My Brain Hurts

Blagh Part 3

2008-04-19T22:18:42Z

I'm still here, still intending to post, but it's been a rough couple of weeks. Insomnia, job stress, financial worries, worries about my morning-sickness-suffering missus, annoyances, aggravations and even some self-induced grief I could have easily avoided had I not been a dumbass. Etc. And so forth.

I'll get back here. Hopefully tomorrow afternoon. Right now I'm not up for much besides just existing.

Blagh (again)

2008-04-15T22:36:21Z

Not feeling appreciably better tonight. Post delayed. Sorry.

Blah

2008-04-14T18:51:10Z

Feeling like crap today. I hope to post an update later tonight, we'll see how I feel.

New Look Again

2008-04-07T19:43:18Z

I'm toying around with another new LiveJournal Theme, Starry Night. A lot more customizable than the previous one. Let me know what you think!

. . . "Soon" comes quickly in these parts. ;)

2008-04-06T22:29:23Z

Okay: so as to satisfy millabell's curiosity, announcements forthwith:

1) My wife, the inestimably talented, beautiful, and intelligent Stephanie, AKA touchstone_7, has finished her thesis, received her grade, and is now a full-fledged Senior Children's Librarian in the New York Public Library system. You may cheer and throw confetti now.

2) About 3 weeks into the new year, Stef and I adopted a pair of kittens. This is what they looked like when we first got them:

And this is them a few weeks ago:

The black one is named Gabriel, the black-and-white one is named Samwise.

3) My most recent physical was a mixed bag: my health is generally good, but I am overweight, my triglycerides are way too high, and my HDL cholesterol is way too low. So I have been on a diet-exercise program lately, junk food went bye-bye, healthy foods making more of an appearance in my diet. I go back for another checkup next week. Stef says I look like I've lost weight, so that's a good sign. Hopefully the blood chem will be better too. Keep your fingers crossed.

4) I turn 38 on Tuesday. Given that i never thought I would live past 30, I consider this quite an accomplishment.

5) Three weeks ago today, this happened: I went out with some of my friends from Fark.com, stayed out very late, came home with a few of them, and stayed up later. (This is standard procedure here, as Stef would rather have me up all night boozing at home than being up all night boozing on the streets of Manhattan.) I went to bed about 5:30, one of your friends crashed out on the futon. Stef had gone to bed a few hours before.

Two hours after I go to bed, I feel her hand shaking my shoulder: "Hon? Hon!"

"Mrrzle?" I mrrzle. "Mrazzle-frazzit?"

"Wr'rr frvghhrgh."

I look up and open my eyes. "Huh?"

My wife is smiling. Hugely.

"We're pregnant."

Blink. Bll-lllllink.

(Please remember I have had two hours of sleep at this point and am still somewhat drunk.)

I nod. "Oh. You should see a doctor about that."

I roll over and go back to sleep.

Five seconds later: "WHAAAAAAT?"

I'm still absorbing this, still getting used to it. But it is awesome and amazing and wonderful and a little scary--mostly because our lives have changed completely now, and it's going to take a lot of getting used to. But I am very thrilled, and very, very happy.

Coming soon: How Harlan Ellison stole my money at I-Con, and what the fuck am I doing with my writing?

Hi

2008-04-06T21:53:35Z

I still exist. I shall return.

Watch for major announcementy-type stuff. Soon like.

80 reasons I will never watch another baseball game. Ever again.

2007-12-13T19:47:16Z

Chad Allen
Rick Ankiel
David Bell
Mike Bell
Marvin Benard
Gary Bennett, Jr.
Larry Bigbie
Barry Bonds
Kevin Brown
Paul Byrd
Jose Canseco
Mark Carreon
Jason Christiansen
Howie Clark
Roger Clemens
Jack Cust
Brendan Donnelly
Chris Donnels
Lenny Dykstra
Bobby Estalella
Matt Franco
Ryan Franklin
Eric Gagné
Jason Giambi
Jeremy Giambi
Jay Gibbons
Troy Glaus
Jason Grimsley
Jose Guillen
Jerry Hairston, Jr.
Matt Herges
Phil Hiatt
Glenallen Hill
Darren Holmes
Todd Hundley
Mike Judd
David Justice
Matt Karchner
Chuck Knoblauch
Tim Laker
Mike Lansing
Paul Lo Duca
Exavier "Nook" Logan
Josias Manzanillo
Gary Matthews, Jr.
Cody McKay
Kent Mercker
Bart Miadich
Hal Morris
Daniel Naulty
Denny Neagle
Rafael Palmeiro
Jim Parque
Andy Pettitte
Adam Piatt
Todd Pratt
Stephen Randolph
Adam Riggs
Brian Roberts
John Rocker
F.P. Santangelo
Benito Santiago
Scott Schoeneweis
David Segui
Gary Sheffield
Mike Stanton
Ricky Stone
Miguel Tejada
Ismael Valdez
Mo Vaughn
Randy Velarde
Ron Villone
Fernando Viña
Rondell White
Jeff Williams
Matt Williams
Todd Williams
Steve Woodard
Kevin Young
Gregg Zaun

You bastards. You took the most beautiful sport even invented and shot what little was left of its integrity full of needle holes. You stole my childhood.

You bastards. I hope you fucking rot.

I have one thing to say today . . .

2007-09-11T14:43:43Z

And it isn't in my words, but a friend's. I'll get to that in a second, but first some background:

I was going to post something about 9/11 here, but everything I wrote felt either phony or hypocritical. I wasn't in NYC yet when it happened. I didn't lose loved ones as some did. And while it was a shock, all I did was watch it on TV and have a drink the next night in honor of the fallen. Really not much of a basis on which to write any kind of memorial.

Then I happened on this email from a friend of mine, who was here and watched the towers collapse, unintentionally crystallized my thoughts above much better than I seem to be able to do:

Eh...I get the same way when people do the "we know what it was like, we went through it with you" thing. Unless you were in NYC at the time, you don't know what it was like. You know what it felt like, for you. While sitting in front of your fucking TV in your living room. You weren't wandering the streets for a full day trying to get home. You weren't smelling burning metal and people for 3 weeks. You weren't out wandering around hearing jets flying overhead, with police randomly screaming at you to run because there might be another attack coming right where you are.

Sitting in front of the TV watching it happen while safely in your home/office is NOT the same fucking thing as living through it.

Today is a melancholy day here. I will take that as my cue and keep mostly silent out of respect.

On absences and other matters of general importance

2007-08-30T16:16:31Z

Been gone from here for a couple of weeks; sorry about that. Usually though that's an indication I don't have much that's new to say. Pretty much routine around here; working, reading, getting back to writing, enjoying married life, getting together with friends, etc.

I have been writing again; I was blocked for most of the last month. More on that in the Thorn Tree workjournal here: jbwhelan. I should have a new update (for real this time) tomorrow night. I plan on making sure of this.

In other news, I apparently have a Facebook account I forgot I set up months ago. If you know my name you can search for me there. If you don't, let me know and I'll tell you my name.

Ah, hell with it. My name's Aloysius. ;p

***

(ETA: New work journal entry is up. New Thorn Tree post coming tomorrow!)

_xenogenesis @ 2007-08-06T13:06:00

2007-08-06T17:09:28Z

Stitches are out, I'm healing nicely. Currently trying to get going on some Thorn Tree work and reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in preparation for book 7. I'll keep you updated on the former; will hopefully finally have an update this week.

Gah.

2007-07-30T20:53:26Z

Completely wiped today. Doubt very much I'll be able to update Thorn Tree tonight, but I'll see what can be done. Might have to wait till later in the week. Sorry to those I've kept waiting, but things have been a little off for me the last couple of weeks.

My thumb. Let me show you it.

2007-07-26T02:10:15Z

I'm linking to these pics. They're not great quality because I didn't have time to fiddle with the camera and I suck with photoshop stuff. But anyway: this is what the thumb looked like tonight when I changed the bandage. WARNING: These images are a little nasty looking and ae not appropriate for work, dinner, or tender tummies. You have been alerted; click below at your own risk.

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/8320/dscn0190ys9.jpg

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/5944/dscn0192zl2.jpg

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/4843/dscn0191wr4.jpg

Yech.

The good news is, changing the bandage went well. There's not as much pain--though there is some, still, and while it's a little weepy still, there was no redness or signs of infection. I cleaned it a little--not much; water can migrate along sutures and cause problems, so I just dabbed at some of the grungier spots with a damp cloth and re-wrapped it. I'll be getting the stitches out Monday or Tuesday with any luck.

We took it easy tonight, ate pizza & watched Chicken Run, which Stef hadn't seen before. (It was actually the movie I watched the night before the wedding to help relax me so I could sleep, LOL.) We had a good time and I'm looking forward to getting some sleep soon.

Ow.

2007-07-24T14:24:32Z

Short version: So: I'm not allowed to play with sharp objects anymore.

Tolstoy version: One of the nicer things about being just married is that people give you lots of cool shit. We got a new coffeemaker, toaster over, pots and pans, bedsheets, etc. Most recently we got a set of awesome kitchen knives from our friend Jeffrey, who sells CutCo for a living. Stef warned me when we got them that Jeffrey said they're very sharp; okay, I thought, good deal. But I didn't think much of it as I've been using sharp knives for years and have never had much of a problem. So, having set myself up beautifully for disaster by thinking that way, here's what happened when I came home last night:

I will admit that I was tired; it had been a long day at work. So my brain wasn't firing on all cylinders when I got in the kitchen and started getting things ready for dinner. We were having tacos, so after pulling out all the ingredients I needed I started doing some prep by shredding some lettuce. I decided to do this the easy way by cutting the head of lettuce in half, then slicing it into shreds with one of our nifty new knives. I made it about halfway through this process when my mind wandered a bit, my thumb got in the way, and the next thing I knew I had sliced a huge flap of meat off my left thumb.

Fortunately I have been in similar situations before, and did what I could. I ran the thumb under water to irrigate it, the wife got a clean cloth to wrap it in, and I kept pressure on it for 10-15 minutes. No good; still bleeding. The cut was deep and bad. So we took a cab to the local hospital to get me stitched up. A very nice student doctor did it under a resident's supervision; the head doctor came in, checked their work, and pronounced me as good as I was going to get that night. On his way out he looked over his shoulder at me with a big grin on his face and said "What were you doing?"

They were all very nice to me, especially considering the monumental dumbass factor it took for me to manage a near-thumbectomy. I got a scrip for some antibiotics and some painkiller (Motrin, feh--I want morphine!), and got home about 12:30 that night, finally had dinner (just a sandwich), and went the hell to bed. And that's why I'm no longer allowed to play with sharp objects.

Sean Lennon--Who Knew?

2007-07-20T03:39:00Z

This is all sorts of unexpected awesome, and I have to buy his "ablum" now.

"I'm sorry, it was just the Cobb Salad; never mind."

2007-07-11T17:53:23Z

From the wire services, reprinted in its delicious entirety:

Chertoff Must Explain His 'Gut Feeling'

WASHINGTON, July 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Committee on
Homeland Security Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) sent the following
letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff
demanding an explanation of the Secretary's recent remarks to the Chicago
Tribune.
* * *

July 11, 2007

Dear Secretary Chertoff:
Over the past five years, tens of billions of taxpayer dollars have
been dedicated to standing up and building capacity at the Department of
Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security is charged with
deterring, preventing and responding to the threat of terrorism. To that
end, systems have been erected to identify risks and communicate them to
the American public. With all the resources you have at your disposal and
all the progress that you assure us that you are making, I cannot
understand why you are quoted in the Chicago Tribune as saying you have a
"gut feeling" that we are entering a period of heightened risk this summer.

Words have power, Mr. Secretary. You must choose them wisely --
especially when they relate to the lives and security of the American
public. What color code in the Homeland Security Advisory System is
associated with a "gut feeling?" What sectors should be on alert as a
result of your "gut feeling?" What cities should be asking their law
enforcement to work double shifts because of your "gut feeling?" Are the
American people supposed to purchase duct tape and plastic sheeting because
of your "gut feeling?"

The Committee on Homeland Security has repeatedly emphasized the
importance of getting specific, actionable information to our first
preventers in law enforcement and other emergency response providers. I
urge you to follow up on your "gut feeling" and share whatever information
our nation's first preventers need to be on alert and prepared. Otherwise,
we run the risk of communities taking it upon themselves to mobilize for
every possible threat. This not only would result in communities depleting
their scarce homeland security resources but runs contrary to your efforts
to move toward a risk-based approach to homeland security.

This fall, we will be marking the sixth anniversary of the most deadly
terrorist attack on U.S. soil. With likely action on legislation to
implement the unfinished business of the 9/11 Commission, Congress is
poised to give you more and better opportunities to work with law
enforcement in a constructive manner.

Mr. Secretary, I urge you to clarify your comments by providing
concrete direction to the State, local and tribal stakeholders and if
necessary make the required changes to the Nation's threat level to ensure
that the American public can take the necessary steps to protect their
families, businesses and communities.

I would be happy to convene a classified briefing of our Members to
discuss the threat to our nation if you believe that such a briefing is
warranted.

Sincerely,
Bennie G. Thompson
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security

SOURCE Committee On Homeland Security Democratic Office

What on Earth (or off it) . . .

2007-07-10T03:11:17Z

. . . is J. J. Abrams up to with the new movie he's producing?

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/11808/hd/

Some people are saying it's a Godzilla sequel. Others are invoking the name of Voltron. The main suspicion is that the film is either from Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos or a Lovecraftian pastiche.

What is known is that the teaser trailer--which is running in front of the Transformers movie--is done in a Blair Witch style first person camera, complete with jerky motion, Altmanesque overlapping dialogue, and all the cinema verite you can watch. From a report I've seen, Abrams says at least some if not all the movie will be done in this style.

There's a huge viral marketing presence dedicated to this movie too. No less than three separate websites--and possibly a fourth (though this one is a tenuous connection at best)--are (or seem to be) dedicated to spreading the word about the new Abrams-produced project, in one way or the other. People are analyzing the crap out of this thing everywhere, especially the content on the "Ethan Haas Was Right" website, which is cleverly set up as a series of puzzles--each puzzle solved unlocks a short video by a shadowy figure named "Van Mantra" who may be the only one that knows what's going on. You can sign up to receive email messages "from" Van, which contain clues on how to get through the puzzles. And you can sign up for emails from the "webmaster" of the "Haas Was Wrong" website as well. Although the reply I got back from that one was indecipherable because it seems to be in Arabic or a variant of it, and I can't find a translator that works on it. And I was just on another site that claims Abrams says none of this Ethan Haas stuff has anything to do with the movie, which could be the truth or more obfuscation. Feh.

Anyway, it's all quite mad and silly and it's all great fun, and it's one of the few times in the last year that anything has made me start looking forward to a movie.

EDITED TO ADD: Abrams has gone on record with AICN as saying the Ethan Haas stuff has nothing to do with the Cloverfield project, but IMO it's still up in the air. When the videos from the Haas website went up on YouTube, Paramount pulled them down just as they did the dozens of Cloverfield trailers that turned up there. It's all either an incredible coincidence or some misdirection; either way we'll find out more on August 1st (8/1? vaviant of 1/08?), which is when the Haas website will supposedly update with some huge event or other.

Abrams also added that there are other sites out there, including http://www.slusho.jp/ --which adds to the mystery, as the site is incomplete and promises updates (guess which date I'm thinking the updates will appear?), and there is another email thingy to sign up for. It all still feels of a piece, despite what Abrams says--but we'll see. I'll be back here on 8/1, either aflush with victory or with egg on my face. Either way, it's cool. I haven't enjoyed having my mind messed with quite so much since I read Rick Moody's "The Albertine Notes."

Happy Birthday, America

2007-07-04T00:58:34Z

On Patriotism
Ernest Partridge
Co-Editor, The Crisis Papers
February 6, 2003

Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiently or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.

Theodore Roosevelt

A Prince, whose character is ... marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free People.

Thomas Jefferson
Declaration of Independence

Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel

Samuel Johnson

"Patriotism" is a word that has been hyper-conspicuous these days. The Congress of the United States has even chosen that word as a label for its anti-terrorism bill: "The USA PATRIOT Act."

So just what does it mean to be a "patriot."? Who are today's "patriots"? What historical figures exemplify this civic virtue?

Judging from the casual use of the word these days, it would seem that most everyone has a clear intuitive sense of the meaning of "patriotism." Even to inquire as to its meaning might appear to many of our fellow citizens to be, well, "unpatriotic."

Even so, I will explore these questions, and damn the consequences -- including the risk of being called a "traitor" by the likes of Ann Coulter and the Freepers.

And so, to begin, we ask: who was and is a "patriot"? Washington, Jefferson, Paine, those who pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor by signing the Declaration of Independence – all these come to mind. But what about Colonel Klaus von Stauffenberg, whose failed attempt on Adolf Hitler's life cost the Colonel his life? Or Andrei Sakharov in the Soviet Union. More recently, how would we characterize John Dean during the Watergate affair? Or Daniel Ellsberg?

The dominant meaning of "patriotism" as it is used today in the popular media seems to be "support of our nation's leadership during this time of peril." By implication, as John Ashcroft seemed to suggest to the Senate Judiciary Committee, criticism of our leaders amounts to virtual treason.

By this account, Washington, Jefferson, von Stauffenberg, Sakharov, Ellsberg and Dean, were traitors, for they all rebelled against "constituted national leadership," i.e., King George (House of Hanover, not House of Bush), Adolf Hitler (legally elected Chancellor of Germany in 1933), the Brezhnev regime, and Richard Nixon, respectively. Today, Joseph Wilson, Richard Clarke, Noam Chomsky, and Sibel Edmunds could be added to that list.

Clearly, unconditional allegiance to a leader will not do as a criterion of "patriotism." Otherwise, an "unpatriotic" or even "treasonous" leader would be an oxymoron. In fact, history provides an abundance of examples of such leaders. "L'État, c'est moi!" was a concept against which our forefathers successfully fought a revolution. In our political tradition, it seems, "patriotism" implies a different object of loyalty than whosoever might, at the moment, be our appointed (or if we are lucky, our elected) leader.

On reflection, it would seem that the "patriotism" exemplified by the founders of the American republic consists in an allegiance, not to persons, not to offices, and not even to institutions, but rather to political and moral ideals. Such ideals as self-determination, the social contract, inalienable human rights, and additional ideals such as those enumerated in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.

And yet, if polls and the pundits are to be believed, the prevailing public opinion demands that we accept without dissent and in the name of "patriotism," the legitimacy of an unelected President, a curtailment of our liberties enumerated in the First, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments, which means our right to privacy, to habeas corpus, due process and competent counsel. In addition, the public appears willing to allow the President, at his own discretion, to set aside acts of Congress, such as the Freedom of Information Act, the prohibition against torture, international treaties and even the Bill of Rights, in direct violation of the separation of powers stipulated by the Constitution.

Many brave individuals who have protested against such usurpations or who have criticized other aspects of the President's conduct in office have, if lucky, been met with scorn and derision from their fellow citizens, and if unlucky, they have lost their jobs. If recent history serves as a guide, there is no assurance that in the near future, still worse retaliation might await the dissenters. (See our "Free to Agree").

Clearly we seem to be dealing with two distinct and often conflicting concepts of patriotism. One is based upon a loyalty to individuals and offices, while the other is founded upon abstract moral and political principles.

This distinction is illuminated by the work of two late and influential Harvard professors: the moral philosopher, John Rawls, and the cognitive psychologist, Lawrence Kohlberg. In independently developed yet remarkably similar theories, Rawls and Kohlberg described "stages" of development of moral judgment and capacity. As the individual matures and ascends to a higher stage of moral development, his judgment becomes more comprehensive, nuanced and integrated – more "cognitively adequate," to use Kohlberg's term . Moral puzzles that are insoluble on a "lower" level are resolved on a higher level. (E.g., should an impoverished husband steal a medicine to save the life of his desperately sick wife?)

Kohlberg describes six stages of development, in three pairs: "pre-conventional" (obedience to authority), "conventional" (conformity to social norms), and "post-conventional" (moral autonomy -- social contract in politics, and obedience to abstract principles in personal morality).

Rawls's ascending categories are "Morality of Authority," "Morality of Association" and "Morality of Principles." (Theory of Justice, 1971, pp. 490-1). By this account, the child first develops a love and a loyalty to those most immediately and conveniently present and caring -- his parents. The loyalty is extended to relatives and friends, and then to such abstractions as associations and institutions to which one's acquaintances (and oneself) belong. Finally, the loyalty attaches to the most abstract of entities, ideals and principles. A dramatic moral crisis, such as the Watergate Scandal, often illustrates the conflict between these three stages of morality. In the Watergate affair, some officials were motivated by their loyalty to a person, i.e., Mr. Nixon. Others were moved by their loyalty to an institution, i.e., the Presidency. Still others, such as John Dean, acted in accordance with their duty to uphold the general principle of equal justice under the law.

This conflict among concepts of "patriotism" as obedience to authority, as conformity to convention and as loyalty to principle resonates throughout history and literature. For example, Shakespeare thus depicts Brutus' justification of his assassination of Julius Caesar:

Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men? ... Who is here so base that would be a bondman? Speak, for him have I offended... Who is here so vile that will not love his country? Speak, for him have I offended.

Marc Antony then turned the attention of the crowd toward Caesar's alleged personal virtues of charity, mercy, modesty and generosity (not conspicuous either in Shakespeare's portrayal or in historical accounts of Caesar's character). Antony finally appeals to the greed of the crowd by producing a fraudulent "will" claiming to bequeath Caesar's fortune to the citizens. (Not unlike a promise of tax rebates).

Both appealed to "patriotism" – Brutus to a loyalty to principle, and Antony to loyalty to a charismatic leader. The Roman mob chose Marc Antony's lies and cult of personality over Brutus' ideals. And that decision marked the end of the Roman Republic.

Today the American public may be facing a similar decision, and the predominant indications are that this public is more persuaded by Antonian appeals to "stand behind our leader." And that is reason for grave concern.

If our republic is to endure, then any and all leaders and offices must be constrained by the principles of our Constitution and the rule of law, and must stand upon the foundation of the consent of the governed. That consent was violated in the disenfranchisement of the Florida voters before the 2000 election, by the harassment of election officials immediately following, and by the judicial coup d'etat by the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore. The American public appears willing to "get over" this massive violation of the franchise. With this quasi-legitimacy safely in hand, the Bush Administration seems intent now upon dismantling the Constitutional system of checks and balances, along with the Bill of Rights.

If by "patriotism" we mean allegiance to shared political ideals, embodied in the rule of law, then a President and his Administration must earn the support of the public by exemplifying these ideals and by submitting to the constraints of the law and our national charter, The Constitution. After all, every President, in his very first act in office, takes an oath that he "will to the best of [his] ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." That oath appears, verbatim, in the Constitution itself. (Article 2, Section 1).

The President who fails to abide by this oath relinquishes his right to hold his office, and it becomes the patriotic duty of the legislature, the judiciary, and the citizenry to separate that President from his office.

In the current controversy over "patriotism," our collective moral and political maturity is being severely tested, as we encounter this crucial question: "Is our ultimate loyalty to our leaders or to our Constitution?"

Loyalty to the master is the ethic of the slave. Loyalty to principle is the ethic of the free citizen.

***

I don't agree with all of the above--but I can't argue with any of it.

God Bless America. Now more than ever.

Monday Monday . . .

2007-07-02T13:18:49Z

Sorry no updates for a while, but I've been alternately busy and lazy for the last week. Life is good, and hopefully will continue to be so. I may have an interesting entry to make in a few days; we'll see. I'd rather not say anything while the subject is still under advisement. I've also been writing a lot (yay!) and getting ready for the Fourth of July (yay!) and getting my 100th greenlit headline on Fark.com (yay!), for all of you who care, which is probably none of you. ;)

I did not update thorntreegarden last Tuesday as I said I was going to do. This is because I'm still debating whether I want to stay biweekly or go back to weekly updates. The biweekly schedule is a little less nervewracking, as far as coming up with content and maintaining the quality of said content. I'm ahead of the game right now, and by sticking to biweekly updates I can stay ahead and assure that what I'm putting up meets my standards. So there's that. and if I get far enough ahead that I feel comfortable returning to a weekly schedule, I can. Nothing's set in stone as far as that's concerned. The one thing I guarantee is that I will keep updating. I will have a new segment up tonight in fact, barring unforseen circumstances.

I'll make a decision about the update schedule this week, so as not to leave it hanging in the air. In the meantime, there's still time to vote in my LJ icon poll over at jbwhelan, if you haven't already. In fact, the reason I'm posting this update schedule stuff here instead of there (where it really belongs), is because I want to keep the poll at the top of the work journal page for another few days.

Anyway, That's all from me for the moment. Talk at you soon!

What do you get . . .

2007-06-28T01:57:36Z

When you cross Star Trek and The Flintstones?

Well . . .

I'd forgotten this existed until Stef reminded me of it a few days ago. It's still pretty damn funny.

The video above is from YouTube, obviously; find the full nine-episode run of Stone Trek here:

http://www.angelfire.com/fl/sapringer/STDOTCOMFLASH.html

Heylo!

2007-06-26T00:58:45Z

Just a quick post to ask a favor:

Over at the Thorn Tree work journal, aka jbwhelan, I've posted a poll about possible images for LJ icons. Even if you aren't reading Thorn Tree In the Garden (and I can't imagine why you wouldn't be!), I'd still like to ask your help in choosing the icon image.

Thanks. :) And if you have some spare time, listen to this cheap plug and read my story. It's free!

Let's see your ID, kid

2007-06-25T14:20:09Z

Stolen from davidgallaher:

Mostly for using curse words like "pissed" and "fuck"--and I was surprised by the low word counts for each of those, BTW. I must be slowing down or something.

Hey, you suppose if I swear a lot more I'll make this baby NC-17?

Fuckitty fuck fuck fuck! WOOOOOOO!

(I'm such a rebel!)

***ETA: For fun, I submitted thorntreegarden to the same site, and in spite of all the violence and bad language I know I've been writing over there, this is what I got:

I think their process, much like the MPAA's is highly suspect. ;)

Bwahahahahaaa!

2007-06-24T12:55:36Z

Simply awesome:

http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jul/stupid-science-word-of-the-month/

Because You Can Never Be Too Big An AW on LiveJournal

2007-06-20T13:39:55Z

Cool meme taken from jperceval

SECTION 1 - YOU

Known as: Jay, JayBird, Goof, and on one memrable occasion, "you fuckin' fatass fuck".
Born: April 8, 1970
Hair color: When I hat it it was brown. Now I have none. So fleshtone, I guess.
Eyes: Brown.

SECTION 2 - HAVE YOU EVER

Fallen off the bed?: Yes
Broken someone else's heart?: Sorry to admit it, but a couple of times, yeah.
Had your heart broken?: More than once, so those whose hearts I've broken can enjoy a small measure of revenge
Had a dream come true?: Yes.

SECTION 3 - CURRENTLY

Wearing: Black slacks, diamond pattern golf beige & blue shirt, brown shoes, white socks, glasses, Celtic-knotwork style wedding ring
Listening to: The office work going on around me
Chatting with: No one
Should REALLY be: Working, which I'm actually doing in between filling this out

SECTION 4 - DO YOU

Have any piercings: Not any more.
Drive: Yes.
Drink: Alcohol? Yup, though not to excess
Have a cell phone: Yes

SECTION 5 - LAST PERSON YOU

Hugged: Stef
IMed: A friend of mine from Fark.com
Talked with on the phone: My aunt Betty.
Text: My friend Ville from Finland, the week of my wedding. Long story.

SECTION 6 - PERSONAL

What do you want to be when you grow up?: A published author, ruler of the free world, whatever I can manage.

What comes first in your life?: My wife. Always.

What do you usually think about before you go to bed? I can't tell you, but I know it's mine.

SECTION 7 - FAVORITES

Show: This is that TV thing, right? Lately Venture Brothers, Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop
Store: C-Town and the local fresh fish place.
Food: Chicago style hot dogs. Or, as I like to call them, Ambrosia.
Color: Black, maroon, blue, gold

SECTION 8 - DO YOU

Like to give hugs: As much as I like getting them
Like to walk in the rain: With an umbrella, sure
Prefer black or blue: Black
Sleep on your side: Sometimes
Have stuffed animals: I refuse to answer that on the grounds that it may--aw, hell with it. Yes.

SECTION 9 - THIS OR THAT
Pierce nose or tongue: Neither. The only Pierce I enjoy is Hawkeye.
MTV or BET: That TV thing again? No thank you. I program my environment, not the other way around.
7th Heaven or Dawsons Creek: See above answer.
Chocolate or flowers: Chocolate.
Color or black-and-white photos: Depends on the photo
Stay up late or sleep in: Both.
Hot or cold: I prefer it warm
Sun or moon: *drops trou*: Moon.
Left or right: Right handed, political moderate with ight leanings.
10 Acquaintances or one best friend: One best friend
Spring or Fall: Spring.
Happy or Sad: Happy. Duh.
Wonder or Amazement: Wonder

SECTION 10 - FIRSTS

First Screen Name: phrodoe. Don't ask
First self purchased CD album: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi soundtrack. My tastes have changed a little since then.
First pet: 3 cats, 1 dog
First piercing/tattoo: left earlobe pierced at 17.

SECTION 11 - LASTS

Last GOOD cry: My wedding, when I danced with my aunt
Last phone call: Last night, with my aunt
Last time showered: This morning

SECTION 12 - CURRENT

Current mood: Good
Current food: Coffee
Current hair: None
Current annoyance(s): Verizon

SECTION 13 - WHO LAST

Made you smile: My supervisor. He's a funny guy.
Saw you cry: Everyone at my wedding reception.

SECTION 14 - WOULD YOU RATHER

Be serious or be funny?: Funny
Drink whole or skim milk: Whole. But skim is better for me so I drink that
Spend time with your parents or enemies?: My parents are dead, so I'll say my aunt.

SECTION 15 - DO YOU PREFER

Do you prefer gray or black?: Black
Lust or love?: Love but I’m not knocking lust (JP's answer, a good one)
Sunrise or sunset?: Sunset
M&Ms or Skittles?: M&Ms

SECTION 16 - ANSWER TRUTHFULLY

Do you like anyone?: I like a lot of people. I married the one I like best.
Do you believe in love at first sight? I used to. Nowadays, probably not. Lust and infatuation, on the other hand . . .

Quick entry

2007-06-19T01:51:02Z

. . . while I have a connection. New entries up on jbwhelan and thorntreegarden, for those of you who have been wondering when I was going to revive my other web presences. :) Have fun!

Verizon sucks, Part 5263. Plus, a meme.

2007-06-18T22:29:06Z

I came home to find the internet is out. Again. After a week with no trouble. I have a signal for the moment but it's in and out and I can't guarantee I'll be able to post anything on Thorn Tree tonight. Again. I will also now have trouble paying my cell phone bill. Again.

I am seriously considering legal action at this point.

In the meantime, while there is time, I offer the following meme from davidgallaher1, who tagged me with it:

List seven songs you are into right now, no matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your LiveJournal along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to.

1. The Seatbelts - Tank!
2. Ella Fitzgerald - Misty
3. U2 - Wire
4. Yes - Starship Trooper
5. Brian Wilson - Surf's Up (demo version)
6. John Coltrane & Duke Ellington - In A Sentimental Mood
7. Tom Waits - Heigh Ho

I tag:

kelyantar
gryphonrose
qadgop
millabell
shel99
touchstone_7
zoochica
And, just to see if he's paying attention, diablochicken

(Yes, I know that's eight people. I was never very good at following directions.)