May 30, 2006
May 28, 2006
Giving a sh*t.
I was trying to think about what it is I give a sh*t abour these days. I say this because it is very difficult to hold onto righteous indignation for any length of time. Government can’t find weapons of mass destruction? Check. Government eavesdropping on the personal privacy of its citizens? Check.
I have to say, I have gotten to the point where I am no longer surprised by the latest transgression - I feel something more akin to, ‘wake me when it’s over,’ as in come and get me when we’re heading towards the fall of 2008. I just want it to be done.
It’s Memorial Day weekend and if you can’t find it within yourself to be thankful for all those people who have sacrificed themselves for the rest of us, plainly put - you’re a schmuck.
What makes that sacrifice even more special is the fact that it is done whether or not the individual agrees with current policy. Roll that over in your mind for a second if you will. A society where even if a person disagrees with the decisions made by a current administration, they defend and carry out those decisions because they have faith and regard for the underlying tenets of the society they are a part of.
That’s a tremendous thing.
Maybe the point I am trying to make is this, whether or not you agree or disagree with the policies and decisions our government makes, at the very least appreciate the people who go forth and defend our way of life. If someone in your family is a veteran, recognize their contribution and if you know someone who is a veteran, make it a point to let them know you appreciate what they have done.
Just a thought for this Memorial Day weekend.
I was trying to think about what it is I give a sh*t abour these days. I say this because it is very difficult to hold onto righteous indignation for any length of time. Government can’t find weapons of mass destruction? Check. Government eavesdropping on the personal privacy of its citizens? Check.
I have to say, I have gotten to the point where I am no longer surprised by the latest transgression - I feel something more akin to, ‘wake me when it’s over,’ as in come and get me when we’re heading towards the fall of 2008. I just want it to be done.
It’s Memorial Day weekend and if you can’t find it within yourself to be thankful for all those people who have sacrificed themselves for the rest of us, plainly put - you’re a schmuck.
What makes that sacrifice even more special is the fact that it is done whether or not the individual agrees with current policy. Roll that over in your mind for a second if you will. A society where even if a person disagrees with the decisions made by a current administration, they defend and carry out those decisions because they have faith and regard for the underlying tenets of the society they are a part of.
That’s a tremendous thing.
Maybe the point I am trying to make is this, whether or not you agree or disagree with the policies and decisions our government makes, at the very least appreciate the people who go forth and defend our way of life. If someone in your family is a veteran, recognize their contribution and if you know someone who is a veteran, make it a point to let them know you appreciate what they have done.
Just a thought for this Memorial Day weekend.
May 27, 2006
My Wednesday night out.
What a busy week it was. One of those weeks where you look up not feeling much at all got done but still having managed to get some things taken care of.
I took my friend T to the theater, if only to show appreciation for all the good turns she has done by me through the years. We got to see Sandra Bernhard’s latest show Everything Bad and Beautiful which is running over on Union Square through July. Not knowing what to expect, I went in with no expectations. In a small, intimate venue it was quite the good show.
A running monologue (more spoken word than comedy routine) punctuated by song. I had not known Sandra Bernhard possesses such a wonderful voice! The band was tight, her voice was great and the humor was biting. I walked away thinking perhaps SB has missed her calling and if Air America was at all smart, they would grab her for a slot - she has the acerbic and intelligent wit that would build a devote and loyal audience.
What a busy week it was. One of those weeks where you look up not feeling much at all got done but still having managed to get some things taken care of.
I took my friend T to the theater, if only to show appreciation for all the good turns she has done by me through the years. We got to see Sandra Bernhard’s latest show Everything Bad and Beautiful which is running over on Union Square through July. Not knowing what to expect, I went in with no expectations. In a small, intimate venue it was quite the good show.
A running monologue (more spoken word than comedy routine) punctuated by song. I had not known Sandra Bernhard possesses such a wonderful voice! The band was tight, her voice was great and the humor was biting. I walked away thinking perhaps SB has missed her calling and if Air America was at all smart, they would grab her for a slot - she has the acerbic and intelligent wit that would build a devote and loyal audience.
May 24, 2006
May 22, 2006
Brokeback, brokeback, brokeback...
You know it was going to happen. If you haven’t already seen Brokeback to the Future, you’ve missed a good laugh.
Now in advance of the release of X-Men III this weekend we are treated to Brokeback Mutant!
You know it was going to happen. If you haven’t already seen Brokeback to the Future, you’ve missed a good laugh.
Now in advance of the release of X-Men III this weekend we are treated to Brokeback Mutant!
May 19, 2006
Bringing anti establishment pinkoism to your door.
Well, since I’ve already damned myself as far as the right is concerned (for today anyway). I thought I would pass this along by my friend Triborough - it’s great at large size and Triborough has been kind enough to provide a link to a pdf of the file so you can print your very own!
Well, since I’ve already damned myself as far as the right is concerned (for today anyway). I thought I would pass this along by my friend Triborough - it’s great at large size and Triborough has been kind enough to provide a link to a pdf of the file so you can print your very own!
Speaking of video...
I just had to pass this one along, anyone who has been watching the ramp up by the Bush administration towards Iran will get a kick out of it.
I just had to pass this one along, anyone who has been watching the ramp up by the Bush administration towards Iran will get a kick out of it.
Friday Cat Blogging.
What better way to indulge in Friday Cat Blogging than by watching The Cat News!
What better way to indulge in Friday Cat Blogging than by watching The Cat News!
May 17, 2006
How stupid are you?
The Debt To the Penny
Current Amount
05/15/2006 $8,332,524,238,683.71
Don’t look now...
The deficit is the fiscal year difference between what the United States Government (Government) takes in from taxes and other revenues, called receipts, and the amount of money the Government spends, called outlays. The items included in the deficit are considered either on-budget or off-budget. (The off-budget items are typically comprised of the two Social Security trust funds, old-age and survivors insurance and disability insurance, and the Postal-Service fund.) Generally, on-budget outlays tend to exceed on-budget receipts, while off-budget receipts tend to exceed off-budget outlays.
So, with tax cuts, the expenses of rebuilding after Katrina, the Iraq war, Afghanistan and now this:
Bush said the federal government will pay for up to 6,000 National Guard troops to be deployed to the southern border. They will serve in two-week rotations, meaning that over the course of a year a total of 156,000 troops could be involved. He said Guard units will not be involved in direct law enforcement activities; that duty will be performed by the Border Patrol. Guard units will work in support positions.
I wonder where all this money is magically appearing from? Doesn’t anyone else get the feeling that this whole debate on immigration is only being made into a hot issue to keep people in this country distracted from the lousy job being done by the executive branch?
The Debt To the Penny
Current Amount
05/15/2006 $8,332,524,238,683.71
Don’t look now...
The deficit is the fiscal year difference between what the United States Government (Government) takes in from taxes and other revenues, called receipts, and the amount of money the Government spends, called outlays. The items included in the deficit are considered either on-budget or off-budget. (The off-budget items are typically comprised of the two Social Security trust funds, old-age and survivors insurance and disability insurance, and the Postal-Service fund.) Generally, on-budget outlays tend to exceed on-budget receipts, while off-budget receipts tend to exceed off-budget outlays.
So, with tax cuts, the expenses of rebuilding after Katrina, the Iraq war, Afghanistan and now this:
Bush said the federal government will pay for up to 6,000 National Guard troops to be deployed to the southern border. They will serve in two-week rotations, meaning that over the course of a year a total of 156,000 troops could be involved. He said Guard units will not be involved in direct law enforcement activities; that duty will be performed by the Border Patrol. Guard units will work in support positions.
I wonder where all this money is magically appearing from? Doesn’t anyone else get the feeling that this whole debate on immigration is only being made into a hot issue to keep people in this country distracted from the lousy job being done by the executive branch?
Speaking of baseball...
I set foot in Yankee stadium again tonight. I have seldom been to Yankee stadium since I stopped being a Yankee fan many years back. However, it would appear I couldn’t have picked a better game to go to:
Posada’s homer capped the wild, three-hour, 49-minute game which featured 34 hits, 11 walks, two hit batsmen and two errors. The Yankees overcame an early 10-1 deficit, tying the franchise record for the largest comeback in a game.
“It had everything,” Teixeira said. “It had a lot of runs. It had good pitching, at times. It had defense. It had balls caroming off runners.”
The Yankees overcame a nine-run deficit for the fourth time in their storied history. The last time was a 12-11 win in 10 innings against the rival Red Sox on June 26, 1987. Boston's starting pitcher in that one was Roger Clemens.
It was the largest lead Texas has squandered in its 35-year history.
Always nice to attend one of those historic games.
I set foot in Yankee stadium again tonight. I have seldom been to Yankee stadium since I stopped being a Yankee fan many years back. However, it would appear I couldn’t have picked a better game to go to:
Posada’s homer capped the wild, three-hour, 49-minute game which featured 34 hits, 11 walks, two hit batsmen and two errors. The Yankees overcame an early 10-1 deficit, tying the franchise record for the largest comeback in a game.
“It had everything,” Teixeira said. “It had a lot of runs. It had good pitching, at times. It had defense. It had balls caroming off runners.”
The Yankees overcame a nine-run deficit for the fourth time in their storied history. The last time was a 12-11 win in 10 innings against the rival Red Sox on June 26, 1987. Boston's starting pitcher in that one was Roger Clemens.
It was the largest lead Texas has squandered in its 35-year history.
Always nice to attend one of those historic games.
He’s a fat man with a thin skin.
Tonight I was out with some friends enjoying an evening at the ballpark. A beautiful, warm evening where you could sit in just a t-shirt and just enjoy being outside somewhere and watching a game. You talk about myriad things and something came up - I found myself explaining something.
What do you bring to the table?
It’s a question I’ve asked myself more and more as the years pass. In trying to reconcile the distorted self-image with the image the world around me perceives, I find myself questioning just what I put out there. What do I bring to the table and how does it affect my interaction with the people around me?
Further, what kind of a person do I want to be? What kind of people do I want around me? Can I recognize situations that are unhealthy and toxic? What steps can I take to correct prior patterns of destructive behavior? How can I improve my own behavior to make the world around me a better place?
All of us struggle with these questions I imagine to one degree or another. It’s how we choose to deal with them that determines how much we enjoy or don’t enjoy our lives. I don’t think I’ve ever been as successful as I would like to be when it comes to dealing with these problems. Mainly, I haven’t been as successful because these are not easy things to confront but, the choice is to either avoid confronting them and repeat the same miserable patterns or really attempt to make a change and move forward and grow.
Some people need drama in their lives. I’m not sure why, maybe they’re bored with their own lives or tired or insecure but, they need something to feel better about themselves. Specifically, they need to feel superior to the people around them so, what they do is they create drama. They create excitement. It’s a desperate cry for attention, a desperate cry for help - usually it’s done to offset the person feels about themselves. They look in the mirror and they are unhappy with what they see staring back and rather than try to work on making themselves better, it is easier for them to blame the world around them.
What’s the old saw, the fault lies not in the stars but in ourselves.
I’ve seen a few of my friends go through some incredibly difficult times over the last few months. I myself have gone through some tough times but, coming out the other end I can see very readily who I can depend on and who I can’t and more than that, what I can overcome and what I can abide.
I don’t mind being there for my friends and I consider myself fortunate for the ones I have because they are wonderful, generous and glorious people. I appreciate them. I hope to have been as good a friend to them in their time of need as they have been to me. It is with their help, I realize I can overcome quite a bit. But, I can’t tolerate or waste my time on petty people whose sole purpose is to revel in the misfortune of the people around them. Life is far to short to waste my time on morons like that - hence I no longer find myself having the time for fat men with thin skin.
And I find life is much, much better for it.
Tonight I was out with some friends enjoying an evening at the ballpark. A beautiful, warm evening where you could sit in just a t-shirt and just enjoy being outside somewhere and watching a game. You talk about myriad things and something came up - I found myself explaining something.
What do you bring to the table?
It’s a question I’ve asked myself more and more as the years pass. In trying to reconcile the distorted self-image with the image the world around me perceives, I find myself questioning just what I put out there. What do I bring to the table and how does it affect my interaction with the people around me?
Further, what kind of a person do I want to be? What kind of people do I want around me? Can I recognize situations that are unhealthy and toxic? What steps can I take to correct prior patterns of destructive behavior? How can I improve my own behavior to make the world around me a better place?
All of us struggle with these questions I imagine to one degree or another. It’s how we choose to deal with them that determines how much we enjoy or don’t enjoy our lives. I don’t think I’ve ever been as successful as I would like to be when it comes to dealing with these problems. Mainly, I haven’t been as successful because these are not easy things to confront but, the choice is to either avoid confronting them and repeat the same miserable patterns or really attempt to make a change and move forward and grow.
Some people need drama in their lives. I’m not sure why, maybe they’re bored with their own lives or tired or insecure but, they need something to feel better about themselves. Specifically, they need to feel superior to the people around them so, what they do is they create drama. They create excitement. It’s a desperate cry for attention, a desperate cry for help - usually it’s done to offset the person feels about themselves. They look in the mirror and they are unhappy with what they see staring back and rather than try to work on making themselves better, it is easier for them to blame the world around them.
What’s the old saw, the fault lies not in the stars but in ourselves.
I’ve seen a few of my friends go through some incredibly difficult times over the last few months. I myself have gone through some tough times but, coming out the other end I can see very readily who I can depend on and who I can’t and more than that, what I can overcome and what I can abide.
I don’t mind being there for my friends and I consider myself fortunate for the ones I have because they are wonderful, generous and glorious people. I appreciate them. I hope to have been as good a friend to them in their time of need as they have been to me. It is with their help, I realize I can overcome quite a bit. But, I can’t tolerate or waste my time on petty people whose sole purpose is to revel in the misfortune of the people around them. Life is far to short to waste my time on morons like that - hence I no longer find myself having the time for fat men with thin skin.
And I find life is much, much better for it.
May 15, 2006
May 12, 2006
May 11, 2006
No new tale to tell.
You would think I had more to write, seriously. Funny thing though is life proceeds in an uneventful way these days. There are storm clouds on the horizon in some ways to be sure but, for the most part I’ve been content to be a passenger in the car of life just staring out the window and taking in the scenery.
Sounds incredibly boring but, it isn’t.
Right now, I’ve spent the last few days enmeshed in one of those sisyphean jobs that come my way from time to time. The kind of job which at the outset seems so insurmountable because you just need some time to go back and mull it over figuring out how you will attack it.
And, when I say enmeshed, I mean enmeshed as I spend several days with my ass parked in front of the computer slowly chipping away at the “pile.” Today when I got up, I could see an end in sight. Of course I got up at a little before 9 am but this was after being up until 3 am working to get to a logical point at which to stop. The thing is I’m working from home and I know I couldn’t (or wouldn’t) want to work these kind of hours in an office.
At home the TV is on if I want it, the refrigerator is mere steps away, I can lounge around in the uniform of the day (I will refrain from sharing what the uniform of the day is just to spare the more delicate sensibilities of those among you and not conjure up a frightening image) and take a break when I need to or if I just get too fed up with the project.
I’ve got a big pile of my own stuff to address - like this ever goes away - but I seem more inclined to at least make some of that diminish by being around the house. Right on the tail of this project, I have another small one lined up... simply amazing!
So, consequently I find I have little time to rant about the goings on in the world around me. Excuse me if you will.
You would think I had more to write, seriously. Funny thing though is life proceeds in an uneventful way these days. There are storm clouds on the horizon in some ways to be sure but, for the most part I’ve been content to be a passenger in the car of life just staring out the window and taking in the scenery.
Sounds incredibly boring but, it isn’t.
Right now, I’ve spent the last few days enmeshed in one of those sisyphean jobs that come my way from time to time. The kind of job which at the outset seems so insurmountable because you just need some time to go back and mull it over figuring out how you will attack it.
And, when I say enmeshed, I mean enmeshed as I spend several days with my ass parked in front of the computer slowly chipping away at the “pile.” Today when I got up, I could see an end in sight. Of course I got up at a little before 9 am but this was after being up until 3 am working to get to a logical point at which to stop. The thing is I’m working from home and I know I couldn’t (or wouldn’t) want to work these kind of hours in an office.
At home the TV is on if I want it, the refrigerator is mere steps away, I can lounge around in the uniform of the day (I will refrain from sharing what the uniform of the day is just to spare the more delicate sensibilities of those among you and not conjure up a frightening image) and take a break when I need to or if I just get too fed up with the project.
I’ve got a big pile of my own stuff to address - like this ever goes away - but I seem more inclined to at least make some of that diminish by being around the house. Right on the tail of this project, I have another small one lined up... simply amazing!
So, consequently I find I have little time to rant about the goings on in the world around me. Excuse me if you will.
May 9, 2006
Taking satisfaction where you find it.
The things that I find myself really taking pleasure in, really deriving satisfaction from my efforts are a varied and odd lot. They cover a broad range of personal likes to be sure.
One of the things I take great pride in is a well adjusted kitty. When kitty and I first met we approached each other warily, neither confident in our trust of each other. Now, I am alone with kitty and while I am sorry that I am the sole source of attention for her (at one point her having had three humans around to lavish her with love), I do take pride in the fact she does genuinely seem to be very happy.
Most days start off and finish in a very similar fashion.
Mornings find kitty perched in some spot atop my sleeping form or close at hand. If she is not happily sleeping, enjoying the heat I give off (and I am told I do run hot) - she sits, sits! Quietly studying me for any hint I may be close to awakening and thereby close to feeding her.
Sometimes she will become impatient and she will take it upon herself to torture me. By this I mean she will discern the most uncomfortable part of my body on which to perch herself applying the cat form of accu-pressure in order to force me from dreamland. Or maybe it will kitty-krazy time (cat owners are all too familiar with kitty-krazy time as it is displayed by the cat darting around the house for no good reason) and she will run across the room using my lower abdomen as a trampoline in the process hoping to burst my bladder.
It’s a dance we do. She will sit there and if it gets to be too late she will begin to whine incessantly, making the most woeful cries imaginable as if she is in the throes of the greatest sorrow a creature can bear.
After bounding upstairs leading the way towards the glory of the foodbowl, she will chow down afterward looking for her post meal petting and stroking. There are times she anticipates this and is so happy her little body vibrates due to the very strong purring her happiness brings.
At night there will come a point when the cat thinks it is well time I went to bed and she will come over to me, stand on her back legs, swat at me and cry. If she does not jump atop me, she will impatiently wait for me to make my way down to the bed so she can crawl up at my side. Once I am settled, she will again be purring very loudly as she makes herself comfortable next to me.
Quite the pair we two and truthfully I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The things that I find myself really taking pleasure in, really deriving satisfaction from my efforts are a varied and odd lot. They cover a broad range of personal likes to be sure.
One of the things I take great pride in is a well adjusted kitty. When kitty and I first met we approached each other warily, neither confident in our trust of each other. Now, I am alone with kitty and while I am sorry that I am the sole source of attention for her (at one point her having had three humans around to lavish her with love), I do take pride in the fact she does genuinely seem to be very happy.
Most days start off and finish in a very similar fashion.
Mornings find kitty perched in some spot atop my sleeping form or close at hand. If she is not happily sleeping, enjoying the heat I give off (and I am told I do run hot) - she sits, sits! Quietly studying me for any hint I may be close to awakening and thereby close to feeding her.
Sometimes she will become impatient and she will take it upon herself to torture me. By this I mean she will discern the most uncomfortable part of my body on which to perch herself applying the cat form of accu-pressure in order to force me from dreamland. Or maybe it will kitty-krazy time (cat owners are all too familiar with kitty-krazy time as it is displayed by the cat darting around the house for no good reason) and she will run across the room using my lower abdomen as a trampoline in the process hoping to burst my bladder.
It’s a dance we do. She will sit there and if it gets to be too late she will begin to whine incessantly, making the most woeful cries imaginable as if she is in the throes of the greatest sorrow a creature can bear.
After bounding upstairs leading the way towards the glory of the foodbowl, she will chow down afterward looking for her post meal petting and stroking. There are times she anticipates this and is so happy her little body vibrates due to the very strong purring her happiness brings.
At night there will come a point when the cat thinks it is well time I went to bed and she will come over to me, stand on her back legs, swat at me and cry. If she does not jump atop me, she will impatiently wait for me to make my way down to the bed so she can crawl up at my side. Once I am settled, she will again be purring very loudly as she makes herself comfortable next to me.
Quite the pair we two and truthfully I wouldn’t have it any other way.
May 8, 2006
Spring cleaning.
I’ve managed to figure out a way to just have all my drafts displayed in the que and so at some point over the coming weeks I’m going to give it a go to take all those unfinished thoughts and weave them into something of a coherent thread - won’t be easy, I’m sure.
In the interim, I’ve been taking a lot of pictures and spending altogether too much time devoted to the Flickr side of things (see badge at right). The flickr stuff is fun and surprisingly enough I have enjoyed getting the feedback I have been getting as well as making friends with people all over the world.
The other thing is, I’m finding things have been very busy lately but, busy in a good way.
I’ve managed to figure out a way to just have all my drafts displayed in the que and so at some point over the coming weeks I’m going to give it a go to take all those unfinished thoughts and weave them into something of a coherent thread - won’t be easy, I’m sure.
In the interim, I’ve been taking a lot of pictures and spending altogether too much time devoted to the Flickr side of things (see badge at right). The flickr stuff is fun and surprisingly enough I have enjoyed getting the feedback I have been getting as well as making friends with people all over the world.
The other thing is, I’m finding things have been very busy lately but, busy in a good way.
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