am still v. worried about tiny hobbits.
Still have not seen Return of the King.
Monday, December 22, 2003
Observations
French toast made with next-day french bread (i.e., stale) is the best. It's, like, in bite-sized pieces. Almost. Next-day french bread soaks up the egg and milk mixture very, very well without losing consistency. When it's done, the inside is like bread custard. I like my slices of french toast extra eggy. It also tastes better if you put a bit of cinnamon (just a bit) into the egg-milk mixture. Not enough that it'd be obnoxious with the maple syrup, but just a bit to make the soaked slices spotty before you put them on the grill.
Waking up with a bloody nose every morning is not fun. Except for blowing bloody snot and boogers into that first tissue. For some reason, that's kind of neat. The headaches which follow are not.
Cats make excellent feet and leg warmers when you are sitting or lying down. Only as long as they're willing to stay still. Otherwise, they can be annoying and must be replaced with a pillow.
Getting up before dawn and watching the sun rise ain't what it's cracked up to be. Sunsets are more dramatic and generally use the same palate as a sunrise, only with more color.
Finishing all of your Christmas shopping by mid-December makes that last week before Christmas kind of boring. Also, eveyone else who is still doing that last-minute shopping will hate you, though they'll refuse to admit it, as hating the well-prepared doesn't seem very much in the spirit of the season.
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers both stand up to repeat viewings on a cable network over a weekend. Thank you, Starz! network.
Waking up with a bloody nose every morning is not fun. Except for blowing bloody snot and boogers into that first tissue. For some reason, that's kind of neat. The headaches which follow are not.
Cats make excellent feet and leg warmers when you are sitting or lying down. Only as long as they're willing to stay still. Otherwise, they can be annoying and must be replaced with a pillow.
Getting up before dawn and watching the sun rise ain't what it's cracked up to be. Sunsets are more dramatic and generally use the same palate as a sunrise, only with more color.
Finishing all of your Christmas shopping by mid-December makes that last week before Christmas kind of boring. Also, eveyone else who is still doing that last-minute shopping will hate you, though they'll refuse to admit it, as hating the well-prepared doesn't seem very much in the spirit of the season.
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers both stand up to repeat viewings on a cable network over a weekend. Thank you, Starz! network.
Saturday, December 20, 2003
LotR diary
Soaked until pruney, then ate entire half-packet of holiday cookies (baked). Am v. great pig. Christmas tree now all covered in lights. V. pretty and festive. Huzzah for holidays. Will go make some nog.
Still have not seen Return of the King. Am becoming v. frustrated, as even tiny nephews have seen. Will go eat holiday chocolates out of silver guest bowl until feeling better.
Still have not seen Return of the King. Am becoming v. frustrated, as even tiny nephews have seen. Will go eat holiday chocolates out of silver guest bowl until feeling better.
GRR!!
I decided this year that, instead of making ET distribute Christmas presents for me, I'd send folks stuff from their Amazon.com wish list. This way they'd get something they wanted and it'd get shipped directly to them.
Except for Sam, la dame de sam {grrrl} d'abolico. The package was returned by USPS as UNDELIVERABLE. God only knows why.
Sorry, Sam. I tried to send you a book, but it was refused. Happy Christmas, anyway.
Except for Sam, la dame de sam {grrrl} d'abolico. The package was returned by USPS as UNDELIVERABLE. God only knows why.
Sorry, Sam. I tried to send you a book, but it was refused. Happy Christmas, anyway.
nudge nudge purr purr
The semester is over. My last exam was Thursday (I think I probably got a B on it). I will now commence sleeping for many, many hours, alternating with the reading of nonessential books. And the critique of Halifax's new novel, though I'm not sure if I'm smart enough to do that. (It looks like a smart-person book.) Mostly, though, I will spend my time making my cats happy by letting them sit in my lap and petting their fuzzy heads. Right now, Floof is circling in my lap, pushing her persian rug forehead against my arms as I type, which makes it difficult to type. Oh, now she's settled down, but she's leaning against my right arm and frowning at me with her ears, which makes it difficult to type. Oops, now she's up again, angry that my arms keep moving.
nudge
nudge
circle
fwap with tail
nudge
sniff
step on arm
sniff
circle
fwap
sniff
nudge
settle
nudge
lean
I'd better go.
nudge
nudge
circle
fwap with tail
nudge
sniff
step on arm
sniff
circle
fwap
sniff
nudge
settle
nudge
lean
I'd better go.
Friday, December 19, 2003
LotR diary
Still have not seen Return of the King. Went to City, saw lots of theaters showing it, but couldn't find street parking. Companion too cheap to park in garage. Grr! Am feeling v. pouty. Will go eat chocolate mint bark stuff bought at mall, then sleep.
I did not know that
Word of the Day for December 6 was:
shibboleth • \SHIH-buh-luth\ • noun
1 a : a catchword or slogan used by members of a group but regarded by others as empty of real meaning b : a commonly held belief
2 : a behavior or use of language that identifies a person as belonging to a group
Example sentence:
Alice urged voters to ignore the political shibboleths put forth by her opponent.
Did you know?
The Bible's Book of Judges (12:4-6) tells the story of the Ephraimites, who, after they were routed by the Gileadite army, tried to retreat by sneaking across a ford of the Jordan River that was held by their enemy. The Gileadites, wary of the ploy, asked every soldier who tried to cross if he was an Ephraimite. When the soldier said "no," he was asked to say "shibboleth" (which means "stream" in Hebrew). Gileadites pronounced the word "shibboleth," but Ephraimites said "sibboleth." Anyone who left out the initial "sh" was killed on the spot. When English speakers first borrowed "shibboleth," they used it to mean "test phrase," but it has acquired other meanings since that time.
1 a : a catchword or slogan used by members of a group but regarded by others as empty of real meaning b : a commonly held belief
2 : a behavior or use of language that identifies a person as belonging to a group
Example sentence:
Alice urged voters to ignore the political shibboleths put forth by her opponent.
Did you know?
The Bible's Book of Judges (12:4-6) tells the story of the Ephraimites, who, after they were routed by the Gileadite army, tried to retreat by sneaking across a ford of the Jordan River that was held by their enemy. The Gileadites, wary of the ploy, asked every soldier who tried to cross if he was an Ephraimite. When the soldier said "no," he was asked to say "shibboleth" (which means "stream" in Hebrew). Gileadites pronounced the word "shibboleth," but Ephraimites said "sibboleth." Anyone who left out the initial "sh" was killed on the spot. When English speakers first borrowed "shibboleth," they used it to mean "test phrase," but it has acquired other meanings since that time.
Thursday, December 18, 2003
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
There's a reason why I didn't know this word before today
...and that's because I completely lack this power.
duende • \doo-EN-day\ • noun
: the power to attract through personal magnetism and charm
: the power to attract through personal magnetism and charm
Stress and exhaustion can be fun
Somehow, I have caught a cold. Head cold. I'm all stuffed up. No coughing. No flu. Just head aches and a stuffed nose. Almost like allergies, but not quite.
I am sick because I am stressed out and overtired. Overtired as opposed to regular tired, which is what I was the rest of the semester. Overtired means I could sleep all weekend long and still be tired. I require sleep muchly.
I am stressed out and overtired because this is finals week. My last final is tomorrow. Japanese. I got a 98 out of 100 on the listening final. This is very good indeed, but I will still have to do well on the written final in order to pull off the A I so desperately need. Japanese is a five-credit course, so any grade I get in it is weighted heavier than the grades I would get in a regular course. An A would pull up my sad, sad average nicely.
I should have been studying this afternoon after the official study session with Kaya-sensee, but I was too damned tired to do anything but watch my soap (I was right about the story arch of one character, but it looks like Mom's right about another, more important story arch, which means she's still ahead of me in the game). Then I took a nap. Now it's time for me to make dinner (in spite of my needing to study and being sick, as my mother wouldn't cook if her life depended upon it, at least, not anymore). Here's hoping I'll still have enough time to get my vocabulary down before the exam at 1:00 tomorrow.
Still and all, it's better to be stressed and overtired because of finals week than it is to be stressed and tired because of the crap-ass job I used to have. Big ol' :p at C--- (the company, not the very nice friend in Boston) and T---- P----. And a mocking "woo-ha!".
I am sick because I am stressed out and overtired. Overtired as opposed to regular tired, which is what I was the rest of the semester. Overtired means I could sleep all weekend long and still be tired. I require sleep muchly.
I am stressed out and overtired because this is finals week. My last final is tomorrow. Japanese. I got a 98 out of 100 on the listening final. This is very good indeed, but I will still have to do well on the written final in order to pull off the A I so desperately need. Japanese is a five-credit course, so any grade I get in it is weighted heavier than the grades I would get in a regular course. An A would pull up my sad, sad average nicely.
I should have been studying this afternoon after the official study session with Kaya-sensee, but I was too damned tired to do anything but watch my soap (I was right about the story arch of one character, but it looks like Mom's right about another, more important story arch, which means she's still ahead of me in the game). Then I took a nap. Now it's time for me to make dinner (in spite of my needing to study and being sick, as my mother wouldn't cook if her life depended upon it, at least, not anymore). Here's hoping I'll still have enough time to get my vocabulary down before the exam at 1:00 tomorrow.
Still and all, it's better to be stressed and overtired because of finals week than it is to be stressed and tired because of the crap-ass job I used to have. Big ol' :p at C--- (the company, not the very nice friend in Boston) and T---- P----. And a mocking "woo-ha!".
LotR diary
Have not seen Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Am not upset, as there are many days left in week. Still have exam, anyway. Will go have nap, to be refreshed and perky for studying.
Monday, December 15, 2003
Observations
If you have rear-wheel drive, it's okay to drive in crappy weather so long as you have a well-engineered vehicle and are a good driver. Four-wheel drive means nothing if it's a crappy car driven by a crappy driver.
This skill, of driver and of engineers, will only go so far if the goddamned town won't send out a plow. There needs to be some attempt made at plowing/salting/sanding the roads if anyone is going to make it. This is especially important if the town has known of the snow storm for two days and known it would be a doozy. It will prevent accidents, as most people can't afford a well-engineered car and are shitty drivers.
Snow tires are a good idea, too. All-weather tires you've had for three years aren't.
Make sure you have something besides a mittened hand to clean out your tire wells if you're going to try and drive through unplowed roads during a snow storm and only have rear-wheel drive and old all-weather tires.
If you know it's going to snow that heavily, put on your boots, even if they're kinda ugly and you're going to Burburry's. The warm, furry clogs will not do, even if they have treads and thick soles which will generally keep your feet above snow. This is because you never know when you might have to get out of the car and push. In fact, you will probably have to get out of the car and push if you're driving to and from Vermont and there is a big snow storm expected and the towns don't bother to do anything about the roads and the car is a rear-wheel drive with worn all-weather tires. If you don't have the boots on, you will get snow all over your feet. You won't necessarily have better traction in the snow the tires are getting no purchase in, but it'll be better than the furry winter clogs. Still, furry winter clogs will keep your toes warmish, so be thankful for that much.
Bring gloves of some sort. Mittens borrowed from your mother will probably not fit.
If you have to drive a car with rear-wheel drive and worn all-weather tires, make sure it's a small car. You will have a chance of pushing the damned thing in that case, and it won't be too scary when you slip and fall while trying to push and the car starts sliding back toward you.
Wear a hat, as the snow will mat in your hair and make it clumpy. When you finally do get home, the clumpy snow hair will start to melt down your back. Your mother will be reminded of the days when you used to go sledding and feel nostalgic and act unusually mother-like, but you will be even colder and wetter than you were outside, pushing the car up a hill during a snow storm.
Take a hot bath immediately after you get home. This will help you not ache so much in the arms and back and legs when you get up the next morning to shovel the sidewalk and try to find the newspaper buried under the snow. You will not have searing hot stabbing pain all over your spine and you will be able to walk without looking like you're eighty-five years old and you will be able to lift the teapot without whimpering.
No matter how much you hurt and how much you had to work just to get home, you will still prefer snow to cold rain and you will still think the snow is beautiful while you shovel the sidewalk and your back barks pain! pain! pain! at you.
This skill, of driver and of engineers, will only go so far if the goddamned town won't send out a plow. There needs to be some attempt made at plowing/salting/sanding the roads if anyone is going to make it. This is especially important if the town has known of the snow storm for two days and known it would be a doozy. It will prevent accidents, as most people can't afford a well-engineered car and are shitty drivers.
Snow tires are a good idea, too. All-weather tires you've had for three years aren't.
Make sure you have something besides a mittened hand to clean out your tire wells if you're going to try and drive through unplowed roads during a snow storm and only have rear-wheel drive and old all-weather tires.
If you know it's going to snow that heavily, put on your boots, even if they're kinda ugly and you're going to Burburry's. The warm, furry clogs will not do, even if they have treads and thick soles which will generally keep your feet above snow. This is because you never know when you might have to get out of the car and push. In fact, you will probably have to get out of the car and push if you're driving to and from Vermont and there is a big snow storm expected and the towns don't bother to do anything about the roads and the car is a rear-wheel drive with worn all-weather tires. If you don't have the boots on, you will get snow all over your feet. You won't necessarily have better traction in the snow the tires are getting no purchase in, but it'll be better than the furry winter clogs. Still, furry winter clogs will keep your toes warmish, so be thankful for that much.
Bring gloves of some sort. Mittens borrowed from your mother will probably not fit.
If you have to drive a car with rear-wheel drive and worn all-weather tires, make sure it's a small car. You will have a chance of pushing the damned thing in that case, and it won't be too scary when you slip and fall while trying to push and the car starts sliding back toward you.
Wear a hat, as the snow will mat in your hair and make it clumpy. When you finally do get home, the clumpy snow hair will start to melt down your back. Your mother will be reminded of the days when you used to go sledding and feel nostalgic and act unusually mother-like, but you will be even colder and wetter than you were outside, pushing the car up a hill during a snow storm.
Take a hot bath immediately after you get home. This will help you not ache so much in the arms and back and legs when you get up the next morning to shovel the sidewalk and try to find the newspaper buried under the snow. You will not have searing hot stabbing pain all over your spine and you will be able to walk without looking like you're eighty-five years old and you will be able to lift the teapot without whimpering.
No matter how much you hurt and how much you had to work just to get home, you will still prefer snow to cold rain and you will still think the snow is beautiful while you shovel the sidewalk and your back barks pain! pain! pain! at you.
Sunday, December 14, 2003
Evil bastard caught
I got up late, but just in time to hear my mom say, "Sugar Kat! Come here!" I figured there was something I did wrong (again), so I shuffled to the office and said, "What?" in an aggrieved tone, as I revert to about thirteen years of age when I'm around my mom. She was in her AOL account and watching a live internet news report from ABC.
"They caught him!" she said, waving her hand at me to get closer, not taking her eyes away from the streaming video.
"Who?"
"Saddam."
"Who?"
She gave me a dark, you-idiot look. "Saddam Hussein. They caught him."
Some general-type was giving a news conference and showing pictures of where Saddam had been hiding out when the U.S. Special Forces caught him. The irony of where he was compared to where he had been, and the fact that he could see his palaces from where he'd been hiding, was lost on no one, not even the general speaking.
My first thought was, They didn't catch Hitler, but they caught him.
My second thought was, How do we know this is the real deal? What if it's some sort of fake Saddam they're showing us to make America and the world think the invasion of Iraq wasn't a complete waste of time and money and lives, military and civilian?
Mom said they waited until they had DNA proof that it was Saddam.
I guess they used the DNA from his sons. Or something.
I wanted to listen to NPR, whose round-the-clock news coverage I trust. We had to get in the car, anyway, 'cause Mom wanted me to go with her to Manchester, Vermont, so I could try on a coat at one of the outlet stores there. We listened to the news on the way there, taking pictures of the moutains, hoping we'd make it there and back before the storm hit (no, we didn't). At a certain point when listening to the news coverage, I got goosebumps.
We did some good, I thought. We got rid of a horrible dictator and we caught him and now he'll have to face a court of law.
The goosebumps went away quickly after a little bit of thinking. There are still terrorist cells which have entered Iraq with the increasing lack of law and order since our invasion. They won't go away any time soon.
There will still be Ba'athist resistence, though that may die down after some months more.
There is still no real law and order there, and we don't seem to be bothered to set up any. We didn't bother to get UN support before we went, so I don't think we'll get them to come in any time soon to install UN police forces. (Our guys are military, not police. They are not trained to be police and they shouldn't have to be. Half the problems we have over there are because we're making our military forces play a role they were never trained for. It's not easy to police an area. You need special training and someone to police the police forces in case there's any abuse of power. Ask the NYPD.)
We're pulling out too soon, long before we can guarantee a settled, established native government. We've started this mess, we're responsible. It would be increadibly irresponsible of us to bail out before we've helped the Iraqi people finish the job. We're their government right now, we're responsible for them. They're our colony until we establish a viable Iraqi government. If we don't stay and finish the job properly, take the responsibility our invasion of that nation has given us, there will probably be some sort of civil war followed by a coup which will establish a government not unlike the Taliban (which has been sneaking back into power in Afghanistan since we started ignoring the mess we made there to go make a mess of Iraq).
It's terrifically depressing to think of my classmates getting blown up for no reason.
But they aren't. Saddam has fallen from power. He's been caught. He and his family will never hold sway over Iraq again. They'll never have civilians tortured and murdered. They won't make any more mass graves. They won't be able to reroute a river to destroy a culture as ancient as civilization itself and destroy one of the most fertile lands in the region. Saddam will face some sort of court of law (hopefully an international court of law, like the Nazis had to face, with lots of Iraqis involved). He will be penalized (I think life in prison, for someone who'd held such absolute power and had had anything he desired brought to him, would be exquisite torture for the evil bastard--the death penalty is too easy on him, as he can only die once and he deserves a lot more than one death). Our military forces have accomplished that much, at least. Thank goodness.
"They caught him!" she said, waving her hand at me to get closer, not taking her eyes away from the streaming video.
"Who?"
"Saddam."
"Who?"
She gave me a dark, you-idiot look. "Saddam Hussein. They caught him."
Some general-type was giving a news conference and showing pictures of where Saddam had been hiding out when the U.S. Special Forces caught him. The irony of where he was compared to where he had been, and the fact that he could see his palaces from where he'd been hiding, was lost on no one, not even the general speaking.
My first thought was, They didn't catch Hitler, but they caught him.
My second thought was, How do we know this is the real deal? What if it's some sort of fake Saddam they're showing us to make America and the world think the invasion of Iraq wasn't a complete waste of time and money and lives, military and civilian?
Mom said they waited until they had DNA proof that it was Saddam.
I guess they used the DNA from his sons. Or something.
I wanted to listen to NPR, whose round-the-clock news coverage I trust. We had to get in the car, anyway, 'cause Mom wanted me to go with her to Manchester, Vermont, so I could try on a coat at one of the outlet stores there. We listened to the news on the way there, taking pictures of the moutains, hoping we'd make it there and back before the storm hit (no, we didn't). At a certain point when listening to the news coverage, I got goosebumps.
We did some good, I thought. We got rid of a horrible dictator and we caught him and now he'll have to face a court of law.
The goosebumps went away quickly after a little bit of thinking. There are still terrorist cells which have entered Iraq with the increasing lack of law and order since our invasion. They won't go away any time soon.
There will still be Ba'athist resistence, though that may die down after some months more.
There is still no real law and order there, and we don't seem to be bothered to set up any. We didn't bother to get UN support before we went, so I don't think we'll get them to come in any time soon to install UN police forces. (Our guys are military, not police. They are not trained to be police and they shouldn't have to be. Half the problems we have over there are because we're making our military forces play a role they were never trained for. It's not easy to police an area. You need special training and someone to police the police forces in case there's any abuse of power. Ask the NYPD.)
We're pulling out too soon, long before we can guarantee a settled, established native government. We've started this mess, we're responsible. It would be increadibly irresponsible of us to bail out before we've helped the Iraqi people finish the job. We're their government right now, we're responsible for them. They're our colony until we establish a viable Iraqi government. If we don't stay and finish the job properly, take the responsibility our invasion of that nation has given us, there will probably be some sort of civil war followed by a coup which will establish a government not unlike the Taliban (which has been sneaking back into power in Afghanistan since we started ignoring the mess we made there to go make a mess of Iraq).
It's terrifically depressing to think of my classmates getting blown up for no reason.
But they aren't. Saddam has fallen from power. He's been caught. He and his family will never hold sway over Iraq again. They'll never have civilians tortured and murdered. They won't make any more mass graves. They won't be able to reroute a river to destroy a culture as ancient as civilization itself and destroy one of the most fertile lands in the region. Saddam will face some sort of court of law (hopefully an international court of law, like the Nazis had to face, with lots of Iraqis involved). He will be penalized (I think life in prison, for someone who'd held such absolute power and had had anything he desired brought to him, would be exquisite torture for the evil bastard--the death penalty is too easy on him, as he can only die once and he deserves a lot more than one death). Our military forces have accomplished that much, at least. Thank goodness.
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Yeah, that's about right
I went to see The Matrix Revolutions with my dad and brother the day after Thanksgiving. Not because I was all psyched to see it, but because I'd seen The Matrix and, unfortunately, The Matrix Reloaded and wanted to see how the finished the story. It was...okay. I'm more angry with books and shows and films which show great potential and don't live up to it than those that suck outright. The Matrix series had great potential. ...sigh...
Anyway, I'm a fan of Ebert's reviews. He's one of the very few whose opinion I trust, and I like his style (especially when he hates something). I read his review of The Matrix Revolutions, to which he gave three stars out of four. An impressive result for a disappointing film, but I agreed with it for the reasons he gave in the review.
Thought I'd share this:
Anyway, I'm a fan of Ebert's reviews. He's one of the very few whose opinion I trust, and I like his style (especially when he hates something). I read his review of The Matrix Revolutions, to which he gave three stars out of four. An impressive result for a disappointing film, but I agreed with it for the reasons he gave in the review.
Thought I'd share this:
Still, in a basic and undeniable sense, this is a good movie, and fans who have earned their credit hours with the first two will want to see this one and graduate. To the degree that I was able to put aside my questions, forget logic, disregard continuity problems and immerse myself in the moment, 'The Matrix Revolutions' is a terrific action achievement. Andy and Larry Wachowski have concluded their trilogy with all barrels blazing. Their final apocalypse in the bowels of the Earth plays like 'Metropolis' on steroids. There are sights here to stir the sense of wonder, and a marriage between live action and special effects that is about as good as these things get in the movies.
[...]
Note: 'The Matrix Reloaded' was notable for the number of key characters who are black; this time, what we notice is how many strong women there are. Two women operate a bazooka team, Niobe flies the ship, the women have muscles, they kick ass, and this isn't your grandmother's Second Sex anymore.
[...]
Note: 'The Matrix Reloaded' was notable for the number of key characters who are black; this time, what we notice is how many strong women there are. Two women operate a bazooka team, Niobe flies the ship, the women have muscles, they kick ass, and this isn't your grandmother's Second Sex anymore.
Yeah, that was an especially cool part of the series, the casual way in while multiracial cast and strong females were used. Black, brown, and white (no yellow or red that I saw) people working together with no big fuss, women kicking ass and getting respect for it but no big fuss made about their being female while doing it.
So, you see, the film didn't suck outright. It was just disappointing. Read the link to Ebert's review and understand. I don't see why I should repeat what he wrote in stating my opinion, especially since he's a much better writer. ;)
So, you see, the film didn't suck outright. It was just disappointing. Read the link to Ebert's review and understand. I don't see why I should repeat what he wrote in stating my opinion, especially since he's a much better writer. ;)
Post
This is a post. I am posting. Ta da. There is nothing going on in my life except for the usual stupidity of self, mother, the drunken bastardry of my fellow students, and finals.
I turned in a short story today that I think might not have sucked as much as I originally thought. Volunteers to read? I wrote it in an afternoon (after thinking about it for three weeks). You can tell me it sucks, as I'm pretty sure it does, but not positive, which is why I need a volunteer reader. (Not you, ET, I know.)
I also took the listening component of the final in Japanese. I think I may have gotten two questions partially wrong, but other than that, I should be fine. As in, pretty durned close to A in spite of my inability to remember the gosh darn adjectives from Chapter 2. My Japanese teacher is super-cute in that she seems like she would have been a great anime character when she was a junior high school student (average age of most anime females). She's strict but fair and very funny. I want to do well for myself and my GPA, but mostly I want to make her proud. She's that kind of teacher. I'm glad I got into her 102 class next semester.
I'm not going to say a damned thing about baseball winter moves. Except grr. Grrrr!
I'm dragging my ass about getting presents out and cards out and stuff. I went a little crazy for Christmas this year. I really like this whole buying presents thing. Except for the credit card bill. That part sucks. Other than that, the joy of giving is helping Christmas outpace Halloween as my favorite holiday (mostly 'cause I haven't been able to wear a costume or go to a party in years, which makes Halloween actually kinda boring, outside of the half-price chocolate the next day, which is accompanied by massive guilt of the chocolate binger).
I've come to the conclusion I will never, ever go on another date in my life. This is not because I think all men suck, 'cause not all men suck, that's a stupid thing for anyone to think. It is because I am Sugar Kat the Un****able. I'm going to crawl under a rock after I'm done posting this.
I'm probably failing my second-favorite class (Japanese being my favorite) this semester because the syllabus says I have to turn in every assigned, um, assignment if I don't want to get an F (technically an E as they don't give F's here due to some undue affection for the alphabet). This sucks, as I know my efforts otherwise have been stellar. (You know me. I'd never boast about something like that. I really have worked my big white ass off for that class.) There's always some assignment in a class I don't turn in due to all of my efforts to complete said assignment sucking ass. Worst part is I'm taking a course with the same professor next semester and I'm convinced she now hates me. Intellectually I know that's not true. I'm just a student in her class. What does she care that she has to hand out an F (E). Makes her look like a tough grader, right? Still, my inner six-year old is absolutely sure she hates me. Hate, hate, hate. This is depressing, as I really like the prof. She's funny and super-well-rounded, especially for an English prof. And she is a SF/F dork and a big Yankees fan. She's cool! Wah! She hates me! Wah!
My constantly changing prescription is whacking out my body and mind. I'm in a terrible chemically-induced funk which makes doing anything nigh-impossible (like the Tick, except he was nigh-invulnerable). I am countering this funk by reading books I shouldn't be reading as I've assigned reading to do and really don't have time for the unassigned reading. Read Orson Scott Card's Shadow Puppets, which was okay, not thrilling, as there wasn't enough maniacal Peter and Bean was a little too whiny (I liked the Caliph stuff, though). This is aggravating my situation, as I am now getting my lazy arse in trouble for not doing the work I need to do because I'm reading unassigned reading. It'll be good to get to the holidays, when I can read all the unassigned reading I want to.
Other problem, though, is I am suffering from constant puking and low-level fevers and gastrointestinal issues and migraines and fatigue beyond any I've experienced and so on. This is also getting in the way of my getting my work done. How? Well, for instance, I'm too busy puking to write up the answers to the assigned questions for a particular project. Or I'm too dizzy from fever to do anything by lie down and close my eyes so I can't write up my journal response to the assigned reading.
I want this biochemical trouble to go away before it fucks up a third semester. Dammit.
I'm gonna go watch Angel now.
I turned in a short story today that I think might not have sucked as much as I originally thought. Volunteers to read? I wrote it in an afternoon (after thinking about it for three weeks). You can tell me it sucks, as I'm pretty sure it does, but not positive, which is why I need a volunteer reader. (Not you, ET, I know.)
I also took the listening component of the final in Japanese. I think I may have gotten two questions partially wrong, but other than that, I should be fine. As in, pretty durned close to A in spite of my inability to remember the gosh darn adjectives from Chapter 2. My Japanese teacher is super-cute in that she seems like she would have been a great anime character when she was a junior high school student (average age of most anime females). She's strict but fair and very funny. I want to do well for myself and my GPA, but mostly I want to make her proud. She's that kind of teacher. I'm glad I got into her 102 class next semester.
I'm not going to say a damned thing about baseball winter moves. Except grr. Grrrr!
I'm dragging my ass about getting presents out and cards out and stuff. I went a little crazy for Christmas this year. I really like this whole buying presents thing. Except for the credit card bill. That part sucks. Other than that, the joy of giving is helping Christmas outpace Halloween as my favorite holiday (mostly 'cause I haven't been able to wear a costume or go to a party in years, which makes Halloween actually kinda boring, outside of the half-price chocolate the next day, which is accompanied by massive guilt of the chocolate binger).
I've come to the conclusion I will never, ever go on another date in my life. This is not because I think all men suck, 'cause not all men suck, that's a stupid thing for anyone to think. It is because I am Sugar Kat the Un****able. I'm going to crawl under a rock after I'm done posting this.
I'm probably failing my second-favorite class (Japanese being my favorite) this semester because the syllabus says I have to turn in every assigned, um, assignment if I don't want to get an F (technically an E as they don't give F's here due to some undue affection for the alphabet). This sucks, as I know my efforts otherwise have been stellar. (You know me. I'd never boast about something like that. I really have worked my big white ass off for that class.) There's always some assignment in a class I don't turn in due to all of my efforts to complete said assignment sucking ass. Worst part is I'm taking a course with the same professor next semester and I'm convinced she now hates me. Intellectually I know that's not true. I'm just a student in her class. What does she care that she has to hand out an F (E). Makes her look like a tough grader, right? Still, my inner six-year old is absolutely sure she hates me. Hate, hate, hate. This is depressing, as I really like the prof. She's funny and super-well-rounded, especially for an English prof. And she is a SF/F dork and a big Yankees fan. She's cool! Wah! She hates me! Wah!
My constantly changing prescription is whacking out my body and mind. I'm in a terrible chemically-induced funk which makes doing anything nigh-impossible (like the Tick, except he was nigh-invulnerable). I am countering this funk by reading books I shouldn't be reading as I've assigned reading to do and really don't have time for the unassigned reading. Read Orson Scott Card's Shadow Puppets, which was okay, not thrilling, as there wasn't enough maniacal Peter and Bean was a little too whiny (I liked the Caliph stuff, though). This is aggravating my situation, as I am now getting my lazy arse in trouble for not doing the work I need to do because I'm reading unassigned reading. It'll be good to get to the holidays, when I can read all the unassigned reading I want to.
Other problem, though, is I am suffering from constant puking and low-level fevers and gastrointestinal issues and migraines and fatigue beyond any I've experienced and so on. This is also getting in the way of my getting my work done. How? Well, for instance, I'm too busy puking to write up the answers to the assigned questions for a particular project. Or I'm too dizzy from fever to do anything by lie down and close my eyes so I can't write up my journal response to the assigned reading.
I want this biochemical trouble to go away before it fucks up a third semester. Dammit.
I'm gonna go watch Angel now.
Saturday, December 06, 2003
Cool!
I read this in yesterday's Times and kept bouncing in my seat with excitement. I wound up reading it out loud to my mom, as I thought it was too cool an idea not to share immediately. Space ports! Whee! That much closer to SF-reality.
Anyway, I wanted you guys to read it, too. This is copyrighted to The New York Times. It won't be available for free through the link (below) for much longer, so I'm posting it on here. I may have to delete it soon, so read up.
Anyway, I wanted you guys to read it, too. This is copyrighted to The New York Times. It won't be available for free through the link (below) for much longer, so I'm posting it on here. I may have to delete it soon, so read up.
Op-Ed Contributor
Fly Me to L 1
By BUZZ ALDRIN
Published: December 5, 2003
LOS ANGELES
For the last 24 hours, news reports have been soaring into orbit that President Bush and NASA are busy preparing their vision for the future of America's space program — and that this vision may involve sending astronauts back to the moon, and perhaps establishing some sort of permanent base there. I applaud the instinct, but I think that a moon shot alone seems more like reaching for past glory than striving for new triumphs.
Instead, I think the next step in our space program should be to create a floating launching pad for manned and unmanned missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. This is not a task for the unfinished International Space Station, which is intended to be a floating laboratory rather than a bridge to the heavens.
A much more practical destination than the moon or the space station is a region of space called L 1, which is more than two-thirds of the way to the moon and is where the gravity fields between the Earth and Moon are in balance. Setting up a space port there would offer a highly stable platform from which spacecraft could head toward near-Earth asteroids, the lunar surface, the moons of Mars and wherever else mankind decides to travel.
Fly Me to L 1
By BUZZ ALDRIN
Published: December 5, 2003
LOS ANGELES
For the last 24 hours, news reports have been soaring into orbit that President Bush and NASA are busy preparing their vision for the future of America's space program — and that this vision may involve sending astronauts back to the moon, and perhaps establishing some sort of permanent base there. I applaud the instinct, but I think that a moon shot alone seems more like reaching for past glory than striving for new triumphs.
Instead, I think the next step in our space program should be to create a floating launching pad for manned and unmanned missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. This is not a task for the unfinished International Space Station, which is intended to be a floating laboratory rather than a bridge to the heavens.
A much more practical destination than the moon or the space station is a region of space called L 1, which is more than two-thirds of the way to the moon and is where the gravity fields between the Earth and Moon are in balance. Setting up a space port there would offer a highly stable platform from which spacecraft could head toward near-Earth asteroids, the lunar surface, the moons of Mars and wherever else mankind decides to travel.
Unlike the Moon and the International Space Station, which is in low-earth orbit, L 1 is not the site of strong gravitational pulls, meaning that spacecraft can leave there without using much energy. Thus L 1 would be the most sensible position for a base that would function as a test area and way-point for robotic flights as well as a support station and safe haven for human exploration of the solar system.
It would also be relatively cheap, at least in terms of space travel. To create a port at L 1 we can use the building methods that have already proved successful for Skylab and the International Space Station — and we can probably get it up and running for $10 billion to $15 billion, significantly less than the International Space Station, which will likely exceed $100 billion in the end. We can also save money by shifting away from using the space shuttle as the transport vehicle and by developing a new, more flexible launch vehicle and crew module to get people and cargo up to the L 1 port.
Unfortunately, NASA's work on future vehicles — including the much-ballyhooed "orbital space plane" — has stalled since the disaster with the Shuttle Columbia. And even before then, the agency had been focusing on the wrong sort of craft: one limited to transporting four astronauts at a time with little or no cargo-carrying capability. Such a craft would essentially be duplicating what the Russian Soyuz craft already does adequately: bringing several astronauts up and back from a space station, but little else. Moreover, NASA's "Supersized Soyuz" approach focuses only on serving the International Space Station, rather than working toward a more expansive vision.
There are better ways to invest our money in a new craft. One that would be relatively quick and easy would be to keep what works in the current space transportation system — the rocket boosters, external tank and trained staff — and combine them with new elements. The tanks and boosters we now use will soon be predictable and safe, as a part of NASA's post-Columbia efforts. And if we stick with them, no new buildings or untested ground-transportation methods would need to be built.
The big change would be to replace the aging shuttle orbiter with a new crew module that would hold perhaps eight or more astronauts, and build a so-called heavy-lift vehicle, capable of carrying cargo, that would attach behind the module. This craft would be capable of variable crew and cargo configurations. The crew module would need built-in escape and rescue capabilities for the people aboard. The early version might have to make parachute or parafoil landings in the ocean, although eventually it should be modified to make runway landings.
Over time, more powerful engines and reusable rocket boosters could be added to make possible sending even larger payloads and more passengers into space at a lower cost per person and per pound. But the important thing for the president to think about at this point is the long-term future of space flight and for NASA to pursue all avenues, big and small, to come up with the best plan.
Unfortunately, NASA has limited its $135 million orbital space plane development contracts to a few giants: proposals by Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. As a result, the space agency has shut the door on the smaller, entrepreneurial companies that are responsible for some of the most innovative current thinking on space technology. The farther reaching scope of an L 1 effort calls for collaboration and competition — two qualities that should be part of the cultural change NASA pledged to undertake after loss of the Columbia.
In addition, NASA might even look at a new competitor as a possible partner. The modernized, Soyuz-like manned capsule that China sent into orbit in October is potentially safer and seems technologically more robust than the Russian version. Working jointly with China would not only fill a needed gap when America's agreement with Russia on using Soyuz runs out in 2006, but it would also make a potentially important political alliance. China and America are on the verge of a new space race — with economic competition expected from Japan, Europe and perhaps India — and it is better to start off with cooperation than with confrontation.
The tragedy of the Columbia, combined with China's successful launch, have put NASA at a crossroads. America's continued leadership in space depends on decisions made now. President Bush should realize that the first step is a bold new vision from the top.
Buzz Aldrin, an astronaut on the Apollo XI moon mission, is chairman of Starcraft Boosters, which develops reusable booster rockets for spacecraft.
Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company
It would also be relatively cheap, at least in terms of space travel. To create a port at L 1 we can use the building methods that have already proved successful for Skylab and the International Space Station — and we can probably get it up and running for $10 billion to $15 billion, significantly less than the International Space Station, which will likely exceed $100 billion in the end. We can also save money by shifting away from using the space shuttle as the transport vehicle and by developing a new, more flexible launch vehicle and crew module to get people and cargo up to the L 1 port.
Unfortunately, NASA's work on future vehicles — including the much-ballyhooed "orbital space plane" — has stalled since the disaster with the Shuttle Columbia. And even before then, the agency had been focusing on the wrong sort of craft: one limited to transporting four astronauts at a time with little or no cargo-carrying capability. Such a craft would essentially be duplicating what the Russian Soyuz craft already does adequately: bringing several astronauts up and back from a space station, but little else. Moreover, NASA's "Supersized Soyuz" approach focuses only on serving the International Space Station, rather than working toward a more expansive vision.
There are better ways to invest our money in a new craft. One that would be relatively quick and easy would be to keep what works in the current space transportation system — the rocket boosters, external tank and trained staff — and combine them with new elements. The tanks and boosters we now use will soon be predictable and safe, as a part of NASA's post-Columbia efforts. And if we stick with them, no new buildings or untested ground-transportation methods would need to be built.
The big change would be to replace the aging shuttle orbiter with a new crew module that would hold perhaps eight or more astronauts, and build a so-called heavy-lift vehicle, capable of carrying cargo, that would attach behind the module. This craft would be capable of variable crew and cargo configurations. The crew module would need built-in escape and rescue capabilities for the people aboard. The early version might have to make parachute or parafoil landings in the ocean, although eventually it should be modified to make runway landings.
Over time, more powerful engines and reusable rocket boosters could be added to make possible sending even larger payloads and more passengers into space at a lower cost per person and per pound. But the important thing for the president to think about at this point is the long-term future of space flight and for NASA to pursue all avenues, big and small, to come up with the best plan.
Unfortunately, NASA has limited its $135 million orbital space plane development contracts to a few giants: proposals by Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. As a result, the space agency has shut the door on the smaller, entrepreneurial companies that are responsible for some of the most innovative current thinking on space technology. The farther reaching scope of an L 1 effort calls for collaboration and competition — two qualities that should be part of the cultural change NASA pledged to undertake after loss of the Columbia.
In addition, NASA might even look at a new competitor as a possible partner. The modernized, Soyuz-like manned capsule that China sent into orbit in October is potentially safer and seems technologically more robust than the Russian version. Working jointly with China would not only fill a needed gap when America's agreement with Russia on using Soyuz runs out in 2006, but it would also make a potentially important political alliance. China and America are on the verge of a new space race — with economic competition expected from Japan, Europe and perhaps India — and it is better to start off with cooperation than with confrontation.
The tragedy of the Columbia, combined with China's successful launch, have put NASA at a crossroads. America's continued leadership in space depends on decisions made now. President Bush should realize that the first step is a bold new vision from the top.
Buzz Aldrin, an astronaut on the Apollo XI moon mission, is chairman of Starcraft Boosters, which develops reusable booster rockets for spacecraft.
Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company
Wednesday, December 03, 2003
Another fun word
Can you tell I'm too busy to actually write a post? La, la, la. End of the semester blues. If I could, I'd post the pictures of what my brother has done to his Muppets finger puppets, but I don't have the server space on my blog and they're...kinda evil.
Here's another enjoyable word from the English language, courtesy of Merriam-Webster.
Here's another enjoyable word from the English language, courtesy of Merriam-Webster.
The Word of the Day for December 2 is:
bathetic \buh-THEH-tik\ adjective
1 : extremely commonplace or trite
2 : characterized by insincere or overdone pathos :
excessively sentimental
bathetic \buh-THEH-tik\ adjective
1 : extremely commonplace or trite
2 : characterized by insincere or overdone pathos :
excessively sentimental
Thursday, November 27, 2003
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
enjoy your turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce and gravy and mashed potatoes and pies.
or your Tofurky(tm) and stuffing and cranberry sauce and pathetic attempt at meatless gravy which turns out to be a flavorless sauce with no substance (bleh!) and mashed potatoes and pies.
or street vendor hot dog or Chinese take-out or whatever.
hope you get to spend this weekend with people you love who love you whom you can stand spending more than ten minutes with at a time.
gobble gobble gobble
-l.t.s.k.
or your Tofurky(tm) and stuffing and cranberry sauce and pathetic attempt at meatless gravy which turns out to be a flavorless sauce with no substance (bleh!) and mashed potatoes and pies.
or street vendor hot dog or Chinese take-out or whatever.
hope you get to spend this weekend with people you love who love you whom you can stand spending more than ten minutes with at a time.
gobble gobble gobble
-l.t.s.k.
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Remote blogging
Am posting from wilds of the suburbs of The City of Brotherly Love. Just saw Elf and highly recommend this bit of holiday-related fun (with Nazgul chasing Santa!). Not posting more on that, as I am crappy with the reviews. Go watch ET's blog. Or something.
Anywa, speaking of film, Maggie posted the AFI top 100 films (I think it's American films only). Figured I'd mark off which ones I've seen. Maybe make comments. Yeah, with comments. I can't resist. Movies I've seen are marked with an "x".
Almost half. Not bad. Some of these choices are, though. Ick.
Anywa, speaking of film, Maggie posted the AFI top 100 films (I think it's American films only). Figured I'd mark off which ones I've seen. Maybe make comments. Yeah, with comments. I can't resist. Movies I've seen are marked with an "x".
- "Citizen Kane," 1941
x
this is a highly overrated film. see Touch of Evil instead - "Casablanca," 1942
x
everyone should see this movie. personally, i think this and number one should be switched. so does my mom and one of her professors at The New School - "The Godfather," 1972
will see - "Gone With the Wind," 1939
x
lord, but i hate this movie...and the book it's based on. purely exConfederate propaganda: a piece o' poop - "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962
i've only seen bits and pieces, not the whole thing - "The Wizard of Oz," 1939
x
i have trouble imagining a single American over the age of ten who hasn't seen it, but i suppose such people must exist - "The Graduate," 1967
x - "On the Waterfront," 1954
Kazan trying to explain away his bastardly behavior before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. evil shit - "Schindler's List," 1993
x
good, but an all-time top film? i beg to differ - "Singin' in the Rain," 1952
x
i so very love this movie - "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946
x
my elder sister and her husband watch this movie every Christmas, without the kids. which is really sweet and old-fashioned romantic - "Sunset Boulevard," 1950
x
another movie i enjoyed very, very much - "The Bridge on the River Kwai," 1957
will see - "Some Like it Hot," 1959
only seen bits and pieces - "Star Wars," 1977
x
uh, like, duuuuh - "All About Eve," 1950
x
oh, lord, how i love this movie; queen of bitch films - "The African Queen," 1951
x
eh, it was okay - "Psycho," 1960
x
fun! fun fun fun! - "Chinatown," 1974
you know what happens to Jack Nicholson's nose in this film, right? - "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975
x
saw this when i was just a kid; blew me away, but i think it may have messed with my developing mind - "The Grapes of Wrath," 1940
- "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1968
x
i liked it when i saw it when i was ten or something, but the psychedelic grooviness wears damned thin after you've hit puberty - "The Maltese Falcon," 1941
x
i was very young, so i don't remember much - "Raging Bull," 1980
- "E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial," 1982
x
SheepBoy got me the DVD last year for Christmas. it's just as good as it was when i saw it when i was little. i still cried, a little - "Dr. Strangelove," 1964
x
oh, lord, but this is a damned funny movie - "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967
whee! fun wtih guns. probably won't see unless catch on cable. prefer History Channel summary of real life events - "Apocalypse Now," 1979
x
i was too young. way, way too young - "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1939
x
i looooooooooooooove this movie. i'm such a sucker for Capra-type patriotism - "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948
will see - "Annie Hall," 1977
will see, even though it's a Woody Allen film. after all, he made Purple Rose of Cairo and What's New Pussycat?, so he didn't suck all the time - "The Godfather Part II," 1974
will see - "High Noon," 1952
will see, even though it's a western (i hate westerns) - "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962
x
i wish Atticus was my dad. or my husband. or our president. something. - "It Happened One Night," 1934
x
saw it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. very charming indeed - "Midnight Cowboy," 1969
the guy's name is Ratso Rizzo. i guess i'll just have to see it, huh, in spite of the year - "The Best Years of Our Lives," 1946
x - "Double Indemnity," 1944
i have to see this, and Laura - "Doctor Zhivago," 1965
my brother and mother both insist i have to see it - "North by Northwest," 1959
x
but with commercials, so maybe that's a half-x - "West Side Story," 1961
x
i love this musical, but this isn't the best version of it - "Rear Window," 1954
x
oh, i really loved this one. yay Hitchcock! - "King Kong," 1933
i think i might have actually seen it, but it's hard to say, so that means i'll have to watch it "again" - "The Birth of a Nation," 1915
you know, i've heard a lot about how this is one of the greatest films of all time, but it's entirely KKK propaganda. fuck the critics. i'm not going to watch anything which glorifies the KKK - "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951
i really want to see Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando in this adaptation of the play - "A Clockwork Orange," 1971
will see - "Taxi Driver," 1976
um, maybe. (ngh...probably not) - "Jaws," 1975
x
whee! fun! - "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937
x
it's not a feminist's wet dream, but it's beautiful and sweet, so :p on the feminists - "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969
another one i will see in spite of it being a western - "The Philadelphia Story," 1940
x
very much like - "From Here to Eternity," 1953
famous love scene, yeah, but i'm not going to see it - "Amadeus," 1984
x
oh, this was one of my absolute favorites when i was a kid. haven't seen it since it was in the theaters - "All Quiet on the Western Front," 1930
x
gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. it's very, very good. seriously. see it. - "The Sound of Music," 1965
x
doe, a deer, a fe-male deer - "M*A*S*H," 1970
- "The Third Man," 1949
most definitely will be seeing this one - "Fantasia," 1940
x
uh, like, duuuh - "Rebel Without a Cause," 1955
my mom remembers worshipping James Dean. i'd like to see this, but i'm not in a rush - "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1981
x
seriously, though. duuuuuuh - "Vertigo," 1958
will most definitely see - "Tootsie," 1982
x
just saw the beginning again a couple of weeks ago (to be interrupted by a call from a bored ET). i'd forgotten how much i liked it. woo! I Love The `80's Strikes Back! - "Stagecoach," 1939
western. bleh. no. - "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," 1977
x
i'm a dork. i hum along to the music - "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991
x
fava beans go with so many things - "Network," 1976
will see - "The Manchurian Candidate," 1962
um, huh? checks IMDB uh, no - "An American in Paris," 1951
x
love it! eeeeee! - "Shane," 1953
i think i need to see this one, in spite of it being a western - "The French Connection," 1971
uh, probably not. it's a `70's movie and has car chases. bleh - "Forrest Gump," 1994
x
oh, good god, what an overrated piece of shit this was. i cannot believe it won the Oscar. it's appalling that it made this list. it sucks - "Ben-Hur," 1959
well, i kind of have to see it now that i've seen Gladiator - "Wuthering Heights," 1939
x
better than the book, but i'd rather watch Laurence Olivier in Pride and Prejudice with Greer Garson - "The Gold Rush," 1925
well, everyone's seen the scene where he eats his boot, but that's all i've seen - "Dances With Wolves," 1990
x
not all that great. i'd rather watch Field of Dreams if you're going to make me watch a gooey-type Kevin Costner movie - "City Lights," 1931
i really need to see more silent films - "American Graffiti," 1973
x
i don't remember much, except for 1950's hair and cars - "Rocky," 1976
i don't care how good my mom says it is, i'm not watching a flick about boxing with Silvester Stallone in it - "The Deer Hunter," 1978
see that year? so, like, no, i won't - "The Wild Bunch," 1969
westerns. bleh-phooie - "Modern Times," 1936
must see - "Giant," 1956
"a sprawling epic following the life of a Texas cattle rancher...". oh, dear lord no - "Platoon," 1986
no. i've seen enough Vietnam War movies to last a lifetime. they are rarely watchable. i'll go watch All's Quiet On The Western Front instead - "Fargo," 1996
i just realized i never finished watching the video. i am an idiot.
so, like, no x. dammit - "Duck Soup," 1933
must. see. this. film. - "Mutiny on the Bounty," 1935
sorry, not interested - "Frankenstein," 1931
x
but of course! Bride of Frankenstein is even better - "Easy Rider," 1969
x
my parents made me watch it so i could understand the `60's a little better.
the `60's sucked ass - "Patton," 1970
nah - "The Jazz Singer," 1927
it was the first talkie. that makes it great? - "My Fair Lady," 1964
x
this was my grandfather's favorite film. completely out of character for him, but it was.
i like it, too, even though the ending's better in Pygmalion - "A Place in the Sun," 1951
Mom tried to make me watch it. i got bored - "The Apartment," 1960
i keep hearing how good this is, but it's not at the top of my list to see - "Goodfellas," 1990
x
ugh. that is an awful way to die - "Pulp Fiction," 1994
will see. just getting up the gumption to deal with the hypodermic needles - "The Searchers," 1956
western. yuck - "Bringing Up Baby," 1938
x
adorable. i love this movie. there should be more `30's comedies on here - "Unforgiven," 1992
it's a western, so i've been reluctant to see it, but i might break in the future - "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," 1967
it's late `60's, almost as bad as `70's, so i'm not hot on seeing it, in spite of how good i'm told it is - "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942
x
this is in the top 100 because why?
Total: 48/100.
Almost half. Not bad. Some of these choices are, though. Ick.
Saturday, November 22, 2003
I just love saying this word...mostly 'cause it sounds like I'm sneezing
The Word of the Day for November 22 is:
eschew \es-CHOO\ verb
: to avoid habitually especially on moral or practical
grounds
Example sentence:
In his stand-up comedy routines, Michael eschews the vulgar
language and gross humor frequently used by his colleagues.
Did you know?
"Eschew" derives from the Anglo-French verb "eschiver" and
is akin to the Old High German "sciuhen" ("to frighten off"), an
ancestor of our word "shy." In his famous dictionary of 1755 Dr.
Samuel Johnson characterized "eschew" as "almost obsolete."
History has proven that the great lexicographer was wrong on
that call, however. William [Makepeace!] Thackeray found "eschew" alive
enough to use it almost one hundred years later in his classic
novel Vanity Fair: "He has already eschewed green coats, red
neckcloths, and other worldly ornaments." The word swelled in
usage in English during the 19th and 20th centuries and is now
common enough to be included even in small paperback
dictionaries.
eschew \es-CHOO\ verb
: to avoid habitually especially on moral or practical
grounds
Example sentence:
In his stand-up comedy routines, Michael eschews the vulgar
language and gross humor frequently used by his colleagues.
Did you know?
"Eschew" derives from the Anglo-French verb "eschiver" and
is akin to the Old High German "sciuhen" ("to frighten off"), an
ancestor of our word "shy." In his famous dictionary of 1755 Dr.
Samuel Johnson characterized "eschew" as "almost obsolete."
History has proven that the great lexicographer was wrong on
that call, however. William [Makepeace!] Thackeray found "eschew" alive
enough to use it almost one hundred years later in his classic
novel Vanity Fair: "He has already eschewed green coats, red
neckcloths, and other worldly ornaments." The word swelled in
usage in English during the 19th and 20th centuries and is now
common enough to be included even in small paperback
dictionaries.
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
On not posting
First off, I was away in Boston this weekend, so I couldn't. But mostly I'm stuck trying to write this one post I'm not even sure I should post. Something happened to me and I'm not sure I want to write about it. I'm just not sure if I really want to share it with the world. Such is the plight of the blogger.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
The Word of the Day for November 12 is:
ennead \EH-nee-ad\ noun
: a group of nine
To the ancients, nine was a very special number, one often associated with gods and divinity. Legends and literature have long characterized groups of nine as having a special, in some cases magical, significance. Ancient Egyptians organized their gods into groups of nine; even today, their principal group of gods (headed by sun god Re-Atum) is called the "Great Ennead of Heliopolis." The "Ennead" English speakers use in that name traces to "ennea," the Greek word for "nine." "Ennead" is also used generally to refer to other groups of ancient gods. Furthermore, it is the name given to six sets of nine treatises by Greek philosopher Plotinus that were collected and organized by his 3rd-century disciple, Porphyry.
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
One more thing
(Every time I think or hear or read that phrase, I hear it in my head in "Uncle"'s voice.)
People have not been using the smilies provided by Enetation.co.uk in my commenter-thingie. Perhaps readers are as yet unaware of the codes. Here is a link to a post which listed the codes and corresponding smilies.
Have a blast, children.
People have not been using the smilies provided by Enetation.co.uk in my commenter-thingie. Perhaps readers are as yet unaware of the codes. Here is a link to a post which listed the codes and corresponding smilies.
Have a blast, children.
Satisfied?
Seeing as I have, like, one loyal reader (ET) and one very occasional reader (Halifax), I suppose I ought to give reader complaints more attention and respect. But I'm feeling especially bitchy right now due to problems with medication, stress, and exhaustion, so I will, instead, be sarcastic and rude.
I've now posted three, long, multiparagraph, pointless posts to my blog today. This is the fourth. I've also uploaded six pictures to my phlog.
There. Are you happy now?
I've now posted three, long, multiparagraph, pointless posts to my blog today. This is the fourth. I've also uploaded six pictures to my phlog.
There. Are you happy now?
DVR is eating my life away
I can't get the VCR to tape off of the cable upstairs. The VCR downstairs works, but the wiring is gummed up in the living room where the DVR box is set up. This means I've been holding onto blocks of movies I DVR'd off of TCM (Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein, Dracula, A Star Is Born, Pride of the Yankees, etc.) on the DVR instead of clearing up space to record new shows and movies.
I've missed out on a bunch of movies I wanted to see/keep on TCM as well as Starz! and Showtime and HBO. More importantly, I've had to watch the shows I record soon after they've been recorded so I can clear up space to record the other shows during the week.
This has made the whole point of having a DVR, as in you control when you watch what, moot. I have to watch the shows shortly after they're aired, as opposed to days later when I have the time and inclination. It's stupid and wrong, but I'm up until all hours clearing off shows, one by one. I've stopped recording some shows just to clear up space, but I refuse to give up my Sunday night Adult Swim, Alias, or the Smallville/Angel block on Wednesdays, as well as a bunch of other shows (some of which I would never, ever admit to watching to even my dearest friends).
This means my schedule's completely screwed and I haven't been sleeping right and I haven't been getting work done. All so I can watch television. That is just so...sigh stupid.
I've missed out on a bunch of movies I wanted to see/keep on TCM as well as Starz! and Showtime and HBO. More importantly, I've had to watch the shows I record soon after they've been recorded so I can clear up space to record the other shows during the week.
This has made the whole point of having a DVR, as in you control when you watch what, moot. I have to watch the shows shortly after they're aired, as opposed to days later when I have the time and inclination. It's stupid and wrong, but I'm up until all hours clearing off shows, one by one. I've stopped recording some shows just to clear up space, but I refuse to give up my Sunday night Adult Swim, Alias, or the Smallville/Angel block on Wednesdays, as well as a bunch of other shows (some of which I would never, ever admit to watching to even my dearest friends).
This means my schedule's completely screwed and I haven't been sleeping right and I haven't been getting work done. All so I can watch television. That is just so...sigh stupid.
Mmm, curry-rific goodness
ATTENTION READER: You will, in all likelihood, be thoroughly grossed out by the cooking/eating habits detailed below.
You have been warned.
You have been warned.
About two years ago, maybe two and a half years, I went grocery shopping with ET. This, of course, took place in Chinatown. I picked up udon and tastier flavors of ramen not available at round-eye outlets and some S & B Medium Hot Golden Curry Mix. I finally got through all the ramen about two months ago. (I discovered I liked it with soft tofu squished into mush into it, so that the tofu acted as a thickener and a source of protein. I put the squished tofu and spices and oil and ramen into the pot together so everything tasted like the spices and oil instead of ramen and tofu. I'm also too lazy to try to remember to put in the different things at the appropriate time. Lazy round-eye, remember?)
A couple of weeks ago I looked in the little cupboard where I keep the food which I brought up with me when I moved and discovered I had only the curry sauce mix, the udon, and a can of Spaghettios. Mom was feeling poorly so I figured I only had to make dinner for myself. Did I heat up the can of delicious pasta product? No, of course not.
I stuck an onion in the food processor (on the wrong setting, so instead of finely chopped onion I got thin onion strip-type things), then tried to atomize some baby carrots in the food processor (only to discover that the lid is broken so the carrots and bits of carrots splattered all over one side of the kitchen). I squished up the last box of tofu and start up the process of makin' curry. When I finally cracked open the package of curry blocks, I put my nose next to the bullion and sniffed. Oh, but it smelled delicious. It smelled like everything I miss most about New York. It smelled like sitting in line for a blockbuster on opening night with friends. It smelled like walking along in time to my CDs, going 10 minutes per 20 blocks. It smelled like having twenty different choices of where to eat out. It smelled like easy transportation. It smelled like...Japanese-style curry, really. It's tasty-tasty, though sauce-phobic Halifax would sooner throw his toenail collection at your head than eat the stuff.
I added too much butter to saute the badly-sliced onion (which stoutly refused to brown no matter how I tried), but that turned out in my favor as the reheated curry cooked up quickly and well later in the nuker. Or something. Anyway, I thought it tasted good, but I'm a big dairy fan and have no issue with oil from butter as I believe it to be a super-tasty kind of oil. (I also am fond of dipping bread into herbed olive oil. I'm a freak.)
At a certain point (I think it was just after I put in all of the water), I decided I wanted to put some of the udon into the curry, too. I'm not sure why I did this, except I wanted the noodles to taste especially curry-y (and didn't want to bother with a pot of boiling water, I suspect). I had to add a LOT more water to the mess in the saute pan, but it worked out okay in the end. As a matter of fact, I managed to extend the curry much longer than usual because I'd added so much stuff to it (in the form of udon noodles).
This curry lasted me until last week. Two weeks' worth of tofu curry with udon. I had it mostly for lunch on days when I got home early from class and during weekends. It smelled sooooo goooood. And now it is gone. And there is no freakin' way I'd spend shipping on buying some more.
But then, I'm going grocery shopping in Boston this Friday with C--, and I'm sure the Chinese grocery will have my S & B.
Ooh, and gummis! Cheap Japanese gummis! Mmm. And strawberry Pocky and curry Pretz and those koala bear things with chocolate inside....
A couple of weeks ago I looked in the little cupboard where I keep the food which I brought up with me when I moved and discovered I had only the curry sauce mix, the udon, and a can of Spaghettios. Mom was feeling poorly so I figured I only had to make dinner for myself. Did I heat up the can of delicious pasta product? No, of course not.
I stuck an onion in the food processor (on the wrong setting, so instead of finely chopped onion I got thin onion strip-type things), then tried to atomize some baby carrots in the food processor (only to discover that the lid is broken so the carrots and bits of carrots splattered all over one side of the kitchen). I squished up the last box of tofu and start up the process of makin' curry. When I finally cracked open the package of curry blocks, I put my nose next to the bullion and sniffed. Oh, but it smelled delicious. It smelled like everything I miss most about New York. It smelled like sitting in line for a blockbuster on opening night with friends. It smelled like walking along in time to my CDs, going 10 minutes per 20 blocks. It smelled like having twenty different choices of where to eat out. It smelled like easy transportation. It smelled like...Japanese-style curry, really. It's tasty-tasty, though sauce-phobic Halifax would sooner throw his toenail collection at your head than eat the stuff.
I added too much butter to saute the badly-sliced onion (which stoutly refused to brown no matter how I tried), but that turned out in my favor as the reheated curry cooked up quickly and well later in the nuker. Or something. Anyway, I thought it tasted good, but I'm a big dairy fan and have no issue with oil from butter as I believe it to be a super-tasty kind of oil. (I also am fond of dipping bread into herbed olive oil. I'm a freak.)
At a certain point (I think it was just after I put in all of the water), I decided I wanted to put some of the udon into the curry, too. I'm not sure why I did this, except I wanted the noodles to taste especially curry-y (and didn't want to bother with a pot of boiling water, I suspect). I had to add a LOT more water to the mess in the saute pan, but it worked out okay in the end. As a matter of fact, I managed to extend the curry much longer than usual because I'd added so much stuff to it (in the form of udon noodles).
This curry lasted me until last week. Two weeks' worth of tofu curry with udon. I had it mostly for lunch on days when I got home early from class and during weekends. It smelled sooooo goooood. And now it is gone. And there is no freakin' way I'd spend shipping on buying some more.
But then, I'm going grocery shopping in Boston this Friday with C--, and I'm sure the Chinese grocery will have my S & B.
Ooh, and gummis! Cheap Japanese gummis! Mmm. And strawberry Pocky and curry Pretz and those koala bear things with chocolate inside....
Because she told me to, that's why
ET has complained over two media of communication (in the comments on her blog and over the phone) that I haven't posted enough of late on my blog. Never mind the long-winded disclaimer I posted, um...when was that? Oh, right, October...about not posting as frequently anymore 'cause I'm, like, you know, busy with school and houseslave work and such.
I have a chapter test tomorrow in Japanese and cannot remember most of the chapter. I have an essay test on Dante's Inferno which has to incorporate a critical essay I was assigned, criticizing the criticism (which sounds like half-way to an English Ph.D. candidate's wet dream to me). I'm waaaay behind on my reading for three classes out of four, have to write five papers which I didn't hand in on time in three classes, have research to do on another, a proposal to write on a final project, as well as actually getting my arse in gear for the project (final total of pages: 7 creative work, 9 analysis of failure/success of creative work). My brain's about to bust.
Yes, it's still better than working for Evil Incorporated, a.k.a. my former job. Or for Evil Ltd., my job before that one.
I have nothing to write about. Really. Um, go look at the new pictures I posted this morning. My Hallowe'en pumpkin is there, looking stoned.
Stoned. That's the word I was looking for. I couldn't remember it. I wrote drugged instead. I knew it wasn't right, but I couldn't remember stoned. I wonder if I can change the subtitle on the pictures. D'oh.
Um, other than school. Um. Well, I've met a bunch of writers through one of my classes. Ha Jin showed up near the beginning of the semester with Leslie Epstein, who's not half as nice as Jin. Tobias Wolff came yesterday. I got a huge pile of books signed by him. Sorry, only family members. I couldn't figure out who else might like to read Tobias Wolff's new novel. Signed first editions, though. That's nice, eh?
Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner are coming to Books of Wonder on November 15. Unfortunately, they won't be signing anything but their new books. Which sucks for those with Sendak collections (I wanted my The Bat Poet signed) and copies of Angels In America. I'll be in Boston that day, so it's a moot point for me (I was going to send Mom in with The Bat Poet).
Cornelia Funke, author of The Thief Lord will be there for a publication party this Thursday (I have class late in the day and can't make it) for her new book, Inkheart, while James Howe (Bunnicula was one of my favorite series when I was a kid), Tamora Pierce and Holly Black will be there November 16 (I'll be travelling back from Boston).
Um, well. I have to go finish making dinner, so if you'll excuse me....
I have a chapter test tomorrow in Japanese and cannot remember most of the chapter. I have an essay test on Dante's Inferno which has to incorporate a critical essay I was assigned, criticizing the criticism (which sounds like half-way to an English Ph.D. candidate's wet dream to me). I'm waaaay behind on my reading for three classes out of four, have to write five papers which I didn't hand in on time in three classes, have research to do on another, a proposal to write on a final project, as well as actually getting my arse in gear for the project (final total of pages: 7 creative work, 9 analysis of failure/success of creative work). My brain's about to bust.
Yes, it's still better than working for Evil Incorporated, a.k.a. my former job. Or for Evil Ltd., my job before that one.
I have nothing to write about. Really. Um, go look at the new pictures I posted this morning. My Hallowe'en pumpkin is there, looking stoned.
Stoned. That's the word I was looking for. I couldn't remember it. I wrote drugged instead. I knew it wasn't right, but I couldn't remember stoned. I wonder if I can change the subtitle on the pictures. D'oh.
Um, other than school. Um. Well, I've met a bunch of writers through one of my classes. Ha Jin showed up near the beginning of the semester with Leslie Epstein, who's not half as nice as Jin. Tobias Wolff came yesterday. I got a huge pile of books signed by him. Sorry, only family members. I couldn't figure out who else might like to read Tobias Wolff's new novel. Signed first editions, though. That's nice, eh?
Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner are coming to Books of Wonder on November 15. Unfortunately, they won't be signing anything but their new books. Which sucks for those with Sendak collections (I wanted my The Bat Poet signed) and copies of Angels In America. I'll be in Boston that day, so it's a moot point for me (I was going to send Mom in with The Bat Poet).
Cornelia Funke, author of The Thief Lord will be there for a publication party this Thursday (I have class late in the day and can't make it) for her new book, Inkheart, while James Howe (Bunnicula was one of my favorite series when I was a kid), Tamora Pierce and Holly Black will be there November 16 (I'll be travelling back from Boston).
Um, well. I have to go finish making dinner, so if you'll excuse me....
Monday, November 10, 2003
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, C--!
hope all went well with the exams.
sooooo looking forward to your party.
mmmm, C--'s cooking.... drool
that's probably the only time I'll ever drool over someone's vegetarian cooking, by the way.
hope you have a fahbulous day, in spite of it being a workday.
xo-kla.
p.s. hello to S-- and Athena.
sooooo looking forward to your party.
mmmm, C--'s cooking.... drool
that's probably the only time I'll ever drool over someone's vegetarian cooking, by the way.
hope you have a fahbulous day, in spite of it being a workday.
xo-kla.
p.s. hello to S-- and Athena.
Friday, October 31, 2003
This was homework
We're studying Dante's Inferno in Literature of the Middle Ages. This test was assigned to my class. We're required to take it.
Please note my results have changed since I last took the test. I'm not entirely sure why, except that maybe I've stopped some of the stupider stuff I did in my twenties. It's good to grow up sometimes.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test
Please note my results have changed since I last took the test. I'm not entirely sure why, except that maybe I've stopped some of the stupider stuff I did in my twenties. It's good to grow up sometimes.
The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
| Level | Score |
|---|---|
| Purgatory (Repenting Believers) | High |
| Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers) | High |
| Level 2 (Lustful) | Low |
| Level 3 (Gluttonous) | Moderate |
| Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious) | Very Low |
| Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy) | Low |
| Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics) | Very Low |
| Level 7 (Violent) | High |
| Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers) | High |
| Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous) | Low |
Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Lack of Importance, an update
My Google Rating is now down to 2 out of 10, from 3 out of 10. I am even less significant than I was but a month and a half ago.
sigh It's all so pointless, isn't it? Why bother?
...
Ah, well. Off to bed.
sigh It's all so pointless, isn't it? Why bother?
...
Ah, well. Off to bed.
Boston, CHEAP!
I'm going to Boston next month. My friend, C--, is throwing a multi-function party. 1) actuarial exams are over! 2) his birthday. 3) his evil, disgusting housemate is vacating the premises. I shall be taking Amtrak, which is a five-hour ride. This will give me time to do reading for class and sleep, which I cannot seem to get enough of of late (Mom says I'm moving into hibernation mode).
How can I possibly afford to take the train to Boston from Albany? Easy. While round-trip fare from Albany to NYC is about $100, round-trip to Boston is only $38. Cheaper if you have a AAA number. CHEAP! CHEAP! Okay, so there might be a semi-legal bus service which is cheaper, but I like having my own seat and not having to worry about someone picking my pockets if I happen to nap off while reading a textbook.
Yaaaay! I get to see C--! Picture me running about the house a la Kermit the Frog when he's really excited about the start of a particular episode of The Muppet Show.
How can I possibly afford to take the train to Boston from Albany? Easy. While round-trip fare from Albany to NYC is about $100, round-trip to Boston is only $38. Cheaper if you have a AAA number. CHEAP! CHEAP! Okay, so there might be a semi-legal bus service which is cheaper, but I like having my own seat and not having to worry about someone picking my pockets if I happen to nap off while reading a textbook.
Yaaaay! I get to see C--! Picture me running about the house a la Kermit the Frog when he's really excited about the start of a particular episode of The Muppet Show.
ooooooooooh! aaaaaaaah!
If you haven't been up to the Northeast of late, you should come up soon. While much of the leaves are gone, there's still plenty left and it's unsually beautiful, even for this region. The colors are intense and varied. I never thought I'd say brown leaves are beautiful, but they are this year.
[END OF TOURISM PLUG FOR NEW ENGLAND AND NORTHERN NEW YORK STATE. WE WILL NOW RESUME THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED POINTLESS WHINING.]
[END OF TOURISM PLUG FOR NEW ENGLAND AND NORTHERN NEW YORK STATE. WE WILL NOW RESUME THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED POINTLESS WHINING.]
Drunken Bastards
I just saw something which epitomizes the college students at U-Albany: a giant empty bottle of Canadian Molson sitting on the wet pavement under one of the concrete benches between Humanities and Education. I laughed and wished I had my camera with me so I could take a picture. Maybe when I come back to campus later today I can bring my camera, take a picture, and post it on my blog. I'll have to put something next to it so you can understand the scale. It's huge. Huge-ass big. And sitting on campus between two of the buildings.
This is a party school. I'd heard that when I initally applied, but my dad, who was working here at the time, vehemently denied it. He was a goddamned liar.
The kids here drink like `80's frat movie characters. They drink until they get alcohol poisoning and die. They come into afternoon classes on a Wednesday with hangovers. It's amusing at a certain level, like the huge-ass, green Canadian Molson bottle. It also sucks as the professors have to be much harsher than at other universities as the students generally don't give a rat-fuck and need to have even the faintest work ethic beaten into their alcohol-damaged minds in order to make the teaching of the course worthwhile. It amazes me large numbers of people graduate. It amazes me professors don't just throw their hands in the air and give up, reciting from the same yellowed notes they used fifteen years ago (like the professors at NYU). They still care, even though the student body is too fucking drunk to care back.
But, damn, that empty bottle made me laugh.
This is a party school. I'd heard that when I initally applied, but my dad, who was working here at the time, vehemently denied it. He was a goddamned liar.
The kids here drink like `80's frat movie characters. They drink until they get alcohol poisoning and die. They come into afternoon classes on a Wednesday with hangovers. It's amusing at a certain level, like the huge-ass, green Canadian Molson bottle. It also sucks as the professors have to be much harsher than at other universities as the students generally don't give a rat-fuck and need to have even the faintest work ethic beaten into their alcohol-damaged minds in order to make the teaching of the course worthwhile. It amazes me large numbers of people graduate. It amazes me professors don't just throw their hands in the air and give up, reciting from the same yellowed notes they used fifteen years ago (like the professors at NYU). They still care, even though the student body is too fucking drunk to care back.
But, damn, that empty bottle made me laugh.
Sunday, October 26, 2003
Trust me, the Donger knows
Yet another example of life being vastly improved by television: "I Love the 80s Strikes Back". All the weird pop culture shit of my childhood, summarized in hour-long years. God, how fabulous. I laughed 'til I cried when they covered Jolt Cola (1985).
Saturday, October 25, 2003
Death and Destruction, with lots of swear words
This has audio, so's if you're watching with a bitchy boss looking over your shoulder, you may get into trouble. Or you may have no sound and therefore miss half the fun. Anyway, go watch the end of the world.
Thursday, October 23, 2003
kawaiiiiiiiiiiiiii
"Cowboy Bebop: Ed & Ein Plush"
Must! Have! Ed & Ein doll!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!
If only she came with her hacker equipment, too.
Must! Have! Ed & Ein doll!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!
If only she came with her hacker equipment, too.
AUUUUUUUUGH!!!
Jeff Weaver?
Jeff Fucking Weaver?
Jeff "I blow every game I pitch" Weaver?
Oh, for fuck's sake, Joe! Why? Why, why, why, why, why?
"We need long relief."
Weaver is not relief. He's what you need relief from. He's the reason for antiacids in Yankees fans homes across the nation. He sucks. He sucks so much I have a chant whenever I see him: "Try not to suck, Jeff!" He never listens. He always sucks.
Oh, the pain. The agony. I hate second-guessing you like this, Mr. Torre, but what the bloody hell were you thinking, bringing Weaver back in in the bottom of the 12th? Why? Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, whyyyyyyyyyy?!
sob
Jeff Fucking Weaver?
Jeff "I blow every game I pitch" Weaver?
Oh, for fuck's sake, Joe! Why? Why, why, why, why, why?
"We need long relief."
Weaver is not relief. He's what you need relief from. He's the reason for antiacids in Yankees fans homes across the nation. He sucks. He sucks so much I have a chant whenever I see him: "Try not to suck, Jeff!" He never listens. He always sucks.
Oh, the pain. The agony. I hate second-guessing you like this, Mr. Torre, but what the bloody hell were you thinking, bringing Weaver back in in the bottom of the 12th? Why? Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, whyyyyyyyyyy?!
sob
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Neige, yuki, Schnee, la neve, la nieve, white stuff
It snowed today. Today, October 22. We haven't even ended daylight savings time yet. People still haven't bought their Halloween pumpkins yet. Snow.
Okay, so mostly it was rain and then some snain (rain and snow at the same time; not to be confused with sleet, which is slush falling from the sky; or with frozen rain, which is super-cold rain which is ice when it hits anything). But I looked out the classroom window, and there was the snow. I went to get the mail, and it was snowing.
Don't get me wrong. I love snow. It's purty.
Still, this just brings home the Farmers' Almanac prediction for this winter: it will be super-harsh. Yeah, even more harsh than last winter. Time to get mentally prepared for fifty foot blizzards, I guess.
Okay, so mostly it was rain and then some snain (rain and snow at the same time; not to be confused with sleet, which is slush falling from the sky; or with frozen rain, which is super-cold rain which is ice when it hits anything). But I looked out the classroom window, and there was the snow. I went to get the mail, and it was snowing.
Don't get me wrong. I love snow. It's purty.
Still, this just brings home the Farmers' Almanac prediction for this winter: it will be super-harsh. Yeah, even more harsh than last winter. Time to get mentally prepared for fifty foot blizzards, I guess.
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HALIFAX!
belated, that is.
i still don't know exactly when your birthday is. i've heard it was around the time you moved but....
anyway, belated happy birthday.
i need your new address so's i can send you a birthday/housewarming present.
or an address so's i can send you a birthday-type present.
hey, if you don't like it, i'm never around, so you can regift it with ease.
regifting: fun, easy, free!
just try not to let on you did it, or i might cry.
cheers.
-l.t.s.k.
i still don't know exactly when your birthday is. i've heard it was around the time you moved but....
anyway, belated happy birthday.
i need your new address so's i can send you a birthday/housewarming present.
or an address so's i can send you a birthday-type present.
hey, if you don't like it, i'm never around, so you can regift it with ease.
regifting: fun, easy, free!
just try not to let on you did it, or i might cry.
cheers.
-l.t.s.k.
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Words, Words, Words
I take special joy in some words. Sometimes because of the sound (eeeee-bola!), sometimes because of the specific meaning, sometimes just because. I can't say today's Word of the Day will be listed among my favorites, but I do like it lots.
vitiate • \VIH-shee-ayt\ • verb
1 : to make faulty or defective : impair
2 : to debase in moral or aesthetic status
3 : to make ineffective
1 : to make faulty or defective : impair
2 : to debase in moral or aesthetic status
3 : to make ineffective
Friday, October 10, 2003
Diana
Tonight will be the Hunter's Moon, which is one of the cooler names for a moon. I suspect, however, that many men are looking forward to November 8th.
Thursday, October 09, 2003
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVID!
i'm still older than you are.
as with SheepBoy (see below),
i'm sending you something but it make take a while as sending something requires i go to the post office.
also, i don't have your new address. you jerk.
anyway, happy birthday.
-l.l.b.s.
as with SheepBoy (see below),
i'm sending you something but it make take a while as sending something requires i go to the post office.
also, i don't have your new address. you jerk.
anyway, happy birthday.
-l.l.b.s.
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Still There
As of the 6th of October, Dresselmeyer is still in his cage at the vet's office, waiting for someone to give him a home. This breaks my heart as I really, really like Dresselmeyer and would take him home myself if I didn't have two of the world's greatest felines already here. Oscar would never forgive me.
Dresselmeyer's fully recovered from donating blood to a cat in need of emergency care (what a good samaritan!) and is back to being his friendly, cuddly self. I could really see myself getting attached to that cat. He very much deserves a home.
I'm not going to start on Monkey, the scared, sweet little skinny black kitten, or Isis, the gray and white long-hair with the sleepy eyes.
If all were right with the world, Dresselmeyer would be my cat and my nephews would take care of Monkey and my mom would take Isis to play with the even-longer-furred Floof and Oscar would still love me unconditionally.
Poor Dresselmeyer. I think he's starting to recognize me now, too, and wondering why I'm leaving him in there.
Hey, they gave me a form to apply for a job there, at the vet's. Maybe I could take care of him then. If they give me a job.
Dresselmeyer's fully recovered from donating blood to a cat in need of emergency care (what a good samaritan!) and is back to being his friendly, cuddly self. I could really see myself getting attached to that cat. He very much deserves a home.
I'm not going to start on Monkey, the scared, sweet little skinny black kitten, or Isis, the gray and white long-hair with the sleepy eyes.
If all were right with the world, Dresselmeyer would be my cat and my nephews would take care of Monkey and my mom would take Isis to play with the even-longer-furred Floof and Oscar would still love me unconditionally.
Poor Dresselmeyer. I think he's starting to recognize me now, too, and wondering why I'm leaving him in there.
Hey, they gave me a form to apply for a job there, at the vet's. Maybe I could take care of him then. If they give me a job.
Lucky
Did I ever mention I like all of my classes, meaning I like what we're studying and the texts we're reading and the professors teaching?
The students, well, I could do without a lot of them, but a couple of cool ones have surfaced in a couple of the classes.
For the most part, though, I'm lucky in my class selection this semester. This makes not doing so hot so far rather upsetting to me. I want to do well in these good courses and do well for my professors.
I'm such a dork.
(At least I'm doing okay on my Japanese quizzes so far.)
The students, well, I could do without a lot of them, but a couple of cool ones have surfaced in a couple of the classes.
For the most part, though, I'm lucky in my class selection this semester. This makes not doing so hot so far rather upsetting to me. I want to do well in these good courses and do well for my professors.
I'm such a dork.
(At least I'm doing okay on my Japanese quizzes so far.)
Monday, October 06, 2003
On Not Posting
The computer has been more or less on the fritz.
I have been very busy trying to keep up with classes (and generally failing to do so, mostly because of the state of the computer).
I have been having too much fun being distracted by my (our, our) new toy, the DVR. I am now watching Alias and many anime programs shown on this unknown TechTV channel (or whatever it's called) and so on. Shows I didn't get to watch before because of the dominance of HBO's Sunday 9:00 shows in my life (The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Carnivale). I could watch both West Wing and Angel if the writing on the former hadn't obviously taken a turn for the lame and lazy (it's bad. not super-bad, but definitely not good in a packed-with-bad-television-cliches kind of way). Yay, Angel! I would be more upset about missing the season opener, except I know it'll be shown this winter during the break and the many, many, many weeks of repeats. The DVR will do its duty and the episode shall be there. Huzzah for the DVR!
Now if only Mom would let me set up the VCR properly so it's hooked up to cable.
non sequitur: Halifax, isn't your birthday in October, too?
I have been very busy trying to keep up with classes (and generally failing to do so, mostly because of the state of the computer).
I have been having too much fun being distracted by my (our, our) new toy, the DVR. I am now watching Alias and many anime programs shown on this unknown TechTV channel (or whatever it's called) and so on. Shows I didn't get to watch before because of the dominance of HBO's Sunday 9:00 shows in my life (The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Carnivale). I could watch both West Wing and Angel if the writing on the former hadn't obviously taken a turn for the lame and lazy (it's bad. not super-bad, but definitely not good in a packed-with-bad-television-cliches kind of way). Yay, Angel! I would be more upset about missing the season opener, except I know it'll be shown this winter during the break and the many, many, many weeks of repeats. The DVR will do its duty and the episode shall be there. Huzzah for the DVR!
Now if only Mom would let me set up the VCR properly so it's hooked up to cable.
non sequitur: Halifax, isn't your birthday in October, too?
Thursday, September 25, 2003
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Whoops, I forgot to mention...
I don't know if any of you went, or if you even like Dave Matthews Band, which I do a lot, but there's a live broadcast of their free concert in Central Park right now through AOL at this site which I'm not even sure you can access, anyway. But I thought I'd post this, in case there's someone with broadband or DSL who's reading my blog now and likes the band. It's pretty good. These live broadcasts have a hell of a lot better in just a couple of years, like, scary much better.
Ah, well. Tra la.
Ah, well. Tra la.
Phoning in the blog posts
Late Night TV Political Humor
e-mailed to me by my elder sister
"Finally, a candidate who can explain the Bush administration's positions on civil liberties in the original German."
- Bill Maher, on Schwarzenegger running for Governor.
"President Bush is supporting Arnold. But a lot of Republicans are not, because he is actually quite liberal. Karl Rove said if his father hadn't been a Nazi, he wouldn't have any credibility with conservatives at all."
- Bill Maher
"President Bush is on a 35-day vacation, and before he left he had his annual physical, and it turns out his cholesterol now is lower than his approval rating."
- David Letterman
"Yesterday, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he would run for governor of California. The announcement was good news for Florida residents who now live in the second flakiest state in the country."
- Conan O'Brien
"Apparently Arnold was inspired by President Bush, who proved you can be a successful politician in this country even if English is your second language."
- Conan O'Brien
"They're saying Arnold will get 95% of the vote. At least according to his brother, Jeb Schwarzenegger."
- Craig Kilborn
"President Bush has been silent on Schwarzenegger. Of course -- he can't pronounce 'Schwarzenegger'."
- David Letterman
"Here's how bad California looks to the rest of the country. People in Florida are laughing at us."
- Jay Leno
"Well, we're all excited because President Bush has started his 35-day vacation. He's down there in Crawford, Texas, and on the first day of his vacation he went fishing. He didn't find any fish, but he believes they're there and that his intelligence is accurate."
- David Letterman
"The White House released a videotape of President Bush meeting with his cabinet, and today Iraqi officials say they believe the tape is authentic."
- Jay Leno
"The United States is putting together a Constitution now for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It's served us well for 200> years, and we don't appear to be using it anymore. So what the hell?"
- Jay Leno
"President Bush held his first full press conference in over five months this week. He announced that the war on terrorism is continuing, much, much more work needs to be done on the economy, and Saddam Hussein has not yet been captured. Then he said, 'I'm going on vacation for a month.' "
- Jay Leno
"The White House says that the vacation in Texas will give President Bush the chance to unwind. My question is, when does the guy wind?"
- David Letterman
"If you add up all the time he's spent on the ranch, he's spent more time in hiding than bin Laden and Hussein put together."
- Bill Maher
"[President Bush] used his press conference to come out very strongly against gay marriage. And then he said, on a personal note, that he apologized if he had done anything to lead Tony Blair on."
- Bill Maher
"President Bush's economic team is now on their Jobs and Growth bus tour all across America. I think the only job they created so far is for the guy driving the bus."
- Jay Leno
"President Bush has refused to declassify portions of the congressional 9/11 reports about the Saudis, because he says it will help the enemy. Not Al Qaeda, the Democrats."
- Jay Leno
- Bill Maher, on Schwarzenegger running for Governor.
"President Bush is supporting Arnold. But a lot of Republicans are not, because he is actually quite liberal. Karl Rove said if his father hadn't been a Nazi, he wouldn't have any credibility with conservatives at all."
- Bill Maher
"President Bush is on a 35-day vacation, and before he left he had his annual physical, and it turns out his cholesterol now is lower than his approval rating."
- David Letterman
"Yesterday, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he would run for governor of California. The announcement was good news for Florida residents who now live in the second flakiest state in the country."
- Conan O'Brien
"Apparently Arnold was inspired by President Bush, who proved you can be a successful politician in this country even if English is your second language."
- Conan O'Brien
"They're saying Arnold will get 95% of the vote. At least according to his brother, Jeb Schwarzenegger."
- Craig Kilborn
"President Bush has been silent on Schwarzenegger. Of course -- he can't pronounce 'Schwarzenegger'."
- David Letterman
"Here's how bad California looks to the rest of the country. People in Florida are laughing at us."
- Jay Leno
"Well, we're all excited because President Bush has started his 35-day vacation. He's down there in Crawford, Texas, and on the first day of his vacation he went fishing. He didn't find any fish, but he believes they're there and that his intelligence is accurate."
- David Letterman
"The White House released a videotape of President Bush meeting with his cabinet, and today Iraqi officials say they believe the tape is authentic."
- Jay Leno
"The United States is putting together a Constitution now for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It's served us well for 200> years, and we don't appear to be using it anymore. So what the hell?"
- Jay Leno
"President Bush held his first full press conference in over five months this week. He announced that the war on terrorism is continuing, much, much more work needs to be done on the economy, and Saddam Hussein has not yet been captured. Then he said, 'I'm going on vacation for a month.' "
- Jay Leno
"The White House says that the vacation in Texas will give President Bush the chance to unwind. My question is, when does the guy wind?"
- David Letterman
"If you add up all the time he's spent on the ranch, he's spent more time in hiding than bin Laden and Hussein put together."
- Bill Maher
"[President Bush] used his press conference to come out very strongly against gay marriage. And then he said, on a personal note, that he apologized if he had done anything to lead Tony Blair on."
- Bill Maher
"President Bush's economic team is now on their Jobs and Growth bus tour all across America. I think the only job they created so far is for the guy driving the bus."
- Jay Leno
"President Bush has refused to declassify portions of the congressional 9/11 reports about the Saudis, because he says it will help the enemy. Not Al Qaeda, the Democrats."
- Jay Leno
Bumpersticker Ideas For The Republicans For 2004
also e-mailed to me by my sister
- Bush/Cheney '04: Leave no billionaire behind
- Bush/Cheney '04: Less CIA -- More CYA
- Bush/Cheney '04: Lies and videotapes, but no sex!
- Bush/Cheney '04: Making the world a better place, one country at a time.
- Bush/Cheney '04: Putting the "con" in conservatism
- Bush/Cheney '04: Thanks for not paying attention.
- Bush/Cheney '04: Four More Wars!
- Bush/Cheney '04: Don't Change Whores in the middle of a screw.
- Bush/Cheney '04: Assimilate. Resistance is Futile.
- Bush/Cheney '04: Apocalypse Now!
- Bush/Cheney '04: Compassionate Colonialism
- Bush/Cheney '04: The economy's stupid!
- Bush/Cheney '04: This time, elect us!
- Bush/Cheney '04: We're Gooder!
- Bush/Cheney '04: Asses of Evil
- George W. Bush: A brainwave away from the presidency
- George W. Bush: It takes a village idiot
- George W. Bush: He's Not as Dumb as Arnold.
- Vote Bush in '04: "I Has Incumbentory Advantitude"
- Vote Bush in '04: Because dictatorship is easier
- Vote Bush in '04: It's a no-brainer!
- Vote for Bush & You Get Dick!
- Who would Jesus Bomb?
- With a Bush and a Dick, everyone gets screwed
- One Small Vote for Bush. One Big Vote for Halliburton.
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Okay, so I'll blog about this
The photos on Eric Conveys an Emotion range from make-me-smirk to crack-me-the-hell-up. Eric's latest Adventure, The New Pad, made me laugh very, very hard. Go see! (And check out the tee-shirt.)
On Being and Nothingness
I will probably not be posting much else to my blog for a while.
I'm not dating anyone. I'm not wishing I were dating anyone. I'm not being stalked. I'm not getting eyes from anyone.
I'm busy with much reading and much writing. I'm behind in reading and writing. I've research to do. I've hiragana to memorize. I've vocabulary to memorize. I've "action verbs" to memorize. I've index cards to write up to aid in memorization.
I'm not reading anything outside of class (except for Alan Moore's From Hell, which I got on sale from Powell's along with my Japanese-English dictionary, but I'm only reading it before bed and thereby guaranteeing eventual scary-gross-bloody-freaky nightmares). I'm not going to movies. You can see what I'm watching on T.V. from the list, and nothing I have to say about any of the shows would add to what has been posted on friends' blogs or printed up in newspapers or magazines.
I'm not travelling. I won't be going travelling any time soon. (Except for maybe to a Yankees game this weekend, but that's to use up rain cancellation tickets from my birthday.)
I do not have a job. I have no anecdotes about coworkers because I don't have a job. I have no anecdotes about classmates as they are a good portion drunken frat boys and sorostitutes, and drunken frat boys and sorostitutes are boring in their annoying habits of stupidity. (I do have one super-annoying Chinese girl in my Japanese class who has the worst fucking penmanship in the world and won't take correction because she is always, always right, even though she is usually wrong--and usually late to class. My only comfort in dealing with her is thinking how much ET would hate her fat ugly ass if she ever met her. She won't, though. ET should be very, very happy indeed in knowing she will, in all likelihood, never, ever, ever have to deal with this stupid, stupid bitch. The majority of the female non-round-eyes in that class are really pretty and smart and at least quadlingual.
I'm sure every white boy reading this is now drooling and trying to figure out a way to sneak into my class, mostly because I ended the description with a word that had "lingual" in it. You are gross. These girls--they're super-young in my eyes, so "girls"--are smart, have beautiful penmanship and make me feel old, slow, and super-stupid. But you're still gross, you pervy, pervy gaijin.) The rest of my classmates are mild and leave no mental aftertaste. They are all still about twelve years younger than I am, except on the occasion when they are twenty years older than I am. The ones who are older than I am are, without exception, deeply troubled people, as is shown by their distorted fashion sense (oh gawd the hair!) and their dumb commentary in class. They are not as dumb as the sorostitutes or the annoying ugly chick in my Japanese class, but they are dumb and it must be stated somewhere that they are so and that their stupidity reflects badly upon me, 'cause, for pete's sake, I am categorized as an "Adult Learner" too, so they are my equals in the eyes of UoA Admissions. Oh, lord, this means I am like them: I am an old, ugly, fashion-challenged, mentally-disturbed 'tard. I weep bitter tears at this revelation.
So, that's it. Nothing's doing.
Except I have a cell phone with a lot of unused minutes on it but have no one to call.
And I should have spent the time I just wasted on typing up this post on catching up on my reading for Medieval Lit. so I can get the journal up-to-date so I and turn it in tomorrow morning and not get a lousy grade.
I'm pathetic.
I'm not dating anyone. I'm not wishing I were dating anyone. I'm not being stalked. I'm not getting eyes from anyone.
I'm busy with much reading and much writing. I'm behind in reading and writing. I've research to do. I've hiragana to memorize. I've vocabulary to memorize. I've "action verbs" to memorize. I've index cards to write up to aid in memorization.
I'm not reading anything outside of class (except for Alan Moore's From Hell, which I got on sale from Powell's along with my Japanese-English dictionary, but I'm only reading it before bed and thereby guaranteeing eventual scary-gross-bloody-freaky nightmares). I'm not going to movies. You can see what I'm watching on T.V. from the list, and nothing I have to say about any of the shows would add to what has been posted on friends' blogs or printed up in newspapers or magazines.
I'm not travelling. I won't be going travelling any time soon. (Except for maybe to a Yankees game this weekend, but that's to use up rain cancellation tickets from my birthday.)
I do not have a job. I have no anecdotes about coworkers because I don't have a job. I have no anecdotes about classmates as they are a good portion drunken frat boys and sorostitutes, and drunken frat boys and sorostitutes are boring in their annoying habits of stupidity. (I do have one super-annoying Chinese girl in my Japanese class who has the worst fucking penmanship in the world and won't take correction because she is always, always right, even though she is usually wrong--and usually late to class. My only comfort in dealing with her is thinking how much ET would hate her fat ugly ass if she ever met her. She won't, though. ET should be very, very happy indeed in knowing she will, in all likelihood, never, ever, ever have to deal with this stupid, stupid bitch. The majority of the female non-round-eyes in that class are really pretty and smart and at least quadlingual.
I'm sure every white boy reading this is now drooling and trying to figure out a way to sneak into my class, mostly because I ended the description with a word that had "lingual" in it. You are gross. These girls--they're super-young in my eyes, so "girls"--are smart, have beautiful penmanship and make me feel old, slow, and super-stupid. But you're still gross, you pervy, pervy gaijin.) The rest of my classmates are mild and leave no mental aftertaste. They are all still about twelve years younger than I am, except on the occasion when they are twenty years older than I am. The ones who are older than I am are, without exception, deeply troubled people, as is shown by their distorted fashion sense (oh gawd the hair!) and their dumb commentary in class. They are not as dumb as the sorostitutes or the annoying ugly chick in my Japanese class, but they are dumb and it must be stated somewhere that they are so and that their stupidity reflects badly upon me, 'cause, for pete's sake, I am categorized as an "Adult Learner" too, so they are my equals in the eyes of UoA Admissions. Oh, lord, this means I am like them: I am an old, ugly, fashion-challenged, mentally-disturbed 'tard. I weep bitter tears at this revelation.
So, that's it. Nothing's doing.
Except I have a cell phone with a lot of unused minutes on it but have no one to call.
And I should have spent the time I just wasted on typing up this post on catching up on my reading for Medieval Lit. so I can get the journal up-to-date so I and turn it in tomorrow morning and not get a lousy grade.
I'm pathetic.
