Yet Another Monent of Pure Cruelty
Caught a moment of the WB's broadcast of "LoTR" this eve. At one point Saruman says to his Uruk Hai, "You will taste man flesh!" It made me wonder if he were actually speaking to the Uruk Gay.

Dust in the Attic
I used to watch "Star Trek: Voyager" pretty regularly. Call me what you will, I tended to like the actors and actresses on the show (with the exception of Kate "Captain Janeway" Mulgrew who left no scenery unchewed). But every now and then something just stuck in my craw. I'm not one of those "physics of Star Trek" types or an obsessive fan boy (though I admire the casting of both Jennifer "Kes" Lien and the delectable Jeri Ryan who has already made a cameo appearance on PoW a while back). I'm just troubled by the bunnies of dust that a few stupid details have left in the old cerebral attic.
First instance: There is no way I could recall in which episode this happened since only 96.58742% of the episodes dealt with Voyager being under attack by either superior alien technology, superior alien species or aliens in superior number. So here's Voyager (the coolest ship in the entire franchise, BTW) getting pounded by somealiens at somealien planet and Janeway backs away from the planet saying "We need to regroup!" Regroup?! Is there something about the fact that Voyager is a lone Federation ship beyond the known galaxy that she forgot? Regroup?! With whom???
Secondly: This was a specific episode which I'm not going to bother to look up because it's against my religion (I'm devoutly lazy). Which also means I'm not going to remember how it all came about so let me set up the end of the show - Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres are in spacesuits, floating in space and running out of air. They are put there to be in a position where they finally declare their love for each other, which is nice. And, of course, Voyager arrives in the nick'o'time as they are just about to run out of oxygen. So what does Janeway say to these two people, adrift in space, gasping for life? "Prepare to beam aboard." What the...? "Prepare" to beam aboard? What are they going to do to prepare? Evacuate the waste containers? Shake off the cosmic dust? Jebus! Just beam them aboard, save their lives and shut up about it.
I see from my rant that my complaints about the show are entirely directed to stupid things the writers put in the mouth of Captain Janeway. Not worth the waste of a neuron gap-jumping electron, really. Perhaps by blogging this I will have swept that particular dust out of the cranium.

Saturday!
Ah weekend - time to stretch out, relax and do the chores I wasn't able to get around to during the week. (sigh) I'll be posting later about autumn and big wind. But you won't miss nothin' if you don't check back until Monday morning or so.

Prior Restraint
Just a note to the crowd (I think you ... oh, never mind! -Ed.), there will be little to no posting for the next couple of days due to demands on my time. I hope to have another bloggasm this weekend. Please check back later.

"Dallas" - It's Baaaaack!
I never really watched "Dallas," even the 'Who Shot J.R.' episode. But saw on the toob a day or so ago that CBS (ptui!) is doing a reunion show. What strikes me is the two female leads. Linda Gray is now 62 and she looks great - pretty and sexy still. I'd bet she'll look terrific in another 10 years if how she looks now is any indication. And Victoria Principal, who is one of those beautiful actresses who just never "did it" for me, looks like she's hardly aged at all. Though her picture at IMDB (click the link) is just awful. That aside, I offer my grudging admiration for her graceful ascent of years.
Maybe there was something in water at Southfork.

W
As in "winner." Again.

Ante Vote
That's "ante" as in "before." Since I last voted, I moved. As I was getting my driver's license address changed, the nice lady behind the counter (love that semi-punk moussed crop cut babe!) asked if I wanted to register to vote. Realizing that I could crush two avians with a single igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic nugget, I said, "Sure."
So it took until this morning for me to realize that I never got a new voter card. Where do I vote? A dilemma of knuckle-chewing dimensions. First step: the intraweb thing. My county has a list of polling places for my district online. Mapquest, mapquest, mapquest. I am nonplussed. None of these places seems evidently mine. Oh my! Here's a phone number! Ring, ring, ring, muzak, wait, "your call is important to us," muzak, "hello...."
Such a nice lady and I'm sure she's answering phones like a madwoman. It turns out no change was sent in so I still vote at my previous location. I'm going to try for about 9:30. By that time the commuters will have gone and the stay-at-home moms will be doing the post-breakfast routine. The lines should be down. "Should be" I say.

UPDATE: More essential brilliance from the ol' BlogDog. Walked into the elementary school polling place, walked up to the HO desk (watch it! it was the desk serving last names in the H to O range), showed me operator's permit and strolled over to the little desk thingy, picked up the pen, slashed at the page - Bush, Wolf, administrative matters, no money for bonds - slid the paper into the slot and strolled on my merry way. Tra La La! I voted.

And Another Thing...
Since I've been blithering about TV, shouldn't "Fear Factor," under truth in advertising, be called "Implants on Parade?"

Monday Night Football
The Jets just intercepted the ball after going up 34 to 7. There was more dolphin in my last tuna sandwich than on the field in Giants Stadium.

Sometimes I Have Ideas
And sometimes I should really, really, really just keep my mouth shut. In the first category, I think it would make a good sketch on Saturday Night Live to have an "Antiques Roadshow" parody. Specifically, the latest incarnation of "AR" featues strangely ovalized host Lara Spencer (you would perfer Chris Jussel again perhaps? -Ed.). It made me think, what if Antiques Roadshow were hosted by Lara "Tomb Raider" Croft? Every item that's featured would turn out to be a relic of some ancient who used it to alter time or turn base metal into gold or give the wearer ultimate power and she would then be obliged to kill the owner and deliver the relic to the proper authorities.
And the final payoff would be that the last object presented would be something hideously dangerous (an Aztec nuclear bomb) and she just lets that one go.
As far as the second category goes - I keep having the idea of the latest tape of Osama Bin Ladin as a new release at Blockbuster.
"Is this available on DVD?"
"Of course. You can get it as a two-disc, special edition, director's cut with outtakes, a 'making of' featurette and a commentary track from Ken Burns."
This, as an idea, is only marginally better, and not nearly as funny, as the idea for a "Naziopoly" board game. ... Don't ask.

CSI: Miami Again
For all my pissing and moaning about losing Rory Cochrane from CSI: Miami, I see in puke news that he actually wanted to leave the show so he wouldn't get trapped in a role rut. That's pretty nervy. As much as I wish he were still on the show, I can more easily accept his untimely departure. I just hope CBS (ptui!) gives him more work. Another high class drama series would be nice.

Sick With Laughter
I am an invertebrate fan of Achewood - absolutely spineless in fits of helpless laughter. At some point I'll add it to the sidebar but (how many times have I said this?) check out the link. If it's your very first read, it won't seem all that funny. But once you've read the "comic strip" for a while, you will find yourself a fan. Look under a rock, there, you've found him!
I want to go into explanations of the characters that inhabit Achewood but I can't possibly do them justice. Just read it. Read back issues because once you get the characters, you'll be prostrate with laughter at things that would be just downright weird on first view. Chris Onstad's use of language is a joy to behold. I have added the adjective "hella" to my vocabulary solely on the basis of its use in Achewood.

The Day After
Happy November to the PoW readers! Yesterday was not only Halloween but also the running of the 29th Marine Corps Marathon. I am, in the words of Winston Churchill a flying buttress of the Potomac Runners running group - I support it from outside (versus a "pillar" of the group, you see). The training schedule of PR is built around preparing runners to run the MCM and the last great act of the group is the massive production of a water stop on the marathon course (in this case at mile 25, stop #13 if you care to look at the course map).
This is the fourth year I've been involved with the water stop support and I can say with full confidence that this was the most elaborate, sumptuous event put on by Potomac Runners since the memory of man runneth not to the contrary. I arrived with a camp stove, a charcoal grill, a peck of apples from my favorite local orchard (Moutoux Orchard in Vienna, Va. - no web presence as far as I can tell) and load of food and T shirts that I picked up from the spiritual and temporal leader of the group. The nearly 100 Potomac Runners who voluteered to set up the station and hand water to the runners also brought a range of food and drink that little short of spectacular. There were fast-food breakfast sandwiches in the morning (and by morning I mean we started setting up at about 6:45), fruit, bagels, specialty breads (thank you Great Harvest!), peanut butter, cream cheese, and, do I need to go further? We cranked up the camp stove to have hot water for packeted drinks (hot chocolate, spiced cider) and coffee.
As the volunteers arrived we handed out their Marine Corps Marathon volunteer T shirts, new long-sleeved Potomac Runners Ts and sweatshirts. The volunteers wore their PR shirts for the race so the runners would know who was behind their final water stop. 'Struth: it pays to advertise. Also, let me just say a word about the MCM shirts: too cool. Every running event has a T shirt for the runners which has the name of the race and logo on the front and a host of sponsors on the back. These shirts can range from the bland and boring to really nicely designed. What sets the MCM shirts apart is that the front logo is embroidery. Elegant. The shirts have historically have the word "Volunteer" embroidered under the logo but this year they say "Semper Fi." Damn right.
At this point it must be made manifest to anyone not living in the DC area that yesterday was incredibly hot. I wore nothing but a short-sleeved shirt from the moment I set foot outside the house at 5:15. And it was, at that point, cool but not uncomfortable. Which further means that the temperatures reached the mid-70s during the day. And that is hellish on the runners. Four years ago the pre-dawn temperatures were somewhere in the low-50s and the volunteers were huddled around the camp stove when they came in. As much as it was a beautifdul autumn day - it was very much so - it was brutal for someone running 26 miles. I salute the guts and grit of the runners! But the volunteers were well prepared to put forth the name of Potomac Runners had they to wear the sweats or the T shirt. I think the guy who runs this outfit is kind of clever.
Around 11am we fired up the charcoal grills and began cooking hot dogs, sausage, turkey burgers and hamburgers for the Marines, the volunteers and any other support staff who came by (a couple of bike-borne EMS techs made an appearance in the early afternoon). Even though I was behind during one real "lunch rush" period, I think people got pretty much what they wanted and no one was turned away. Of course there was also an elaborate spread of cold cuts for those who preferred a sandwich to a burger or a dog. Despite working two grills pretty hard, I didn't singe off all the hair on my forearms (the mark of a real grill master is hairless forearms, doncha know!).
It was a blast. But now, the day after, I feel like a wrung-out washrag. I crumpled upon my return home last evening and slept like a piece of felled timber. My first order of business today was to suck down some advil and take a nice, long hot shower. Done and done. And now you know about it too. Happy November to all and to all a good Election Day (as long as you vote Bush of course).
UPDATE: My bad. Those are hoodies, not sweats. And darn nice ones at that.

Compare and Contrast #2
Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman. You have two hours. Anyone found still writing after the command "Pencils down" will viewed with a sneer.

New On The Sidebar
Sharp eyes will notice the new section "looks" on the sidebar which is intended to feature art. The links were (very briefly) in the "links" section but I thought that since the other links are to blogs, it would make more sense to separate the art links.
Art is kryptonite to my descriptive powers so I won't go into effusive praise of PoW's first two artists. But please click the links. Two more different artists would be difficult to find in the same place but two more talented artists would be even more difficult to find anywhere. Full disclosure requires that I admit to knowing both of these artists for many years. I've even sat for a portrait by Irving. And, if I lived in Florida, there is no way I would not have one of Mary's gloriously imaginative pieces on my wall. As it is, I want one of her canvases but given what I already have, her work would likely start arguments with the other art. And probably win most of them.
Also, the "longings" section will be dedicated to a wonderful artist of another type for the month of November: Atoosa. She was one of the artists at the IC Benefit of which I blogged earlier. I haven't posted of her yet as I wasn't quite sure what to say. I'm now in possession of a couple of her CDs (and eagerly anticipating the arrival of her next) to which I've been listening obsessively. I love this woman. Her music is sweet, tough, personal and just a huge damn delight. Keep in mind that I do tend to rather like folk music. What really impresses me, and it's what I have enormous problems with, is her ability to lay her heart open in her music. That ability to make art out of vulnerability is, to me, both amazing and a little frightening. She's good at it. No - great at it.
It doesn't hurt that she is a gorgeous woman as well - eyes as deep as wells, a spill of raven ringlets and the face of a pre-Raphaelite angel out of Asia Minor. I'll stop gushing over her just to say that there has never been a woman in the "longings" section more deserving of the section title. Go. Listen. Thank me later.

A Data Day Thing
Brent Spiner is going to appear on the New Star Trek franchise "Enterprise." I think somebody out there is going to have the steamin' undies.

I'm Above Average!
I just heard on the radio machine that over the last 40 years "the average American has gained 25 pounds."

We'll Always Have Paris
I was considering the infelicitously named Paris Hilton the other day as I was listening to the puke news (entertainment report). The thought did strike - wouldn't she have been more accurately named "Bangkok Hilton?"

Good News For Honorary Pug of War Marshall
Marshall, although born with the dubious distinction of being a Labrador retriever ("I say Lovey! Bring me a Labrador, will you?" -Thurston Howell III), gets honorary Pug of War status after surviving a house fire by getting CPR from a couple of firefighters. CPR. As in mouth-to-snout resuscitation. But one paw down to the ingracious comment of rescuer Jason Poole who said "The only reget I have is I still have dog breath." (Don't elide the next line: "But I'd do it again in a minute." -Ed.) Marshall, I hate to tell you this but you've got human breath. Have an Alpo mint.

Can We Afford This?
The excellent Donald Lambro reports in last Tuesday's Washington Times on the National Taxpayers Union's look at "John Kerry's Legislative Priorities: 1991-2004" though at the moment, I don't have a link to his article. And it seems that the Times only has a 7 day free archive so it behooves me to just type in what I want from the article. Unless, of course, it were in the (sarcasm) "Creative Commons" (/sarcasm).
The Times headline is "Kerry backed costly legislation." As much of a "duh moment" as that is, it is quite useful to have explcit evidence of just what the Poodle's economic record is. The record, I hasten to emphasize, he is not running on. Lambro:

Legislation that Sen. John Kerry has proposed would have increased federal nondefense spending by an average of nearly $75 billion for each Congress, according to a tabulation of bills the lawmaker from Massachusetts has offered since 1991.

I heard one of the demobots - probably MacAuliffe - respond to a question about Kerry's plan for Social Security that Kerry would bring back Bill Clinton's balanced budgets and that would be the salvation of FDR's Ponzi scheme. Oh fer lying through yer teeth! First, the budget "surpluses" of the Clinton years were not surpluses. If Social Security taxes had been taken from the government and locked up (now where did I put those boxes!), there would have been just smaller deficits throughout the entirety of the Clinton administration. Secondly, if it had been up to Clinton, per se, those deficits would have been hugely greater. The only good the Republican congress did was force a reduction in real deficit spending. But this isn't about Clinton as much as Clintonoid MacAuliffe would like it to be.
This is about Kerry and Kerry is (wait for it!) an absolutely stereotypical tax-and-spend ultra-liberal. Don't get me wrong - I don't care for the current president's excessive spending. It buys him no goodwill with the left (Senator Hindenburg) and the deficit it adds to is not a good thing. But the fact remains that as bad as Bush is in spending, Kerry is just so much worse. And he can't be counted on to support national defense.
Here is the NTU on Kerry's spending from the Lambro article:

• "During that same period (since 1991), he was proposing legislation which, on average, would cut defense and homeland security spending by $101 million" for each Congress.
• Mr. Kerry "proposed either no increases or a decrease in defense spending in four of the last seven Congresses."
• Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Mr. Kerry has "proposed $84 in increased nondenfense spending for every dollar of defense spending increases that he has sponsored or co-sponsored."
  

This is the very nut of the problem. We are at war. The single most necessary thing on which to expend our national treasure is the defense of the United States. Homeland security spending should be rational - I'm as against waste, fraud and abuse as the next blogger. But our defense spending has been in retreat since the Reagan years. And we just can't count on Kerry to support it. But he will spend your tax money! Count on that.
There is one final argument I have against Kerry. He seems to think that the war on terror is not a military one. It is one run on law, reaction and intelligence. Taking those points seriatim, law is not sufficient to handle the depredations of those set against Western civilization. Jails will not hold those who blow up the courthouses and temples of commerce. Reaction is the road to our demise. The only way to defeat supra-state organized terrorists is to find where they are given sanctuary and destroy them before they bring the terror to the civilian population. Finally, one thing he's right about: intelligence. We will only win this war with better intelligence than we even now have.
Yet Kerry "did propose S.1826 ... which included a $1-billion cut in 1994. That measure also would have frozen intelligence spending at that reduced level through 1998, allowing it to rise only by the rate of inflation. That could fairly be called a $5-billion cut spread over five years." (source: factcheck.org) The justly-criticized intelligence failures that led to the maligned WMD-based decision to take down Saddam came from an intelligence service that Kerry would have given even fewer resources. And one aspect of intelligence that I have seen little discussed is why should President Bush be called to account for the failures of a CIA that was in the hands of the Clinton Adminstration until mere months before the 9/11 attacks?

More Belated Posting
Continuing the use of blockquotes and catching up on things I noted in the paper, this time last Tuesday. I'm getting better. My last belated post was two weeks late; this one is just a week late. Yay me!
An Associated Press article from October 19 (the link is to a different version than was printed in the WT) goes into efforts by "Artists and scholars who believe the current copyright system unduly stifles creativity [to] push... a less restrictive alternative that they call the Creative Commons." How nice for them. I'm sure there are a lot of students who feel that the current plagiarism "system" "unduly stifles" their "creativity" when it comes to writing term papers too.

Fair use is fair use. The point is to allow some limited (make that limited) use of the work of other people so that new work can be created. New work (make that new work). If you require the wholesale appropriation of someone else's efforts, it's not fair (make that not fair). One example cited is a low-budget documentary called "Class of '83" which focuses on classmates killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks. The editor had to cut "most of" the song "The Rose" as sung by a children's choir out of the show. If the song were in the "Creative Commons," the entire thing could have been included and the editor's job would have been made much, much easier. Boo frickin' hoo. If the documentary were not trying to make money off such as the use of a song written by someone else and, in this case, even sung by a group of someone elses, then they could have done the leg work to clear its use. I'd even be willing to bet that the owners of the song's rights might have allowed its use in such a documentary. Instead, the documentary makers just want their job made easier. I wonder if they've released their work into the "Creative Commons?"
I won't even go into the "Tragedy of the Commons" as every reader should already be aware of this. Though I will pimp for a blog I haven't yet added to the blogroll yet: The Commons Blog. A beautiful Sekimori design and intelligent content. Check it out.
What made this post necessary (here's where we get the blockquote fired up again right? -Ed.) is this paragraph:

"The (Creative) Commons encourages sharing and makes explicit that creativity depends on easy access to raw materials," said Siva Vaidhyanathan a New York University professor critical of current copyright laws. "Right now, you have to assume you're going to get in trouble if you quote from somebody extensively or build upon a previous expression."

Excuse me dumbass, "raw materials" for art are paint, paper, filmstock, ink, canvas, and a hundred other things that do not (make that not) include the intellectual property of other people! I use the term "dumbass" as this alleged academic has a weblog that demonstrates he's just another standard issue left-wing professor. I look forward to seeing others make extensive use of any and all of his writings since he is such a believer in the "Creative Commons."

One Small Step
I think I have the blockquotes thing sussed out now. Look for its overuse in future posts!

Bereavement in the Public Square
I've been sitting on this post for a while as I haven't been able to decide whether to make it a research post or to just go on about the story at hand. The Washington Times in its October 11 issue had a London Telegraph story titled "Landfill remains grave to 9/11 ash." And since I decided against Googling up a link, the lead reads as follows:

The remains of hundreds of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks are to be permanently buried in the world's largest garbage dump, to the consternation of their grieving families.
Relatives were assured that the ashes resulting from the fireball would be returned to the World Trade Center. Then they would form part of a planned memorial after being sorted from the half-million tons of debris from the Twin Towers that was taken to the Fresh Kills landfill site on Staten Island.

I have a problem with this. First, who in his right mind assures families that ashes from the flaming destruction of two of the world's tallest office buildings is going to be sorted from the resultant debris? This beggars belief. First, the percentage of ash that could be attributed to human remains has to be a slight fraction of the total ash, much less the total debris. Are the families of the most famous group of people murdered in America really so in need of a physical reminder that they must have those ashes? Even those ashes are likely to be of copier paper and office furniture? I'm sorry. I'm sorry for their loss but I'm even sorrier that they are so unable to move on that they insist on the separation of ashes from the landfill.
But even more than that. The families of the victims of 9/11 have received compensation from the government that is in excess of anything received by any other group. And as sorry for their loss as I am, it isn't right that they should have gotten so much taxpayer money. Shouldn't the families of the victims of the bombing of the Murrah Building be compensated then? Where does it end? The answer is that it doesn't. I'm not saying that 9/11 families should have to give back what they have been given but there must be a point at which the cost of their grief, which has been more shared by a nation than any mass grief in America's history, the pure dollar cost must come to an end. Here are the further details from the story:

City authorities have since balked at the estimated $450 million cost of moving the ashes again and have promised the creation of a 2,200 acre park on top of the dump - whose rotting contents smell of methane gas - and erect a memorial instead.
Relatives of the 1,169 victims have yet to receive any remains of their loved ones, and many are outraged at the authorities' decision.

Your outrage rings a bit hollow at this point. How many military families have a framed flag as their only memory of a husband or brother lost in the service of the country? I don't know but the possibility that the number is greater than 1,169 seems good.
I think the idea of a park on the landfill seems absurd. Isn't the site of the WTC being dedicated to the memory of our loss? There's the park. It is the place for a cenotaph. Make a plaque for each life lost and give the families each a plaque cast from the same mold as the one on the cenotaph. As it already stands:

The office of new York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg pointed out that the coroner's office was still trying to identify 10,260 fragments of remains gathered at Fresh Kills. Those that remain unidentified would be interred in the official memorial at the Twin Towers site.

The expenditure of $450 million, however, is absurd. The families were overpromised. The person who overpromised should be identified and demoted. He or she is no proper steward of the public's money. No one would gain from this exercise in government waste - not even the families. It is time to stop public grief from overwhelming common sense.

Cholesterol Drug Advertising
I see (and hear) (far too often) Patrick Stewart is pimping for Crestor. Oh my aching back are the ads annoying! Jean Luc Picard channels Dr. Seuss. Shut up. Shut UP!

Religion as a Marital Aid
I believe in same sects marriage.

Question for a Commenter
As a baseball fan, what do you expect to happen in tonight's Janquis-BeauxSox Clash of the Titans? You will not be held to account for any divergence of your prediction from reality. I'd just like to know.

Hat Tip to the Former Mrs. BlogDog
The original pug behind Pugs of War, Spike by name, is still soldiering on at an amazing 13 years of age. However, I hear that he has been re-christened (as is the wont with pugs - a breed that acquires name changes about every other week from their smitten owners) as the CORNdog. CORN being the acronym for "Calliope Of Rude Noises."
And we love them none the less.

Another Moment of Pure Cruelty
Does anyone remember Louise Woodward? She was on one of the tabloid TV shows the other day exhibiting an utter lack of remorse and apparently is now on her way to be coming one of those droll forms of British lawyer.
Seeing her puffy, pale face again reminded of my old riddle:
Have you heard about the British Nanny Special at McDonalds?
A small fry and a shake.

Longings
Will be in a holding pattern this month. No new music will be added. Though I just might throw up a gratuitous link to a talented lady. Pugs of War: regurgitation a specialty.

My Book
My readers should know that I finally have a contract to write a self-help book. I'm really excited and enthused. The title will be "Finding Someone To Help You Through Co-Dependency." I think it'll sell.

Ow, Ow and Double Ow
I have gout. My right great toe is red, warm and painful. This really sucks. You'd be surprised how remarkably painful this is. Jebus, I just have to stop eating. Of course if fate is what I expect, I'll be metabolizing my own fat which would be a richer diet than I'm eating now. That would be perfect - more gout when fasting. At least I share this condition with my favorite immigrant.
It's more frustrating that the condition now alights in my right foot as my left hip joint is my worst on-going problem. When both sides are afflicted, I walk like a major cripple instead of just a regular cripple.
This being as it is - and I think it's on the mend since yesterday was worse - I should get some more long-form blogging up today. Fingers crossed.

UPDATE: Kim Du Toit has been added to the blogroll. He is "Out of the (Gun) Closet" though I have the suspicion that most of you will have already figured that out.

Goody!
Emm's coming back in November! I'm there.

More Psychic Hardware
I just can't resist trying new stuff. F'rinstance a new mouse for the laptop. I like the mouse I've been using even though it acted up on me the other day. But it is a wired mouse. And I am tired of wires all over the desk. I even want a Bluetooth headset for my cordless desk phone so I don't have a wire running from the handset to the headset. And yes. I prefer to use a headset over pressing the electronic equivalent of a bar of Irish Spring to my ear.
So, a wireless mouse with a tiny little wireless connector that fits my USB port and, when I pack up the machine, the connector actually tucks into a little pocket in the mouse itself. Nice design. But. There's always a but. I went to the website. I downloaded the driver. I installed the driver. I plugged the mouse in. I adjusted the scroll speed. And I pushed those itty-bitty buttons to connect the mouse to the USB plug. And the pointer didn't move. (Insert noises indicative of aggravation here) Do I have to return this? What a hassle.
I won't give up without another try. I leave it a couple of days (that would be until today, right? -Ed.) (shut up Ed.) and do all those connection rituals again. Pointer sits on the desktop. Oh grrr! Errant click on the right button. Contextual menu appears. Hunh? It reacts. But it doesn't move. What's up wid dat? What am I missing?
Short answer - the mousing surface. I have a deskpad that's composed of some synthetic, sort-of leather-like surface with a thin foam pad underneath. It's called something like "rhino hide" which has the feature of "healing" if you accidentally cut it. My new mouse doesn't like running on a rhino (that reminds of a joke ... no, now's not the time). So I'm now I need a mouse pad. What looks good with a PowerBook?

Holiday - Madonna Sang It
We welcome the return of Ramadan! Though why The Prophet has a holiday to celebrate inexpensive lodging is beyond me.

Movie Dog Yacks on a Bone
I borrowed a copy of "The Butterfly Effect" from a friend the other day and last night's "debate" provided the perfect opportunity to watch it. What a piece of crap. I only borrowed it after another friend recommended it to me. ... Let me just say that I will accept that you liked it but, and I quote now, "what a piece of crap." Foremost, I'm no fan of Demi-tapper Ashton Kutcher (Don't be hatin' - Ed.) but I approach his movies with an open mind. The burden of proof is on him to convince me and so far he hasn't. A reviewer on the IMDB page linked above points out that Kutcher is a comic actor and his dramatic turn is, at least, problematic: "He is a comedic actor and his transition to serious acting puts him in the forefront of bad acting in a year of bad leading male performances."
I will give the movie this - the FX in the transitions to the past are pretty interesting. But it's like using a Chrysler Maybach for the sole purpose of taking your recycling to the dumpsters.

I found myself being much more interested in Melora Walters who plays Kutcher's mother. She is ... cute. But her voice is just so wrong. Too tiny, too high-pitched. And I put the ellipsis before calling her cute because I could never engage with her character. It was so poorly written that I could never relax and accept her as anything near real. And the suspension of disbelief is a necessary thing in the flickers. I was surprised to see that Ms. Walters was a character in "Cold Mountain" because she made absolutely zip/zero/nada impression on me in that movie. It was, I'll admit, a small part. In looking at her roles, I'm tempted to go to the vid store and make myself a Melora Walters film festival with about a half dozen of her movies just to see if she's to my taste and I don't see it because I didn't like "Butterfly Effect" or she really isn't to my taste.
Which leads me off on a tangent about actresses. I had the same feeling about Sandra Bullock. I first remember seeing her in "Demolition Man" and can still recall my reaction: I'm not sure if she's really cute or just weirdly strange looking. I finally came to the conclusion that she is very attractive as long as she smiles. Great smile, a light-up-the-room smile. And her looks are otherwise quirky and individual - which I do like. Give me an interesting face over a plastic Barbie-doll any day (Kate Jackson - yes, Jacklyn Smith - no). Maybe I just need to see more of Melora Walters to reach such a conclusion.
That being said, "Butterfly Effect" is awful. The concept is ludicrous, the execution pitiful (except the effects) and the writing is cliche-ridden crap. At least half a dozen times I said the precise words put in the characters' mouths by the script writer. That's bad writing.
I'll leave you with the silver lining to this dark cloud: I didn't have to spend a dime to see it.

Coming Soon to PoW as an Actual Link
My new e-mail addy. I am Blog.Dog(at symbol)Gmail.com.
I need to noodle through the putting up a link that will not lead to its being harvested by the spambots. Death to spambots. I wouldn't mind the death penalty for spammers themselves but that's an overreaction. Assholes.
Oh great, after using that word I then turn around and thank my true and good friend Paul for the invite to join Gmail. You Rock! Mr. Mac!

UPDATE: It's there. It's just not a link. Deal with it. Or not.

New on the Blogroll
As you can see, I've added the Grouchy Old Cripple (in Atlanta) to the links list. Denny is funny, tough and honest. More can not be asked from any one. As he makes his transition to retired life, I'd like to wish him less aggravation, greater health and all the wine drinking and SCUBA diving his heart desires.
Not to mention my thanks for posting pics from me and using one of mine for his Monday pun.

A Lot of People Are Going to Link To This
So why should be any different. Brilliant.
Actually it's all just a plot to have anyone who stumbles upon this little outpost ("Not The End of The Internet But You Can See It From Here") on the whirled white web to go other places and experience new things. Like that "Next Blog" button up there at the top right corner. Go ahead. I'll be here when you get back.

I Want Psychic Hardware
My usual configuration here at PoW Central HQ (Hindquarters) is that the PowerBook is running the wireless connection to the Linksys router while the desktop Mac is running a hardwire to the same point. Not that the latter matters because the destop box is taking the role of iTunes Playback Device since it has more hard drive capacity and (at the mo') slightly better speakers. The iPD, however, has its own little wireless suite of keyboard and mouse, neither of which is much used. The PB has a hardwired mouse attached so my right hand is mostly cupped around that little lump of plastic-wrapped LED technology.
Every now and then, naturally, I need to adjust something in iTunes - say, switch from "shuffle" mode to continuous play. The trouble is my hand rests on the mouse that's not attached to the iPD. Then, with that wonderful lag effect a modern brain has the ability to create, I wonder why the pointer on the monitor is not moving.
I want a psychic mouse that knows when I want the pointer on the other machine to move with out my having to pick up the daggum other mouse which is well over four inches from where my hand is! I don't think this is too much to ask.

Speaking as a Fat Man Myself
I hate Michael Moore. It's one thing to be fat and neat about it. Dress respectably and minimize the ocular impact on the viewing public. But this left wingnut is just a fargin' slob. From this point on, since he's such a steer (male cow, doncha know), I will only call him Michael Moo-er.

I Look Into The Future
Through a glass darkly I see the Kerry partisans at the end of the Poodle's first term calling for his relection. And since the basis of his election is his service in Vietnam, they are calling out: "Four More Months! Four More Months!"

And Finally, A Moment of Outright Cruelty
"So long, Superman!"
-Barney Gumble to a departing Shary Bobbins

I Want to Start a Rock Band
It will be composed entirely of midgets and dwarves done up in Goth style. It will be called "Marilyn Munchkin."

I Did Not Clap for Tinkerbell
The brilliant Mary Steyn has an op-ed today that is up to his amazing best. I don't normally link to such things as op-eds because they are out there and those who have an interest are already reading them while those who don't have an interest will be bored with the linkage. However, there are uses of language in this piece that deserve to be scribed in stone.
"Mr. Edwards, on the other hand, driveling on like a Depression-era sob sister about how the 'bright light' of America now 'flickering' is one of the funniest acts I've seen in years.
...
I think the Edwards smarmarama is ridiculous. It's all about oil, as the antiwar lefties say, and on Tuesday night the oiliness was practically oozing through the TV screen and all over the floor. If every Democratic candidate was as unctuous and oleaginous as Mr. Edwards, gas would be 50 cents a gallon and we could tell the Saudis to go to hell."

"Smarmarama." Wish I'd thought of it.

But the heart of the matter is here:
"Asked about his qualifications to be vice president and thus — in the event of John Kerry being felled by a grisly windsurfing tragedy — president and commander in chief, John Edwards talked about what 'the American people want in their president and in their vice president.' First, he said, 'they want to know that their president and their vice president will keep them safe.'
Oh, phooey. That would be a neat line if the American people had all got lead-poisoning and hired you to file the all-time class-action suit on their behalf. But no president can guarantee safeness in unsafe times."

Exactly. Edwards seems to believe that Americans have a magic wand in their President and Vice-President. And I'm thinking that Americans who engage in such magical thinking will vote Kedwards. I can see them now in their voting booths, squeezing their eyes shut, crossing their fingers and saying, "It was better with Clinton. It was better with Clinton." When they emerge, they can click their heels together three times and repeat "There's no place like home." The likelihood of their being whisked home by Glinda precisely matches the likelihood that they will be safer if the John Boys are elected.
And to explain the title, even as a child I knew that my clapping had no effect on the longevity of that moronic, poison-drinking fairy. And I'm not about to start believing in magic in the voting booth.

Your Political Essay Test for Today
Compare and contrast Arianna Stalinopolous Huffington with Teresa Huntz Kerry.

Yes, I KNOW. I used those middle names as subtle and clever political commentary.

I Am Pro-Military
The Times has a regular column for soldiers' and veterans' issues, including questions from families and the like. It's called "Sgt. Shaft" and I haven't been able to find a link to it. However, the headline on today's column is "Civil War private may be eligible for headstone." I am nonplused. I mean, God love you David G, Noble, deceased December 18, 1871, but is the erection of a headstone (poor choice of words - Ed.) really a problem or an issue at this point? Pvt. Noble is buried in an unmarked grave (Lawnview Cemetery in Rockledge, PA for the detail-oriented) and a headstone is a good thing on a grave.
On the other hand, I understand the desire of the descendants to have an official recognition of the sacrifice of their ancestor. Yet my Southern blood still wants to say that he was just a damn Yankee anyway. Keeping that Southern blood under control is difficult some times. What the hell. I hope Pvt. Noble gets his stone and that his spirit rests in peace as do his remains in the good soil of Pennsylvania.

Gasoline Floats on Water

At the bottom of the front page of the Washington Times is a story about Hawaiian seawater (desalinated of course) being sold for $6 per bottle. That price is in Japan for Mahalo brand 1.5 liter bottles and actually the price range is $4 to $6 per bottle. As it says:

"Desalinated deep-sea water from Kona is the state's fastest-growing export,
with demand soaring in Japan. Super-cold water sucked up from thousands of
feet below the Pacific Ocean's surface is being marketed as healthy, pure,

mineral-rich drinking water."

First the ungodly expensive coffee and now the ungodly expensive water you can make the coffee with. Though I wouldn't. If the water is sold as being mineral-rich, then it would make lousy coffee. As Martin Short's SNL tobacco executive would say, "I know that. Why would you think I wouldn't know that?"
But that's not all the news from the Aloha state. Here, in its enervating brevity is another item from the "American Scene" page of the WashTimes:

State's gas prices hit record highs
HONOLULU — Hawaii's gasoline prices, the highest in the nation, are now a
little bit higher. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in the
islands hit a record $2.37 Friday, well above the national average, AAA said.
Maui motorists paid the most at the pump, an average of $2.649 per gallon.
California had the second-highest gas prices in the nation at $2.28 per gallon.

Boo freakin' hoo. Live on an island, pay some more for things that have to be imported. Ask the people who live in the Caymans. Ask the people who live in Bermuda. It is inescapable. At least the Hawaiians have good, cheap, fresh pineapple. Dammit.
But I don't just offer snark. I'm all about the love. All about solutions. So it behooves me to offer this simple solution. Sell more got-dam water so you can afford to buy more got-dam gasoline.
I should get paid for brilliant economic advice like this.

A Moment of Clarity
You can be divorced from reality but the alimony payments will kill you.

Bloggasm
Or blog spasm. I was struck by a number of things in this morning's paper and figure it's worth blogging them all to a fare-thee-well this holiday day. I should probably make one big-ass post but I think I'll set 'em up on their own so they can be knocked down like bowling pins.

Movie Dog Barks Again
I watched "Cold Mountain" the other day and was more impressed with it than I expected. I am growing increasingly resistant to Nicole Kidman. She has talent as an actress but her role in this movie left me unimpressed. I was never able to see her character. All I saw was Nicole Kidman acting the role. "Rain Man" left me feeling the same way. Dustin Hoffman was supposed to be so great playing the idiot savant and Tom Cruise was just playing the slickee-boy brother. But Cruise utterly inhhabited the role - he simply was that man. Hoffman, on the other hand, was so painfully, visibly acting the part that he became a distraction. Kidman is not quite distractingly bad but she's similarly forced.
I do think Nicole Kidman is one of the stunning beauties of our time but she gets colder and colder as time goes by. Her dalliance with Lenny Kravitz doesn't exactly raise her in my estimation either but that's pure personal prejudice (I don't like Kravtiz's faux-hippie persona or his music truth be told) on my part. Give me the Kidman from "Dead Calm" please.
Renee Zellweger, very much on the other hand, is magnificent. She is Ruby Thewes. She doesn't act the part. She becomes her role. I've always liked Ms. Zellweger. She seems like such a nice person. Someone who would be a friend if met under the proper circumstances and not at all stuck up (to use a Monty Python phrase). But that could be wishful thinking on my part. The one part of her looks that bothers me is her tendency to squint. Her eyes have an unfortunate tendency to disappear. It's kinda cute (Oh Lord! Another crush! -Ed.) But she plays Ruby with almost bug-eyed directness. And it just plain works.
I also find Jude Law to be a very good actor. His work in "A.I." was top notch. He does a very creditable turn here as well. This is another of those movies that's well worth renting if you haven't already seen it. And if you ever get to meet Renee, please invite me along!

The Most Amazing Time Sink On The Web
I have wasted so much time playing this that I think I should be taken to a deprogramming expert. Though it's a measure of how amazing computing has become. I remember playing a black and white version of this on one of my old Macs. Everything in remarkably crude outlines and no sophistication in the eeeeevil asteroids. And now it's a game that can be delivered over the web with gorgeous graphics and a heck of a lot of fun play.
If you want to waste some time....

If I Get Reincarnated
I think I'd like to be reincarnated as a toilet seat. It seems to be the standard of sexual success that men are judged against.

Why Do I Love Mozilla?
Let me count the ways - one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand.... OK that's a slaunchwise steal from Roger Rabbit and highly undignified in such a lapidary post as this is destined to be. But the title is real truth.
I am a Mac user. Have I made that clear in the past? Maybe, maybe not. Which is but proof that I'm not a rabid, teeth-gnashing Mac maniac. I'm an advocate, I'm a user but I'm not insane about it. Specifically, I mostly use a 15" PowerBook (TiBook) with an 867 MHz G4 chip and 768 MB of main memory. I also have a desktop G4 which I use as my iTunes machine as it has a lot more hard drive space for the sound files. But I also have a PC - a home-built 1 gig Athlon-chipped beige box. Right now it is lying fallow as desktop space is devoted to the Macs and power plugs, monitor space and keyboard space are all not rationalized. But it will be back in the mix ere long. I bring this up because browser use seems still to be a function of Mac/PeeCee antagonism. On my hard drive (laptop) are the following browsers: Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox and Safari. I also tried Opera for a while but found that it added nothing beyond the functionality in Mozilla with which I was already well acquainted so I deleted it.
I would never say that I'm a master browser, that I've delved into the guts of the programs and found Mozilla to be the best but for my purposes Mozilla absolutely kicks ass. First, to dispense with IE: I'm not overfond of the overlords of computing in Redmond but IE is like Swiss cheese to hackers these days. Leave us not to forget that it was recently demonstrated that IE could be used to hack open a Wintel box by use of code imbedded in a JPEG image. That has been patched but still - yikes! Thus: no Explorer use, at least as little use as is humanly possible.
What makes Mozilla great? First and above all: tabbed browsing. Opera can do this as well (I think very highly of Opera and would consider it as browser of choice on my PC). Firefox does tabbed browsing too but Mozilla has a clickable button at the right of the tab bar that opens a new tab and Firefox doesn't. That alone makes Mozilla preferable to me. Part of the joy of tabbed browsing is opening a link in a new tab by right-clicking on the link. A menu opens which allows the user to open in a new tab, open in a new window, bookmark the link, save it as.... I must use this feature 100 times a day.
But that's not all! (As the infomercial says, "Don't answer yet!") If a site requiring registration opens (say The New York Times's site), a right-click on the window will open a menu that offers "BugMeNot" as an option. Selecting that option opens a small window with a user ID and password for that site from the estimable folks at Bug Me Not (which site is down as I write this). I logged in on my last visit to nytimes.com as "biasashell" with the password "dncshill." Henh. I like it.
And my final preference for Mozilla is the built in search function. I've selected Google as my search engine (does any one not use it now?) and I can just type my search criteria into the address line and the entry automatically drops down as a menu. I can click the drop down or arrow key down and hit enter if I don't want to take my hands off the keyboard. Bing, bang, boom my search is done.
If you are using IE, please go, get Mozilla, get Firefox (which, by the way, is a browser only - no mail functionality and all that other browser crap), get Opera. Safari is nice too if you're a Mac user. But for the love of Hephaestus, stop using Internet Explorer!

Pineapple
Acidman has posted a fair amount lately (par example) about his fondness for pineapple. Normally this wouldn't be worthy of much comment but it illustrates how blogging can infiltrate one's life. I was shopping at Costco (motto: Store this!) in the fruit section and saw the stack of cases of pineapples. At a good price too - under $4 per and I could buy them one at a time. Seeing them made me think of Rob's blogging of them. so, naturally, I had to buy one. And it was delicious. Next time I go, I'm getting another one.
If you haven't dealt with a fresh pineapple (ever or in a while), there are a few things to consider. First, fresh pineapple is just a whole quantum step above what you can get canned. Canned is not bad but fresh is just fabulously better. However, preparing the beast is, well, a beast. I usually take a nice big, honking chef's knife and lop a horizontal (if you have the pineapple standing upright) slice. I've started from both the top and the bottom and I don't see that going one way or the other makes any difference. I then use a freshly sharpened, stiff-bladed paring knife to cut the skin off in sections. I try to minimize loss of tasty pina-flesh to the cutting but that is the way I am. Then I use the paring knife to cut out the "eyes" that are deeper in the fruit than the skin. And thus I've produced an edible slice of fruit (sue me - I eat the fibrous core as well) and a whole lot of juice.
Is there a point to my blogging about pineapples? Maybe. It's all about memory. Back in 1975 I spent the summer in Mauritius. One small fact about this (cough, cough) island paradise is that anything grown on there is harvested small. Perhaps it's harvested quickly to account for that size but fruits and veg are not going to be setting any world records when grown there. And pineapples are no exception. Still, this is not a bug - it's a feature. The pineapples in the market are about the volume of two large fists - man hands fists that is. And they're sold for snacking in the market in just the coolest way: the fronds at the top of the fruit are trimmed back so that they form a sort of stubby handle. Then the fruit skin is carefully pared away (I didn't see this done but I'd guess it's by using a very sharp knife and the skill of much practice) and the "eyes" are taken out with spiral cuts forming little helical trenches around the surface of the fruit. They are then sold whole, half, quarter and maybe by the eighth too. I don't specifically recall the eighths actually.
This was a fantastic market snack. But there's more. You could get the slices (which were, of course, lengthwise) with a stripe of hot sauce laid down one side and even a stripe of salt laid down the other. Sounds strange but it was D-lish. I even have pictures of my birthday that summer where I put away a whole little pineapple. It was an exceptional treat, more pineapple than is really necessary to eat but I took it as a birthday treat.

To go even further in the Wayback Machine, I have another pineapple story set in the early 60s when my family was in Hawaii. Dole Pineapple has vast fields of the delectable fruit on Oahu and, at least back then, actually had a processing plant in or very near Honolulu. To which the whole fam dambly went for a tour. It was a great field trip for a kid. The plant had a big-ass pineapple shaped water tower on the roof and there were "water fountains" in the lobby which dispensed, in order, water, pineapple juice and water. Cold running pinju in the lobby. I loved it. I have no salient memories of the actual processing plant but I do remember getting two rings of 'freshly processed' fruit at the end of the tour.
The fun part was witnessing my brother mess with my sister's mind. He told her that the water tower was full of pineapple juice and she so utterly bought into it that years later (maybe even 10 years later) she was telling a friend of hers about living in Hawaii including the Dole plant and the giant pineapple full of pineapple juice. Festus and I fell out laughing on that one. We couldn't believe that the joke had gone on that long.

How Many Times!
This will be the last post I make saying "sorry for the light blogging." I've been busy and dealing with major annoyances - if you consider a car crash a major annoyance ... as I do. But I've started making notes to myself to blog up things I think are worthy of mention. But for today - just another place holder. More TK. Definitely.

Beisbol Returns to Vashinktun Deesy
Even as I write I'm listen to mush-mouthed Mayor Anthony "I'm Not a Scary Black Man Even Though I Wear A Bow Tie" Williams talk about MLB bringing the Expos (headline: "Expos - Facto!") to the District of Columbia. What a bunch of slobber. And I don't mean the drool the mayor seems to keep having to suck back into his mouth as he speaks. All the money that will go into the reconstruction of RFK (nee DC) Stadium will be magic money. "Major" businesses will pay more taxes, taxes will be on tickets, parking concessions so the good ratepayers of Washington will not be burdened. To quote Edna Krabappel: "Ha!" Perhaps, were I a fan of the "national pastime," I might care about this. But instead I'm going to have to put up with a spewing orgy of self-congratulation and vast gouts of inconsequential drivel. I'll check to see what they name the team. After that. F(orget) 'em. I have Footy, NCAA hoops and ... OK, I will admit to watching NFL games as well. Oh, and whatever coverage of the TdF I can scare up.

UPDATE: I was unkind to the mayor. I hear on the news that he has a cold. I apologize for the comment above and hope he is over it soon. He's a bit of mush-mouth even without the cold though.

Footy!
It's all over now including the shouting. Congratulations to the Port Adelaide Power! In a magnificently played final quarter, the Power closed down a thuggish Brisbane Lion team which has pulled the last three Premierships. The final score was the Power 113 (17 goals, 11 behinds) to the Lions' 73 (10 goals, 13 behinds). A convincing 40 point win.
A Collingwood fan can only be heartened that the Magpies' four straight championships is a record that will be preserved against the depredations of the despised Lions. The Pies definitely had a down year but there is some joy in seeing the Lions not win out. Next year looks to be even more interesting as the Lions look to be older and on the decline. The upcoming teams such as Geelong and Essendon might be better still and who knows what St. Kilda will do after their amazing undefeated run at the start of the season. But screw dem guys! We want Collingwood to win it all! If the spate of injuries that plagued the Pies this season is over, it just might be another good year.
It's too early to say. Stay tuned.

Oh, at the opening ceremonies an "Australian Idol" winner, who looks disturbingly like the supposedly male Osbourne kid, butchered "Waltzing Matilda" like a mental patient with a machete and a grudge. Awful.

Added to the Blogroll
See the comments below (on the "Heard in Passing" post) and you'll understand why I add "Caught in the X Fire" to the links. The addition has the benefit of giving you easy access to some funny stuff. SRV, thanks for visiting!

Ah Shite!
After hoping that neither Calleigh Duquesne or Tim Speedle would be iced in "CSI: Miami," I watched to see Speed catch it. Nuts. I liked that character. I wish they'ed offed that pretty-boy scuba-diver bunwad.

Oh well. What will the "NYPD Blue" be like tonight? Charlotte Ross. Tasty.

My Thanks Again to the Grouchy Old Cripple In Atlanta
Denny was kind enough to select my work for his Monday pun. As far as puns go, I retreat to the Peter Lorre excuse: "I can't help myself."

I'm A Fan
There's not a heck of a lot I'm looking forward to in the new TV season. I'll watch "Survivor" mostly. I am intrigued by the challenges they come up with and the production designers are really quite good. The "immunity idols" they've designed for each location are rather clever. But this is all by way of introduction to Monday's return of CSI: Miami. It's not a perfect show but it is worth watching. The broadcast teasers are all pointing toward one of the CSI team getting killed in the season opener. All I can say is that if they are thinking of doing harm to Emily Procter's character Calleigh Duquesne, I will stop watching the show. And they shouldn't mess with Rory Cochrane's Tim Speedle either. Any of the others are good to go. Though I don't expect lead actor and moody carrot-top David Caruso's Horatio Cane to be flushed in the initial episode.

Heard In Passing
In tuning past a re-run of "Cops," I heard the following, completely devoid of context: "He's got a .38 snubbie in his underwear."
Comment would be superfluous.

More Brilliant Design Ideas
A while back I suggested printing purple hearts on Band-Aids and reports from the Grand Old Party Party in New York indicates that someone actually did it since conventioneers were wearing them. And The GOC had a great image of a Band-Aid package in the same jocular vein.

My next idea is headwear for those who might be attending Kerry events: a beret printed to look like a waffle. There's something in the carrying of spatulas ("flippers") as well but I haven't quite sussed it out. Of course the "Kerry flip-flops" are already available. What about swimming flippers as well? "As well," meaning in addition to, not at the same time. Of course.

More Thanks due to the GOC
Denny has posted my latest image edit: "Hurricane Dan." Not that it's all that sophisticated but it amused me.

Unfit For Command
Let me boil it down: If you can't run a campaign, you can't run a country.

Got dam!
When did this become a review blog?
Below I put up a post that is rather cryptic and it is meant to be. It is from me to one person in a public place. I apologize that it is so narrowly intended but it was necessary for me to do in public what I am no longer able to do in private.
Then I post about Acidman and had to consider how much of his life he has laid bare for the scrutiny of anyone who has net access.
How much of my life am I willing to open to casual inspection? Not much. What does a private person blog about? Movies, books and music it would seem.

But the question is how much of my life should I lay open for the blog reader? I have the feeling that the readers of my blog already know me (well - mostly) well enough that if I tried to be coy and write about really, intensely personal and meaningful things, I would be giving up way too much information. I'd love to hear from y'all about this issue. Leave comments for the nonce but I will set up an e-mail addy for the blog shortly.

Return to review blogging tomorrow.

Additions After The Subtraction
A weather eye cast to the right shows a few changes in the old sidebar. First, added to the links is Rob "Acidman" Smith as "Way Off Base in Jawja." I'll leave the explanation of "Acidman" to the man himself on his own site but I will point out that "off base" (i.e. acidic, not "base" or alkali) is my tribute to his acidity. He is a Georgia resident who's been up and down, strayed and stayed, been kicked while he was down and had the grit (a word that means more than ground hominy) to face up to how he was treated and the honesty to tell his continuing story.
I don't want to go into details about his story because it's his story but I will say he writes agonizing truth with verve and colloquial wit. If you aren't familiar with his site, explore it. Read his stories of abuse at the hands of an ex-wife and imagine yourself in his circumstances. Could you endure it? I haven't had to go through nearly what he has and I was left devastated at a number of critical junctures. He's known Mike Cross as long as I have but he's had the enviable experience of actually playing guitar with Mike. Jealousy is a weak word for what I, as a musical incompetent, feel. I say this again: if you haven't read him, go and do so. There's a lot there so expect, if you're going to visit the archives (which I most strongly suggest), to spend some time in Acidman's parlor. Even though he hates cats, he is one blogger I'd really like to meet.
(I like cats well enough but I'm more a dog person - witness the site and the handle.)

And Music Longings
Please remember that the "Longings" sidehead is a place for my music habit. I decided at the outset of the year that I would get two discs a month. I could easily spend $100 a month on music I want but then I'd have to buy a 40gig iPod as well. So for budgetary and sanity reasons I limit myself to two discs a month and I try to blog them as well. This month I have acquired Mary Chapin Carpenter's "Between Here and Gone" and Christine Collister's "The Dark Gift of Time."
I am a huge Mary Chapin Carpenter fan. I've seen her play live only a couple of times and currently own only a few of her discs but I could listen to her sing forever. There is a depth to her tonal quality that is not the pitch but a resonance, possibly just something that reaches an echo in me. Of course she is a marvelous songwriter (does anyone not know that? -Ed) which doesn't hurt. But the current disc is the subject at hand. I was introduced to it by hearing the song "Elysium" on Radio Io Acoustic. I was mesmerized. It is a beautiful song, lyrically engaging and, well, just downright gorgeous. But I did wonder if the rest of the songs were as good. I have bought a disc on the basis of one song and been left regretting the impulse (cough, cough, Harvey Danger cough, cough). Still, I pursued Jake Armerding after hearing one song on Radio Io and MCC is a better-known commodity than Jake so.... I have the album. I have ripped it into iTunes, downloaded it to my iPod and burned a copy for play in the car. This is a wonderful disc. I won't dissect every song as that would be just tedious so let me just say that "Elysium" is the best song in the collection. The others are fantastic as well. Just not as good. If you, like my gummint lawyer friend Bill, only like songs with bitchin' guitar solos, then don't get this CD. If you tend to like Mary Chapin Carpenter, then you really should own it.

Secondarily, though first in the linkage, is Christine Collister's "The Dark Gift of Time." I don't know how well known she is but she has a wonderful alto voice (this being said by one who tends to like women who sing in higher pitches - "whiny Canadian chick singer-songwriters" being a peculiar fave). She writes only some of the material she records which is not a drawback. Her 1994 live album has a version of Joni Mitchell's "Shades of Scarlett Conquering" which is the only cover I've heard that can even come close to the original. And she does a great take on Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" on that disc.

"Dark Gift of Time" is good. Unfortunately, not as good as her 2002 CD "Into the Light" which features her own "Ashlands" and a very good take on U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." This sounds like damning with faint praise which is not the impression I want to convey. I like "Light" better than I do "Gift" but I am delighted to own both. Perhaps it's a peculiarity of mine but when I like an artist, I want to get all of his/her/their recorded output. I'm a fan of Christine Collister, no doubt. However, if you're new to her, listen to "Into the Light" as your first taste. I think you'll be a fan too.

Goodbye
You know who you are. I hope, I pray, that nothing I did led you to make the decision. I will miss you more than you would believe.

Light Posting
I apologize for the lack of posts but there is so much going on in the political blogosphere that I have been reading, reading, reading. I should link, link, link and synthesize but I feel it'd be just regurgitation rather than elucidation.

So Sue Me
Watching the US Open on CBS reminds me just how cute Lindsay Davenport is. Sometimes I think I'm the only one who thinks that (apart from her husband of course - Ed.). The picture at the link does not do her justice. My explanation of this is that she has a really wonderful smile. I find the Williams sisters just far too grim to ever be attractive. Still, being the old fart that I am, Chis Evert is the best looking tennis player since the memory of man runneth not to the contrary.

The Return of MovieDog
August was a month of Blockbuster separating me from my hard-earned cash. I did watch a few speeches from the Republican Party Party in New York but with all the reruns prior to the start of the new season it was a good time to watch movies.

First, Kill Bill Vol. 2: I promised myself that I wouldn't give Tarantino another dollar after renting the execrable Vol. 1 and I failed in that promise. But it's a small regret as Vol. 2 is actually a movie, not an mass spasm of pure style. There is much to dislike as in any QT movie. Uma Thurman for example. She did a good job with the fighting but why she is considered such a knockout beauty is beyond me. The scene of Michael Madsens' character Budd in the strip club where he works as a bouncer is just a waste of time. Though it was interesting to see that the club boss is played by Joey Bishop's son. I'll leave it at that. More dissection would put me in the company of The Filthy Critic and he is the Pai Mei (it's in the flick) to my Beatrix Kiddo (ditto) in that regard. Bottom line - if you watched Vol. 1, you actually must rent Vol. 2 in order to see the movie that you were cheated out of in the first installment.

Next, Open Range: Kevin Costner just can't stay away from Westerns. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. Westerns have a great advantage over many other types of movies in that they are made for the big screen. "Give me land, lots of land under starry skies above/Don't fence me in!" (I'll stop singing now.) This flick is beautiful. It is worth seeing just for the landscapes. It doesn't hurt that it features a talented cast as well. Costner, for all his faults, could play this role in his sleep. He and Robert Duvall are perfectly paired. Both men have played these roles before (Duvall in "Lonesome Dove" and a much younger Costner in "Silverado"). They don't act. They inhabit these roles. I don't want to neglect Annette Bening. In an earlier post I disparaged Sharon Stone for not having aged well. Now I have to say that Annette is the polar opposite in that regard. She is aging not merely well but beautifully. The laugh lines at the sides her mouth and the delicate crow's feet (strange adjective to use there but look at her dagnabbit!) could be the instruction manual for the graceful aging of beautiful women. There is a good bit of violence in "Open Range" but it is integral to the story. Don't feel obliged to see this one but if you're in the mood for a Western, you could do a lot worse.

Other movies that MovieDog will sniff the butts of in the near future are "Timeline," "The Last Samurai" and "Lost in Translation." More to come.

New Policies
First, please don't feed the trolls. It's like teaching a pig to dance: it wastes your time and only annoys the pig.

Second, the siteowner will edit comments at his whim. So if you want to scrumble, you will be doing it on my terms.