Boo-hoo. I had another appointment, social responsibility to tend to tonight, so I missed my weekly fix of American Idol.
We still use a VCR -- and something funky happened to the soundtrack, so that's no good.
I've already read a few recaps of it and I was home in time to see the final performance (Kris Allen) and the tiny snippet from everyone's song.
I backed it up and watched Adam and heard him a little bit, the sound wavering in and out of audibility. That sucks.
I checked his performance out at You Tube. But the good video of the performance didn't have sound, because of some alleged copyright violation. And there was one that was just a still picture of him that had good sound. So, if somehow I could put those together, I'd have it. I tried but it didn't match up. Better than nothing!
He did a knock out job on the song, even though I don't care for the song. But it gave him a chance to stretch out and let it rip, so that was good.
Hoping he goes all the way. It sounds like there was enough bad ones, or ones that got negative remarks from the judges, that we'll have a nice elimination tomorrow. Megan perhaps.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Fargo Flooding
I just saw some nice, big photos of the Fargo flooding. I didn't realize before it was such a huge thing. But it looks massive.
Big blocks of ice in the river, the river spilling out everywhere, people wading in the water with the ice, houses surrounded by a tiny circle of sandbags and water everywhere, dogs stranded, looking sad, people working on sandbags. And all of this in essentially winter conditions.
It's massive, and bad.
As for sandbags, I saw they had some big industrial strength sandbag type fences, filled with a Caterpillar type scoop thing. That's better than by hand. Making sandbags by hand is tough and labor intensive. I've done it. It's no fun. But necessary. Although it seems like there'd be an automated way to do it.
Big blocks of ice in the river, the river spilling out everywhere, people wading in the water with the ice, houses surrounded by a tiny circle of sandbags and water everywhere, dogs stranded, looking sad, people working on sandbags. And all of this in essentially winter conditions.
It's massive, and bad.
As for sandbags, I saw they had some big industrial strength sandbag type fences, filled with a Caterpillar type scoop thing. That's better than by hand. Making sandbags by hand is tough and labor intensive. I've done it. It's no fun. But necessary. Although it seems like there'd be an automated way to do it.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Adam's Motown Recording
Here's a story on the American Idol Motown recordings, available at iTunes.
I only have and only have heard Adam Lambert's song, "Tracks of My Tears." So I can't judge the others. But I see the author of that column distributes grades from A to D, with an A for Anoop and D's for Megan and Scott.
The different thing about these recordings is that they used the original Motown backing tracks. I don't think that was a good idea, because it'd be good to refresh them at bit. At least that's my criticism of the Adam track. It sounds like it could use an updated arrangement for his massively good vocals, jazz it up a bit.
I like his singing -- rock solid -- but think he's being held back too much by the backing track that's like a straitjacket. (It also sounds, on my Ipod, like there's some small amount of distortion on this recording.)
I only have and only have heard Adam Lambert's song, "Tracks of My Tears." So I can't judge the others. But I see the author of that column distributes grades from A to D, with an A for Anoop and D's for Megan and Scott.
The different thing about these recordings is that they used the original Motown backing tracks. I don't think that was a good idea, because it'd be good to refresh them at bit. At least that's my criticism of the Adam track. It sounds like it could use an updated arrangement for his massively good vocals, jazz it up a bit.
I like his singing -- rock solid -- but think he's being held back too much by the backing track that's like a straitjacket. (It also sounds, on my Ipod, like there's some small amount of distortion on this recording.)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Computer Memory Dreams
Coincidental today to buying a 1 T external hard drive to add to my fleet of three other (lesser) externals, I found something I wrote on February 16, 1984. I just want to quote a little bit of it. The computer I had then was either a VIC-20 or a Commodore 64. I mention storing programs on both cassette or on a disc drive. I know my VIC-20 used a cassette system, but when I had the 64, at some point, I also had a disc drive. Anyway, I don't remember which I had at the time.
Everything below this paragraph is from my 1984 article:
Home technology. Computers and the like. Where'd they come from? What are they for? Where are they going? Are they indispensable?
[BIG SNIP]
We who keep up on computers are told that memory constraints will one day be a thing of the past. We'll have millions of bytes to store our programs in. So what will we have stored in them? Longer versions of what I described above [games, educational programs]. Encyclopedia articles.
Will one have to sit and wait for a cassette to load for 45 minutes before using one of these massive programs? Or with a disc drive... will we need a separate disc to store each of these programs? The possibilities seem nauseating at this stage, and often I think we're chugging along toward them just because we're told how wonderful they will be.
Are we continuously to be updating our equipment to employ every new advance from the manufacturers. It's a matter of choice, of course. The hobbyist who digs it can buy what she or he affords and assumes they need. The family who knows little of what's going on and never finds uses for the computer that jibe with their original expectations may drop out. New families will take their place along the corridor of time. They'll open the door like their predecessor, step out momentarily and go back inside.
[I said word processing was probably the nicest function of homer computers. I wrote about the downside of storing articles on computer discs because they can be easily destroyed. Paper is more permanent.]
As I wrote that the tv screen blinked (as there's a flaw in this guy's program or in the computer itself) and I thought that perhaps my thoughts here would disappear.
[OK...that's the end of what I'm going to type from 1984].
2009 -- Now I think for sure this is when I had the Commodore 64. When I mentioned "this guy's program," that refers to a word processing program that I typed out of a computer magazine, line by line with checksum numbers. I can't think what it was called but it was a helpful program at the time. I myself had made a word processing program in BASIC, but the lines were simply arrays, so there could be no editing of, say, a paragraph without shifting each line. So it was not real useful.
Everything below this paragraph is from my 1984 article:
Home technology. Computers and the like. Where'd they come from? What are they for? Where are they going? Are they indispensable?
[BIG SNIP]
We who keep up on computers are told that memory constraints will one day be a thing of the past. We'll have millions of bytes to store our programs in. So what will we have stored in them? Longer versions of what I described above [games, educational programs]. Encyclopedia articles.
Will one have to sit and wait for a cassette to load for 45 minutes before using one of these massive programs? Or with a disc drive... will we need a separate disc to store each of these programs? The possibilities seem nauseating at this stage, and often I think we're chugging along toward them just because we're told how wonderful they will be.
Are we continuously to be updating our equipment to employ every new advance from the manufacturers. It's a matter of choice, of course. The hobbyist who digs it can buy what she or he affords and assumes they need. The family who knows little of what's going on and never finds uses for the computer that jibe with their original expectations may drop out. New families will take their place along the corridor of time. They'll open the door like their predecessor, step out momentarily and go back inside.
[I said word processing was probably the nicest function of homer computers. I wrote about the downside of storing articles on computer discs because they can be easily destroyed. Paper is more permanent.]
As I wrote that the tv screen blinked (as there's a flaw in this guy's program or in the computer itself) and I thought that perhaps my thoughts here would disappear.
[OK...that's the end of what I'm going to type from 1984].
2009 -- Now I think for sure this is when I had the Commodore 64. When I mentioned "this guy's program," that refers to a word processing program that I typed out of a computer magazine, line by line with checksum numbers. I can't think what it was called but it was a helpful program at the time. I myself had made a word processing program in BASIC, but the lines were simply arrays, so there could be no editing of, say, a paragraph without shifting each line. So it was not real useful.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Shredding Stuff
We've let our shredding responsibilities go. Since we shred every bill, every credit card application, and stuff like that, there's quite a bit of stuff that comes in that needs shredding.
Around last November our shredder stuck in the on position. So it doesn't stop when it gets done shredding. So the work around is to stack the stuff up and just keep shredding till we're done. You can turn it off but it just doesn't go off automatically like it's supposed to.
Then for a Christmas get together we cleaned up the place a bit. In the process the shredder was taken to the basement and it's been there ever since. I brought it up today ... and that means at least three months worth of stuff that needs shredded, plus whatever there was before Christmas.
Plus, when cleaning up for the Christmas get together I piled everything from one place into a tub, stuff that needed shredded and stuff that didn't. So today I got that tub and finally went through it, piling up the shred stuff and taking care of it.
But things are scattered hither, thither, and yon ... so if we ever get it shredded entirely we'll be lucky.
It doesn't seem that long ago that we didn't worry about such things. And it wasn't. In the process of going through stuff today I found an old checkbook, only from around 1999-2000. And there were our Social Security numbers as big as life right under our name! How different things are in just a few years.
Around last November our shredder stuck in the on position. So it doesn't stop when it gets done shredding. So the work around is to stack the stuff up and just keep shredding till we're done. You can turn it off but it just doesn't go off automatically like it's supposed to.
Then for a Christmas get together we cleaned up the place a bit. In the process the shredder was taken to the basement and it's been there ever since. I brought it up today ... and that means at least three months worth of stuff that needs shredded, plus whatever there was before Christmas.
Plus, when cleaning up for the Christmas get together I piled everything from one place into a tub, stuff that needed shredded and stuff that didn't. So today I got that tub and finally went through it, piling up the shred stuff and taking care of it.
But things are scattered hither, thither, and yon ... so if we ever get it shredded entirely we'll be lucky.
It doesn't seem that long ago that we didn't worry about such things. And it wasn't. In the process of going through stuff today I found an old checkbook, only from around 1999-2000. And there were our Social Security numbers as big as life right under our name! How different things are in just a few years.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Olfactory Hallucinations
I've written about olfactory hallucinations a time or two. This also could be called smell illusions, smell deceptions, sensory trickery, odor fantasies. They've been coming and going for me.
It started popping back up -- I'm no good with time -- like a week and a half, two weeks ago. Then it comes and goes, where it's not so bad. Today, right now it's somewhat worse. But nothing is as bad as it was last September and into October. If that ever happens again, I trust I will recognize it as such; in those months I thought it was objectively bacteria in the area.
There are weird smells that I'm smelling, and when I run them by my significant other she says she doesn't smell them. Like my hand, right between my thumb and first finger. It's a bad smell, which is hard to describe. I tried to see if she could discern anything and she said no. Later I said it smells like "a fart filtered through a metal comb," whatever that would smell like. You figure, though, the metal comb would give more of a metallic edge to whatever it comes in contact with. But it's still not descriptive, because who really knows -- there has to be a range of smells that would qualify.
I've been wearing a jacket quite a bit. I've noticed it smelling funky. So I took it and washed and dried it. It smells better, which tells me something. There is something objectively there. And my sense of smell is picking up on it. The tricky part is whether my brain is discerning it in any normal way, such as what the average healthy person would discern. I think that's where the difference is.
This is a subject I'm now interested in. I've read that one of the possible causes for this is brain tumor. Which sounds scary. But doesn't it seem like there'd be other indicators? I'm also wondering if the amount of sleep you get has anything to do with the intensity of the odors. Nothing's charted out. It's all anecdotal. So to speculate at this point would be just to be guessing with not much to go on.
It started popping back up -- I'm no good with time -- like a week and a half, two weeks ago. Then it comes and goes, where it's not so bad. Today, right now it's somewhat worse. But nothing is as bad as it was last September and into October. If that ever happens again, I trust I will recognize it as such; in those months I thought it was objectively bacteria in the area.
There are weird smells that I'm smelling, and when I run them by my significant other she says she doesn't smell them. Like my hand, right between my thumb and first finger. It's a bad smell, which is hard to describe. I tried to see if she could discern anything and she said no. Later I said it smells like "a fart filtered through a metal comb," whatever that would smell like. You figure, though, the metal comb would give more of a metallic edge to whatever it comes in contact with. But it's still not descriptive, because who really knows -- there has to be a range of smells that would qualify.
I've been wearing a jacket quite a bit. I've noticed it smelling funky. So I took it and washed and dried it. It smells better, which tells me something. There is something objectively there. And my sense of smell is picking up on it. The tricky part is whether my brain is discerning it in any normal way, such as what the average healthy person would discern. I think that's where the difference is.
This is a subject I'm now interested in. I've read that one of the possible causes for this is brain tumor. Which sounds scary. But doesn't it seem like there'd be other indicators? I'm also wondering if the amount of sleep you get has anything to do with the intensity of the odors. Nothing's charted out. It's all anecdotal. So to speculate at this point would be just to be guessing with not much to go on.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
I Do More During The Commercials
I can do more during the commercials than some people do all day. I've noticed this. The commercial breaks during American Idol are long enough to get all kinds of things done. If I knew how to sew, I could be hemming dresses and altering suits and make quite a bit of money.
As it is, I'm able to run to the computer, look up a few websites, read the headlines, post in a blog. Or if there's big time chores to be done, I can do them. I can do the dishes, get quite a few done during a commercial break. Then leave them heaped up in the sink, then during the next commercial go running in and rinse them and actually get them all done. Of course if there's a couple skillets, that might need to soak during a song, then scrub it during the next break.
Tonight I jumped up, ran in, cleaned out the cat box, got outside, brought out a few bags of cat droppings, and a couple or three bags of actual garbage, got them in my big garbage can, got it dragged to the street, and got back in and they still weren't back to the show. So I went and washed my hands and took my medicine and made it back just in time.
The show's off now so I can slow down the pace. Except I want to get to bed within 20-25 minutes and there's still just a few things to do! Off!
As it is, I'm able to run to the computer, look up a few websites, read the headlines, post in a blog. Or if there's big time chores to be done, I can do them. I can do the dishes, get quite a few done during a commercial break. Then leave them heaped up in the sink, then during the next commercial go running in and rinse them and actually get them all done. Of course if there's a couple skillets, that might need to soak during a song, then scrub it during the next break.
Tonight I jumped up, ran in, cleaned out the cat box, got outside, brought out a few bags of cat droppings, and a couple or three bags of actual garbage, got them in my big garbage can, got it dragged to the street, and got back in and they still weren't back to the show. So I went and washed my hands and took my medicine and made it back just in time.
The show's off now so I can slow down the pace. Except I want to get to bed within 20-25 minutes and there's still just a few things to do! Off!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Half-Wit's Holiday
Well, I finished off the three pirates episode by the Three Stooges and "Half-Wit's Holiday." It's bittersweet to watch this one because we all know Curly had a stroke during the filming and so missed the last few scenes.
I've had this episode for a while. I have a VHS tape, one of the Columbia videos they made when they weren't really going for the sequential, collected works approach. So it's just "Half-Wit's Holiday and Other Nyuks," or something like that.
It's a good one, though, a remake (of sorts, in concept anyway) of an earlier film. Moe's wife had something to do with the concept, two guys arguing over Heredity vs. Environment, as for refining people and having them have some class. The Stooges are their guinea pigs and of course they're bound to fail in the refinement category every time, at least given enough time.
I like some of the stuff in this film, including their whole pretend meal, with the great sound effects, such as Curly supposedly eating olives, and they're going down, "glug glug glug." Everything else is cool in that scene.
As far as everything degenerating into another pie fight, that's not my favorite way to go out, but the Stooges must have thought it was riotous, since it seems they have numerous pie fights along the way. The weird thing about their pie fights is that there are still people (guests) standing around apparently oblivious to the fact that a pie fight is in progress. Then they turn, pull down their glasses, only to (surprise) get a pie in the face. It's funny, but it makes you wonder, how did these people not notice what was going on in the room they were in for the last five minutes?
I'm not such a Stooge-a-phile that I know all the ins and outs of Stooge lore. But I have read a little about Emil Sitka. He's in this film, and there's a touching thing (I think it's touching) in the Three Stooges Scrapbook about him shaking Curly's hand and saying he was playing the butler in this picture. Curly stands and says something nice to him, like, "Yes, sir, I see." And Sitka never really knew exactly what he meant by that, why he called him sir. I guess you needed to have been there!
There's another guy in the earlier films, and I thought HE was Emil Sitka. But he's definitely a different guy from this, and this is definitely Emil Sitka. The book says this was his first film with the Stooges. There's a cool picture, I believe it's in this Scrapbook, where Sitka was going to be the replacement for Larry in the very latest years. But it didn't happen beyond the picture.
OK, I've exhausted the Curly episodes and now (except for "Hold That Lion") he's all gone. Very sad to see him exit in his last scene from "Half-Wit's Holiday."
I've had this episode for a while. I have a VHS tape, one of the Columbia videos they made when they weren't really going for the sequential, collected works approach. So it's just "Half-Wit's Holiday and Other Nyuks," or something like that.
It's a good one, though, a remake (of sorts, in concept anyway) of an earlier film. Moe's wife had something to do with the concept, two guys arguing over Heredity vs. Environment, as for refining people and having them have some class. The Stooges are their guinea pigs and of course they're bound to fail in the refinement category every time, at least given enough time.
I like some of the stuff in this film, including their whole pretend meal, with the great sound effects, such as Curly supposedly eating olives, and they're going down, "glug glug glug." Everything else is cool in that scene.
As far as everything degenerating into another pie fight, that's not my favorite way to go out, but the Stooges must have thought it was riotous, since it seems they have numerous pie fights along the way. The weird thing about their pie fights is that there are still people (guests) standing around apparently oblivious to the fact that a pie fight is in progress. Then they turn, pull down their glasses, only to (surprise) get a pie in the face. It's funny, but it makes you wonder, how did these people not notice what was going on in the room they were in for the last five minutes?
I'm not such a Stooge-a-phile that I know all the ins and outs of Stooge lore. But I have read a little about Emil Sitka. He's in this film, and there's a touching thing (I think it's touching) in the Three Stooges Scrapbook about him shaking Curly's hand and saying he was playing the butler in this picture. Curly stands and says something nice to him, like, "Yes, sir, I see." And Sitka never really knew exactly what he meant by that, why he called him sir. I guess you needed to have been there!
There's another guy in the earlier films, and I thought HE was Emil Sitka. But he's definitely a different guy from this, and this is definitely Emil Sitka. The book says this was his first film with the Stooges. There's a cool picture, I believe it's in this Scrapbook, where Sitka was going to be the replacement for Larry in the very latest years. But it didn't happen beyond the picture.
OK, I've exhausted the Curly episodes and now (except for "Hold That Lion") he's all gone. Very sad to see him exit in his last scene from "Half-Wit's Holiday."
Monday, March 23, 2009
Suicide And The Three Stooges
I'm watching Vol. 5 of the collected short films of The Three Stooges, and I'm getting dangerously close to the end of Curly's tenure with the team. The episode I'm commenting about is "Rhythm and Weep," which is followed by two more Curly episodes. And he vanishes ¾ of the way through "Half Wit's Holiday," after he had a real life stroke. (Of course he makes a brief appearance in one other film, then that's it.)
So, my friends, that means it's going to be Shemp, Shemp, Shemp from there on... for quite a ways anyway. I think I'm ready for it.
I wanted to comment today on "Rhythm and Weep," since it has suicide as its theme much of the way through, the first half, I'd guess. I've just been reading the book by Kay Redfield Jamison on suicide, "Night Falls Fast" (I got it at Goodwill the other day), and of course now I'm seeing suicide everywhere I look ... including The Three Stooges!
I don't believe I've ever seen this episode before. Not unless it was when I was a little kid, because I definitely don't remember it. But there they are, supposed to be high up on a tall building, failures as actors, meaning to end it all by leaping to their deaths. They get up there and they meet three lovely actresses, also failures in show biz, who are also about to leap. When what to they hear? A guy up on the roof playing piano. So they dance and perform. (If you watch this episode when you're super tired, I'm sure it would be like a crazy dream, because it's one of the craziest episodes in places.)
The piano guy reveals that he is a producer, trying to get together a big production, and he hires the six performers before him. This leads to some stage dancing by the girls, then the Stooges dressed as women, with full make-up, looking quite seductive (ha ha). It's funny. Spoiler alert: The end is this, that the producer himself is crazy. Attendants come from a home to retrieve him and take him back, meaning the Stooges and the girls are once again performers. I can't remember if it ends with them threatening suicide again or not. Heck of an episode, except I could live without the production number by the girls.
Then in other suicide news, we have the report of Sylvia Plath's son in Alaska, now passed on.
So suicide is everywhere.
As for the book by Jamison, I'm up around page 80-something. It's gripping in places, including in the intro when she tells of a pact she had with a guy (both she and he were suicidal). They were to call one another if either felt suicidal, then get together and the one would try to talk the other out of it. But the pact didn't hold and the guy killed himself. The other gripping place is a chapter on a guy named Drew, in the Air Force or something, but he got some serious depression and other mental illness issues, and ended up killing himself. It's very interesting writing on a very important topic.
Jamison shows in a chart (this was published in 1999) that suicide is the number 2 cause of death of young women and number 4 cause of death for young men.
So, my friends, that means it's going to be Shemp, Shemp, Shemp from there on... for quite a ways anyway. I think I'm ready for it.
I wanted to comment today on "Rhythm and Weep," since it has suicide as its theme much of the way through, the first half, I'd guess. I've just been reading the book by Kay Redfield Jamison on suicide, "Night Falls Fast" (I got it at Goodwill the other day), and of course now I'm seeing suicide everywhere I look ... including The Three Stooges!
I don't believe I've ever seen this episode before. Not unless it was when I was a little kid, because I definitely don't remember it. But there they are, supposed to be high up on a tall building, failures as actors, meaning to end it all by leaping to their deaths. They get up there and they meet three lovely actresses, also failures in show biz, who are also about to leap. When what to they hear? A guy up on the roof playing piano. So they dance and perform. (If you watch this episode when you're super tired, I'm sure it would be like a crazy dream, because it's one of the craziest episodes in places.)
The piano guy reveals that he is a producer, trying to get together a big production, and he hires the six performers before him. This leads to some stage dancing by the girls, then the Stooges dressed as women, with full make-up, looking quite seductive (ha ha). It's funny. Spoiler alert: The end is this, that the producer himself is crazy. Attendants come from a home to retrieve him and take him back, meaning the Stooges and the girls are once again performers. I can't remember if it ends with them threatening suicide again or not. Heck of an episode, except I could live without the production number by the girls.
Then in other suicide news, we have the report of Sylvia Plath's son in Alaska, now passed on.
So suicide is everywhere.
As for the book by Jamison, I'm up around page 80-something. It's gripping in places, including in the intro when she tells of a pact she had with a guy (both she and he were suicidal). They were to call one another if either felt suicidal, then get together and the one would try to talk the other out of it. But the pact didn't hold and the guy killed himself. The other gripping place is a chapter on a guy named Drew, in the Air Force or something, but he got some serious depression and other mental illness issues, and ended up killing himself. It's very interesting writing on a very important topic.
Jamison shows in a chart (this was published in 1999) that suicide is the number 2 cause of death of young women and number 4 cause of death for young men.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
M.I.A.'s Baby
In baby news, M.I.A.'s baby's name is Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman.
I don't know enough about M.I.A. I have a couple of her albums, that's it. What her actual name is, I don't know, even though I think I've seen it at Wikipedia. I know she's from a different country, so maybe Ikhyd is a good sounding name there.
Recently I needed to memorize over a dozen Asian names. And none of them it something easily explainable according to our normal ways of giving names. But as weird as they sound, over there they might be like Bud or Dick.
"Arular" is, I think, the name of one of her albums. So that must have great significance.
UPDATE (5:02 p.m.): An interesting name just came to me, Grepheld Butter Host.
I don't know enough about M.I.A. I have a couple of her albums, that's it. What her actual name is, I don't know, even though I think I've seen it at Wikipedia. I know she's from a different country, so maybe Ikhyd is a good sounding name there.
Recently I needed to memorize over a dozen Asian names. And none of them it something easily explainable according to our normal ways of giving names. But as weird as they sound, over there they might be like Bud or Dick.
"Arular" is, I think, the name of one of her albums. So that must have great significance.
UPDATE (5:02 p.m.): An interesting name just came to me, Grepheld Butter Host.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Charles Manson And The Three Stooges
According to "The Three Stooges Scrapbook," the Stooges went from a Metro contract to a Columbia contract 75 years ago a couple days ago, March 19, 1934. 75 years doesn't sound like a long time to me in relation to the Stooges, since they seem quite ancient. I love them and have all my life, all the parts I remember. But only 75 years since they got their Columbia contract? Guess so.
The book says they didn't have the name "Three Stooges" till June of '34. So we're not even 75 years on that one yet. I've been watching the episodes from the last volume (#5) that has Curly. He left the team, I believe it was 1946.
An unrelated anniversary coming up -- and a story at CNN that I was just reading -- concerns Charles Manson. Creepy. It was 40 years ago, but in August, so we have a ways to go, when he and the others committed their crimes. He's still in prison and they released a new picture of him. He's 74 years old now.
So put that with the Three Stooges information. Charles Manson was in diapers when the Stooges were doing their earliest Columbia films. Wikipedia says he was born Nov. 12, 1934. So back up nine months and Manson's parents were conceiving Charles in February 1934 just as the Three Stooges were in that transitional period with Ted Healy, and a month before the shooting schedule for "Woman Haters."
The book says they didn't have the name "Three Stooges" till June of '34. So we're not even 75 years on that one yet. I've been watching the episodes from the last volume (#5) that has Curly. He left the team, I believe it was 1946.
An unrelated anniversary coming up -- and a story at CNN that I was just reading -- concerns Charles Manson. Creepy. It was 40 years ago, but in August, so we have a ways to go, when he and the others committed their crimes. He's still in prison and they released a new picture of him. He's 74 years old now.
So put that with the Three Stooges information. Charles Manson was in diapers when the Stooges were doing their earliest Columbia films. Wikipedia says he was born Nov. 12, 1934. So back up nine months and Manson's parents were conceiving Charles in February 1934 just as the Three Stooges were in that transitional period with Ted Healy, and a month before the shooting schedule for "Woman Haters."
Friday, March 20, 2009
A Private Investigator
Yesterday I was looking for clues and signs to someone's whereabouts. I was reluctant to go into places and ask for her because I figured it'd be like the hospital, where everything's confidential. "We can't give out that information." The person's laying there dying. "How's she doing?" "We can't say." OK, but that last Code Blue siren at least gave me a clue.
So I have two (what I would call) objective places to go. The last known place where she said she was going to get a job. And the last known place where she was staying, a motel. The job place I figured would be a toughie. I showed up and met the boss, who I was figuring would chase me from the place. But I explained myself and seemed genuinely interested in what they do there (I was genuinely interested), and recalled for him some funny incidences in my life where I had a similar job. We got on the same page and he was happy to go look her up in the computer for me to see if she worked there or had applied. She had applied but didn't work there.
I'm thinking when I hit the parking lot, hey, I'm like a private investigator. I don't have ultimate confidence in my abilities but I schmoozed that guy OK.
Next to the motel. I nodded to the guy taking out the trash. He might be a good contact later, need to establish sincere rapport. That must be his wife behind the counter. I tapped the counter like I was there to help you and you're there to help me. I explained that I'd visited with so and so a couple weeks ago and was hoping she was still here. She was in room so and so, I said. The lady remembered the guest but said she was only here that one week. She thought she said she was moving to such and such a town. I was like Oh, Glad Reunion, thank you.
I was about to phone some places in that other town -- like the great P.I. -- when the phone book didn't have numbers from there, so I would have to postpone that part of my work till I got home and to a decent internet connection. When I thought, how about her ex-roommate? It's a matter of going to the last known apartment, where naturally there weren't any names on the mailboxes. Three floors of apartments, shady characters, dangerous characters, people who might very well kill me if they thought I was a pizza delivery guy or something. I put on a confident face.
Fortunately for me there was a contact, a guy from my basic socioeconomic caste, a maintenance guy for the apartment manager, maybe below my station in life but not by much. At least our race matched. That put us on the same page as far as being able to shake our heads and wonder about these other people, which we didn't do, but it would have been a natural tact. When you're a private investigator you keep access to every button. Nothing is too politically correct. He was happy to give me information about which apartment she was in. I definitely sounded like a friend of a friend, with information only a friend of a friend would have.
To the apartment, and to success. They'd been in contact ... and in fact the phone rang while I was there, and guess who. We spoke and were reunited.
So I have two (what I would call) objective places to go. The last known place where she said she was going to get a job. And the last known place where she was staying, a motel. The job place I figured would be a toughie. I showed up and met the boss, who I was figuring would chase me from the place. But I explained myself and seemed genuinely interested in what they do there (I was genuinely interested), and recalled for him some funny incidences in my life where I had a similar job. We got on the same page and he was happy to go look her up in the computer for me to see if she worked there or had applied. She had applied but didn't work there.
I'm thinking when I hit the parking lot, hey, I'm like a private investigator. I don't have ultimate confidence in my abilities but I schmoozed that guy OK.
Next to the motel. I nodded to the guy taking out the trash. He might be a good contact later, need to establish sincere rapport. That must be his wife behind the counter. I tapped the counter like I was there to help you and you're there to help me. I explained that I'd visited with so and so a couple weeks ago and was hoping she was still here. She was in room so and so, I said. The lady remembered the guest but said she was only here that one week. She thought she said she was moving to such and such a town. I was like Oh, Glad Reunion, thank you.
I was about to phone some places in that other town -- like the great P.I. -- when the phone book didn't have numbers from there, so I would have to postpone that part of my work till I got home and to a decent internet connection. When I thought, how about her ex-roommate? It's a matter of going to the last known apartment, where naturally there weren't any names on the mailboxes. Three floors of apartments, shady characters, dangerous characters, people who might very well kill me if they thought I was a pizza delivery guy or something. I put on a confident face.
Fortunately for me there was a contact, a guy from my basic socioeconomic caste, a maintenance guy for the apartment manager, maybe below my station in life but not by much. At least our race matched. That put us on the same page as far as being able to shake our heads and wonder about these other people, which we didn't do, but it would have been a natural tact. When you're a private investigator you keep access to every button. Nothing is too politically correct. He was happy to give me information about which apartment she was in. I definitely sounded like a friend of a friend, with information only a friend of a friend would have.
To the apartment, and to success. They'd been in contact ... and in fact the phone rang while I was there, and guess who. We spoke and were reunited.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Soup Bloat
I've recently heard of something new, people going to the hospital just for the food. That is, they have a cafeteria there and people go across town to eat there ... on purpose. Everything I've ever heard before of hospital food was how bad it was. But now, somehow, it became good.
When my dad was in the hospital we ate at the cafeteria a lot, in a different town, and the food there was tolerable. They had things that weren't bad. There was sandwiches if you wanted that. And chicken, etc. But I wouldn't drive across town and go there by choice.
Now, though, it's good, or at least that's what they say. So how would you get there faster? The hospital might advertise how food their food is, and say, "People are calling an ambulance just to get here quicker ... it's that good!" But an ambulance is an expensive thing, although it's definitely a sweet ride if you can lay down the whole way.
As for me, I had a big bowl of some kind of soup. Progresso, I would guess, which humongous noodles and big chunks of chicken. I had the Papa Bear bowl, so that was a lot of soup. I didn't think I'd be able to finish it, because I had more of a Baby Bear appetite. But I worked at it and kept working at it. Now I have soup bloat, being on top of the pot of coffee I drank in the last couple hours.
Not a good feeling. Maybe I should go to the hospital.
When my dad was in the hospital we ate at the cafeteria a lot, in a different town, and the food there was tolerable. They had things that weren't bad. There was sandwiches if you wanted that. And chicken, etc. But I wouldn't drive across town and go there by choice.
Now, though, it's good, or at least that's what they say. So how would you get there faster? The hospital might advertise how food their food is, and say, "People are calling an ambulance just to get here quicker ... it's that good!" But an ambulance is an expensive thing, although it's definitely a sweet ride if you can lay down the whole way.
As for me, I had a big bowl of some kind of soup. Progresso, I would guess, which humongous noodles and big chunks of chicken. I had the Papa Bear bowl, so that was a lot of soup. I didn't think I'd be able to finish it, because I had more of a Baby Bear appetite. But I worked at it and kept working at it. Now I have soup bloat, being on top of the pot of coffee I drank in the last couple hours.
Not a good feeling. Maybe I should go to the hospital.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Adam's Song - "Ring Of Fire"
I had to miss much of American Idol last night. I came in just as they were giving the judges' feedback for Scott McIntyre. So I saw live everything that followed that.
That meant that I missed my favorite, Adam Lambert. But I backed up the recording later and watched his section. It was "Ring of Fire," since it was country week. This is a song that we all know as done by Johnny Cash. I would've preferred he had hewed a little closer to the line on this one, but he jazzed it up with some Middle Eastern flare. I thought it was nice but it didn't blow me away.
I was daydreaming about how he could have done it. Like with an actual ring of fire around him, diving through a ring of fire, something like that. Or wearing big wide cowboy chaps and holding a lasso. Almost looking like a plastic man doing two or three alternating poses, kind of like a flashing neon light. That'd look cool. But maybe that's a little wild for live TV.
I figure he'll make it through tonight and be back on top of the world next week. (I don't think he did bad, mind you).
That meant that I missed my favorite, Adam Lambert. But I backed up the recording later and watched his section. It was "Ring of Fire," since it was country week. This is a song that we all know as done by Johnny Cash. I would've preferred he had hewed a little closer to the line on this one, but he jazzed it up with some Middle Eastern flare. I thought it was nice but it didn't blow me away.
I was daydreaming about how he could have done it. Like with an actual ring of fire around him, diving through a ring of fire, something like that. Or wearing big wide cowboy chaps and holding a lasso. Almost looking like a plastic man doing two or three alternating poses, kind of like a flashing neon light. That'd look cool. But maybe that's a little wild for live TV.
I figure he'll make it through tonight and be back on top of the world next week. (I don't think he did bad, mind you).
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Cassette Culture
A few days ago I was at a music website and they sold their music on cassettes. My first thought was they ought to put it on CDs. But just a little exploration made it clear that they not only preferred cassettes, for reasons of their own, but that's all they used. Unless there were some 7" vinyl, I don't remember.
It seems like everything that's just about to go by the boards comes up with fans at the last second. Maybe there's an 8 track tape group, too. I have some of those. But they've always had troubles. I do remember getting an 8 track tape player one time and thinking I'd collect my music on 8 track tapes. That didn't last long, though, with some of the creative ways that 8 track tapes can find to break. Plus, I always hated the idea of a song being "continued" from one program to another.
Now cassettes, I've always liked cassettes and reel to reel tape. I used to record the radio on a reel to reel tape player, when I was a kid, and listen to the songs ... obviously without paying for them. It wasn't patched into the radio though; this was just a microphone held up to the radio speaker. There's one song by the Beatles, "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" that I recorded like that, and I can still hear (without knowing the exact words) the announcer leading into it, saying something like "vintage Beatles." This was the mid '60s and by then they were already saying "vintage" for the earlier stuff.
I still have a number of cassettes around. Not collected exactly in one place. Some in the closet, some in the basement, who knows where.
It seems like everything that's just about to go by the boards comes up with fans at the last second. Maybe there's an 8 track tape group, too. I have some of those. But they've always had troubles. I do remember getting an 8 track tape player one time and thinking I'd collect my music on 8 track tapes. That didn't last long, though, with some of the creative ways that 8 track tapes can find to break. Plus, I always hated the idea of a song being "continued" from one program to another.
Now cassettes, I've always liked cassettes and reel to reel tape. I used to record the radio on a reel to reel tape player, when I was a kid, and listen to the songs ... obviously without paying for them. It wasn't patched into the radio though; this was just a microphone held up to the radio speaker. There's one song by the Beatles, "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" that I recorded like that, and I can still hear (without knowing the exact words) the announcer leading into it, saying something like "vintage Beatles." This was the mid '60s and by then they were already saying "vintage" for the earlier stuff.
I still have a number of cassettes around. Not collected exactly in one place. Some in the closet, some in the basement, who knows where.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Burger King
I ate at Burger King the other day for the first time in a very long time.
It's a weird thing to suddenly find yourself at Burger King when you don't actually go there. I'm sitting there thinking about how unpredictable it would have been. No one would expect to see me there. If I didn't have my phone with me I would have been completely unreachable.
I discovered while there that Burger King was established in 1954. That's a long time ago. I wonder what Burger King was like in 1954. Was it like a local diner? A guy selling burgers out of the back of a van? They probably have the history of it over on their website. But look at them now! A big corporate thing with restaurants everywhere you look.
I notice also that they must have hired some humorous advertising, design people, because I saw a few jokes around. Or playful stuff. Like the french fries packet is called a "Frypod." Even the garbage can has a humorous invitation to get your trash in here anyway you can. And on a card at the table they played on their slogan to "Have it your own way," by saying you could let your drink overflow in the glass, although "We'd rather you didn't." (Words to that effect).
It wasn't bad. The guy messed up my order, but you expect that everywhere you go. I couldn't have been clearer. I said a Whopper Jr. meal, an extra Whopper Jr. sandwich, and a Whopper Jr. meal for the person with me. So what's that add up to -- let's see, 1, 2, 3 Whopper Jr. sandwiches with two of them having all the extras (fries and drink) that go with a meal. Naturally he shorted me a sandwich. But we got it after telling them about it, so that was nice.
It's a weird thing to suddenly find yourself at Burger King when you don't actually go there. I'm sitting there thinking about how unpredictable it would have been. No one would expect to see me there. If I didn't have my phone with me I would have been completely unreachable.
I discovered while there that Burger King was established in 1954. That's a long time ago. I wonder what Burger King was like in 1954. Was it like a local diner? A guy selling burgers out of the back of a van? They probably have the history of it over on their website. But look at them now! A big corporate thing with restaurants everywhere you look.
I notice also that they must have hired some humorous advertising, design people, because I saw a few jokes around. Or playful stuff. Like the french fries packet is called a "Frypod." Even the garbage can has a humorous invitation to get your trash in here anyway you can. And on a card at the table they played on their slogan to "Have it your own way," by saying you could let your drink overflow in the glass, although "We'd rather you didn't." (Words to that effect).
It wasn't bad. The guy messed up my order, but you expect that everywhere you go. I couldn't have been clearer. I said a Whopper Jr. meal, an extra Whopper Jr. sandwich, and a Whopper Jr. meal for the person with me. So what's that add up to -- let's see, 1, 2, 3 Whopper Jr. sandwiches with two of them having all the extras (fries and drink) that go with a meal. Naturally he shorted me a sandwich. But we got it after telling them about it, so that was nice.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
I Saw The Future Walk By Today
The future walked by today in this sense: I saw a young man and a young woman walking by. Both maybe 17-19, looking healthy. She caught my eye, definitely, with very blond hair. He was a nice looking guy. I noticed them when I saw her go up in the air, which happened because he was helping her get over a wet/muddy spot on the sidewalk. He picked her up a little bit and helped her across, then set her down. They both sidestepped another wet/muddy spot and went on their way, with my view blocked in seconds by a building.
I definitely thought there goes the future. Let's say they settle down together, have children, grandchildren, the whole thing. All those kids are still in their loins -- I love that expression (it's biblical) -- and don't know what they're in for. Dad's picking up Mom. They're young enough at this point to frolic right through the mud spots but Dad was chivalrous in those days. Very fresh. Maybe he was really glad for the mud spots. Anything to get his hands on Mom.
The kids I saw -- again, in their loins -- would love to come back to this moment and see what I saw. They were so young, so cute. It'd be a great picture for their family album. A beautiful day back in 2009 and Mom looked great!
Of course maybe it'll never happen, at least with those particular loins together. Maybe they're not that serious, maybe they'll split up, maybe no kids.
But I think it'll happen. I'm calling it a done deal. All those generations are coming.
I definitely thought there goes the future. Let's say they settle down together, have children, grandchildren, the whole thing. All those kids are still in their loins -- I love that expression (it's biblical) -- and don't know what they're in for. Dad's picking up Mom. They're young enough at this point to frolic right through the mud spots but Dad was chivalrous in those days. Very fresh. Maybe he was really glad for the mud spots. Anything to get his hands on Mom.
The kids I saw -- again, in their loins -- would love to come back to this moment and see what I saw. They were so young, so cute. It'd be a great picture for their family album. A beautiful day back in 2009 and Mom looked great!
Of course maybe it'll never happen, at least with those particular loins together. Maybe they're not that serious, maybe they'll split up, maybe no kids.
But I think it'll happen. I'm calling it a done deal. All those generations are coming.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Rare Superman Comic
I love to hear about old comic books selling for high prices. It just goes to show our old teachers that comics were valuable and their textbooks were worthless! You know what you can get textbooks for? Go to old book sales and they'll let you carry them out free if you're willing to help them get rid of them. But comics. Well, there's plenty of cheap ones, I guess.
The comic book in question this time is the first "Action" issue, which featured Superman's first appearance. He's holding a car up in the air, leading me to remember a great joke from childhood. "My father is the strongest man in the world." "Why?" "He's a policeman and can hold up a car with one hand." Ha ha.
The original owner, that is, the most recent owner of this comic before it's last sale, got it for 35 cents in a secondhand store in the '50s. Which leads me to wonder why it was so much back then? A secondhand store in the '50s selling old comics for 35 cents? You'd almost think it'd be a nickel or a dime. Still, why quibble? Give the guy 35 cents. It recently sold for over $300,000.
The most valuable comic I ever happened to own was #10 of Spiderman, which at the time listed for something around $70. So I couldn't retire on that.
When I was a kid we had stacks of comics, but they weren't cared for. Instead they were read to death, over and over.
The comic book in question this time is the first "Action" issue, which featured Superman's first appearance. He's holding a car up in the air, leading me to remember a great joke from childhood. "My father is the strongest man in the world." "Why?" "He's a policeman and can hold up a car with one hand." Ha ha.
The original owner, that is, the most recent owner of this comic before it's last sale, got it for 35 cents in a secondhand store in the '50s. Which leads me to wonder why it was so much back then? A secondhand store in the '50s selling old comics for 35 cents? You'd almost think it'd be a nickel or a dime. Still, why quibble? Give the guy 35 cents. It recently sold for over $300,000.
The most valuable comic I ever happened to own was #10 of Spiderman, which at the time listed for something around $70. So I couldn't retire on that.
When I was a kid we had stacks of comics, but they weren't cared for. Instead they were read to death, over and over.
Friday, March 13, 2009
I Don't Know About This Poll
They have a new favorability/unfavorability poll at Daily Kos. And according to it 9% of the respondents don't know George W. Bush. DemFromCT also questions that. Where could these people be, and how did they happen to get sampled for the poll?
Some of the other unknowns probably aren't that surprising? I hear about Jon Stewart about everyday but I never hear people talking about him, or rarely. So he's unknown by 67%, and Stephen Colbert by 76%. Bernie Madoff ties with Colbert at 76%. I don't know much about him, except what's been in the news recently, and I haven't been paying close attention.
The main point seems to be that right-wing nut cases have the lowest unfavorability. So that's great news.
The Democratic party has a 55% approval, the GOP is barely holding the dead-enders at 29%.
Who says there's no good news?
Some of the other unknowns probably aren't that surprising? I hear about Jon Stewart about everyday but I never hear people talking about him, or rarely. So he's unknown by 67%, and Stephen Colbert by 76%. Bernie Madoff ties with Colbert at 76%. I don't know much about him, except what's been in the news recently, and I haven't been paying close attention.
The main point seems to be that right-wing nut cases have the lowest unfavorability. So that's great news.
The Democratic party has a 55% approval, the GOP is barely holding the dead-enders at 29%.
Who says there's no good news?
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Smell Hallucinations
I wrote about this subject in December, concerning an episode in September (and into October):
Now I've discovered the phrase, "smell hallucinations," just in time to think I'm having them. It's still not as terrible as it was in September. I even smelled other people in a weird way, terrible stuff. I didn't think I was having hallucinations but I was disbelieving when I asked this other person if she smelled anything and she said she didn't. I just chalked it up to whatever, I didn't know.
Looking up the phrase, though, you see it's an actual thing. And the scary thing about it is that is can be related to a brain tumor or schizophrenia, mental defects, depression, I don't know what all. Maybe I've shut out what it can be related to. I actually seem like someone in picture perfect health, but I guess I'm made of flesh and blood like everyone else.
Right now I can put my hands to my nose and smell like about 10 shades of something mildly putrid, even though I've washed at least a dozen times today, before eating, after going to the bathroom, after taking the dog out, etc. Every once in a while I catch a strange whiff from out of nowhere. And generally, up to a few days ago, I had about 6-9 candles in my office, setting around, lighting one maybe once a day in the morning. But with the latest round of this "smell hallucination" trouble, the scent of all the scented ones has been overwhelming, even sickening. I have them all in a plastic tote, sealed. The candle wax that had dripped and was in my waste basket -- which wasn't bothering me a bit -- I had to get rid of. And the waste basket is gone, because even it was smelling so terrible.
If this means anything, it's interesting, that food smells and tastes exactly the same for me that it always has. So it's not like normal things with normal smells are being accentuated or corrupted. It's just all these additional smells and odors coming from hands, my desk where the candles used to be, etc., that are adding to the mix. Just like in September, sometimes it's mildly pleasurable, but it gets sickening. It's definitely not as sickening now, though, as it was back then. I haven't used any cleaning supplies this time, so far.
That's about it. It's giving me something to think about. I might be the first guy in my family to die from something called "smell hallucinations," if it turns out to be a tumor. Or I might end up in a mental institution, my pet fetish being to carry a dry bucket and be pretend-scrubbing the floors and walls all day.
I wanted to make note of something, which I imagined once as a lengthy post, that is, when I was in the terrible thick of it. I was in a real quandary with bacteria, at least in my imagination. It's hard now to believe I went through it, but there was so much smelly bacteria surrounding me, in my chairs, my walls, my desk, my floors, my clothing, that I was doing daily battle with it. My weapons to fight back included Oust and hydrogen peroxide. I abandoned two chairs. I Oust-bombed my rooms a few times. It was a difficult time.Then the other day as well:
My nose might be going through some things. I seem to be going through these periods of smelling things in a more pronounced way than usual. It's like a super sense, except I don't know if everything around me is smelling more or it's just a malfunctioning nose or brain.But when I was investigating this back in September, I was searching for things on bacteria, and not on "smell hallucinations." I didn't even know there was such a thing, which is weird because I thought I was doing some extensive searching.
Right now is one of those times. There are foul smells everywhere. The last major incidence of this was last September, and it finally had me spraying Oust, wiping things off with hydrogen peroxide, and every kind of disinfectant we happened to have. Then everything went away. But now I'm starting to notice things again. If spring would get here I could open the windows. Till then, I'm staying on guard.
Now I've discovered the phrase, "smell hallucinations," just in time to think I'm having them. It's still not as terrible as it was in September. I even smelled other people in a weird way, terrible stuff. I didn't think I was having hallucinations but I was disbelieving when I asked this other person if she smelled anything and she said she didn't. I just chalked it up to whatever, I didn't know.
Looking up the phrase, though, you see it's an actual thing. And the scary thing about it is that is can be related to a brain tumor or schizophrenia, mental defects, depression, I don't know what all. Maybe I've shut out what it can be related to. I actually seem like someone in picture perfect health, but I guess I'm made of flesh and blood like everyone else.
Right now I can put my hands to my nose and smell like about 10 shades of something mildly putrid, even though I've washed at least a dozen times today, before eating, after going to the bathroom, after taking the dog out, etc. Every once in a while I catch a strange whiff from out of nowhere. And generally, up to a few days ago, I had about 6-9 candles in my office, setting around, lighting one maybe once a day in the morning. But with the latest round of this "smell hallucination" trouble, the scent of all the scented ones has been overwhelming, even sickening. I have them all in a plastic tote, sealed. The candle wax that had dripped and was in my waste basket -- which wasn't bothering me a bit -- I had to get rid of. And the waste basket is gone, because even it was smelling so terrible.
If this means anything, it's interesting, that food smells and tastes exactly the same for me that it always has. So it's not like normal things with normal smells are being accentuated or corrupted. It's just all these additional smells and odors coming from hands, my desk where the candles used to be, etc., that are adding to the mix. Just like in September, sometimes it's mildly pleasurable, but it gets sickening. It's definitely not as sickening now, though, as it was back then. I haven't used any cleaning supplies this time, so far.
That's about it. It's giving me something to think about. I might be the first guy in my family to die from something called "smell hallucinations," if it turns out to be a tumor. Or I might end up in a mental institution, my pet fetish being to carry a dry bucket and be pretend-scrubbing the floors and walls all day.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Adam Lambert And Everyone Else
How about Adam Lambert on American Idol? Huh? Huh? Did I tell ya? Yeah! The guy's great. They need to have him go first. Then we can just turn off the TV and save time.
Everyone else on the show pales in comparison, even the really really good ones, like Lil Rounds and Allison Iraheta. I don't care for Scott McIntyre, too stiff, too fragile. I don't like Kris Allen, too ordinary. Who else? Michael Sarver, too boring. Alexis Grace, I'm big on her, but she didn't have it last night, but she approached it. I'm drawing a blank on whoever the others are. Someone Giraud, ehh. Megan, blah. No one should do "Rockin' Robin," I'm sorry. That song is pure crap. Anoop, not for me.
But Adam. Now there is a performer. Coolest looks, coolest voice, confidence, owns the stage. Very exciting guy.
Everyone else on the show pales in comparison, even the really really good ones, like Lil Rounds and Allison Iraheta. I don't care for Scott McIntyre, too stiff, too fragile. I don't like Kris Allen, too ordinary. Who else? Michael Sarver, too boring. Alexis Grace, I'm big on her, but she didn't have it last night, but she approached it. I'm drawing a blank on whoever the others are. Someone Giraud, ehh. Megan, blah. No one should do "Rockin' Robin," I'm sorry. That song is pure crap. Anoop, not for me.
But Adam. Now there is a performer. Coolest looks, coolest voice, confidence, owns the stage. Very exciting guy.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... And Spring
Bowing and pranams all around ... namaste, have a nice day.
Here's a movie, "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring." It's Korean. I don't think I've ever seen a Korean movie before. It is definitely a good one. Have you ever heard of it? Do you ever look at the foreign titles at the local video store? I wasn't looking for it but saw it and decided to risk $1.89 to watch it. Good choice.
This is a movie like I always think I want to see. A movie without a clear plot. The conflict throughout is man against himself, and even then it's more like man accepts himself, then overcomes himself to experience his real self. There's guns and sex and murder and unpleasant things aplenty, but it's all part of the person's development and tangential to the story in a way it wouldn't be in other movies.
You can tell by the title and by the sequential nature of it -- seasonal vignettes -- what's going to happen, which is OK. You just want to see whatever growth, whatever acceptance, whatever regrets, etc., are going to come about.
There's an older man and a child, who grows, on a small lake, in the middle of the lake, in a little house. They have a wooden dock surrounding the house, out there floating. They have a rowboat and they're back and forth to the shore continually. They do various Buddhist rituals, and that's their religion. It's very interesting that their bedroom is not walled off from the rest of the interior of the house but they have a standing door that they use. I'm thinking I need one of those kind of houses. No walls, but still have doors. It seemed appealing.
The young man grows, makes mistakes, learns about suffering by suffering. The old man seems quiet, not exactly disappointed but expecting all this. He doesn't jump in continually to help correct the young man's mistakes, but does offer some guidance, especially when he's a tiny kid. The kid's tormenting little animals and learns a lesson that stays with him till the end.
They go through the seasons. There's a girl on board for a while. This is where the sex happens. The young man is growing up and has to learn.
As for the appearance of things in the movie, it's all very beautiful. It plods along in places where you'd expect them to cut it and let time lapse more quickly. But it's all OK. You see him crawling up a hill in excruciating detail, for example. It's a movie to think about.
Several quite unexpected things happen. At least from my point of view. It's a movie worth finding.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Big Difference
Remember the big trouble that was reported when Clinton passed the presidency to Bush. That someone broke a few typewriter keys, namely the W on a few typewriters. This slowed down Bush's ability to step in and get his presidency off to a successful start. The Republicans were up in arms.
But what about when Bush left the presidency to Obama. He left the entire country in shambles, the economy, the military, everything in dire straits, a total mess.
Pretty big difference between the two!
But what about when Bush left the presidency to Obama. He left the entire country in shambles, the economy, the military, everything in dire straits, a total mess.
Pretty big difference between the two!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Republicans
I see that Michael Steele said something about how he's trying to get an elephant out that's stuck in its own mire. That's a pretty good image. They're definitely stuck.
In addition, there's hopeful signs -- if you think having a "loyal opposition" is a good thing, instead of just having an opposition, destructive and unhelpful. Two other Republicans or guys on that side somewhere, David Frum and Newt Gingrich, are standing up to Rush. Frum in a Newsweek column, of which I've only read a few lines. Just going by memory, it seems like he had some negative things to say about the R's chances in 2008 and glimpsed realism at that time somewhere. Newt in a TV interview. Newt's of course all over the place. Not usually in a good place, but this sounds more positive. He thinks it's "irrational" to want the president to fail, and that's true.
I presume the Republicans want to reclaim power at some point, and that they want there to be something left for them to reclaim, that they're not looking for an apocalyptic field somewhere that's nothing but dead limbs and bodies. If that's what they want to have authority over, then they have every reason to want misery. If they want to take power and start from a position other than the bottom rung of the ladder, then they need to hope and act for the best. Since Obama is the actual president now, and will be for the next few years at least, if things are going to happen anyway they should have a positive outcome.
The big dilemma for them, of course, is if things are too good, then Obama and the Democrats sail through again. I suppose every opposition wants a varying level of success on the other side, or to be in a position to claim half or more of the credit. If I were a Republican (which won't happen), I would be coming up with policies that sounded credible, trying to do things in a partnership of sorts, and keeping track of what credit was due us. It sounds rational.
I don't like the current brand of politics. It's too destructive. I want Obama to succeed for many reasons. One, I like him. Two, it's for our common good, so people aren't suffering as much. How hard's that?
In addition, there's hopeful signs -- if you think having a "loyal opposition" is a good thing, instead of just having an opposition, destructive and unhelpful. Two other Republicans or guys on that side somewhere, David Frum and Newt Gingrich, are standing up to Rush. Frum in a Newsweek column, of which I've only read a few lines. Just going by memory, it seems like he had some negative things to say about the R's chances in 2008 and glimpsed realism at that time somewhere. Newt in a TV interview. Newt's of course all over the place. Not usually in a good place, but this sounds more positive. He thinks it's "irrational" to want the president to fail, and that's true.
I presume the Republicans want to reclaim power at some point, and that they want there to be something left for them to reclaim, that they're not looking for an apocalyptic field somewhere that's nothing but dead limbs and bodies. If that's what they want to have authority over, then they have every reason to want misery. If they want to take power and start from a position other than the bottom rung of the ladder, then they need to hope and act for the best. Since Obama is the actual president now, and will be for the next few years at least, if things are going to happen anyway they should have a positive outcome.
The big dilemma for them, of course, is if things are too good, then Obama and the Democrats sail through again. I suppose every opposition wants a varying level of success on the other side, or to be in a position to claim half or more of the credit. If I were a Republican (which won't happen), I would be coming up with policies that sounded credible, trying to do things in a partnership of sorts, and keeping track of what credit was due us. It sounds rational.
I don't like the current brand of politics. It's too destructive. I want Obama to succeed for many reasons. One, I like him. Two, it's for our common good, so people aren't suffering as much. How hard's that?
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Limbaugh Crosses The Delaware
Here's a great cartoon.
It's one thing to be the loyal opposition. But what Limbaugh and the Republicans are doing is something way beyond that.
They want their own country to go down the tubes, all for crass, short-term political gain. That's disgusting.
It's one thing to be the loyal opposition. But what Limbaugh and the Republicans are doing is something way beyond that.
They want their own country to go down the tubes, all for crass, short-term political gain. That's disgusting.
Friday, March 6, 2009
My Nose Sniffing Things
I saw an article today -- it was from Turkey -- about bacteria and infections from cellphones in hospitals. Some of them even carry the MRSA superbug, for which there is no known counterforce that can kill it, neutralize it, or persuade it to leave.
My cellphone is in my pocket at this very second, not just zapping my heart and brain by the rays it's getting from the tower, but possibly spreading germs from there up to my nose. I still feel healthy, but it's something to think about.
My nose might be going through some things. I seem to be going through these periods of smelling things in a more pronounced way than usual. It's like a super sense, except I don't know if everything around me is smelling more or it's just a malfunctioning nose or brain.
Right now is one of those times. There are foul smells everywhere. The last major incidence of this was last September, and it finally had me spraying Oust, wiping things off with hydrogen peroxide, and every kind of disinfectant we happened to have. Then everything went away. But now I'm starting to notice things again. If spring would get here I could open the windows. Till then, I'm staying on guard.
My cellphone is in my pocket at this very second, not just zapping my heart and brain by the rays it's getting from the tower, but possibly spreading germs from there up to my nose. I still feel healthy, but it's something to think about.
My nose might be going through some things. I seem to be going through these periods of smelling things in a more pronounced way than usual. It's like a super sense, except I don't know if everything around me is smelling more or it's just a malfunctioning nose or brain.
Right now is one of those times. There are foul smells everywhere. The last major incidence of this was last September, and it finally had me spraying Oust, wiping things off with hydrogen peroxide, and every kind of disinfectant we happened to have. Then everything went away. But now I'm starting to notice things again. If spring would get here I could open the windows. Till then, I'm staying on guard.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Nag Hammadi Library
I've had this book around for quiet a while, "The Nag Hammadi Library," with James M. Robinson as the general editor. I've read parts of it -- I've given it a go a few times -- but usually end up doing something else. But it's a subject I'm interested in, so I'm giving it another try.
A few years ago I read practically the whole thing of another volume (not identical by any means) of some of the same documents, "The Gnostic Scriptures" with Bentley Layton as the editor, commentator, or whatever. Somehow, though, I don't retain what I read, except the general outlines of it, the basic myth. I'd like to be one of those guys who can hear something from one of the books and go, "Oh, that's such and such a book," like with real understanding of it. Not just trivia.
I like religious/spiritual writings, and there's something about these people doing their own thing that's very appealing. I saw a website a couple days ago -- http://www.thegodabovegod.com/ called Aeon Byte, and it reminded me of my ever fluctuating interest in such things. They seem to really have something going on over there, with a radio-type of show, 120-some shows archived and for sale at a fairly cheap price. That's impressive. Interviews, whatever.
Anyway, the need for more indepth study of interests is a need I am perceiving. So I'm giving it a go. I read the introduction -- I'd read parts of it before -- to this Robinson book. And the Gospel of Thomas through again. This is stuff a person should know! Fascinating stuff.
A few years ago I read practically the whole thing of another volume (not identical by any means) of some of the same documents, "The Gnostic Scriptures" with Bentley Layton as the editor, commentator, or whatever. Somehow, though, I don't retain what I read, except the general outlines of it, the basic myth. I'd like to be one of those guys who can hear something from one of the books and go, "Oh, that's such and such a book," like with real understanding of it. Not just trivia.
I like religious/spiritual writings, and there's something about these people doing their own thing that's very appealing. I saw a website a couple days ago -- http://www.thegodabovegod.com/ called Aeon Byte, and it reminded me of my ever fluctuating interest in such things. They seem to really have something going on over there, with a radio-type of show, 120-some shows archived and for sale at a fairly cheap price. That's impressive. Interviews, whatever.
Anyway, the need for more indepth study of interests is a need I am perceiving. So I'm giving it a go. I read the introduction -- I'd read parts of it before -- to this Robinson book. And the Gospel of Thomas through again. This is stuff a person should know! Fascinating stuff.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Very Glad To Meet You
I met a guy at my office today. He was in the hallway, looking for someone, and he found me.
It turned out we had certain things in common, places we've lived, landmarks we knew in common, even places we've worked. I started interviewing him, kind of like the guy used to do on C-SPAN, Brian Lamb. About trivia, like where he lived, how he trained for his job, and so forth.
I don't know completely what the guy thought. Maybe how odd it was for me to be so happy to meet him. Whatever he was up to, probably most people either say "Go away" or are nice to him so he'll leave more quickly.
I was feeling self-conscious about it, too, thinking how fun it felt to be completely nice to someone. It's not like a telemarketer or someone out to get you. This is was something pleasant and very human.
It turned out we had certain things in common, places we've lived, landmarks we knew in common, even places we've worked. I started interviewing him, kind of like the guy used to do on C-SPAN, Brian Lamb. About trivia, like where he lived, how he trained for his job, and so forth.
I don't know completely what the guy thought. Maybe how odd it was for me to be so happy to meet him. Whatever he was up to, probably most people either say "Go away" or are nice to him so he'll leave more quickly.
I was feeling self-conscious about it, too, thinking how fun it felt to be completely nice to someone. It's not like a telemarketer or someone out to get you. This is was something pleasant and very human.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
American Idol
It's not real entertaining tonight for some reason. No one's blown me away, that's for sure. A lot of dreary, paint-by-numbers stuff so far.
The blonde girl, Kristen, was the best so far. And that's not saying much. Nathaniel, the drama queen guy, did a Meatloaf song. Not splendid, but he has enough self confidence to go out there and do it well, which I liked. There's no one I would vote for yet.
There's one kid who did some growling thing. He was terrible. I'm planning on looking it up on video somewhere because I was talking during it. But he was doing some interesting things -- it sounded like, but quite unnecessary and unappreciated by the judges.
Last week we had Allison and Adam. They were great. No one's measuring up so far.
UPDATE - Lil Rounds was definitely the best. So she'll make it. I would guess Jorge will make it, since he'll probably get every Spanish vote in the country. He's a charming guy and put a lot into it. I agree with Simon. It's stupid to give him dialect lessons trying to make him sound like everyone else. It seems like the point of going to Puerto Rico for auditions would be to find someone who sounds like people from there. There's a rich market for that and let the guy sing the way he sings. He was good. So Lil, Jorge, and, yikes, I don't know who else, maybe Felicia. She was back for a second whack at this. She looked great, sounded good over our TV, and did a good post performance interview bit. Sounded and looked great. (Oh, I forgot about Scott McIntyre. The judges raved over him, so he'll probably beat out Felicia.)
The blonde girl, Kristen, was the best so far. And that's not saying much. Nathaniel, the drama queen guy, did a Meatloaf song. Not splendid, but he has enough self confidence to go out there and do it well, which I liked. There's no one I would vote for yet.
There's one kid who did some growling thing. He was terrible. I'm planning on looking it up on video somewhere because I was talking during it. But he was doing some interesting things -- it sounded like, but quite unnecessary and unappreciated by the judges.
Last week we had Allison and Adam. They were great. No one's measuring up so far.
UPDATE - Lil Rounds was definitely the best. So she'll make it. I would guess Jorge will make it, since he'll probably get every Spanish vote in the country. He's a charming guy and put a lot into it. I agree with Simon. It's stupid to give him dialect lessons trying to make him sound like everyone else. It seems like the point of going to Puerto Rico for auditions would be to find someone who sounds like people from there. There's a rich market for that and let the guy sing the way he sings. He was good. So Lil, Jorge, and, yikes, I don't know who else, maybe Felicia. She was back for a second whack at this. She looked great, sounded good over our TV, and did a good post performance interview bit. Sounded and looked great. (Oh, I forgot about Scott McIntyre. The judges raved over him, so he'll probably beat out Felicia.)
Monday, March 2, 2009
How Terrifying
The football players and their friends who were out fishing about 35 miles off the Florida coast ... their boat flipped over sometime Saturday ... and the one guy wasn't rescued till Monday afternoon ... the other guys weren't there ... how terrifying that would be.
I can't imagine how terrible it'd be, like when hour after hour you're out there. Then night comes, then all night happens. The cold, the isolation, just miserable.
They did rescue the one guy, and he said the others had life jackets on, but somehow he last saw them 2 a.m. one morning ... this is terrible stuff.
I can't imagine how terrible it'd be, like when hour after hour you're out there. Then night comes, then all night happens. The cold, the isolation, just miserable.
They did rescue the one guy, and he said the others had life jackets on, but somehow he last saw them 2 a.m. one morning ... this is terrible stuff.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Tru TV
I don't watch much TV, but I like to have it going when I'm eating. However long that takes. My normal channels are the news channels, except Fox, which I don't watch.
Lately I've been turning it over to Tru TV and alternating between it and Discovery. Tru TV has a lot of cops shows. Those are OK, but the real exciting stuff are the shows called "Most Shocking" and stuff like that. Where insane stuff is happening and they just happen to have it on video.
There are plenty of cop videos, like where the perp goes nuts during an arrest or trying to avoid an arrest. One thing I've noticed is that police car videos are hardly ever in the focus. It seems like they'd work on the video technology and clear things up a bit.
Some of the Most Shocking stuff is pretty shocking, like an Alzheimer's patient driving a car on the wrong side of a busy freeway. You know it's already past, and they don't seem to show videos where people got killed. But still you think, I'd hate to see that guy coming at me.
Today there was one where a lottery winner was cashing in his ticket at the convenience store and a truck came barreling through the wall, just missing the guy by about a foot. There was another convenience store -- gas station place -- where someone fell asleep and here they come, wiping out a gas pump, then into the store. Everyone looks terrified, which is exactly what you'd feel like.
As for the "Cops" show, the show that goes by that name, it has its moments. Some of it's pretty boring, since they're just documenting actual police shifts. They zero in on some guy, they get him arrested, but he's not arrested for much. One of the ones tonight, he had honked his horn in a residential area and that was disturbance of the peace. Hardly exciting enough to bother us with, but they did bash out his driver's side window. That's a high price to pay for honking your horn, but he really should have pulled over when they turned on the lights.
Lately I've been turning it over to Tru TV and alternating between it and Discovery. Tru TV has a lot of cops shows. Those are OK, but the real exciting stuff are the shows called "Most Shocking" and stuff like that. Where insane stuff is happening and they just happen to have it on video.
There are plenty of cop videos, like where the perp goes nuts during an arrest or trying to avoid an arrest. One thing I've noticed is that police car videos are hardly ever in the focus. It seems like they'd work on the video technology and clear things up a bit.
Some of the Most Shocking stuff is pretty shocking, like an Alzheimer's patient driving a car on the wrong side of a busy freeway. You know it's already past, and they don't seem to show videos where people got killed. But still you think, I'd hate to see that guy coming at me.
Today there was one where a lottery winner was cashing in his ticket at the convenience store and a truck came barreling through the wall, just missing the guy by about a foot. There was another convenience store -- gas station place -- where someone fell asleep and here they come, wiping out a gas pump, then into the store. Everyone looks terrified, which is exactly what you'd feel like.
As for the "Cops" show, the show that goes by that name, it has its moments. Some of it's pretty boring, since they're just documenting actual police shifts. They zero in on some guy, they get him arrested, but he's not arrested for much. One of the ones tonight, he had honked his horn in a residential area and that was disturbance of the peace. Hardly exciting enough to bother us with, but they did bash out his driver's side window. That's a high price to pay for honking your horn, but he really should have pulled over when they turned on the lights.
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