So it's been a while since last I posted. Sorry! But it's for a good reason: I was setting up dangerousdirtyunfun.com!
That's right, treasured readers. I took the plunge and registered the Dangerous, Dirty, and Unfun domain. There are a number of very good and very important reasons for the move, which I'll go over in the post I'm about to write there. But this is just a reminder to change your bookmarks or RSS feeds (you can add the new DD&U to your RSS reader by clicking on the link at the way bottom of the page). I'll keep this Blogger site around, so you guys can always go back and read your favorite posts from your favorite blog-writing guy. I'll see you over at the new site!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Music is my imaginary friend
I usually tend not to like videos that tack to the song too literally. (Witness my short rant about the video for "Dammit.") But sometimes it works. Especially when I think the protagonist looks kinda like me (since he has brown hair and glasses).
Listen to some Spill Canvas.
Listen to some Spill Canvas.
: (
Is there anything more disappointing than seeing a pretty girl on the train, and she's reading Atlas Shrugged? I contend "no."
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Breath of fresh air
So maybe BHO is doing the opposite of the right thing by suppressing photographic evidence of America's torture regime, and his administration may or may not be just as much in the pocket of corporate America as every other one. But things like this lead me to believe that his heart is still in the right place.
Crazy pills
Haven't done one of these in a while. These sorts of posts would be cathartic, if they weren't so wearying to the soul.
The gist: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the Senate is withholding money earmarked for closing the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay until the Obama administration presents a plan for what will be done with the prisoners. Which has the whiff of logic about it, although the pessimist in me wonders about a chicken-or-egg stalemate occurring: "We can't appropriate the money without a plan," says the Senate; "We need the money before we can come up with a plan," says the administration. (I readily admit that that scenario doesn't really have the whiff of logic about it, but keep reading if you want to see our dear old friend logic dragged out of the bar, thrown in a puddle, and mercilessly thrashed with a couple of socks full of stoopid.)
No, treasured reader, what really bothers me is the soupy dreck that Senator Reid posited to justify his caucus's stance. I'll cut and paste an exchange at today's press conference, guest-starring an undoubtedly dumbfounded reporter (or reporters) who, if my knowledge of human nature is accurate, walked briskly home to a darkened room and quietly wept. Here's the relevant back and forth, lifted wholesale from the good folks at Think Progress:
It's almost as if the transfer of prisoners from one detention facility to another is a completely novel and alien concept to him. I imagine his reaction to this idea is akin to that of a Gallic serf trying to understand a fax machine. I refuse to believe that a human in the 21st century can be so stupid, so I have to assume that the majority leader is adopting right-wing talking points, which just makes him a terrible leader and, well, I guess it does make him that stupid.
I mean, honestly! If you want pornography, you look to the United States. If you want avarice so potent it can be bottled, you look to the United States. And if you want a prison-industrial state that would compel Stalin to stand up and golf clap, you look to the United States. Here's a fact sheet from Senator Jim Webb's site, outlining some of the more stunning details about prisons in the U.S. According to the King's College World Prison Brief, we've got 760 prisoners per 100,000 people, the highest rate in the world. That's 100 more than the second-place nation, for those of you who didn't click through. Those numbers are obviously inexcusable, but the point here is, locking people up is something the United States does with relish and aplomb.
But I suppose, if you were a certain type of craven torture-and-Constitution-shredding fetishist, you could rationalize not wanting to have terrorists, or guys we just assumed were terrorists and threw them in prison without a hearing, on American soil. I'll look past that, for now.
If you want my real beef, dear reader, scroll back up and re-read how Senator Reid responded to the reporter's first assertion. Actually, don't scroll up. I'll re-paste it for you:
The gist: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the Senate is withholding money earmarked for closing the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay until the Obama administration presents a plan for what will be done with the prisoners. Which has the whiff of logic about it, although the pessimist in me wonders about a chicken-or-egg stalemate occurring: "We can't appropriate the money without a plan," says the Senate; "We need the money before we can come up with a plan," says the administration. (I readily admit that that scenario doesn't really have the whiff of logic about it, but keep reading if you want to see our dear old friend logic dragged out of the bar, thrown in a puddle, and mercilessly thrashed with a couple of socks full of stoopid.)
No, treasured reader, what really bothers me is the soupy dreck that Senator Reid posited to justify his caucus's stance. I'll cut and paste an exchange at today's press conference, guest-starring an undoubtedly dumbfounded reporter (or reporters) who, if my knowledge of human nature is accurate, walked briskly home to a darkened room and quietly wept. Here's the relevant back and forth, lifted wholesale from the good folks at Think Progress:
REID: I’m saying that the United States Senate, Democrats and Republicans, do not want terrorists to be released in the United States. That’s very clear.Now, I can comment about the political efficacy of putting yourself in league with the Republicans. The generally smart thing to do these days, as any child, dog, or slightly damp sponge will tell you, is to run as fast as you can in the opposite direction of the GOP. But that's not my beef. My beef is that NOTHING THAT SENATOR REID SAID MAKES ANY SENSE!
QUESTION: No one’s talking about releasing them. We’re talking about putting them in prison somewhere in the United States.
REID: Can’t put them in prison unless you release them.
QUESTION: Sir, are you going to clarify that a little bit? …
REID: I can’t make it any more clear than the statement I have given to you. We will never allow terrorists to be released in the United States.
It's almost as if the transfer of prisoners from one detention facility to another is a completely novel and alien concept to him. I imagine his reaction to this idea is akin to that of a Gallic serf trying to understand a fax machine. I refuse to believe that a human in the 21st century can be so stupid, so I have to assume that the majority leader is adopting right-wing talking points, which just makes him a terrible leader and, well, I guess it does make him that stupid.
I mean, honestly! If you want pornography, you look to the United States. If you want avarice so potent it can be bottled, you look to the United States. And if you want a prison-industrial state that would compel Stalin to stand up and golf clap, you look to the United States. Here's a fact sheet from Senator Jim Webb's site, outlining some of the more stunning details about prisons in the U.S. According to the King's College World Prison Brief, we've got 760 prisoners per 100,000 people, the highest rate in the world. That's 100 more than the second-place nation, for those of you who didn't click through. Those numbers are obviously inexcusable, but the point here is, locking people up is something the United States does with relish and aplomb.
But I suppose, if you were a certain type of craven torture-and-Constitution-shredding fetishist, you could rationalize not wanting to have terrorists, or guys we just assumed were terrorists and threw them in prison without a hearing, on American soil. I'll look past that, for now.
If you want my real beef, dear reader, scroll back up and re-read how Senator Reid responded to the reporter's first assertion. Actually, don't scroll up. I'll re-paste it for you:
REID: Can’t put them in prison unless you release them.Oh, you can't, can't you? Really? Did the majority leader swish that one around first before it fell out of his mouth? It must have been all that poor reporter could do to keep from screaming "They're already in prison! There's no releasing involved!" I feel bad for everyone in the room. It would be no different if Senator Reid leaned over the podium and, with a cocky grin and arched eyebrow, authoritatively said "You know, ice cream has no bones. Purple monkey dishwasher." I know it goes without saying, but I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Gossip Girl reveals my secret identity. It's Timmy
This is it, precious readers. The season finale of Gossip Girl. I’m already envisioning the jealousy my future self will have for my past self, after I (will have?) realize(d?) the long, sorrowful months we’ll have to wait before a new season.
Quick housekeeping note: it’s currently 8:02 and I’m waiting for my friend meg to come by and watch, so the timestamps will be a little off for this week’s diary. Like anyone pays attention to the timestamps. Or even reads this stupid blog for jerks!
8:06 So Meg just showed up!
8:07 Serena's mugshot, on the cover of the Daily News? As the sole story? Get the hell outta here. If A-Rod in a gimp suit punched a puppy with Mayor Bloomberg recording it on his webcam, it wouldn't be the only story on the front page of the Daily News.
I secretly love when the characters talk about Gossip Girl. Remember when we actually cared about the identity of Gossip Girl? Like that makes any difference whatsoever.
Good question, posed by my pal: Why the hell is Serena wearing that blue dress to brunch?
8:09 Is V wearing makeup? Has she always done that? She seems a little less pretty.
And remember when this show was like, about Dan?
8:11 Wouldn’t it be fun if J were the queen . . . J? And did they cast a girl that looks and sounds like a rat, with creases under her eyes, to be Jenny’s rival on purpose? Of course.
Has there been any indication ever that St. Jude’s colors were blue, and Constance was green? Not that it matters. It just seems a little out of nowhere.
When did Lily Rhodes’s eyes change color? Let’s talk about that.
And why isn’t Serena wearing her mortarboard? Even the headmistress is wearing one!
And what happened to poppy and Gabriel! Shouldn’t that be like, the first thing that we’re presented with on this dopey show?
And why can’t I start a sentence without a conjunction? And why am I only asking questions?
8:17 GG tosses some relatively innocuous barbs at the gang, and now they’re all pissed and ready to take action? If only they put this type of conviction into bringing down poppy and Gabriel . . .
Grandpa seems pretty switched on by Nate’s story. Effing creep.
8:19 Serena here reminds me of that episode of the Simpsons, where Krusty becomes an edgy comic, and Homer wants him to start bagging on pants. “Can you believe Gossip Girl,” she asks. “Don’t you hate pants?” Homer wails.
Shouldn’t Nate, S, B, and Chuck have a dopey canine sidekick with them?
Jonathan? That seems anticlimactic.
8:23 Back at live TV. And Jonathan “hacked into” her server? Anticlimactic and beyond a reasonable suspension of disbelief. This is GG at its best.
It’s ok for me to conflate Rufus Humphrey and Butch Walker, right? That’s what we’re supposed to do, right?
8:25 This is a legitimate question: what’s up with the yellow-label South American beer that these people are always getting in Brooklyn? Garrett Oliver couldn’t spring for a product placement?
8:28 This all reminds of how poorly they handled Jack Bass’s character. He could have offered us fun and excitement for seasons! Instead, he was dispensed with in a few episodes. Bad job by you, writers.
8:30 Oh boy. Are they now gonna burn the Gossip Girl (unitalicized) bridge like they burned the Jack and Ms. Carr bridge?
8:35 This is sort of like that episode of the Twilight Zone, where there’s that cocktail party where everyone puts on the masks that are supposed to mirror their souls. And then they can’t take the masks off, so they have to look as rotten as they really are, forever. You know, with the “labels” gimmick. That made sense when I started typing, I swear.
How many more times is B gonna go back to the Chuck Basswell? It’s getting tiresome!
8:37 Are Rufus and Lily gonna get married baked? Maybe they’re more like their idiot kids than they appreciate.
Also, remember when Serena and Nate had sex?
Speaking of beyond a reasonable suspension of disbelief: Serena ever outsmarting Gossip Girl.
8:45 "You can’t make people love you, but you can make them fear you." That’s some cold stuff there, B.
“Whoa whoa whoa, Dan is Gossip Girl?” Oh Nate. This reminds me of that Simpsons episode where the family goes to the magic show, and Marge gets put into the Killotine, and transforms into a bunch of monkeys. “So she was made of chimps,” Homer realizes.
8:47 Okay, I’m an idiot, because I actually got a tiny twinge of excitement thinking they’d reveal Gossip Girl’s identity. What a moron. I mean, really. Who could it possibly be that would make any sense at all!
8:50 Don’t these people EVER wear t-shirts?
No, seriously, what happened to Poppy and Gabriel?
8:53 That’s your brother, Dan! It's Scott!
8:55 So, Scott transferred FROM bu, which is good, because it means there’s one less bu student, even if he’s fictional. And it makes sense that to signify that Scott is from Boston, they would pick bu. Because why would ANYONE transfer out of the other Boston school.
8:59 Am I an idiot, or did that “Carter looking for Serena’s dad” thing come out of nowhere? Here's a hint, S: he's the DB that the girl from American Dreams beat up last episode.
9:00 Meh. So this episode ends with the writers realizing that A) we need a plotline to extend into next season, so let's pretend that S gives an F about who her dad is, and B) we need to wrap up that huge plotline with Poppy and Gabriel stealing everyone's money; let's do it off-screen! Does anyone remember how heart-wrenching last year's finale was? When Dan and Serena broke up, and it actually meant something? It was pitch perfect! Blah. Soothe yourself with this young lady's soulful and earnest cover of Death Cab's "The Ice Is Getting Thinner."
Quick housekeeping note: it’s currently 8:02 and I’m waiting for my friend meg to come by and watch, so the timestamps will be a little off for this week’s diary. Like anyone pays attention to the timestamps. Or even reads this stupid blog for jerks!
8:06 So Meg just showed up!
8:07 Serena's mugshot, on the cover of the Daily News? As the sole story? Get the hell outta here. If A-Rod in a gimp suit punched a puppy with Mayor Bloomberg recording it on his webcam, it wouldn't be the only story on the front page of the Daily News.
I secretly love when the characters talk about Gossip Girl. Remember when we actually cared about the identity of Gossip Girl? Like that makes any difference whatsoever.
Good question, posed by my pal: Why the hell is Serena wearing that blue dress to brunch?
8:09 Is V wearing makeup? Has she always done that? She seems a little less pretty.
And remember when this show was like, about Dan?
8:11 Wouldn’t it be fun if J were the queen . . . J? And did they cast a girl that looks and sounds like a rat, with creases under her eyes, to be Jenny’s rival on purpose? Of course.
Has there been any indication ever that St. Jude’s colors were blue, and Constance was green? Not that it matters. It just seems a little out of nowhere.
When did Lily Rhodes’s eyes change color? Let’s talk about that.
And why isn’t Serena wearing her mortarboard? Even the headmistress is wearing one!
And what happened to poppy and Gabriel! Shouldn’t that be like, the first thing that we’re presented with on this dopey show?
And why can’t I start a sentence without a conjunction? And why am I only asking questions?
8:17 GG tosses some relatively innocuous barbs at the gang, and now they’re all pissed and ready to take action? If only they put this type of conviction into bringing down poppy and Gabriel . . .
Grandpa seems pretty switched on by Nate’s story. Effing creep.
8:19 Serena here reminds me of that episode of the Simpsons, where Krusty becomes an edgy comic, and Homer wants him to start bagging on pants. “Can you believe Gossip Girl,” she asks. “Don’t you hate pants?” Homer wails.
Shouldn’t Nate, S, B, and Chuck have a dopey canine sidekick with them?
Jonathan? That seems anticlimactic.
8:23 Back at live TV. And Jonathan “hacked into” her server? Anticlimactic and beyond a reasonable suspension of disbelief. This is GG at its best.
It’s ok for me to conflate Rufus Humphrey and Butch Walker, right? That’s what we’re supposed to do, right?
8:25 This is a legitimate question: what’s up with the yellow-label South American beer that these people are always getting in Brooklyn? Garrett Oliver couldn’t spring for a product placement?
8:28 This all reminds of how poorly they handled Jack Bass’s character. He could have offered us fun and excitement for seasons! Instead, he was dispensed with in a few episodes. Bad job by you, writers.
8:30 Oh boy. Are they now gonna burn the Gossip Girl (unitalicized) bridge like they burned the Jack and Ms. Carr bridge?
8:35 This is sort of like that episode of the Twilight Zone, where there’s that cocktail party where everyone puts on the masks that are supposed to mirror their souls. And then they can’t take the masks off, so they have to look as rotten as they really are, forever. You know, with the “labels” gimmick. That made sense when I started typing, I swear.
How many more times is B gonna go back to the Chuck Basswell? It’s getting tiresome!
8:37 Are Rufus and Lily gonna get married baked? Maybe they’re more like their idiot kids than they appreciate.
Also, remember when Serena and Nate had sex?
Speaking of beyond a reasonable suspension of disbelief: Serena ever outsmarting Gossip Girl.
8:45 "You can’t make people love you, but you can make them fear you." That’s some cold stuff there, B.
“Whoa whoa whoa, Dan is Gossip Girl?” Oh Nate. This reminds me of that Simpsons episode where the family goes to the magic show, and Marge gets put into the Killotine, and transforms into a bunch of monkeys. “So she was made of chimps,” Homer realizes.
8:47 Okay, I’m an idiot, because I actually got a tiny twinge of excitement thinking they’d reveal Gossip Girl’s identity. What a moron. I mean, really. Who could it possibly be that would make any sense at all!
8:50 Don’t these people EVER wear t-shirts?
No, seriously, what happened to Poppy and Gabriel?
8:53 That’s your brother, Dan! It's Scott!
8:55 So, Scott transferred FROM bu, which is good, because it means there’s one less bu student, even if he’s fictional. And it makes sense that to signify that Scott is from Boston, they would pick bu. Because why would ANYONE transfer out of the other Boston school.
8:59 Am I an idiot, or did that “Carter looking for Serena’s dad” thing come out of nowhere? Here's a hint, S: he's the DB that the girl from American Dreams beat up last episode.
9:00 Meh. So this episode ends with the writers realizing that A) we need a plotline to extend into next season, so let's pretend that S gives an F about who her dad is, and B) we need to wrap up that huge plotline with Poppy and Gabriel stealing everyone's money; let's do it off-screen! Does anyone remember how heart-wrenching last year's finale was? When Dan and Serena broke up, and it actually meant something? It was pitch perfect! Blah. Soothe yourself with this young lady's soulful and earnest cover of Death Cab's "The Ice Is Getting Thinner."
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Cool moment
It's always cool when there's an aerial coverage shot of Boston during game 7 of the Celtics-Magic series, and you suddenly realize "Wait a sec, that's my apartment!" How fun!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)