I can still write

Hey hey! Recovering from a pretty nasty case of laryngitis — nasty for me, blessing for the family — and taking an extra day in Atlanta, ostensibly to avoid all the snow in DC (which didn’t actually occur) but secretly to watch the Falcons play the Saints tonight. So, my little buddy Alexander will have to suffer another day without me; but the chance to fully recover, do a little work from the folks’ house and just chill trumps the cat. Which is actually a good band name: Trumps the Cat. I digress.

A few links and my fave shots from the holiday. First however, a shoutout to my sis-in-law, who had the quote of the season when she proclaimed that after her kids went down to bed at 9, she knew what she’d be doing. “Sleeping?,” someone asked. “Uh, no. Drinking,” she replied. “Kids are such a buzz kill.”

I love my family.

Paste, you are the best music magazine going. No contest.

A British friend of mine posted this with a little note that it’s fair warning to Americans that they are heading down a rather nasty road paved for them by Europeans. Reminds me that Juje has been trying to get me to read this book for a while now. Looks like 2011 is the year to inform myself of the British perspective of liberal social policy.

And this, given the recent swiping of my car stereo, just made me happy. When I worked in IT, our resident Mac guru just loved remote access — talked about it like it was a gift from the gods. This guy thinks so, too. Melvin Guzman, you never had a chance. (h/t Ms. Terrell)

Man, I need to get back into dance after New Year’s…

Mmmmmm....Snuggie....

White Christmas in the Deep South

Not sure why John got bumped to the plaque with the cousins...

Yeah, I did that. Waffle House takeout. Don't hate.

Magnets from Tammy, aka Stinkmom.

And one for the 'rents.

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Feel the joy

Getting ready to head back home for the Christmas Holiday so I offer links in lieu of any original thought. And, by the way, I said original, not brilliant, insightful, profound, etc. etc…Don’t hate.

This article is brilliant. I offer it up to my parents because they’ve hit those golden years and this helps explain why there’s still a lot of laughter when they’re around. You guys are awesome.

Just in time for Christmas. It’s long, academic and probably boring to all non-geeks. Fortunately, I do not suffer from the latter. I found it fascinating. Give it a read if it doesn’t make your eyes cross.

I did not do well.

And the weirdest Christmas song ever. So. Great. (h/t Ms. Minton)

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Diva good

Hey — I just have two little things by way of looking for the better and best. The first is the full text of William Faulkner’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech. It inspires me and I return to it frequently when I need to be reminded. The second is from that same  disc of traveling music sister Juje made me. Nice, nice, nice. Go on Aretha.

Faulkner.

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Boy I must’ve been green

Right. So, just take my word for it when I say I mean no disrespect with this post. But when I read this on Facebook — posted by someone who is decidedly more left-leaning — I thought it might make for a good post on how popular consensus is sometimes, well, a load of horse manure.

Here’s what I mean without trying to belabor the point. I’ve had occasion to speak personally with some of these very same, high-profile “climate deniers.” Know what’s funny? For the most part, these people readily acknowledge that legislation like the Clean Air Act and others that resulted from a general lack of awareness about the environment were good pieces of legislation. They were necessary at the time and have resulted in good things — a better awareness of human environmental impact as well as — hey look at that! — cleaner air and water. But piggy-backing off of scare tactics to try to create a brand spanking new economy where the profits are mighty but the science reads like a circadian rhythm of “facts” is bad policy and, ultimately, just dishonest man. And that should piss everyone off.

There are many ways to make this point with the Cunningham strip but let’s just choose one…the fourth page of the strip talks about the rise in global sea levels. But see, there’s also evidence — and, reputable evidence — that suggests that this assertion is, well, horse manure. Not sure where Mr. Cunningham gets his data — on the surface it appears that he uses NASA — but I’d say Dr. Morner is at least as informed. But probably actually more since he’s the former chairman of the INQUA International Commission on Sea Level Change. I won’t even go into the IPCC email debacle. But suffice to say, it’s not as innocuous as presented in the Cunningham strip. But the piece was posted with the express directive to “decide for yourself.” No problem there. But my caveat is simply this: popular consensus is not necessarily the most accurate, best for society, smartest, most noble, etc., etc. Sometimes all it is, is popular.

Okay, enough of that. Instead, here’s how you know you loved your dog: you pull out your big winter coat a little less than a year after she passes away and find her hair all over it. And you literally have to sit down and take a minute so you don’t fall down in tears. Miss you old girl.

Okay links and music. Cause that’s how I roll…

 
• Oh happy day!
• But, you’re not supposed to consider cost.

 

• Okay, I’m starting to forgive you. But if you do this, just keep in under wraps. Because dang man…really? (h/t Connors)
• Dig it.
• I heard this gentleman speak yesterday about this. Freaked me out actually.
• Props. Also, I hope he continues to use his powers for awesome.
• Danger is sexy. (h/t The Mohel)

Now for your music. The first is personally appropriate, the second just plain awesome and the third a source of pride. Enjoy.

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Keep your ennui to yourself

Well, it looks like forcing folks to buy healthcare under threat of penalty has been declared unconstitutional in the state of Virginia. Hell yeah. This is very encouraging. I think back to all the arguments made in support of Obamacare and universal healthcare back in the day and the one that keeps coming to mind is the feel-good, Utopian nonsense that it is right and moral to want all people to have health insurance. And if they can’t afford it? Make them pay for it anyway, even if they receive no practical return on the investment. So moral. Never mind the subtle difference between “access” to healthcare and actual coverage. See, making people buy something — or taking it out of their ass if they can’t or won’t voluntarily purchase it — is the opposite of moral. It is nothing more than greed dressed up as beneficence. But then, increasingly, I find myself more interested in why some may never, indeed REFUSE, to understand these things. I think that’s the real moral question. Ignorance is a kind of darkness. And willful ignorance is a deliberate celebration of that darkness. At least that’s how it logically seems to me at the moment. Still working it out…

But the Clinton sideshow is making more sense to me now. If it was clear to any degree that the President was truly trying to do a good job instead of simply playing figure-head to a broader — and ridiculous, and I’ll say it, downright stupid — agenda, I may feel some empathy for him. But checking your watch cause you had to make a party. C’mon man, really? What are you, 16?

Anyway, made a new friend. Here’s his blog. Dig it. It’s a good thing to celebrate those who have a sense of humor and can be wry about the world without dipping into the well of true negativity, ennui and cynicism. Because those things bore beyond the telling of it.

Also, read this. Tell me if you like it.

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Airline booty call

Story of the week: Wednesday, a friend relayed the tale of a recent trip to the midwest to visit a girl he’s been seeing, one that our group of friends had decided was a pretty cool chick (me included). Apparently, that was faulty thinking. He was in the hotel room waiting to hang out when she called and began the whole ex-boyfriend/I’m confused/not sure we should see each other this weekend spiel. My friend, being the kind of guy who a) doesn’t suffer from a lack of female companionship and b) is smart enough and has a grasp of basic manners enough to recognize bad form when he sees it, decided to cut and run. Here’s what makes the story great: he had apparently spent some time drinking in the hotel room leading up to the drama-rama conversation so, as another friend chimed in, “He drunk-dialed Delta and was like *slurring*, ‘Can you get me out of here?!’ They were like, ‘Sir … where are you?'”

I *heart* my friends.I think I’ll keep them and get rid of the half-assed stragglers.

Also, I want to go to here.

Also also, it’s snowing. Kinda regretting driving today…

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Fragility of any system of thought

Know what kinda sucks? I can’t be totally honest about the things I want to do on this little forum anymore because more than once — actually so often I’m starting to wonder if it’s crossed the coincidence line — I’ve had to hear about how awesome the things I want to do are. And oh yeah, sorry I didn’t ask you to go…So, from here on in, the most desired will stay private. Until after the fact anyway…Momma always says that, even as a small child, I’ve always had my heart on my sleeve. And maybe you don’t want to put your heart out there to the world. Some folks don’t value that kind of thing. Just sayin’.

I’ve been thinking about the concept of dopplegangers lately. Mostly because of this film, which might prompt me to actually –gasp– spend the money to go and see it in the theater this week. The concept wrapped in dance is too delicious to my sensibilities to ignore. Also, I’m pretty sure the film’s title references this, which is one of the few things of late that has actually brought me the joy that comes with discovery of something new. The idea of being haunted by a twin is conceptually somewhat new, if not concretely new. That is to say, in my life’s experience, I am familiar with it. Just never realized that it had the mythology of archetype attached and is therefore not an uncommon experience. Sure, it’s the stuff of comic books and soap operas — evil twins and all — but also written into the human subconscious. I tend not to discount those things…I digress…

These guys are playing the 9:30 Club here in DC on New Year’s Eve. Oh Zimmer, would you were here for this show…

Read this. Tell me if you like it.

Yeah, pretty much. Nice going Eurotrash dude. Your penalty, when it comes — and it will, will likely include a world where no one pays attention to you, because that’s what’s most meaningful to you. Man I hope I’m around to witness it.

Finally, a few pics. First, the flag football team. We did well. And had loads of fun. Good group of folks. Also, a PBR can sculpture contest that the teammates won. I contributed to the can count — I like to think that’s important — but the sculpting was handled by the boys and their cohort. They won $100 dollars that they promptly used to buy $100 worth of Grand Marnier shots. Good times. This was the “classy, artsy” edition of our regular happy hour outings. Aren’t we sophisticated?

In honor of you Julian Assange. You can be Australian and still be Eurotrash….

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