Viva la resistance!

You're a towel!

Now gemmie back my game spear.

Remember “Liquid Television” on MTV?
Good
It had some interesting things on there and was
generally entertaining. On thing that never managed to
capture my attention were the “Aeon Flux” segments.
Even at the height of my teenage hormone rages, the
mostly nude characters on this abstract steaming pile
of celluloid didn’t interest me. I have a feeling I’m
not alone. Well someone decided to make a movie out of
this cartoon and even managed to get Charlize Theron.
Excuse me, Oscar winner Charlize Theron, to star in
it. I can think of 1,000 other things I would rather
see on the big screen. Mike Judge could probably make
another entertaining Beavis and Butthead flick, maybe
showing them approaching 30. “King of the Hill” would
even be an entertaining 90 minutes. There are probably
a dozen 90s shows that would be better than “Aeon
Flux” on the big screen. I think “Northern Exposure”
would be a great film. Seriously, do I need to move to
Hollywood? Well if Japanimation inspired spank
cartoons interest you, then you can see Charlize
Theron’s descent back into mediocrity here.

I’m tired today. I’m tired physically but also emotionally. On my way into work this morning, I was wondering how I can handle another 36 years of this. A quick note before you misread what I’m saying. I am not at all clinically depressed nor am I suicidal. I think it is perfectly healthy to look at the way 99% of us live our lives and evaluate it. Most of us hate what we do. Our lives are full of one little crisis after another, such as a lost bill getting a utility shut off or our car deciding to stop running on our way to some big event. These are the little trials that pepper our lives. It seems like we all hang on to the side of the ship and ride the bumps until some major event throws us completely off into the sea and we have to find our way back, or maybe to a new shore.

Unfortunately, it does seem to take getting a terminal disease or loosing you job or wife to shake most people up. For sheer survival, we just get up and do the same thing every day. There isn’t much thought given to the quality of our life. Sure, we all take some health precautions and maybe exercise and eat right, but those things are, in all honesty, leading more toward quantity than quality. My generation will probably be the first that does not get to retire on time. Social security is drying up, per estimates, the year I turn 65. That just sucks for lack of a better word.

So maybe it is that generation x ethic that was drilled into me as I came of age. I just seemed to be cursed with seeing the futility of it all. Sure I’m looking forward to marriage and a family and all that comes with it. I’m just trying to come to terms with the fact that I’ll probably spend the rest of my adult life waiting for the end of my workday or the beginning of my weekend. Isn’t there a better way to live? If there is, I hope we discover it soon, because I’m going to have to start drinking or popping Prozac to keep the train of apathy chugging along.

I'm as tired as everyone else of all the depressing hurricane and war coverage. Yet, you have to ask yourself if THIS is really news.

Am I crazy, or have the crosswalk signs gotten more, um, robust.

Old sign


New sign


The old crosswalk guy just looks skinnier to me.

So I’m debating something to that to me seems crazy. I’m thinking of doing an anti-supersize me diet. The premise is I give up restaurant food for 1 month. I’m already seeing ways were, in a bind, I could rescue myself. For instance, if I’m unable to get to a kitchen and have nothing prepared, I could go to the grocery store and get some fresh cut fruit and other foods to eat. I really think the net result of just 1 month shunning all restaurant food would be mind blowing. I’ll admit though, the prospect scares me since there have been periods of my life where I ate ONLY outside of the house. I like a challenge, but I have the backbone of a gametocyte.

It is funny how you change before you even really know it. I realized this weekend that the last few years have changed me in a lot of ways. Two very tangible examples are my view on religion/church and my love for the ocean. The second is clearly the lighter of the two to discuss and I’ll break that one down first. I have a nasty scar on my shoulder now. Ultimately, it turned out to be just a mole that the dermatologist removed, but during the 2 weeks I waited for the biopsy, I was a nervous wreck. There is plenty of cancer in my family and the last thing I would want to do is encourage any kind of cancer to grow. I spent my youth at the beach and more often than not I didn’t use sunscreen. After having a cancer scare like that, I loved sunbathing a lot less.

Then there is the current rash of hurricanes. The last two years have been record breaking. I once envied people who could live at the beach. Now I want to be as far inland as possible, which in Florida isn’t much. I know every place has its natural disasters and yes, you can predict a hurricane, but trust me knowing something like that is coming brings the anxiety factor up nice and high. Volcanoes and tornados just pop up on you. You don’t spend a week watching every channel on TV tracking where a volcano or a tornado might hit.

As for church, well we’ve been parting ways slowly over the years. This weekend I had to really come face to face with how hypocritical religious people can be and I found some great examples in my own family. I was planning to go visit relatives out of town and they informed me that my accommodations would be separating my girlfriend and I. OK, not a big deal, except at first they wanted us in different houses. Come on people, like we have been waiting to visit you so we can finally give that sex thing a try. The final boarding offer was to put us in the same house, but with different rooms. This is a 4 bedroom house that 5 people already live in. My grandfather’s house is currently up for sale and only my dad is staying there. It had no less than two completely available bedrooms. Of course, the only person staying there is my father and he could give two craps about my girlfriend and I sharing a bed. I think that was the issue, they knew my dad wouldn’t police us.

The real person that was being protected was my grandfather. God forbid his unwed grandson and his girlfriend stay in the same house without a chaperone. I love these people, but this is something I do not understand. To me it says they think my lifestyle is wrong. I can not really understand it since my parents are both pretty open minded and didn’t raise me in this type of environment. If for no other reason, the whole thing is ridiculous. Not only am I almost 30 (do they really think I am a virgin?) but my uncle was born only a few months after my grandparents got married. It doesn’t take an actuary to run the math on that. Of course, that was before they found Jesus. These were people that I once admired for their loving Christian ways, but the way they freaked out over me even being in the same house with my girlfriend made me stop and question where their hearts really are. I once read somewhere “judge not lest yee be judged” but I can not recall which book it came from. Surely not the one they’re reading.

For some reason, people like to share their musical lists online (this is definitely huge on I-Tunes and Amazon.com). Personally, I think it is retarded, but what the heck, I just got on the I-Tunes bandwagon and downloaded a bunch of stuff. Most of it was to replace tapes I use to own (remember those) but mostly its stuff from artists that I like a particular song from, but don’t feel like dropping $14 for their CD.
So act impressed…
When the President Talks to God Bright Eyes
Bouncing Around the Room Phish
Because I Got High (Dirty Radio) Afroman
One Armed Scissor At the Drive-In
Sympathy for the Devil (The Neptunes Remix) The Rolling Stones
Fat Bottomed Girls Queen
Say I Yi Yi Ying Yang Twins
My Humps Black Eyed Peas
She's an Angel They Might Be Giants
Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago Soul Coughing
Sugar Free Jazz Soul Coughing
Super Bon Bon Soul Coughing
Soundtrack to Mary Soul Coughing
She Don't Use Jelly The Flaming Lips
Novocaine for the Soul Eels

Things to do in Palm Coast when you’re dead.


Yeah, I’ve been AWOL. I wrangled myself a pretty nice sinus infection. Today, I was feeling a little better thanks to a doctor visit. I try and avoid antibiotics, but it seems about once a year I get something that will not go away on its own. So I mustered up the energy to go to the doctors. I’m already feeling a good bit better thanks to the prescription decongestant he gave me. It seems like the good drugs take forever to go over the counter. Probably because the drug companies make a lot more on the prescribed kind. I’m sure today’s bounty was a couple hundred dollars. Thanks to insurance I paid $45. Still too much money I think. When I was leaving the docs, some guy in a snappy suit came in smiling from ear to ear. Ah, the drug rep. Seeing all those sick people must warm his heart. The good news is I overhead two doctors talking about how they’d like to see all drugs have a cap on them. One suggested no prescription should be over $5. I’m glad to see at least some doctors don’t live in a bubble.


The good side of being sick is I had to eat at home the last couple of days. I saw this as a good time for fast food detox. I feel crappy anyways so why not work on breaking the habit. Yesterday, I ate mostly Frosted Mini Wheat and I lived to tell. For future reference, they don’t compliment a sore throat. The second plus to being home and off the greasy foods was I had the chance to sit down with “Supersize Me.” What a great movie. I watched it again, but what really got to me were the extras. I had not seen them before. One was an interview with the author of “Fast Food Nation” and it was great to see him and Morgan Spurlock side-by-side since I’m sure plenty of people have picked up on the similarities in their message. In truth, it is a message that rings true, no matter how you chose to deliver it. Fast food is the devil. If for no other reason, you should watch the section where Spurlock puts a large order of fries in a jar and leaves them on his desk. They hold up far longer than anything we eat should. Apparently, these things never break down.

I saw the weirdest infomercial last night. God bless insomnia, because it really lets you tap into the mysteries of the universe. Apparently, Eric Estrada is pimping Arkansas land…cheap.
As I watched the infomercial, it didn’t take me long to figure out who his target audience was. It was right in front of me. Eric Estrada was trying to bring in cheap labor and in all likelihood the Mexican and Hispanic variety. Why, you might ask? Guess which multinational demon is a stone’s throw away. OK, I’ll give you a hint. It is the biggest retailer in the country. Heck, probably the world. Remember that nice little store your neighbor owned. They shut it down with everyday low prices. Yup, Wal Mart is luring in cheap labor and in an infomercial no less. Wonders never cease.

This is SO very wrong! New Orleans will be back to its old ways in no time though.

So do I go to hell for laughing or does the creator of these shirts go to hell for making them?

I want a Boston Terrier. They are just good natured and cool little dogs that don't look all girlie, but still retain the cuteness factor.

I don’t hate Death Cab for Cutie, but I am wholly unimpressed with them. Maybe the fact that they became famous for appearing on the 21st century answer to 90210 makes me a little jaded. I loved the Postal Service album, but that magic just seems absent from the Death Cab work. Maybe I’ve just reached my fill of sad bastard music. I’m slowly working my way up to being happy and well adjusted, so maybe this genre is loosing meaning, or maybe this is the sound of settling. I’m not saying Death Cab doesn’t have some good songs, but they certainly aren’t the second coming of anything, including toned down indie rock. They title would go to The Shins in my book.

I got a laugh out of this story and then I got a new found respect for Shaq.

It will be hard forgiving him for Kazaam and Shaq Fu, but we all make mistakes. I was glad to see him help out victims of a hate crime. I couldn’t even imagine Shaq in the same room with a gay couple, much less coming to their defense in a time of need. So hats off to ya Shaq. I’ve lived in Miami and even a nice area like South Beach isn’t somewhere most of us would want to wear a badge. That says a lot about him, since he doesn’t need a second career and of course, we don’t need Kazaam 2:Electric Shaqalou.

Huddled over the 12 desktop machines in the computer lab, I remember this was the FIRST website I ever saw. I never gave the thing props on here, but once I saw and read this webpage, I knew the internet and I would become friends. The funny thing is I remember the long line of people waiting, and sometimes reading over each others shoulder, to use the few internet ready machines we had at my liberal arts college. This was 1997. It took that long for us to get online. My freshman year, I went to a more technologically advanced school that gave us email accounts, but they were UNIX accounts delivered on old monochrome computers. Oh yeah and the lab was pretty much inhabited by the crème of the nerd crop. They were exactly the kind of people you would expect to find dwelling internet labs long before the frat boys discovered the cornucopia of porn out there and the sorority girls discovered they could shop at a dozen boutiques all at once. The funny thing is from a technological standpoint, comparing those days to now is like comparing a steam engine to a hydrogen fuel cell. The best part is that was hardly a decade ago.

Germans hate fun!

While in Central Florida, don’t forget to visit the Holy Land.
They have “The Passion” the ride. You get to travel along and cheer on Roman centurions as they torture Jesus. You can also experience the day in the life of a monk That sounds exciting! Don’t forget your pants, because they'll kick you out. Thye have a dress code. Check out ticketing information while you visit the site and bring your Visa card. Because in heaven, they don’t take heathens and they don’t take America Express. Visa, it’s everywhere Pat Robertson wants to be.

If you aren't busy tomorrow and you live in Central Florida, check this out on my behalf. I loved this show in reruns when I was a kid, but it was so CLEARLY not filmed in Florida. I seem to remember them driving once on curvy mountain-side hills. I guess that is Hollywood.

Apparently the good folks who make SAT prep books are a little on the Goth side.

So how, exactly, would you define Goth? $h1t if I know. I like Interpol and My Chemical Romance, are they Goth? Not really. As the geniuses behind South Park once said referring to a bunch of Goths “they’re just mad because Goth music sucks.” So true my friends, so true. I can not believe I ever though Skinny Puppy was good or wearing a trench coat was a good idea in Florida in July. Cheer up people

Trouble ahead, trouble behind and you know that notion just crossed my mind.


So this weekend amidst the devastating footage along the Gulf, we got some reminders about the 9-11 anniversary. I think we definitely do NOT need to forget this tragedy. Cursed is the world were JC Penneys has sales commemorating 9-11. Let’s be honest though, in our lifetime we’ll see it. Heck, they have already declared the day “Patriot’s Day.” That, I would guess is the first step to separating the tragedy from the date. Eventually it will just be another day to close the banks and have a linen sale.

What I don’t want to see is that footage from 9-11. I still sob like a toddler who just has his pacifier taken away. It is truly some of the most emotional footage ever captured on film. We’ve all seen it and we all remember. For my generation, it will remain the “where were you when” story for our lives. Of course, I think it is too soon. It is too soon to look back at the footage and relive that day. Emotionally, I’m still very connected to it. For me personally, 9-11 set off a chain of events that I still feel the effects of today. While I didn’t loose a close relative in the events of 9-11, it did throw my life into a tail spin. I’d imagine I’m not alone on this. So all weekend, I avoided television and stuck to things like “Family Guy” that I was 99% certain wouldn’t mention 9-11. As Stewie always says when he makes a wildly inappropriate joke…”too soon?” For 9-11 retrospectives, yes, yes it is.

This is why were I live is so SCREWY. Check out the record low on Christmas Eve 1989. It snowed that night and shut the whole city down.

Now check out the record high for New Year’s Day that same year.

Bellingham, Washington wins the award today for "cool new place." It is about 100 miles north of Seattle and rent is incredibly cheap and the jobs pay well. Sounds like the anti-Flroida. I saw this ad in their paper and it seemed a world away from what I'm use to around here.

Avail. Oct 15th for responsible person who appreciates quiet homespace and well-behaved dog. Prefer NS. Studio, Private entrance, self-contained. Covered deck, parking, storage. Share 1/4 acre fenced yard, w/d, w/alternative 50-s woman, happy dog and 8 chickens. Good set-up for privacy and 'good neighbor' community. Share of organic garden space and fresh eggs avail by arrangement. $475/month. Alicia at (360) 715-1259

I always liked this song a lot. Who knows what the Gallagher boys were really getting at, but now I hear it and remember a time and place when I really believed I would live forever too. The lyrics speak of someone who is young and doesn’t want to learn about the limitations of life. You plant seeds, cultivate gardens and over time your hard work plays off. Unlike the immediate satisfaction you demand in youth, with age comes the knowledge you have to work over time for long term rewards. Another song I love is the Travis song "Flowers In the Window." They seem to go hand in hand, but maybe it is just me.

Maybe I don't really want to know
How your garden grows
I just want to fly
Lately did you ever feel the pain
In the morning rain
As it soaks it to the bone

Maybe I just want to fly
I want to live I don't want to die
Maybe I just want to breath
Maybe I just don't believe
Maybe you're the same as me
We see things they'll never see
You and I are gonna live forever

Maybe I don't really want to know
How your garden grows
I just want to fly
Lately did you ever feel the pain
In the morning rain
As it soaks it to the bone

Maybe I will never be
All the things that I want to be
But now is not the time to cry
Now's the time to find out why
I think you're the same as me
We see things they'll never see
You and I are gonna live forever
We're gonna live forever
Gonna live forever
Live forever
Forever

Take a second to watch this. It is heartbreaking to watch the change in this man in a matter of seconds. What is happening in New Orleans will go down in history as one of the worst disasters on our soil. It seems like this generation is getting the lion's share of misery. In so many ways, we are in unprecedented times in regards to technology and health care. Are we better off? Four years ago our sense of security was destroyed by 9-11. Now we know how fragile we really are. Whatever semblance of security we have lived, worked and played under is slowly being peeled away. No matter how far away we might get from the days of running from natural predators or dying of disease before 30, we have no guarantees our lives will be easy and at any time, they could be snatched away from us. We have a choice. We can live in fear or we can live. It’s your call.

So I can not afford a house. I learned that today. I had one all lined up and it was definitely on the "cheap" side of property here in the area. I spoke with a lender and I would need to come up with $6,000 to put towards closing costs. So that means I would have nothing to put towards a down paymnet. So the monthly payments would be roughly $1200. I don't know about you, but thats about 2 and a half to three weeks worth of actual take home pay for me. If I was married and had two incomes, I'd go for it. I just can not bring myself to buy a home that I could not afford to pay for on my own.

I’m never one to buy into hype, but I have heard a lot of good things about the film “Donnie Darko.” I’m pretty sure it came out the week of 9-11. That means I was busy getting fired and watching my country go apesh1t, so I missed the film. I saw Jake Gylenhall has some new movie coming out where he plays a gay cowboy. Good luck finding a target audience for that. Here in the south, we love our cowboys, but tend not to be too crazy about gay folk. My guess is many a closeted redneck will rent the thing one night when the wifey is outta town. Maybe then they can cope with their gayness and stop with the pro wrestling.

I saw “The Constant Gardner” this weekend. I don’t know that it was outright a heartbreaking film in and of itself. Maybe the similar images we’ve been seeing of destruction here in our own country helped me make a connection to the plight of Africa. Something about the film made we really connect with it. I was in a state of shock after seeing the film.

Now as far as I know, it isn’t a true story. The film itself is about pharmaceutical companies testing drugs secretly on African villagers. Here in the US, we are now to the point where we are working to stop testing on animals, much less secretive testing on people. If the plot is a true story ripped right from the headlines or something the author made up from scratch, it was hardly the point of the movie. The point itself was not even stated, but it did lie subtly there peeking from behind the fantastic cinematography and top notch acting. In a nutshell, Africa is the place we have forgotten.

It seems no matter what takes place around the world, when it comes to really getting our hands dirty and helping the needy, Africa gets left way down on the “to do” list. Much of what makes Africa such a mess is the lack of education. Granted, the people who live there have more pressing issues to deal with like not getting killed by bandits or eating once every couple of days. The sad fact is much of the basic knowledge we take for granted is not even taught in Africa. In some cases, people believe in myths that seem so vile and absolutely ridiculous that it is impossible to understand why anyone would believe them . It is misinformation like this that has spread AIDS far and wide in Africa.

Why then does nobody care about Africa? Maybe if they had more oil we’d be over there trying to help. An entire continent is being allowed to wipe itself out. I have no doubt in my mind if Jesus were teaching on Earth today, he’d look around and declare Africa the place that most needs his help. Then, he would go there. Some people are taking action. Bono has spent years spreading the word. While he isn’t an in your face Christian, he does do God’s work with little real fanfare. It makes you wonder how someone who considers the “Christian Right” his minions can sleep at night knowing that he could do so much to help so many. Instead, he probably gets a private laugh with Dick every now and then about all those n_s killing themselves off in Africa.

yes,I’m a hypocrite. There are so many things any of us could do. It is just easy to put a place like Africa in the far back cobwebbed corner of our mind and pretend it doesn’t exist. After really getting a feel for what life over there must be like, I can vow this much; I would never go there as a tourist. Just like I learned you can not got to the Humane Society unless you plan on adopting, you shouldn't go to Africa unless you can offer something in return. To truly see that first hand would change a person. If I was still single, I would be seriously considering some type of work in Africa. If there is a place in the world where one person could actually make a difference, then that is it.

I don't have anything to say today. I will, however, point out that much to my surprise the woman behind Harry Potter has some big ol sweater kittens


P.S. The management sincerely apologizes for being a moronic male. Tomorrow, deep political diatribes and feminist friendly discourse shall return.

All I can say is it is about freakin time.

Here in the land where cost of living beats pay scale, I’m glad to see that things may level off. It seems funny to me that folks in Florida build houses like crazy and then wonder why the place is so crowded. If you are recently retired from your city job in Yonkers and have the choice between your ranch 1960s two bedroom house or a nice beach front home in Florida, where are you going to live? Of course, you sell your dump for half a million and buy something nice in Florida for half that. Well the problem comes in for those of us who live and work in this state where 30 grand a year is considered upper middle class. We can not afford the mortgage on a house that is a quarter of a million dollars, let a lone a half million. So inevitably the market here will level off, because people who live and work here can not afford to buy homes here. That sort of inflated system can only maintain itself for so long.

I guess I aint the only fool who sees through this mess.

Dear Mr. Bush:


Any idea where all our helicopters are? It's Day 5 of Hurricane Katrina and
thousands remain stranded in New Orleans and need to be airlifted. Where on
earth could you have misplaced all our military choppers? Do you need help
finding them? I once lost my car in a Sears parking lot. Man, was that a drag.


Also, any idea where all our national guard soldiers are? We could really use
them right now for the type of thing they signed up to do like helping with
national disasters. How come they weren't there to begin with?


Last Thursday I was in south Florida and sat outside while the eye of
Hurricane Katrina passed over my head. It was only a Category 1 then but it was
pretty nasty. Eleven people died and, as of today, there were still homes
without
power. That night the weatherman said this storm was on its way to New Orleans.
That was Thursday! Did anybody tell you? I know you didn't want to interrupt
your vacation and I know how you don't like to get bad news. Plus, you had
fundraisers to go to and mothers of dead soldiers to ignore and smear. You sure
showed her!


I especially like how, the day after the hurricane, instead of flying to
Louisiana, you flew to San Diego to party with your business peeps. Don't let
people criticize you for this -- after all, the hurricane was over and what the
heck could you do, put your finger in the dike?


And don't listen to those who, in the coming days, will reveal how you
specifically reduced the Army Corps of Engineers' budget for New Orleans this
summer
for the third year in a row. You just tell them that even if you hadn't cut
the money to fix those levees, there weren't going to be any Army engineers to
fix them anyway because you had a much more important construction job for
them -- BUILDING DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ!


On Day 3, when you finally left your vacation home, I have to say I was moved
by how you had your Air Force One pilot descend from the clouds as you flew
over New Orleans so you could catch a quick look of the disaster. Hey, I know
you couldn't stop and grab a bullhorn and stand on some rubble and act like a
commander in chief. Been there done that.


There will be those who will try to politicize this tragedy and try to use it
against you. Just have your people keep pointing that out. Respond to
nothing. Even those pesky scientists who predicted this would happen because the
water in the Gulf of Mexico is getting hotter and hotter making a storm like
this
inevitable. Ignore them and all their global warming Chicken Littles. There is
nothing unusual about a hurricane that was so wide it would be like having
one F-4 tornado that stretched from New York to Cleveland.


No, Mr. Bush, you just stay the course. It's not your fault that 30 percent
of New Orleans lives in poverty or that tens of thousands had no transportation
to get out of town. C'mon, they're black! I mean, it's not like this
happened to Kennebunkport. Can you imagine leaving white people on their roofs
for
five days? Don't make me laugh! Race has nothing -- NOTHING -- to do with
this!


You hang in there, Mr. Bush. Just try to find a few of our Army helicopters
and send them there. Pretend the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are
near Tikrit.


Yours,


Michael Moore

Am I the only one who has noticed Bush’s lackluster response to the victims of Katrina? In all likelihood, he doesn’t give a crap about the people of New Orleans. Why should he? It is probably the one area of the south that is overwhelmingly democratic. Not to mention, um, how should I put this… Pigmentationally gifted.

That’s what I loved about Clinton. I don’t think the man is a saint, but if he were still running things, he’d be waste deep on Bourbon Street kissing brown babies. Gore would have probably built a photonic laser ozone modification device that would have patched the holes in the ozone that caused the polar ice caps to melt, which caused the water temperature to rise, which gave a seal who was swimming off the African coast a wicked nasty cold, which caused him to sneeze, which created a gust of wind that made a fly’s wings flap, which was the catalyst for hurricane Katrina. Kerry would be on his swift boat pulling people out of the water, just like he did in Vietnam. No matter what the right wing politicians tell you, that was a fact.

So America, is this the county you want to live in? Our National Guard, which is supposed to help in times like this, is scattered all over the Middle East doing Bush’s dirty work. Funding for emergency programs has been cut across the board. Gas prices are going to go up to over 3 dollars a gallon. It is almost like this crap is well coordinated, because the Bush administration stands to make quite a bit of money off their Saudi ties and oil investments once the SUV driving and Bush supporting populous becomes accustomed to paying $3.50 a gallon. As a wise man once said, you reap what you sow. Somehow, they’ll find a way to blame Clinton for this.

I have a feeling with it's great cast, this upcoming Johnny Cash movie will be awesome.