All Things Geeky

Crank up your RealOne thingy and check out the new Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio drama! I complete forgot about this until I was reminded this morning. It should be amusing. In the same vein, here's some news on the new Doctor Who series. I'm sure it'll make it's way across the pond eventually.

...OK - I just emailed BBC America imploring them to carry the new series.

I have received multiple confirmations that a few of my t-shirts have been shipped. We have my Miskatonic University Department of Thaumaturgy shirt, one with a picture of Julius Caesar and Latin phrases, a King Crimson tee, and a trio from Think Geek consisting of one with the molecular composition of caffeine, one with the molecular composition of capsacin, and one that says, "No I will not fix your computer". So hopefully by Friday I'll be wearing some new geeky duds.

I must make that salad today. Neither Stevie nor Becca really cook so those tomatoes will just rot away unless I do something with them. And so it's gonna be tomato/cuke salad with mozz. Perhaps I should buy some fresh basil to go in it. Christ, I dunno if we have any balsamic. Damned culinary conundrums! Another thing to do today is make a copy of that Pavement show for Miss Jolene. I should really just whip up a to-do list.

Kewl beans! I found an mp3 of the new Hitchhiker's radio show for download. The bits come to me as I type. I sure wish this Dick Thompson show would finish downloading as I'm keen to listen to it. I see that another person is snagging a Gong show from me. You wouldn't think they'd be so popular. I checked out the file list of the person who's grabbing it and it confirms my worst fears - there are Sammy Hagar boots to be had. Well, there are 7.46 terabytes of stuff to be had at this hub so there's bound to be crap. Ah, I see that a few people are arguing about Miles Davis right now - about whether or not his 70s stuff was any good. Uh oh! Sun Ra got dragged into the mess.

The Smell of Coffee in the Morning

It's the wee hours of Wednesday morning and I'm drinking coffee while watching an interview with Cornel West. It's my first exposure to him aside from his visage in The Matrix flicks. I don't know what to make of him. To be sure, I nod in agreement as he opines on issues such as race and corporate power but demur when he brings up religion. I dig his pastiche of "black" patois and academic drawl. However, when it turns to Xtianity, I get worried. It's hard to explain because he isn't approaching anything akin to preaching. I cringe when he claims that the "Christian gospel is really the most powerful source of insight of what it means to be human". Not that the New Testament doesn't have a lot going for it - Jesus was a peacenik, after all, but I must take the role of objicient. I've got this gut feeling that whether you view the Bible as an epic piece of fiction or as a work of a deity bears upon its value as a source of insight on humanity. Either way it furthers our understanding but it seems that a sincere belief that Jesus could really walk on water dilutes the messages. Having the lessons being given to us from on high from some fairy tale figure puts blinders on us and keeps us from looking at the taproot of our humanity - other human beings. Still, I shall have to pick up a book of his.

I spent some time at Mother Fool's tonight watching Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. Before that I was at Ground Zero to meet with other atheists. Most of the anticipated frauleins were no-shows, much to my dismay. Still, I enjoyed the company of those who were there. I got there a bit early and listened to a radio drama until the appointed meeting time. On the adjacent couch sat a pulchritudinous chickie doing her Latin homework. Be still my heart! I was too timid to actually say something to her but she started her shift at 7. And so, as I was leaving, I got a refill for the road and struck up a conversation with her. She must have been bored as she was very attentive to my ramblings.

Alrighty - sleep beckons.

Procrastinating

I'm having a helluva time downloading this Southern Culture on the Skids show. Is the guy using a dial-up connection or who?

This is amusing - the little atheist gathering tonight looks to be me and 4 frauelins. The potential for me making a complete fool of myself is perilously high. Like red alert high. I've seen one of the attendees there before and she ain't half bad. If they're all hotties, what will I do? I won't know if I should scratch my watch or wind my ass.

I met the Botox Lady at TH this morning. She told me that she's trying to come up with a dinner special named after me. (She and her hubby recently purchased the Cottage Cafe.) On a culinary tangent, Stevie told me that the next-door neighbor came over on Sunday to get more of my jambalaya. Twice, in fact. The shit isn't hard to make, ya know. I spoke with her on Saturday while we were getting coffee and she was surprised or impressed that I had organic coffee and milk and sugar and...Apparently it was very odd for a single guy like myself to have such items in his larder. Just wait til she finds out I've got a scullery maid to do the dishes and mop floors. They're the sine qua non of us 21st century bachelors, doncha know.

NP: Uncle Tupelo - October 15, 1993

No Luck At All

It's 10:40 at night and I've got a massive caffeine buzz going. For no good reason. I have Seasons of Fear (just how does one format the name of an audio drama?) queued up and a set of headphones awaiting me but I'm not ready for bed quite yet.

I feel bad as I've neglected the book I've been reading - God's Secretaries. And I'm also keen on starting Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle. I downloaded what's available but haven't started reading.

No thanks to the grindstone...

I have to write a review of a Cowboy Junkies album which I really don't care for all that much. How could a band that likes Neil Young so much be so incredibly boring? Listening to it is having the adverse effect of making me like Harvest Moon less. I've never had it happen to me before whereby my dislike of one band carried over to another that I enjoy greatly. There must be a scientific term for this phenomenon. "Ennui transposition" perhaps.

News You Can't Use

While none of you may give a crap, I am delighted to hear that Porcupine Tree's new album is due in January. I've been into them since 1998 or so meaning that I've been a fan before they signed to a major label. While this means absolutely nothing, it makes me feel good as I'm surrounded by people in this town who pride themselves on enjoying music that virtually no one else listens to and brag about how they listened to so-and-so before they made it big. It's sometimes frustrating to listen to WORT because there are those DJs who think that anything on an indie label must be good. While I grant you that there is something inherently neat and democratic about a few people picking up instruments and just playing, this does not equate to worthwhile music. Well, to each her own.

While I'm on the subject of music, I'm elated because I snagged a really pukka Pavement show. It was one of those rare moments when I stumble upon a show I'm really keen on adding to my collection and connect to some übergeek whose has a T1 line at his house. My download speed was around 60kb/sec. I say "his" in this case not to be sexist but realizing that most people with T1 lines running into their homes have penises. Currently a New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars show as well as a Richard Thompson gig from 1996 are downloading. The RT recording is audience-sourced but shows from the You? Me? Us? tour are rare in the places I frequent. I want to be able to crank up some wailing geetar on "Bank Vault in Heaven".

I spent some lucre online today buying t-shirts. It's the worst in me come to the fore. While I'm generally pretty reserved, I do have this attention-loving part inside. I figure, rather than streaking down the avenue, I'd just wear an attention-grabbing t-shirt. If the cover of In the Court of the Crimson King doesn't do the trick, I dunno what will.

I'm supposed to do something tomorrow night but don't know what. Shit, I'll figure it out tomorrow. Wednesday Pete and I are to go to the sinny and see that Sky Captain and blah blah. I'm sure it's quite generic but the novelty aspect of it intrigues me. Sunday I am to be a representative, along with Jimmy Downtown, for Toad Hill at some java thingy that benefits a rape crisis center or another equally worthy cause. I don't mean to sound so blase about the whole affair but I saw something today that irritated me. It was a fund raiser for an organization that did research for cures to diseases of the female body. I'm probably fucking up the group's purpose completely but it gets my point across. Exactly how many groups do we need to look for a cure to cancer? Don't get me wrong, I'm no belittling the search for a cure - my father, stepmother, and aunt all had cancer. But how productive is it to have a separate group researching a cure for cancer of each bit of the body? Do these folks share info? There's a bunch of folks wanting my money to find a cure for breast cancer. Another for ovarian cancer. Prostate cancer, kidney cancer, finger cancer, eyelid cancer - ad infinitum. Cancer doesn't discriminate by gender - why should the folks looking to defeat it? They're all good causes so how the fuck is someone supposed to figure out which one to give money to? Why can't they pool their resources and come up with a few groups? Maybe I'm just too cynical.

Anyway, I'll be able to feed my caffeine addiction and hit on some frauleins. Or would that be in poor taste? I'm not gonna force myself on a womyn but, if there's a nice piece of ass from Ground Zero there, I'm certainly gonna wanna trade notes on the best beans.

There's a new fraulein at TH - Sonya or Sonia or something and she's got some nice ink. I dunno what it is but the older I get, the more I dig illustrated chickies. She seems like a nice lass and puts up with me when I'm there so she's got that going for her. There's a new hottie up at SG with a country ton of ink on her skin. Not only does she have an ass so fine it'd make your eyes water, but her right cheek has this viney illustration on it. I hate to come off as some misogynist here by talking about womyn as objects of my desire but I can't help it. It feels like May as I'm frisky nearly all the time. I almost rear-ended a couple cars last week because I was checking out some chick's ass. There was one gal in particular that caught my and Marv's attention as we were driving to the hospital to see Mel. When she walked, she shook like a willow tree - she had this skirt on sans underwear. This issue is on my mind because The Dulcinea mentioned the dreaded B word this weekend - "boyfriend". I dodged the issue in only the most highly unskilled way. Right now I don't want to be anybody's boyfriend. Except maybe Uma Thurman's. But that's besides the point. Right now I claim committed commitmentphobe status. This even surprises me a bit. I'm 32 and single. But I don't have any desire to settle down, get married, and have youngins. I thought this attitude would have taken a fatal blow after what happened to Mel. Having a loving and dedicated spouse in my gravest time of need sounds pretty goddamned neat to me. But I didn't budge. Not that it firmed up what I already felt either, mind you. I was not inculcated with any fear of losing a wife and thusly retreating further from the idea of commitment. Hell, I saw that shit when my stepmom died a few years ago - nothing new to me.

There was something else I wanted to address with my stultiloquence but cannot recall what the hell it is. Maybe it had to do with the impending election as various politicos were in town last week. But maybe not.

I'm A Footnote

I meet my mum for lunch in a couple hours as she'll be swinging back through town on her way back to Chicago. I've got to find out Mel's new room in Meriter as she's being transferred as I speak. A customer called so I've gotta call him back. And, in general, I've gotta sort my schedule out. Now that the cruise has been pushed back to late October, I'll be able to go to the Marillion show in Chicago on the 2nd. It would also behoove me to snag a ticket for the MSO's performance of Beethoven's 9th. That's coming up quickly and there's nothing like a bit of the old Ludwig van!

I see that the Isthmus published my letter to the editor. Of course it was truncated thereby removing all of my sarcasm. It was a short letter yet they saw fit to include only a couple sentences whereas everyone else was given many more words. Go figure. One of the few times I actually engage in brevity and I'm reduced even further. My editor emailed me last week and asked if it was me that was quoted in the new Allan Moore book. I had no idea so I asked her for the quote and she sent it. Sure enough it had the words of your humble narrator. I now exist in the print world as a footnote! Allan Moore is a professor of music in some capacity at some university in the UK. He has written a slim volume about Jethro Tull's Aqualung album and he quoted from my essay on Tull. I think I can lay claim to the title of Madison's Authority on Jethro Tull. Not a particularly glamorous title, I grant you, but, hey, I'll take what I can get.

In a more botanical vein, our garden is for shite. It looks as if I'll be doing precious little canning this fall. Just a handful of tomatoes so far. AND NO HOT PEPPERS! Now that's enough to piss off the Pope. Instead I've decided to make some sauerkraut. I was out at Pete's parents' place yesterday to sort out Sharon's computer and borrowed a bucket from Bill for this purpose. A jaunt to the Coop for a case of cabbage will be next. Invite a couple people over for some beer and grating and in a couple months we'll be in like Flynn.

On a geeky note, the new version of Firefox is, as Darth Vader might say, impressive. I haven't had a chance to give its RSS capabilities a spin but must say that it handles plug-ins like a fucking charm. Inversely, Windows Media Player 10 is a mixed bag. While minimizing to its own toolbar hasn't (yet) caused a fault in explorer.exe like 9 did, it is blatantly annoying to have a normal playlists and a Now Playing playlist. Intuitively you'd add files to a normal playlist and let 'er rip. But they don't appear in the Now Playing list so you've really gotta fuck around to sort the track order and whatnot. So I've reverted back to Winamp. I'm tempted to upgrade to 5 but have this sneaking suspicion that its footprint is gonna be huge and that there will be all sorts of built-in features that I don't want doing things I don't want them to. And I don't know if my Shorten, Ape, and Flac plug-ins will work.

Weekend: Spent some time at Miss Rosie's yesterday. We ate, drank, and caught part of the debacle that was the Packer game. Got the gossip on The Pollack too. Apparently Mr. Z had to bail his ass out yet again lest the bank foreclose on his house. And he hasn't paid child support in a few months. I've no idea what he does with his geld.

Uncle Tupelo does a good version of "Orange Blossom Special".

What else? We had our neighborhood block shindig Saturday. We've got some amusing neighbors. Everyone was quite friendly. This Greg character is a hoot too with all his play-by-play of the Badger game. The Dulcinea came over but felt quite uncomfortable so she hid most of the time. So I joined her. We engaged in some naughtiness and eventually went back to her place to check out her new bed again. (I had been there in the afternoon to drop off a desk.) And we gave most of her new toys a go as well...

Are You Ready?

If all goes well, I'll be having some fun tonight. I stopped in at A Woman's Touch this evening and bought some toys for my Dulcinea. She got a new bed yesterday...with a headboard. So I got us this super starter kit thingy with a couple bonds to keeps her hands restrained, a blindfold so she can't see me punishing her with this leather slapping hoolie, and a feather for when her punishment ends. Oooh! And there's a cockring in here as part of the deal too! I was sorely tempted to buy her the remote-controlled butterfly vibrator but restrained myself. Maybe next time. But I did snag some nipple cuffs for her as well as a family-sized bottle of her favorite lube. 10 o'clock cannot come soon enough...

Since Mad City Music is next door, I bought a couple Uncle Tupelo albums - No Depression and March 16-20, 1992. They're remastered with bonus tracks so I now have all of their albums in such form. I've been jonsing to hear "Atomic Power" somethin' fierce.

My mom was here yesterday and she brought me some fresh Polish sausage. So I'm gonna grill me some of dat! Tomorrow is our party for the neighborhood and I'm making jambalaya. Unfortunately I'm gonna have to make it wussy style as I'm sure the folks around here would balk at my preferred level of hotness. A bunch of girly men.

I just checked in at SG and saw some pics from a get together of various SGers from Milwaukee, including Mistress Pamela. She was doing some serious face-sucking with another chickie. I wonder if Bill approved. Methinks that fraulein is bound for some sapphic adventures soon.

Mel's condition continues to improve. She's being booted over to Meriter to begin physical therapy on Monday. Apparently their PT program is top of the line. It's a long row to hoe but it'll be more than worth it in the end.

OK - back to dinner.

Fuzzy Blurry

I hate hospitals. Not that St. Mary's doesn't ply the healing trade well, but, whereas our ancestors knew the stench of death to be that of rotting flesh, we modern apes know it to be the smell of antiseptics. The past few days are a blur. Fuzzy memories of Mel lying in bed, a waiting room with empty cups strewn everywhere, and periodic walks out to the parking ramp for cancer-inducing stress relief. Mel and Dogger's families were here over the weekend and a few remain still. Mel's mom refuses to sleep anywhere but at the hospital and doesn't leave until Thursday.

Mel herself has improved dramatically since Thursday despite the inability of these latter-day Hippocrates to actually figure out what caused the stroke. (The current theory is that a bit of that cartoid artery, the name of which I can't remember, ripped and caused blockage.) Neither CAT scan nor MRI could determine exactly what constricted the flow of blood.

Her brain swelling has receded and she was allowed to eat a couple days ago. She amazed the physical therapist yesterday when she moved her leg and arm on her left side which was the side affected. Pete, Dogger, Marv, and I had her laughing Sunday night as we proceeded to goof around in her room. It was 10 at night and we were surprised that the nurses didn't kick us out. We laughed ourselves out to the parking lot for a smoke which prompted a nurse whose shift had ended to comment that people aren't usually in laughing mode there. Hey, when there's a funny story about eating goat meat to be told, no stroke is gonna stand in our way. Yesterday Mel was again very lucid and her speech was noticeably less slurred. She was fired up to watch the Packer game at dinner though she slept through it. My heart strings were tugged hard last night as Miss Regan slept on Mel's chest. Mother and daughter sleeping, though one with tubes connected. There's just something very beautiful in the most basic sense about the scene of a mother and child like that. It strikes that chord that is hard-wired inside each one of us.

As we were all readying to leave, Dogger asked if I wanted to head back to his place for a beer. Although I was keen on going to bed, I went as this meant that Dogger needed company. This was a good sign. So I drove over while Marv went with Heidi, a friend of Mel's who was in town from Milwaukee. We grabbed cocktails and sat out on the deck and chatted until 1. Luckily I had catered dinner that night because my gin & tonic was a stiffy. Since Mel is Polish, I made a bunch of pierogi and grilled some kielbasa. While I don't want to go off on a rant of Milleresque proportions, I do need to express just how much it pisses me off that it's nearly impossible to find fresh Polish sausage in this town. I think Woodman's occasionally has some Usinger's but that is a rarity. So rare, in fact, I've never seen it and only know of it through others. Euro Foods in Middleton closed so I'm stuck going to either Milwaukee or Chicago for the stuff. Pre-cooked doesn't cut it. And what the fuck is wrong with people - Cajun bratwurst? What the fuck is that heinous Frankstein of the culinary world? Make andouille or don't. But please refrain from such atrocities. Methinks we Slavs are an oppressed minority here.

OK - got that out of my system. What's next? Today. I must send out some resumes. And that video about The Crusades awaits me at the library. The Dulcinea emailed me her little recollection of our rendezvous last week and asked if her account matched mine. I replied as the Pope is reputed to have: it is as it was.

As we both got comfortable in the awkward position, I reached my hand back and found his cock. I love to have him in my hand or in my mouth, it is so fun to feel him respond to my touch, to hear him. I pulled and stroked him and he licked, hands grabbing my ass, HARD. I came after what had to have been only a few minutes, it was big and came on in wave after wave. I like those kinds...

I remember that quite vividly but it seems like ages ago. I've not gotten laid in 5 days - outrageous!

I watched the new Exorcist flick and The Day After Tomorrow - horrible movies each. While it was cool to see Los Angeles and New York destroyed, the plot of TDAT was so hackneyed that I stopped paying attention and just tuned in when something was going to be destroyed. The Exorcist was just typical horror fare. I am looking forward to see Paul Schrader's version because Renny Harlin's is crap. Stellan Skarsgård rocks but it's all sudden loud noises and precious little character development. How the hell did Vittorio Storaro get stuck with it? You've got the DP of The Conformist paired with the director of Cliffhanger - what gives? Still, it looks awesome.

Alright, I've got enough caffeine in my veins now to go and do stuff without hurting anyone.

Avuncular Abilities Needed

I found out a little while ago that Mel suffered a "major stroke" yesterday night. Here's what Dan told me:

"They are uncertain where the clot really is. It is very unusual to have a young woman with this problem so they are tentative on some treatments and a course of action. Mel's stepmom used the words 'deterioration' and 'permanent vegatative state' during my conversation. Mel is awake now, but slips in and out of sleep (not consciousness I was told). She may start getting worse in the next day or so and that is that. She may eventually recover, but only after massive rehabilitation--it all depends on where the clot is."

I called Pete and he knew about it. I also called Dogger. I can't tell you just how nervous I was. How do you approach someone whose wife is facing mortal health problems in the hospital? Even someone you've known for nearly 17 years? I got the answering machine and left a message. It rang only once before picking up so either he just wants to be alone, which is quite understandable, or he's at the hospital. I'm going to try and find out which hospital she's at - Pete gets off from work at 4 and we wanna go visit her, if possible, this evening.

I keep thinking about Regan. She's only 8 months old and it looks like she might lose her mother. At the very least, have a mother who is helpless and needs to be taken care of as much as she. The thought that Mel would be in a vegetative state horrifies me. Dogger would have a daughter and a wife to take care of. I know how hard it was for my dad to nurse Joni after she fell ill. A year and a half of being a nurse - feeding, bathing, etc. It drove him crazy. I feel so helpless. I'd like to help out but can't, at the moment. But I have this feeling that my duties as Regan's uncle are going to become much larger soon.

And Now For Something Completely Different

I watched a documentary about Monty Python today as well as half of that Ken Burns' thingy about Tom Jefferson. For such an interesting topic, it was pretty boring. Maybe it was my state of mind - I dunno. But I got tired to looking at shots of the empty rooms at Monticello while someone narrated. Burns is so fucking generic. I can't help it if I watch documentaries and keep asking myself how Errol Morris would have done it. I'm hoping that Burnsies' ditty on the history of jazz is better.

I'm listening to some songs from a Phil Collins bootleg from 1985 in Dallas. Now, for as horrible as his recent albums have been, he still has some great tunes to his credit. And I will always submit that Face Value is a killer album. In fact, I'm listening to a song from it right now - "Hand in Hand". That pseudo-suite on side A is, perhaps, his brightest moment as a solo artist. You start with the maudlin "The Roof is Leaking" with a lonely banjo and ragged voice. This segues into "Droned" which is percussion and, well, droning. Then add a little vocal improvising. Finally, the listener gets to "Hand in Hand", an instrumental. It's melancholy in parts and tentatively uplifting in others. Face Value closes with a great cover of "Tomorrow Never Knows" by The Beatles. Probably the first and only time psychedelia was to come from the Genesis camp.

Much to do. Still 3 CDs to review, a book to finish, DVDs to watch. Pete and I are going to see BR549 tomorrow night. Then I'm going out to dinner with him and his family Saturday in belated celebration of his birthday.

Fall is coming. Must get comforter out of closet...

Me, a Sex God?

I received this from The Dulcinea:

I'm wondering some things...

I'd love for you to think about these questions and answer them after you've thought about them.

What is your favourite way to be touched? How do you like your cock stroked, your balls played with, your feet tickled?

What kinds of licking, sucking and kissing feel best on your naughty bits? What kinds do you not enjoy?

What kinds of play/interaction do you wish we did more of?

Do you have specific sexual fantasies you've thought about sharing with me, but haven't? If so, why haven't you? Would you be interested in hearing mine?

What makes you feel sexiest when we are together? Not most turned on necessarily, but most like a sex god?

Anything else you can think of?

I'd love to talk with you about this, but I'm also interested in reading your thoughts...

We traded several emails - revealing all of them. While I shan't get into great detail here, I must say that the future of my sex life looked bright. The I received this today:

I'm going home right now for an early lunch. I'll be there by 10:50. You should come and **** *** ** me!

And so I did.

I drove like a maniac on the way over because my penis was seething with sexual energy. I started to get hard as soon as I walked in the door. It was very weird to go to her house for the first time. Her husband had recently moved out and her kids were at school/day care. Had it been an hour later, it would have been afternoon delight but, as it was, we settled for late morning delight. It vaguely passed through my mind that,despite their ongoing divorce proceedings, I was The Other Man, that I was in another man's home fucking his wife. There was a slight chance that her hubby might have stopped by to mow the lawn but his presence never materialized. What did materialize, however, was me rogering her roundly. It was very intense - the Werewolf was back. The Dulcinea came up with that term:

"And the hungry look in his eyes, as if he could tear through my flesh at any moment. That look, 'the werewolf look' as I call it, is both really scary and pretend scary."

And she had this to say about today:

"You were very intense today, the werewolf eyes in full effect. I liked knowing that you were so turned on...For some reason I was shy about telling you that your cock looked and felt HUGE today. Oh my god. When you first slid inside me it was so hard and was filling me so much, I was in heaven. I swear, it has been growing..."

In my reply to her query above about feeling most like a sex god, I replied, "...I've never considered myself to be great in bed..." In turn, she wrote: "You are though, I can't believe you don't think so. Not even a little? Like, 'I'm Proficient', or 'I do okay by the ladies'? Or are you just being humble? You are a great lover, by the way."

Just call me Priapus.

Another Seal Broken

If it isn't telling enough that Russia is reeling from mulitiple terrorist attacks, more Marines die everyday in Iraq, and there are people in this country that would actually vote for Dubya (who are not rich), surely the arrival of the End of Days is presaged by the fact that Robert Wyatt is mentioned in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly. And he's given a positive word to boot. Granted, it was in reference to his appearance on Bjork's new album, but still...

Today was a slow day. My productivity was limited to running a couple errands. But I swear that I'll do better tomorrow. I stopped in at CZ and chatted with Miss Jolene. We came to an agreement whereby we'd meet at TH on Thursday afternoon and I'd show her how to burn CDs. So I'll have to find my copy of Nero.

Stevie and I are watching a documentary about Waco. Just how far away are non-Branch Davidian religious folk from that kinda shit? Quite far, I hope. But it scares me to read that bit from the new book on the Bushy family, The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty. It says, "George sees this as a religious war. He doesn't have a p.c. view of this war. His view of this is that they are trying to kill the Christians. And we as the Christians will strike back with more force and more ferocity than they will ever know." Just how far is Dubya from being a Jim Jones or a David Koresh? It's like The Crusades all over again. Not that I have great sympathy for Islam, mind you. I watched part of an interview with Bernard Lewis, a scholar of Islam and author of many books. He said that Islam is a tolerant religion and Jews, Xtians, and Muslims did live together pretty peacefully in the medieval world of the Middle Ages. But, he gave the caveat that Islam is tolerant of other Abrahamic religions, ie - Judaism and Xtianity. Thusly, tolerance of godless heathens like myself are not to be tolerated. Granted, mileage varies, but it's cold comfort. I think I'll have to check out Terry Jones' series on The Crusades from the library.

My Tiger Cruise has been pushed back until late October. A bummer as it conflicts with the FFRF convention. But so it goes - you can't do much about the schedule of a carrier group.

They just showed the corpse of an 8-year old girls from Waco. The cyanide from the gas made her muscles contort so that her body curled backwards. I had no idea that cyanide contracts muscles like that - so forcefully that it breaks bones. While I felt horrible for that girl, my mind almost immediately jumped to World War I. Here's a list of gases and who used them in the Great War:

benzyl bromide - German, tearing, first used 1915

bromacetone - Both sides, tearing/fatal in concentration, first used 1916

carbonyl chloride (phosgene) - both sides, asphyxiant, fatal with delayed action, first used 1915

chlorine - both sides, asphyxiant, fatal in concentration, first used in 1915, cylinder release only

chloromethyl chloroformate - both sides, tearing, first used in 1915, artillery shell

chloropircin - both sides, tearing, first used in 1916, artillery shell (green cross I)

cyanogen (cyanide) compounds - allies/Austria, asphyxiant, fatal in concentration, first used in 1916, artillery shell

dichlormethylether - German, tearing, first used 1918, artillery shell

dibrommethylethylketone - German, tearing, fatal in concentration, first used in 1916

dichloroethylsulphide (mustard gas) - both sides, blistering, artillery shell (yellow cross)

diphenylchloroarsine - German, asphyxiant, fatal in concentration, (dust - could not be filtered), first used in 1917, artillery shell (blue cross)

diphenylcyonoarsine - German, more powerful replacement for blue cross, first used in 1918

ethyldichloroarsine - German, less powerful replacement for blue cross, first used in 1918, artillery shell (yellow cross I, green cross III)

ethyl iodoacetate - British, tearing, first used in 1916

monobrommethylethylketone - German, more powerful replacement for bromacetone, first used 1916

trichloromethylchloroformate (diphosgene) - both sides, asphyxiant, fatal with delayed action, first used 1916

xylyl bromide - German, tearing, first used 1915

If it wasn't bad enough having bullets being shot at you, there's this mist creeping towards you that will make your skin carbuncular, your lungs dissolve, and make hyrochloric acid condense on your eyeballs. Isn't there a quote by Orson Welles' Harry Lime in The Third Man about the Germans? Something about them being a bunch of barbarians who should be wiped out...?

Objectivity Is A Very Spurious Idea

Back on the dole. My contract ended Friday so it’s back to sending out resumes and getting rejection letters. I don’t feel too bad, though. Tomorrow is, for all intents and purposes, my first day of unemployment so I can forestall any shame until then.

Much to my surprise, I received and Excellence in Writing Award from my editor for my review of the latest Willard Grant Conspiracy album. Apparently she really dug my Grant Wood analogy. It proved inspiring and I was able to write up a couple more reviews yesterday. I was really impressed with Zar’s Tusind Tanker. I don’t know squat about Danish folk music or understand the language but I really liked the album nonetheless. Next up is a Cowboy Junkies CD. I really don’t care for the Junkies but I volunteered to review in a vain attempt to get into their music.

Speaking of music, I’m downloading some interesting shows. In addition to the usual coterie of much-maligned progressive rock stuff, I’ve also got me Dick Dale and Southern Culture on the Skids gigs on their way. I also picked up Uncle Tupelo’s Still Feel Gone last week. I’ve gotten into this habit (good or bad: you decide) of going to Mad City Music and then stopping in at A Woman’s Touch. Buy some new tunes and then some condoms. I think one clerk smirked when she saw that I had a copy of Jethro Tull’s Stormwatch a couple weeks ago. However, the UT album elicited some nice comments from the woman behind the counter last week. Is it beyond the bounds of propriety to hit on the employees of a sex-positive store?

Pete has moved out and now the basement is all mine. I’ve got my computer setup and I brought some books down here as well. The map of Middle Earth that Ronaldo gave me is being framed and will hung on an as of yet undetermined wall to let those who venture into the basement know that they’ve entered my geeky realm. This will leave me with some more space in my bedroom when I get around to removing the empty desk and bookshelf. I’ll probably drag my dresser from its hiding spot in the closet and perhaps hang a couple of these 19th century Japanese wood block print thingies I have. My inabilities as an interior decorator are only eclipsed by that as a nuclear particle physicist. I’ve been threatening to buy window coverings for my bedroom for 2 years now but have never followed through.

Being a computer technician, the Internet and all things computer-related have an intrinsic novelty value for me. I’ve kept abreast of the progress of the next iteration of Windoze called Longhorn. (You may have heard that WinFS was dropped from it.) I download little utilities that I use perhaps once a year and even some I’ve never used. But that’s how it goes. A routine part of my life is encountering people who either don’t know much about computers or dislike them or both. My mom is a classic technophobe though she is getting better. I’ve met some people who have never been on the Internet and fail to see what all the hubbub is. And I understand their view. Exactly how much will going to McDonald’s web site enrich your life? Online banking is a convenience but certainly not a necessity. But I recently found something wonderful on the Net. Two sites which are not only interesting, they are proving themselves to almost be a necessity in this sound byte age. Only in the past few days have I discovered the wonders that are c-span.org and booktv.org. There are dozens and dozens of shows archived at these two sites that can be watched online. I’m watching a 3-hour interview with Howard Zinn right now. In addition to lefties as himself, there’s also shows with conservative guests like William F. Buckley, Jr. I tried watching one with Harold Bloom but he was getting over heart(?) surgery and I just couldn’t take his babbling. A real shame. In addition to speeches and interviews with authors at BookTV, C-Span’s site is brimming with speeches and Congressional hearings and more interviews. One can read a few quotes or see a couple excerpts from a hearing on the news but here you can watch the whole hearing. All the context for the quotes is there. You can see the vitriol in a Congressman’s eyes as he grills John Ashcroft. And you can see the calmness with which Ashcroft engages in circumlocution. Just fantastic stuff.

Another spot to check out is PBS.org. Some episodes of Frontline and NOW with Bill Moyers are there for viewing over the Net. And if you wanna record any of these things, here’s a couple handy programs for you. So when you wanna take a break from porn, there’s some stuff for you to check out.

My Dulcinea left a little while ago. Her hubby has moved out and she’s left to make a home again. Not only in the sense of getting some new furniture but also in creating a home without a father living there. I don’t envy the position she’s in. But she is an incredibly strong woman and I know she and her sons will pull through. I have tremendous respect for her and her ability to get through all the shit she’s had to deal with in the past couple years. Although I don’t find any great emotional bonds between her and me, I am happy to give her all the sex she wants.

I’m debating about what to do today. I’m contemplating going to Best But or some equivalent to get a CD player for my bedroom. I’ve got an amp and speakers but want to be able to listen to the radio. Not only has it been ages since I’ve listened to WORT outside of the confines of my car but Air America will be on our airwaves tomorrow, methinks. In addition, I want to be able to listen to music from my collections as well as audio dramas and audiobooks. I’m also contemplating heading over to Toad Hill and doing some reading. I’m in the middle of God’s Secretaries. It’s about the making of the King James Bible. Very interesting story. And a bit harrowing too. The parallels between King James & his Secretary of State Robert Cecil are eerily similar to Dubya and Cheney. A rather ineffectual leader with a strong subordinate really calling the shots. Plus the Gunpowder Plot and 9/11 come across as being brethren. That should be a quick read. Then I can get back into Naomi Klein’s No Logo. I hope she doesn’t mind too much that I snagged it from the Net. While the book is interesting, her desire to couch nearly everything in catchy terms and to use as many hip analogies as possible makes things tedious at times.

I suppose I should do some shopping too. Methinks it’s gonna be curry for dinner tonight. Perhaps I’d better not if I intend to go see Dream Theater.

New Latin Textbook Changes With Times

By JUSTIN POPE, AP Education Writer

"Optimus magister bonus liber," goes the old Latin adage: "The best teacher is a good book." For generations of modern-day Latin students, that book has been "Wheelock's Latin." But as the latest generation of students buy their Wheelocks in the coming weeks, they will discover a textbook that looks very different from the original, densely packed tome Professor Frederic Wheelock sketched out a half-century ago.

There are photographs, maps and eye-pleasing layouts. Exercises reflect the latest pedagogical theory. Readings feature fewer battlefield dispatches and more emphasis on women and everyday life. There is even a dirty poem by Catullus.

Wheelock's also has a Web site, e-mail discussion groups and, soon, online audio recordings.

"The times, they are a-changing," says Richard LaFleur, the University of Georgia classicist who took over the editorship of the series in the mid-1990s following Wheelock's 1987 death. "We want to keep up with the changes."

Latin, however, hasn't changed for 2,000 years. And where publishers see essential updates, critics of high textbook prices often wonder if new editions aren't just a ploy to raise prices.

Critics say they understand why biology and accounting textbooks need frequent updating, by why algebra or ancient languages?

Unnecessary updates are "one of the biggest driving factors behind the high costs of textbooks," says Merriah Fairchild, higher education advocate at the California Public Interest Research Group.

LaFleur says that many textbooks are updated too frequently, but that even Latin needs a fresh coat of paint sometimes. He and Wheelock's family say they have put out a new version about every five years, and pressed Harper Collins to keep the series affordable.

Textbook prices are a hot topic on college campuses and have prompted hearings on Capitol Hill. In January, a CALPIRG report found University of California students could expect to pay $898 per year for textbooks, up from $642 in 1996-97. The average price per new textbook was over $100. Three-quarters of faculty members surveyed believed new editions were usually unnecessary.

Publishers blame an unusual marketplace where they have just one year to earn back their investment; after that, students buy used copies and the publishers get nothing. That encourages frequent new editions.

"The basic business model is broken," says Al Greco, a Fordham University professor who follows the industry at the Book Industry Study Group. Greco doesn't believe publishers are price-gouging. Still, he concedes: "You could question whether there's a need to revise the calculus book, the U.S. history book, the Latin book every three years."

Yet revise they do. Even the death of an author may not derail a series. Anthony F. Janson took over the "History of Art" series after his father died in 1982. (The revised sixth edition, featuring more emphasis on religious art in the late Renaissance, was retailing for $95 this week in a downtown Boston bookstore). A rival, "Art Through the Ages" still carries author Helen Gardner's name on its 11th edition, 60 years after her death, and was retailing for $108.95, with CD-ROM, on Amazon.com.

But while art books require expensive-to-print, color images, critics say that isn't true for other subjects. Calpirg has criticized frequent updates in calculus, a subject little-changed since Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Sir Isaac Newton invented it in the 17th century.

In Wheelock's case, Harper Collins bought the title after the namesake's death and put out a fourth edition based on notes he left. LaFleur got involved by pointing out errors in that edition. Eventually, he and the family discussed his taking over the project.

"He had the right feeling about my father, the respect, the allegiance to my father that was music to our ears," daughter Deborah Wheelock Taylor says.

LaFleur and the family insist the textbook has always been a labor of love, and affordability a priority. New versions contain pictures, but they are black-and-white. Harper Collins essentially publishes Wheelock's as a trade book, which means cheaper paper. Wheelock's has a Web site but is not bundled with expensive CD-ROMs.

"It's not bells and whistles," says Greg Chaput of publisher Harper Collins. "It's just solid, great information, beautifully written."

The basic, paperback version, the most popular introductory college Latin text, costs just $20.95. A supplementary reader is $19 and a workbook $17. Prices will probably rise a few dollars with a revised sixth edition due out next year, and a still-more-expensive hardcover is in the works, targeting high schools. But Harper Collins insists it will be reasonably priced.

Calpirg's Fairchild, though not familiar with the Wheelock's series, says Latin "sounds like a good example of a subject that doesn't need much updating." But she adds: "Any publisher who is consciously trying to keep the costs of production low so they can pass on the savings to students is doing the students a favor."

The book sells about 30,000 copies a year — a tiny market compared with subjects such as economics or Spanish, which are taken by millions of students.

"It's a small fraction of my income," says LaFleur, who fell in love with Roman culture watching "Ben Hur" as a boy and drops words like "errata" into everyday conversation. "We're not in it for the sales. If people wanted to make money, they wouldn't plan on becoming Latin teachers."

Birthday

Work sucks and next week the position ends. Been sending out resumes left & right. Went to an atheists meetup this evening. Some really nice folks. And a chickie even showed up! The Dulcinea continues to put out, which, as Martha would say, is a good thing. Old Man Standiford and I went to see Alien vs. Predator the other day. It was pretty bad.

I'd write more but I'm in kind of a strange mood. Today is my dad's birthday. While I had been planning to just put on some music and look at pictures, I just can't quite bring myself to do it.

Horses' Mouths

Today’s plan is to get through the last 3 or so hours of work and then get the hell outta Dodge. I’ve decided to use up all those half-full jars of curry paste in the refrigerator by making curried chicken tonight. Well, I’ll try to use them up, at any rate. After dinner, I shall have the company of The Dulcinea. We haven’t seen each other since the weekend and I don’t think either of us has had an orgasm since then so we’re both keen on rectifying this situation.

I feel like a complete dunce as I blew a nice opportunity last night to hit on a hottie. Short with long brown hair. We chatted briefly in the cereal aisle but I neglected to stick around long enough. Bummer. I was so thrown off that I bought the wrong kind of milk.

I think I must have a self-esteem problem as I am, in general, horrible at hitting on womyn. In addition, I was quite disturbed by my reactions to various ads as I perused some at a site the other day. I’d find a picture of a nice-looking woman and check out a larger version only to find that, much to my dismay, I felt most of the women were just too beautiful for me, that I wouldn’t stand a chance with them. I then proceeded to curse the site for not being able to filter by marital status. “Just gimme the divorcees,” I pleaded.

Sometimes I feel like I’m looking a gift horse in the mouth. I mean, I have a woman who makes booty call to me. And, assuming her parental duties don’t conflict, is always ready and willing when I beckon. We’ve been e-mailing one another today and I got this:
I will likely need a shower, because, as we know, I am a dirty, dirty girl. And having my back scrubbed sounds very good...

For anything I’ve wanted to do in bed, she’s been a willing partner in crime. (In fact, I think the next thing we’re going to try is photography.) But I keep fantasizing about someone else. Not usually someone in particular, just this anonymous woman with small breasts and long hair. And it’s driving me nuts. I’ve been hanging out at places and at times that I normally wouldn’t just to increase my odds of finding such a womyn. And, as I said above, I’ve been perusing personals. Unfortunately, they’re not particularly helpful. Most women my age seem to either have kids or want them and, since I find that to be an immediate turn-off, I just move on to the next ad.

Yesterday was not a particularly good day. I felt very angry, very disillusioned. I’d read way too much about the awful things going on in the world. It made me feel helpless and hopeless. And very, very alone. Things did get better when I got home and could spend some time, well, alone. Having no one around to make demands on me proved very salutary. Honestly, I really don’t want to see The Dulcinea tonight but I do want to get laid. She hangs around too long. After sex, she wants afterglow and I want to either read, watch a movie or just do something – anything except lying in bed. Well, unless it’s to go to sleep. I dunno – I guess I just like post-coital solitude. There are no emotional bonds that need tending between her and me. Not on my side, anyway. But I must admit that The Dulcinea seems resigned to my emotional distance. At least I think so – I dunno. How can I tell? She keeps lending me books and giving me little gifts yet she’s unobtrusive. She doesn’t call or email all the time, which is nice. I worry that she’s gonna break off our arrangement and then I’ll be like a junkie without a dealer.

Rant O'the Day

Last week I was listening to Air America, the new lefty radio network. A gentleman by the name of Mike Malloy came on. Apparently it was his first broadcast for AA but he had been on the radio elsewhere as many people called in to welcome him back to the airwaves. Amidst all the welcome backs and well wishes was a caller named Jeff who expressed his disillusionment with the Democratic Party and that John Kerry is essentially the same as George Bush. With vitriol usually reserved for Bush himself, Malloy went after the guy:

Jeff: I'm disillusioned.
Malloy: About what?
Jeff: The Democratic party.
Malloy: (Frustrated tone) Oh God. What about the Democratic party's got you disillusioned?
Jeff: Well, the fact that, ya know, if you look at the 2 party system, you've got Bush as the wolf, you've got Kerry who's the wolf in sheep's clothing.
Malloy: Yeah.
Jeff: That's the way it looks like to me.
Malloy: Yeah.
Jeff: I'm voting for Nader because he's the closest thing we've got to somebody who's honorable, is actually willing to make a stand on anything...
Malloy: Yeah.
Jeff: …without talking outta both sides of his mouth. And is actually concerned for the working class poor in this country.
Malloy: Yeah. OK.
…Malloy: I've been through this discussion a thousand times - I'm so sick of it I could just vomit blood. OK, is that graphic enough? Nader - I love Ralph Nader. He's a great man, he also…if he continues this nonsense, he's gonna hand this election to Bush. Now…in a perfect world, Nader would be the Democratic nominee, I grant you that. But this is not a perfect world, this is Bushworld, alright? If you want 4 more years of Bush, vote for Ralph, that's all I can say. You know that as well as I do. Every vote for Nader is a vote away from Kerry and a vote for Bush. For God's sake, the Republican Party is financing some of these get-out-the-vote campaigns for Nader so don't be a fool. It's OK to be idealistic but don't be a fool, OK?

This is a refrain I hear often from the far left. “Anybody but Bush” is the new motto. Michael Moore and Bill Maher got down on bended knees before Ralph Nader and pleaded with him to withdraw from the presidential race. While the scene was funny on one hand, it also symbolized the great extent to which progressives have given up the fight. Most of the Left views Ralph Nader as an enemy. Why? If I were to vote for Nader, it would go to his column, not Bush’s. Then again, with these new computerized voting machines, it wouldn’t be too surprising if that were to happen. Progressives love to contrast themselves against conservatives by saying such things as they stand for things like fairness and equality – genuinely good moral principles – whereas the Right stands for the interests of Big Business. Not to pick on Michael Moore, but here’s part of his speech from a Nader rally in the last presidential election:

If ya don't vote your conscience now, when will you start? When will you start to follow your conscience? If at the age of 18 or 19 or 20 years old, if at this very 1st election of your life you decide to settle for less, how has that moved us forward? We're at the place that we're at because we have settled for so less for so long - if we keep settling it's only gonna get worse. The lesser of 2 evils - you still end up with evil…we're being asked to choose the 2nd worst candidate…You know, this country never would have got to where it was if people had behaved that way. The Founding Mother and Founding Fathers of this country - what if they had said, "Oh, I'm afraid, I'm afraid of King George. You know, I…I…if we have a revolution we might have a worse king! So, uh, I…I guess we shouldn't have a revolution cuz we can't win, we can't win!"

"Ralph can't win. Ralph can't win. Ralph can't win." How many times have we heard this? What if Rosa Parks had said to herself, "I'm the only person on this bus - I can't win! I'm afraid." But that's not what she did. She took her seat on the bus! She acted some courage! She had the courage of her convictions! The only reason we have moved forward is because of people of courage! You don't make a decision based in fear, make your decision based on your hopes, your dreams, your aspirations, and your conscience. Not from fear!

Oh, how far the mighty have fallen! Moore now endorses Kerry though his sympathies still lie with Nader and/or the Green Party. Why? I’d do not hesitate to guess that he fears another 4 years of Bush. Not only Moore but much of the Left fears another 4 years of Bush. They are content to settle for the second worst candidate and let things get worse. The Left is fond of railing against businesses who seek short-term profit instead of long-term viability which, they argue, would be better for the people on the shop floor. To my mind, the credibility of many liberals is lost in their rush to abandon their consciences and take up the same tactics they’ve been denouncing for 20+ years. Moore asked the youth of America to cast a vote in favor of their hopes and aspirations. As his words make clear in his films, books, and speeches, Moore believes in the goodness of the American populace and he called for them to stand up to the affronts against it. He called on people to help make fundamental changes to the status quo, changes to core problems in our society. A few years later, Moore has retracted that call to service and, instead, rings a klaxon warning us of the evil that is George Bush. While I don’t know much about Malloy or his past views, here in 2004 he is content with being the obverse of Fox News pundits. And his cynicism is disturbing. After conceding that the Democratic Party is funded by big corporations, he ended the call above like this:

For Christ's sake! The funding for all campaigns in this county - for everybody - is all the same. Pick your poison.

After a commercial break, the next caller came on and wanted to return to the “Nader caller”, now a derogatory term. Malloy disallowed this and the caller was left to remark that the guy “needs to get off his high horse.” Doesn’t that sound familiar? If Rush Limbaugh were to do that, these same lefties would be falling all over themselves to use phrases like “limiting the debate”. Nowhere did Malloy actually address Jeff’s concerns - he did not want to talk about corporate power, for instance. Instead he dismissed it as a given. And he used the same tactics as does the Bush administration – fear. Doesn’t “A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush” sound a bit like Orwellian doublespeak? In other words, if you vote for a candidate that represents the concerns and values that we both share, you’re actually voting for the candidate that does not represent these things.

Remember: NADER DID NOT COST GORE THE 2000 ELECTION! Michael Moore knows this – he discusses it in Fahrenheit 9/11 and in Stupid White Men. And how does he know this? Go to any liberal/progressive web site that has recommended reading and you’ll find Greg Palast’s The Best Democracy Money Can Buy. The first chapter is about Palast’s investigations in the debacle in Florida back in 2000. It is from here that Moore drew his information. The Democratic Party demonized Nader after Bush was put into office and now the Left is demonizing him out of fear. Rather than view the record of the Bush administration as a call to arms, as a rallying point for strengthening efforts to enact change in our society, progressives have given up the fight. Instead of seeing the past few years under Bush as making the case that we need to elect Nader more than ever, they’ve internalized the “I can’t win” mantra. My worry is that most progressives see this whole situation as just a bump in the road and that the movement will just be able to pick up where it left off. That any momentum gained up to this point can simply be conjured at the drop of a hat once Kerry is in office. Progressives have spent years complaining about the lack of choices at the polls and trying to expand those choices. And now they are undoing all of that work. The lesson here for the Dems is that, if you are able to demonize the GOP enough, the far left will fall in line and you’ll get their votes. Progressives are throwing away all their hard work they’ve done in creating a viable 3rd party.

Let’s be fair. If you’re going to say that a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush, then also follow-up by admitting that a vote for Kerry is a vote for big corporations. As progressives prepare to go to the polls to cast a vote for John Kerry, they are also becoming chicken shits who are afraid to follow their consciences. They are doing the exact opposite of what Rosa Parks did. They are also becoming hypocrites in that they’ll continue to speak against the influence of corporate power from one side of their mouths and preach the virtue of Kerry from the other. “Anybody but Bush” may be catchy but it is virtually meaningless and enlightens no one. The Bush administration, when not lying outright, couches their words in vagueness and now the progressives are doing the same. “Anybody but Bush” does nothing except express contempt for an administration. It says nothing of where you stand on issues or lay out the course you’d like to see this country take in the future. Too many liberal voices sound disembodied from any firm positions or ideals other than their dislike of Bush. And after expressing their dislike, they follow it up with apologetics. They have to throw their support for Kerry out of fear of Bush and then temper it and distance themselves from Kerry for fear that they’ll lose their progressive credentials. For me, they’re already lost.

Day Off

I've decided to forego work today. I suppose I could have gone in but I have a job interview this morning and want to try to sneak a haircut in before it.

I had a phone interview yesterday while I was at work and the guy called my house asking to schedule a live one about 2 hours later. Apparently I made a good impression. I didn't think it went that well but, then again, I'm a horrible judge of such things. While the position isn't a dream job, by any means, it isn't a contractor position so I'd be a real employee with, theoretically, real benefits. And it's very close to home so my drive would be slashed 66%. I'd like to get health insurance again and, if I luck out, they'll have some kind of tuition reimbursement plan.

Today is Pete's birthday so my other 2 invites will just have to wait.
Holy biscuits! These tennis chickies are hot! I am really frisky right now. Woke up with morning wood and sex has been on my mind ever since. I think I'll do the interview, run an errand and then go ogle womyn somewhere.

Morning Musings

Aside from spending countless hours pondering politics, I’ve been doing other things. My relationship with The Dulcinea continues. She seems to have come to terms with the fact that I’m not interesting in a serious relationship and mostly interested in sex. It seems that the mechanism her brain has used is “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”. Yesterday afternoon she called me and said that it was a booty call. Despite an urge to be alone and continue reading, I invited her over. Sex. I will yield to it every time. With her admission that is was merely a booty call, I expected her to leave shortly afterwards but noooo. I was keen on reading and doing chores but she lingered. She wouldn’t leave. I didn’t really mind too much if she hung around. But if I left her to her own devices, she’d probably get pissed that I was ignoring her. I felt like I was obligated to entertain her even though this meant not being able to do what I felt like doing. I’m happy to lie around holding her for 10 or 15 minutes after we have sex but there are times when I just want her gone. Leave me be. I am thankful for our flings – she indulges my every whim – but I’m on the lookout for someone younger, a nullipara. A nullipara with long hair.

I hate to sound like a total pig but I can’t help it. I spent a few seconds at a stop sign today watching a woman walking the other way. I have no feelings for The Dulcinea. I enjoy her company as well as the sex but I want more and something different.

This morning was pretty amusing. I stopped in at CZ ostensibly to get coffee but, in reality, it was to see Jolene and her long hair. We chatted for a while which meant I got a late start and didn’t make it to work on-time. No matter, though. The boss doesn’t get here until about 45 minutes after I do and I’m a lowly contractor who’s contract expires in a month. Besides, the employees here are always late. Obviously no one checks or cares.

During the drive, I listened to NPR. As I was sipping coffee, the announcer proclaimed that the CEO of the company I work at had resigned. Here’s a the story:

The CEO of the CUNA Mutual Group quit after allegedly offering cash to employees if they would break away from their union.

Mike Kitchen retired after the board of directors found out he had offered $1,000 to the group that wants to change the current union structure, News 3 reported.

CUNA and the union, representing 1,400 workers, have not reached agreement on a new contract, and the two sides recently agreed to a 30- day cooling-off period that temporarily halted union picketing.

Kitchen reportedly offered his own money to a group that wanted to set up their own representation. CUNA Mutual says the group declined the money.

The board of directors learned of the offer and after looking into it, asked Kitchen for his resignation.

Union officials said they are glad Kitchen resigned.

“Hopefully this removes a major impediment to the ongoing and lengthy, difficult negotiations Local 39 has been engaged in for the last many months,” Jim Cavanaugh of the South Central Federation of Labor told News 3.

Kitchen had been CUNA's CEO since 1995.

The company said Jeff Holley, its chief financial officer, will take over until a search is made to find Kitchen's replacement.

After hearing more news, I get to work and park my car. Walking to the entrance, I noticed a band of 3 gentlemen clad in green polo shirts approaching me. So, they had brought back the 21st century Pinkertons. These guys worked for a security firm who specialized in doing whatever it is they do during labor disputes. They hadn’t been around for nearly a month and now they once again patrol the parking lots. CEO resigns -- Pinkertons. Hmmm…any connection between the 2, ya spose?

I’ve been here an hour and am ready to go home. I’m proofreading Naomi Klein’s No Logo, a polemic against branding and its effect on popular culture. At least I think it is. I haven’t really read much of it. I’ve been removing the word “LIE” which an angry Usenet poster seems to have used to replace every instance of the words “the,” “of,” and “on”. Apparently the person is a right-winger who can’t stand anything in opposition to Faux News but also feels the need to post on Usenet. So he or she reached a compromise. Post but make sure you put the word “LIE” everywhere so everyone knows your feelings on the matter. Ah well, keeps me occupied.

I took a step towards publishing my first zine – I installed InDesign on my laptop. Now I just need some articles and pictures. What to put in there? I’ve got some stuff to contribute but I’d also like to write some new things. And I’d like to have other folks put in their $0.02 as well. Anyone interested in contributing?

Reading Too Much

I am currently watching an interview with Paul Krugman being streamed over the Internet while I sup coffee. The past several days have been a bit on the odd side. This is probably because I've been reading too much. And I've been reading lefty books, mostly. Most of my reading has been done at work. Things are usually fairly slow and, being a contractor, I'm not on any projects, have no meetings to go to, and whatnot. So, if the phone ain't ringin', I've got nuthin' to do. So I read. Today I finished reading Ron Suskind's The Price of Loyalty. It's about former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill who was fired by George Bush about 2 years ago. Bush comes across as being a rather ineffectual leader - a puppet - surrounded by hard-nosed puppeteers who were keen on pushing through their ideological agendas without any discussion. People like Karl Rove and Dick Cheney who have seemingly made it their life's missions to undo FDR's web of social nets, annex Iraq, and privatize & deregulate everything to line the pockets of their fatcat friends as well as their own.

O'Neill is the former CEO of Alcoa and a very wealthy man. Nevertheless, the book portrays him as a man who went to Washington to do good. His method was to gather data - hard facts - and get together with people from all sides to hash it out and come up with the best, if not the right, answer. But Bush and his most powerful cronies would have none of this. O'Neill sought to assemble communities of inquiry to find the right answer while his opponents in the administration came into power with an agenda and wouldn't let such minor things as fiscal responsibility get in the way of lining the pockets of Enron and Haliburton.

Interestingly, the book puts Alan Greenspan in a whole new light. He and O'Neill have been friends for decades and the two conspired to push sound economic policy through the Bush administration and into practice. Unfortunately, their plan went awry. Before I read the book, I knew Greenspan as the guy who goes before Senate committees and give exceedingly opaque treatises on the state of the economy. That and he was friends with Ayn Rand. But The Price of Loyalty portrays him as someone at odds with the Bush administration and a man with sound values and firm grasp on common sense. Although perhaps it shouldn't have, that seemed revelatory.

Reading all of these lefty tomes has made me feel like I've fallen into Orwell's 1984. From what I recall from 20 years ago, any analogy of the US to Oceania seemed to relate to technological advances, how stealthily and easily we the people could be spied upon. But now I've come to terms with the fact that James Bond-like spying devices are a reality. What really concerns me is that doublespeak has become the MO of the Bush regime and no one seems to care. Honestly people, there was a legitimate reason your high school English teacher made you read 1984 - it wasn't just to piss you off or keep you busy. Bush runs up a deficit of several hundred billion dollars just like Reagan yet there are still folks who view the Republicans as fiscal conservatives and Democrats as the tax & spenders. These people take their tax cut to the bank, watch the deficit balloon, and call Bush fiscally responsible. "Those damn Democrats will raise taxes and spend it all!" Just like that nasty Democrat Bill Clinton who actually balanced the budget unlike his 2 Republican predecessors and his Republican successor. Wasn't it Jerry Browne who, during the Democratic primaries in 1984, said that we're gonna have to bite the bullet and raise taxes?

We need some new rules to move this country towards a sense of Rawlsian fairness. To wit:

1) progressive taxation - Adam Smith was in favor of them. The more wealth you have, the more you use government services and protections. YO! Rich people ! YOU pay for them.

2) Pick one of the following:

a) the United States makes a serious effort to wean itself off of fossil fuels OR

b) the owners of or children of owners of SUVs that never take their gas-guzzlers offroad are the first to go off to war.

3) The Fairness Doctrine is to be reinstated. A lefty figure gets to have equal time on Fox News and the like to give an opposing view to shatknockers like Bill O'Reilly and his ilk.

4) Corporate CEOs will be held legally responsible for the crimes their company's commit.

5) Corporate CEOs cannot complain about government interference & regulation, watch the company go under, and then ask for a bailout by the Feds. If you're going to tout the virtues of the free market free of government intervention and then downsize, move jobs abroad, bust unions, get outrageous compensation packages, etc., then you have no right to crawl to Uncle Sam and the taxpayers and ask them to get you out of your mess.

Shit, there's probably many more rules but I'll stop here. November 2nd will be a nail-biter for me.