...supposedly this is Wes Anderson's short that will no longer be shown with The Darjeeling Limited get it while it's hot.
3:24 PM (37 comments):
Here's a link for Wes Anderson's Hotel Chevalier -- Jason Schwartzman, a yellow and biege hotel room with a great view, Peter Sarstedt's "Where Do You Go To, My Lovely?", the naked Natalie Portman (with bruises) and a great pair of lines -- Portman saying "if we f, I'm going to feel like s tomorrow" and Schwartzman saying "that's okay with me." The download is free. It's best to have iTunes open first. It lasts 13 minutes.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Two thoughts from my ride in to work
First, I was driving behind an SUV with the following two bumper stickers:
"Gore '08... for earth's sake.
"Still PISSED at Yoko"
And it made me wonder if the person driving the vehicle knew that he/she was now a living cliche'.
The second is that I REALLY hope that the Iranian president's speech at Columbia is like when the Martians visit the Congress.
"Ack Ack, AckAck ACK ACK!!" And then a deathray kills them all. That would make me laugh.
The other thing I was thinking though is, what if he is assasinated? I mean, during Yom Kippur, he says something stupid, some hot head in the crowd get rowdy, has a gun... When will or colleges learn about gun control, blah blah blah, talking head fever. But what are the ramifications? Interesting idea.
Thoughts?
"Gore '08... for earth's sake.
"Still PISSED at Yoko"
And it made me wonder if the person driving the vehicle knew that he/she was now a living cliche'.
The second is that I REALLY hope that the Iranian president's speech at Columbia is like when the Martians visit the Congress.
"Ack Ack, AckAck ACK ACK!!" And then a deathray kills them all. That would make me laugh.
The other thing I was thinking though is, what if he is assasinated? I mean, during Yom Kippur, he says something stupid, some hot head in the crowd get rowdy, has a gun... When will or colleges learn about gun control, blah blah blah, talking head fever. But what are the ramifications? Interesting idea.
Thoughts?
Friday, September 21, 2007
I Disagree and why.
So, read all of this:
CHEAP TOMATOES - A Reality Check!
This one tells it like it really is..............Hope you read it all...........
This English teacher has phrased it the best I've seen yet. CHEAP TOMATOES?This should make everyone think, be you Democrat, Republican or Independent. From a California school teacher - - - "As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of: I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels. Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park, etc., where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and roll -- but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)I estimate that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones. The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK) I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial.. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK) I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students here in the country less then 3 months who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas" whores and throwing things that the teachers were in tears. Free medical, free education, free food, day care etc., etc, etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements? To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the TRUE costs. Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases etc., etc, etc. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes. We need to wake up. The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won't have the guts to enforce it. Does anyone in their right mind really think they will voluntarily leave and return? There are many hardworking Hispanic/American citizens that contribute to our country and many that I consider my true friends We should encourage and accept those Hispanics who have done it the right and legal way. It does, however, have everything to do with culture: A third- world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about "politically correctness" that we don't have the will to do anything about it. If this makes your blood boil, as it did mine, forward this to everyone you know. CHEAP LABOR? Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about? Business doesn't want to pay a decent wage. Consumers don't want expensive produce. Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs. But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, and a lie. there is no such thing as "cheap labor." Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children. He takes a job for $5.00 or $6.00/hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an "earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free. He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent. He qualifies for food stamps. He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care. His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school. He requires bilingual teachers and books. He qualifies for relief from high energy bills. If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI. Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare. All of this is at (our) taxpayer's expense. He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance. Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material. He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits. Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour left after paying their bills and his. The American taxpayers also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean-up. Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT! Wake up people. THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS WE SHOULD BE ADDRESSING TO THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR EITHER PARTY. 'AND WHEN THEY LIE TO US AND DON'T DO AS THEY SAY, WE SHOULD REPLACE THEM AT ONCE! THIS HAS GOT TO BE PASSED ALONG TO AS MANY AS POSSIBLE OR WE WILL ALL GO DOWN THE DRAIN BECAUSE A FEW DON'T CARE.
This is what bothers me about it, if you'd like to complain about the government programs, then I am with you. The drain on tax payer dollars is absurd and I tend to think that about 90% of the government programs anyone could name. Post-New Deal, we're swamped with useless expenditures that are nothing but a drain on our country, and an unwelcome one at that. But I don't see the problem with immigrants and I don't see the problem with the $5 or $6 and hour that he makes. If there is a complaint that is valid here it is in regards to the unearned benefits of a non-taxpayer getting tax-funded benefits. But shouldn't the issue be the tax-funded benefits themselves?
To complain that someone is not a citizen but is getting the rights of a citizen, but then to also say that the person should not be MADE a citizen, well that seems foolish. Make citizens of these people. Make them pay taxes as citizens. Let them decide, as voters, whether they want to have their income taxed and spent on food programs, or if they'd rather write irate e-mails about whomever we're not letting into the country next.
Honestly, this just strikes me as a racist argument, and one that is not at all new. It's been around since there have been immigrants, and I suppose it's not going away.
CHEAP TOMATOES - A Reality Check!
This one tells it like it really is..............Hope you read it all...........
This English teacher has phrased it the best I've seen yet. CHEAP TOMATOES?This should make everyone think, be you Democrat, Republican or Independent. From a California school teacher - - - "As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of: I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels. Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park, etc., where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and roll -- but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)I estimate that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones. The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK) I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial.. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK) I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students here in the country less then 3 months who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas" whores and throwing things that the teachers were in tears. Free medical, free education, free food, day care etc., etc, etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements? To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the TRUE costs. Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases etc., etc, etc. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes. We need to wake up. The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won't have the guts to enforce it. Does anyone in their right mind really think they will voluntarily leave and return? There are many hardworking Hispanic/American citizens that contribute to our country and many that I consider my true friends We should encourage and accept those Hispanics who have done it the right and legal way. It does, however, have everything to do with culture: A third- world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about "politically correctness" that we don't have the will to do anything about it. If this makes your blood boil, as it did mine, forward this to everyone you know. CHEAP LABOR? Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about? Business doesn't want to pay a decent wage. Consumers don't want expensive produce. Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs. But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, and a lie. there is no such thing as "cheap labor." Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children. He takes a job for $5.00 or $6.00/hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an "earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free. He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent. He qualifies for food stamps. He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care. His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school. He requires bilingual teachers and books. He qualifies for relief from high energy bills. If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI. Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare. All of this is at (our) taxpayer's expense. He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance. Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material. He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits. Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour left after paying their bills and his. The American taxpayers also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean-up. Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT! Wake up people. THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS WE SHOULD BE ADDRESSING TO THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR EITHER PARTY. 'AND WHEN THEY LIE TO US AND DON'T DO AS THEY SAY, WE SHOULD REPLACE THEM AT ONCE! THIS HAS GOT TO BE PASSED ALONG TO AS MANY AS POSSIBLE OR WE WILL ALL GO DOWN THE DRAIN BECAUSE A FEW DON'T CARE.
This is what bothers me about it, if you'd like to complain about the government programs, then I am with you. The drain on tax payer dollars is absurd and I tend to think that about 90% of the government programs anyone could name. Post-New Deal, we're swamped with useless expenditures that are nothing but a drain on our country, and an unwelcome one at that. But I don't see the problem with immigrants and I don't see the problem with the $5 or $6 and hour that he makes. If there is a complaint that is valid here it is in regards to the unearned benefits of a non-taxpayer getting tax-funded benefits. But shouldn't the issue be the tax-funded benefits themselves?
To complain that someone is not a citizen but is getting the rights of a citizen, but then to also say that the person should not be MADE a citizen, well that seems foolish. Make citizens of these people. Make them pay taxes as citizens. Let them decide, as voters, whether they want to have their income taxed and spent on food programs, or if they'd rather write irate e-mails about whomever we're not letting into the country next.
Honestly, this just strikes me as a racist argument, and one that is not at all new. It's been around since there have been immigrants, and I suppose it's not going away.
Really A Clever Idea
From the mind of the quite talented and interesting Jesse Eisenberg come this quite clever site.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
An impassioned plea for stuff....
In case anyone wants to read it here, instead of their e-mail...
So, just to be a complete materialist and all, I'm gettting ready to leave for Japan and I have a bunch of stuff at Grandma Pitrone's. I'm going to come home on the 30th, really late, with the wife, stay for two days, get everything together to go with us, and then leave by Wednesday morning, early as we can. The point of all this is, if anyone has anything that could be considered mine, please bring it to Grandma's before then and I will pick out the things that the wife and I may need, and then everything remaining can be sold/given/thrown away. I know that many of you are actually utilizing the stuff, and if you are, then by all means keep it, but if not, then please bring it to Grandma's toss it in my room and I'll sort it when I am home and go from there. Thoughts? I'd really appreciate it, and I imagine that it will free up some important space at Grandma's, and it'd really help me out, Thanks, and I hope to see you over those couple days.
So, just to be a complete materialist and all, I'm gettting ready to leave for Japan and I have a bunch of stuff at Grandma Pitrone's. I'm going to come home on the 30th, really late, with the wife, stay for two days, get everything together to go with us, and then leave by Wednesday morning, early as we can. The point of all this is, if anyone has anything that could be considered mine, please bring it to Grandma's before then and I will pick out the things that the wife and I may need, and then everything remaining can be sold/given/thrown away. I know that many of you are actually utilizing the stuff, and if you are, then by all means keep it, but if not, then please bring it to Grandma's toss it in my room and I'll sort it when I am home and go from there. Thoughts? I'd really appreciate it, and I imagine that it will free up some important space at Grandma's, and it'd really help me out, Thanks, and I hope to see you over those couple days.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Rerun
Sorry, today was rotten, you only get a rerun:
So, do you realize how tall Bill O'Reilly is? He is MASSIVELY tall. He's 6'4" tall and he wears shoes that make him tower. Just an enormous guy. He's also got the blotchiest complexion you've ever seen. He looks like a gigantic "Before" ad for Pro-Activ solutions or something. Also, his nose just dwarfs the rest of his face. His eye look remarkably beady, given the size of the nose and the impression of blotchiness that is so overwhelming. I've got to say, though, he's a pretty nice guy. He's about as full of himself as you'd expect. He's about as much of a dick as you'd expect... in fact, other than that he is personable and tall there wasn't any real difference between watching his show and meeting him in person. I got to the galley 15 minutes early, but because of the usual planning and forward thinking displayed by the military I was 45 minutes early. So I walked over to a TV room and spent a dull 30 minutes watching Leslie Nielsen on The Golden Girls. I can't believe that Mitch Hurwitz, the genius behind Arrested Development, used to have anything to do with Golden Girls, it is a terrible show. But after I watched that for a while and began to seriously consider swearing off of TV for life, I got up and went back to the galley. I walked in and passed a bunch of other sailors who were waiting to have lunch with Infamous Bill. I walked into the dining room proper and there was no direction at all. There were a couple of tables with "Reserved" signs on them, but other than that it looked like I would just be standing till told otherwise. Finally I saw a Sgt. Major who told me what to do. I got my tray and tried to decide what to eat while talking to this pseudo-celebrity. I decided on pork roast, rice, some french fries and a salad. Nothing flash or messy. (The rice then became messy. I felt like an idiot, "Always stick to potatoes with an O'Reilly," my new motto.) I went and sat at one of the smaller tables, not wishing to push myself forward. At this point I was one of about 8 people in the dining room and I didn't want to appear to be a Factor sycophant. I ate about 2 bites when Admiral Harry Harris walked up behind me and patted me on the back. I stood up to greet him, because I am Captain Military Bearing when it comes to licking the boots of powerful officers. He told me to go and sit at the head table. He positioned me one to Bill O'Reilly's opposite right. Still no O'Reilly in the room, but we're getting to that part. The Admiral sat down and asked me where I work. I almost laughed because I see him about 3 times a week in meetings, but he doesn't know who the hell I am. (I suppose, why should he? It isn't as if he and I are at the meetings alone. He never actually talks to me, but still, I DO see him a few times a week... I ALWAYS notice him. He doesn't even know I exist. I feel like a 7th grade girl.) I told him that I work at the hospital and he got excited and jumped up to tell the press that there was a corpsman at the head table. (At least, that was my impression. He might equally have been asking how the hell they'd let a corpsman get at the head table, or asking intel why there was a no-nothing bozo like me sitting with O'Reilly. Who knows what he said? He's the freakin' Admiral, he can say whatever he wants.) So I had about 2 more bites and then my friend Eppley walked in at sat next to me, which bucked me up considerably. I always like to have a buddy close by when I am planning to skewer a popular pundit. Epp was all cheerful and said he was nervous. I told him that I had exhaustively researched Mr. O and I spewed a few useless facts about the man, including the interesting fact that O-Rizzle had once played semi-pro ball and tried out for the Mets. I wasn't sure it was true as the only place I'd seen it was Wikipedia, but I planned on checking it out with The Man, if I got the chance. At about this time Mr. O'Reilly himself wandered up to the table. He had chosen, probably much to the disgust of the galley staff, a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato and a packet of regular Lays potato chips. (Not even the ruffled, I thought this showed a spirit of plebeian honor and a distinct lack of celebrity pride. I also thought, "Who's this guy trying to fool, the food here sucks, but he doesn't have to rub our faces in it." I decided that if I am ever invited to eat at Fox News I'll get the most extremely exotic thing they have, just to show up Bill O'Reilly. Probably none of that will ever happen, but I like having contingencies planned for.) So we all stood up for Big Bill and he sat down with us. The Admiral had us go around the circle and introduce ourselves. We were all polite. They kept trying to fit more junior enlisted at the table. I turned my tray sideways so that it took up less space, but there was no elbow room. So we sat and felt stupid for a second and then I tossed a Jon Stewart to John Kerry softball and asked if the Mets story was true. Billy Boy lapped it up, this was the sort of question he was dying for. He answered it at length, going on and on about how he wasn't good enough and how he had played for an all-black semi-pro team. (Apparently they used to call him white boy, which I thought was kind, since I would have called him Spotty or something more direct. Ugly? Big-Nose? Something that indicated his more personal flaws.) Then there were a few other soft balls from my table-mates, primarily BIG, BIG fans. They asked how people could think he was wrong and whether it was tough doing his show. This was when the rice became a problem for me and I was busy focusing on the table manners issue. To eat rice with a fork you need elbow room. That's my theory. Also there was an Army Sgt. who works for the Public Affairs office who is so good looking as to be distracting. (Having spent 5 months on this desolate rock, I have to say that almost any woman has taken on mythic proportions for me. I drool when I see suggestively shaped rocks. All I'm saying is that, in real life this Sgt. might not be all that and a bag of chips, but here on Gitmo she's so good looking that people, not just me, routinely walk into objects, cliff-faces and things of that sort, just because their mind is so full of looking at her. All the guys, and one short haired girl who seemed to have... well, I don't ask or tell, but a lot of people were fascinated by the Sgt. All of this to say I spilled rice on myself and tried to look like I hadn't.) After that episode shook my confidence I was a little reluctant to ask the tough questions I had planned on, but then I thought, hell with it. I jumped in with a, "So, Sir, have you interrogated the interrogators like you planned?" He gave me this little look, like he knew he hadn't got the WHOLE table in his pocket and then said, "Yeas, I'm the first one who's been allowed this kind of access...." on and on about how cool he is. And this is where I figured out what it is that I don't like about most pundits. Every issue becomes about them. They can't talk about any issue without pointing to themselves. If you ask Bill O'Reilly about abortion it will become about him. (Which, perhaps it should have been, in a nasty way, if you see what I mean. But it wasn't it has nothing to do with him personally. There are big issues with abortion, tough issues and there is a lot to say about it, but Bill O'Reilly's personal history and perspective, reflecting nothing more than the fact that Bill O'Reilly is awfully cool, well that doesn't really add to the debate. He lost me, at that point.) He went on with his normal cant, he is not a conservative, he's a truth seeker, etc. One of the kids at the table asked him, "Why do so many people disagree with you?" I thought, "Why don't you just climb into his pants, kid?" Why do so many people disagree with you? Good thing we have a public figure here to talk to, I'd hate to see the opportunity wasted without important questions like that. But then Captain No Spin broke the bank, his response was, "Well, you know there are a lot of morons in America. The US Constitution gives you the right to be a moron and there are a lot of them." The kids at the table were lapping this up. Bill said, "And here you are, fighting for the morons, defending the morons..." I said, "Well Sir, I've been in the military a while now and I have to say that not all of those morons stay at home, some of the morons are defending the morons, if you see what I mean." He laughed out loud and said, "Fair enough, son." Then he stood up to go. He said, "This will be on my show on Monday, so be sure to tune in. I have to go and do my radio show now." Then he stood around and did photos and autographs for about 15 minutes and left. I was interviewed on my time with The Factor Master by the Armed Forces Network and then I went back to my room. I was kind of proud of having made him laugh, as any of Tom Pitrone's sons will attest, getting a laugh is a big moment in any man's life. But also felt pretty empty from the experience. He hadn't said anything, he hadn't asked any questions or made any probing/insightful observations. He sounded like a commercial for himself, for the most part. He just recited his own party line, over and over. I went back and re-read the Wikipedia entry on him and the other things that I had downloaded to prepare to meet him and saw that he had quoted a few of his own tag lines word-for-word. His not-conservative line had been cribbed from every other statement he's made on the subject. His contrasting himself with Anne Coulter was straight out of his column that day. He brought nothing new to that table and I was disappointed. I suppose I ought to have known that he wasn't there to debate a 28 year old barely enlisted kid, but I had hoped that he would take the opportunity to say something of value. To show WHY he has a television show that is top-rated, instead of just telling us that he had a show and that is was top-rated. All in all it was not the experience I had hoped for. If you watch on Monday night you'll probably see a guy with rice on his uniform sitting across from a tall, blotchy man. I think my expression is probably one of cheerful disgust, both with myself for having bathed in rice, and with Mr. Bill O'Reilly, for failing to bring anything but marketing to one of the most interesting places in the world.
So, do you realize how tall Bill O'Reilly is? He is MASSIVELY tall. He's 6'4" tall and he wears shoes that make him tower. Just an enormous guy. He's also got the blotchiest complexion you've ever seen. He looks like a gigantic "Before" ad for Pro-Activ solutions or something. Also, his nose just dwarfs the rest of his face. His eye look remarkably beady, given the size of the nose and the impression of blotchiness that is so overwhelming. I've got to say, though, he's a pretty nice guy. He's about as full of himself as you'd expect. He's about as much of a dick as you'd expect... in fact, other than that he is personable and tall there wasn't any real difference between watching his show and meeting him in person. I got to the galley 15 minutes early, but because of the usual planning and forward thinking displayed by the military I was 45 minutes early. So I walked over to a TV room and spent a dull 30 minutes watching Leslie Nielsen on The Golden Girls. I can't believe that Mitch Hurwitz, the genius behind Arrested Development, used to have anything to do with Golden Girls, it is a terrible show. But after I watched that for a while and began to seriously consider swearing off of TV for life, I got up and went back to the galley. I walked in and passed a bunch of other sailors who were waiting to have lunch with Infamous Bill. I walked into the dining room proper and there was no direction at all. There were a couple of tables with "Reserved" signs on them, but other than that it looked like I would just be standing till told otherwise. Finally I saw a Sgt. Major who told me what to do. I got my tray and tried to decide what to eat while talking to this pseudo-celebrity. I decided on pork roast, rice, some french fries and a salad. Nothing flash or messy. (The rice then became messy. I felt like an idiot, "Always stick to potatoes with an O'Reilly," my new motto.) I went and sat at one of the smaller tables, not wishing to push myself forward. At this point I was one of about 8 people in the dining room and I didn't want to appear to be a Factor sycophant. I ate about 2 bites when Admiral Harry Harris walked up behind me and patted me on the back. I stood up to greet him, because I am Captain Military Bearing when it comes to licking the boots of powerful officers. He told me to go and sit at the head table. He positioned me one to Bill O'Reilly's opposite right. Still no O'Reilly in the room, but we're getting to that part. The Admiral sat down and asked me where I work. I almost laughed because I see him about 3 times a week in meetings, but he doesn't know who the hell I am. (I suppose, why should he? It isn't as if he and I are at the meetings alone. He never actually talks to me, but still, I DO see him a few times a week... I ALWAYS notice him. He doesn't even know I exist. I feel like a 7th grade girl.) I told him that I work at the hospital and he got excited and jumped up to tell the press that there was a corpsman at the head table. (At least, that was my impression. He might equally have been asking how the hell they'd let a corpsman get at the head table, or asking intel why there was a no-nothing bozo like me sitting with O'Reilly. Who knows what he said? He's the freakin' Admiral, he can say whatever he wants.) So I had about 2 more bites and then my friend Eppley walked in at sat next to me, which bucked me up considerably. I always like to have a buddy close by when I am planning to skewer a popular pundit. Epp was all cheerful and said he was nervous. I told him that I had exhaustively researched Mr. O and I spewed a few useless facts about the man, including the interesting fact that O-Rizzle had once played semi-pro ball and tried out for the Mets. I wasn't sure it was true as the only place I'd seen it was Wikipedia, but I planned on checking it out with The Man, if I got the chance. At about this time Mr. O'Reilly himself wandered up to the table. He had chosen, probably much to the disgust of the galley staff, a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato and a packet of regular Lays potato chips. (Not even the ruffled, I thought this showed a spirit of plebeian honor and a distinct lack of celebrity pride. I also thought, "Who's this guy trying to fool, the food here sucks, but he doesn't have to rub our faces in it." I decided that if I am ever invited to eat at Fox News I'll get the most extremely exotic thing they have, just to show up Bill O'Reilly. Probably none of that will ever happen, but I like having contingencies planned for.) So we all stood up for Big Bill and he sat down with us. The Admiral had us go around the circle and introduce ourselves. We were all polite. They kept trying to fit more junior enlisted at the table. I turned my tray sideways so that it took up less space, but there was no elbow room. So we sat and felt stupid for a second and then I tossed a Jon Stewart to John Kerry softball and asked if the Mets story was true. Billy Boy lapped it up, this was the sort of question he was dying for. He answered it at length, going on and on about how he wasn't good enough and how he had played for an all-black semi-pro team. (Apparently they used to call him white boy, which I thought was kind, since I would have called him Spotty or something more direct. Ugly? Big-Nose? Something that indicated his more personal flaws.) Then there were a few other soft balls from my table-mates, primarily BIG, BIG fans. They asked how people could think he was wrong and whether it was tough doing his show. This was when the rice became a problem for me and I was busy focusing on the table manners issue. To eat rice with a fork you need elbow room. That's my theory. Also there was an Army Sgt. who works for the Public Affairs office who is so good looking as to be distracting. (Having spent 5 months on this desolate rock, I have to say that almost any woman has taken on mythic proportions for me. I drool when I see suggestively shaped rocks. All I'm saying is that, in real life this Sgt. might not be all that and a bag of chips, but here on Gitmo she's so good looking that people, not just me, routinely walk into objects, cliff-faces and things of that sort, just because their mind is so full of looking at her. All the guys, and one short haired girl who seemed to have... well, I don't ask or tell, but a lot of people were fascinated by the Sgt. All of this to say I spilled rice on myself and tried to look like I hadn't.) After that episode shook my confidence I was a little reluctant to ask the tough questions I had planned on, but then I thought, hell with it. I jumped in with a, "So, Sir, have you interrogated the interrogators like you planned?" He gave me this little look, like he knew he hadn't got the WHOLE table in his pocket and then said, "Yeas, I'm the first one who's been allowed this kind of access...." on and on about how cool he is. And this is where I figured out what it is that I don't like about most pundits. Every issue becomes about them. They can't talk about any issue without pointing to themselves. If you ask Bill O'Reilly about abortion it will become about him. (Which, perhaps it should have been, in a nasty way, if you see what I mean. But it wasn't it has nothing to do with him personally. There are big issues with abortion, tough issues and there is a lot to say about it, but Bill O'Reilly's personal history and perspective, reflecting nothing more than the fact that Bill O'Reilly is awfully cool, well that doesn't really add to the debate. He lost me, at that point.) He went on with his normal cant, he is not a conservative, he's a truth seeker, etc. One of the kids at the table asked him, "Why do so many people disagree with you?" I thought, "Why don't you just climb into his pants, kid?" Why do so many people disagree with you? Good thing we have a public figure here to talk to, I'd hate to see the opportunity wasted without important questions like that. But then Captain No Spin broke the bank, his response was, "Well, you know there are a lot of morons in America. The US Constitution gives you the right to be a moron and there are a lot of them." The kids at the table were lapping this up. Bill said, "And here you are, fighting for the morons, defending the morons..." I said, "Well Sir, I've been in the military a while now and I have to say that not all of those morons stay at home, some of the morons are defending the morons, if you see what I mean." He laughed out loud and said, "Fair enough, son." Then he stood up to go. He said, "This will be on my show on Monday, so be sure to tune in. I have to go and do my radio show now." Then he stood around and did photos and autographs for about 15 minutes and left. I was interviewed on my time with The Factor Master by the Armed Forces Network and then I went back to my room. I was kind of proud of having made him laugh, as any of Tom Pitrone's sons will attest, getting a laugh is a big moment in any man's life. But also felt pretty empty from the experience. He hadn't said anything, he hadn't asked any questions or made any probing/insightful observations. He sounded like a commercial for himself, for the most part. He just recited his own party line, over and over. I went back and re-read the Wikipedia entry on him and the other things that I had downloaded to prepare to meet him and saw that he had quoted a few of his own tag lines word-for-word. His not-conservative line had been cribbed from every other statement he's made on the subject. His contrasting himself with Anne Coulter was straight out of his column that day. He brought nothing new to that table and I was disappointed. I suppose I ought to have known that he wasn't there to debate a 28 year old barely enlisted kid, but I had hoped that he would take the opportunity to say something of value. To show WHY he has a television show that is top-rated, instead of just telling us that he had a show and that is was top-rated. All in all it was not the experience I had hoped for. If you watch on Monday night you'll probably see a guy with rice on his uniform sitting across from a tall, blotchy man. I think my expression is probably one of cheerful disgust, both with myself for having bathed in rice, and with Mr. Bill O'Reilly, for failing to bring anything but marketing to one of the most interesting places in the world.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Some Several Things (Or, Many, Many Brians)
Let's see, since Friday...
Friday night we worked at Houston's. I got there and found that they had kind of set me up. I was working as the Headwaiter, which means that I had a very, very good section, but that I had to stay at work till after 1:30, doing the financial paperwork for the whole restaurant. It gave me the opportunity to work with Bryan Zar, the new manager, who is apparently responsible for the new rankings of servers, and I tried to give him the heads up that he has bungled it, but he ignored me. Too bad for him, in the coming days, as people who have previously been really great supporters of the Houston's way of doing things quit and fall away, I hope he will not feel that no one warned him.
Saturday morning we got up reluctantly and went to pick up Tokka and Eli's puppy. It's a 12 week old American Bulldog named Luna. Seriously adorable and fumbling, a lot of fun. We also went to the Arundel Mills Mall, which is seriously massive. We picked up some shoes for both of us, ballet-slipper things for her and running shoes for Field Med School for me. Also a lamp for the bedside, the lovely old wooden one that Mom had picked up for me way back when finally gave up the ghost. It was a gorgeous day, just a little chilly, and we had lunch at the mall and walked around outside with Luna for a while before ordering some food from Victor's, in Bethesda. The food was excellent and we watched X-Men 2, which she had not seen before, and which was as entertaining as could be expected. It made me really regret the Brian Singer left the series for that bland Superman remake that he did instead. I'd have loved to have seen X3 be as good as the setup he had going. It might have been gang-busters.
Sunday mornig we got up, again reluctantly, and went to see Ali and Brian and the kids. It was nice time, and I think it might have been the most stress-free time there that I've ever had, which, Thanks Luna! I guess.
Sunday afternoon we napped and then had some eggs and bacon for dinner, to top off a great weekend we watched, wait for it.... THE FIRST 4 EPISODES OF THE NEW IT CROWD!!!! Yes, it is finally time, and they are very, very good. The episode with the 3 dinner dates is standout wonderful, but Moss, Roy, Richmond and Jen are all great. There is even a slightly topical stab at the whole German cannibal internet thing, which was wonderful. So good, run, don't walk to the closest T@rrent site you can find and get them. Super wonderful, great!
Friday night we worked at Houston's. I got there and found that they had kind of set me up. I was working as the Headwaiter, which means that I had a very, very good section, but that I had to stay at work till after 1:30, doing the financial paperwork for the whole restaurant. It gave me the opportunity to work with Bryan Zar, the new manager, who is apparently responsible for the new rankings of servers, and I tried to give him the heads up that he has bungled it, but he ignored me. Too bad for him, in the coming days, as people who have previously been really great supporters of the Houston's way of doing things quit and fall away, I hope he will not feel that no one warned him.
Saturday morning we got up reluctantly and went to pick up Tokka and Eli's puppy. It's a 12 week old American Bulldog named Luna. Seriously adorable and fumbling, a lot of fun. We also went to the Arundel Mills Mall, which is seriously massive. We picked up some shoes for both of us, ballet-slipper things for her and running shoes for Field Med School for me. Also a lamp for the bedside, the lovely old wooden one that Mom had picked up for me way back when finally gave up the ghost. It was a gorgeous day, just a little chilly, and we had lunch at the mall and walked around outside with Luna for a while before ordering some food from Victor's, in Bethesda. The food was excellent and we watched X-Men 2, which she had not seen before, and which was as entertaining as could be expected. It made me really regret the Brian Singer left the series for that bland Superman remake that he did instead. I'd have loved to have seen X3 be as good as the setup he had going. It might have been gang-busters.
Sunday mornig we got up, again reluctantly, and went to see Ali and Brian and the kids. It was nice time, and I think it might have been the most stress-free time there that I've ever had, which, Thanks Luna! I guess.
Sunday afternoon we napped and then had some eggs and bacon for dinner, to top off a great weekend we watched, wait for it.... THE FIRST 4 EPISODES OF THE NEW IT CROWD!!!! Yes, it is finally time, and they are very, very good. The episode with the 3 dinner dates is standout wonderful, but Moss, Roy, Richmond and Jen are all great. There is even a slightly topical stab at the whole German cannibal internet thing, which was wonderful. So good, run, don't walk to the closest T@rrent site you can find and get them. Super wonderful, great!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Christmas Exchange
Which sounds like something that we would have with countries that don't have the same holidays as we do. "And here, Ecuador, is where we offer you Christmas in return for Bull-Baiting Day."
But what I am really talking about is my family's New Deal. We've apparently decided that the old system, purchasing gifts for the whole family, is not cost effective. Now, I know that my sister-in-law Ami has been working up to this by degrees, and now that she has ANOTHER sister-in-law to climb on board, I think she's going to put it over. (In the Pitrone household you need a two-thirds majority to make an issue pass, unless it is vetoed by... well, here is where the system of government breaks down, unless it is vetoed by anyone at all.) And I don't WANT to veto this idea. I like it pretty well. It makes sense. Except for one thing, the idea behind it is frugality, which is a good idea. None of the Pitrone clan are particularly well off. And the wife and I are not least of this batch of not well-off-ness, nor am I personally least culpable in the matter of the family's penury, but I LOVED giving everyone presents. And I think that everyone else did, too. And it didn't much matter to me if the presents were dumpster diving rejects from Drew or Dollar Store stuff from Rob. And giving presents is the FUN part of Christmas, at least, after you're 11 it is. So, I am pretty ambivalent on the subject.
The way that the gift exchange from the extended family works is pretty suspect, too. I mean, there is the normal, everyone gets a gift from Grandma Pitrone, and everyone gets one gift-exchange gift. But it never actually works that way. There is always the wild card aspect of the Redhead/Malich faction, who lavish each other with gifts as if it was their private Christmas together. (Which I can't help but feel is a little bit rude. I mean, way to express how outsider everyone else is compared with your clique. But that's just me being snarky. It doesn't really bother me all that much, it more a sour grapes thing at never being the super popular one who gets all the great side presents.)
So my point it, won't there be a lot of this at the Tom Pitrone gathering as well? I mean, won't it mean that Nic and Drew will get lots of little things from everyone, etc? And then Nika will only get her one present and the whole thing will go thermonuclear in a matter of moments. Maybe not, and the names there are only hypothetical, maybe Nika will get lots of presents but Drew will only get one. At which point it won't go thermonuclear, but merely a little hurt. And that's pretty much just as bad. So, thoughts?
But what I am really talking about is my family's New Deal. We've apparently decided that the old system, purchasing gifts for the whole family, is not cost effective. Now, I know that my sister-in-law Ami has been working up to this by degrees, and now that she has ANOTHER sister-in-law to climb on board, I think she's going to put it over. (In the Pitrone household you need a two-thirds majority to make an issue pass, unless it is vetoed by... well, here is where the system of government breaks down, unless it is vetoed by anyone at all.) And I don't WANT to veto this idea. I like it pretty well. It makes sense. Except for one thing, the idea behind it is frugality, which is a good idea. None of the Pitrone clan are particularly well off. And the wife and I are not least of this batch of not well-off-ness, nor am I personally least culpable in the matter of the family's penury, but I LOVED giving everyone presents. And I think that everyone else did, too. And it didn't much matter to me if the presents were dumpster diving rejects from Drew or Dollar Store stuff from Rob. And giving presents is the FUN part of Christmas, at least, after you're 11 it is. So, I am pretty ambivalent on the subject.
The way that the gift exchange from the extended family works is pretty suspect, too. I mean, there is the normal, everyone gets a gift from Grandma Pitrone, and everyone gets one gift-exchange gift. But it never actually works that way. There is always the wild card aspect of the Redhead/Malich faction, who lavish each other with gifts as if it was their private Christmas together. (Which I can't help but feel is a little bit rude. I mean, way to express how outsider everyone else is compared with your clique. But that's just me being snarky. It doesn't really bother me all that much, it more a sour grapes thing at never being the super popular one who gets all the great side presents.)
So my point it, won't there be a lot of this at the Tom Pitrone gathering as well? I mean, won't it mean that Nic and Drew will get lots of little things from everyone, etc? And then Nika will only get her one present and the whole thing will go thermonuclear in a matter of moments. Maybe not, and the names there are only hypothetical, maybe Nika will get lots of presents but Drew will only get one. At which point it won't go thermonuclear, but merely a little hurt. And that's pretty much just as bad. So, thoughts?
Oh, to have a hobby!
I've decided that my new hobby will be to formally make up excuses for other people. And they have to be excuses that I would never use for myself. So, for instance, "Really in a hurry." doesn't count, as that could be a valid excuse. But, "Maybe he's just on his break..." is hobby-worthy, as I would never use it for myself.
Can you think of any good ones?
Can you think of any good ones?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
How Racist Does This Make Me? Who's Keeping Score?
I have a thought that I am not sure is original, but is at least something I haven't heard discussed much. I was listening to NPR and there was an interview with a fellow who recently wrote a biography of Condoleeza Rice. He was saying that Rice's family was from Birmingham, AL and that she grew up during the Civil Rights movement, but that she was seperated from it. That her parents had a different structure and belief about how it ought to work. They were relatively well off, and had been successful, even under Jim Crow. They felt that working hard, being educated and achieving through normal, systemic, means was the way to go. They encouraged CR to work twice as hard, as she could work twice as hard and no one would be able to say she was not equal. They felt the MLK et. al. were using up time, effort and money that could have been better spent on things that were more necessary. The writer said that the NAACP felt the same way, the MLK was setting up straw men for them, when there were more important things to do in the meantime.
My point, and how this comes to be in this particular comments section, is that I was thinking that the archetype for black-male success is that of a rabble-rouser. It is an MLK-type, lots of splash, lots of noise kind of archetype. In the same way that Condoleeza seems to get very little credit for being who she is, both her race and her sex, that educated, well-to-do, hard-working archetype seems to be at best a niche less-explored.
This then leads to the POV that todays black-youth culture is a direct result of that more powerful archetype. Make a splash with a gang, with a video, with what-have-you. That seems to be the way to succeed. Any thoughts on this? Am I just another racist white-guy? I am genuinely moved by the plight of the community and am just trying to see it correctly.
My point, and how this comes to be in this particular comments section, is that I was thinking that the archetype for black-male success is that of a rabble-rouser. It is an MLK-type, lots of splash, lots of noise kind of archetype. In the same way that Condoleeza seems to get very little credit for being who she is, both her race and her sex, that educated, well-to-do, hard-working archetype seems to be at best a niche less-explored.
This then leads to the POV that todays black-youth culture is a direct result of that more powerful archetype. Make a splash with a gang, with a video, with what-have-you. That seems to be the way to succeed. Any thoughts on this? Am I just another racist white-guy? I am genuinely moved by the plight of the community and am just trying to see it correctly.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
This is absolutely filthy, but absolutely hysterical. Vern brings the funny, and the queasy, with his review of Zoo, the movie about people who really, really, love their horses.
Monday, September 10, 2007
A Weekend of Sleeping
What a great weekend! I think that Margaret and I slept for about 80-85% of it, and it was wonderful! Friday night we worked at the restaurant, which was a pleasant experience for a change. One of my tables asked advice as to whether they should just pack up, that minute, and go to Vegas, which I strongly encouraged them to do, and then I sent every single server I could find over to their table (22, for those who know the numbering system) to encourage them as well. Then they found out that tickets to go that night were $700 per person, so the y got a slice of key lime pie, instead. (Almost as good as Vegas!)
Saturday we slept all day, we watched a couple of movies, I think, but nothing is jumping out to my mind... Annie Hall? Something else? I can't remember, but it seems like we watched something else. OH, we watch Deathproof again. Wow, that's such a great movie and I forgot about it, I can't believe it.
So, Quentin Tarantino's Deathproof, the one that was the opposite bookend to the fantastically brilliant Grindhouse mess, is pure cinema. Man, that Tarantino can direct! Maybe I should give some background here. I am an old-school Tarantino apologist. I first saw Pulp Fiction on a double bill at a midnight movie with True Romance and I was hooked, completely, totally hooked. I ran right out and bought Reservoir Dogs, which also blew me away, and then when Jackie Brown came out I was in line at the theatre on Christmas night, just waiting to have my mind blown by a genius. And sure enough, he did it again. Kill Bill, same thing, both times. The crunching the eyeball scene in Pt II, it still gives me chills to think of it.
So I was pretty primed for Quentin to wow me, and he sure enough did. Editing, soundtrack, shot after shot of perfection! The way he re-creates Kurt Russell's bad-@ss personality, just awesome. The whole thing, fantastic.
Yesterday, on my way to work, I listened again to the soundtrack, and it was just as great as I remembered it being. There are some truly stand-out songs on there, but then I realized that they ALL are stand-out songs. Too good to be true! (And it has a great voice-over scene where it shows Eli Roth as the villainous, misogynist jerk that I always suspected he was.)
Saturday night we went to dinner at the always wonderful, and famous for being the location of our fateful first date, Bacchus of Lebanon. You can all ask Dominic about the chicken there, which is rocking, but we had some great appetizers, the notable one being the chicken Shawarma, and the tomato/feta salad, which I love.
While we were there we overheard these two couples of Indian descent talking about how much they like Osama bin Laden, which kind of coloured the rest of the evening. It's hard to feel totally comfortable with that. There was talk of how the girls found him attractive and how they all liked what he'd "done to the US." Really kind of creepy. But then Margaret suggested that maybe it was a DIFFERENT Osama bin Laden, and we felt better.
Saturday we slept all day, we watched a couple of movies, I think, but nothing is jumping out to my mind... Annie Hall? Something else? I can't remember, but it seems like we watched something else. OH, we watch Deathproof again. Wow, that's such a great movie and I forgot about it, I can't believe it.
So, Quentin Tarantino's Deathproof, the one that was the opposite bookend to the fantastically brilliant Grindhouse mess, is pure cinema. Man, that Tarantino can direct! Maybe I should give some background here. I am an old-school Tarantino apologist. I first saw Pulp Fiction on a double bill at a midnight movie with True Romance and I was hooked, completely, totally hooked. I ran right out and bought Reservoir Dogs, which also blew me away, and then when Jackie Brown came out I was in line at the theatre on Christmas night, just waiting to have my mind blown by a genius. And sure enough, he did it again. Kill Bill, same thing, both times. The crunching the eyeball scene in Pt II, it still gives me chills to think of it.
So I was pretty primed for Quentin to wow me, and he sure enough did. Editing, soundtrack, shot after shot of perfection! The way he re-creates Kurt Russell's bad-@ss personality, just awesome. The whole thing, fantastic.
Yesterday, on my way to work, I listened again to the soundtrack, and it was just as great as I remembered it being. There are some truly stand-out songs on there, but then I realized that they ALL are stand-out songs. Too good to be true! (And it has a great voice-over scene where it shows Eli Roth as the villainous, misogynist jerk that I always suspected he was.)
Saturday night we went to dinner at the always wonderful, and famous for being the location of our fateful first date, Bacchus of Lebanon. You can all ask Dominic about the chicken there, which is rocking, but we had some great appetizers, the notable one being the chicken Shawarma, and the tomato/feta salad, which I love.
While we were there we overheard these two couples of Indian descent talking about how much they like Osama bin Laden, which kind of coloured the rest of the evening. It's hard to feel totally comfortable with that. There was talk of how the girls found him attractive and how they all liked what he'd "done to the US." Really kind of creepy. But then Margaret suggested that maybe it was a DIFFERENT Osama bin Laden, and we felt better.
Friday, September 7, 2007
The Evil One
So, this news came out today. And the news story says that bin Laden is dying his beard, though I always call it tinting, I never say die. But what I was thinking was, what if Osama isn't tinting his beard, but he's actually a super-villain? I mean, Lex Luthor changes his appearance almost at will, and he's never getting any older. He has insane schemes that work really well and almost destroy civilization as we know it. The only problem is, we have no Superman. But that actually makes the story EVEN BETTER! I mean, Superman, iconic as he is, is kind of a namby-pamby hero. He's always whinging on about the American Way and whatnot... I mean, sure, inspiring and all, but not really edgy. But that's not really my point either. My point is: What if we have a for real, never aging, dyed in the wool, super-villain on our hands? Wouldn't that be cool?
Thursday, September 6, 2007
GooglePhone
Queenan Country
So, this last weekend, on one of the little jaunts the wife and I took with Frank and Ami, I found a great little book called Queenan Country by Joe Queenan. It's a little bit guide book and little bit memoir, but it's a heck of a lot comedy and a heck of a lot anglophile. It's a trip around Britain with one of America's leading wits and it's great. Highly recommended.
Last night, while still getting 10+ hours of sleep, the wife and I watched Take The Money and Run, which she'd never seen before. (Side note, I considered calling this blog, The Continuing Cinematic Education of Margaret Pitrone, but then I realized I was stealing the blog name and patronizing my wife, so I demurred.) The film is a good one, though. Woody is in fine form and looking YOUNG! The gag with the soap gun is always a winner and the running gag with the broken glasses is chuckle-worthy, but boy-o-boy has MTV ever altered the way one watches comedy. This has some good chuckles, and they happen with regularity, but not with frequency. It's maybe 90 minutes long, but there are only, say, 18 good gags. Not a terrible ratio, but not what one expects from a comedy these days.
I have a couple of more in depth reviews started but not finished, and I'm hoping to be able to get to them today or tomorrow. This weekend you might get a review of stand-up comedy AND of a comic book convention, so keep your fingers crossed!
Last night, while still getting 10+ hours of sleep, the wife and I watched Take The Money and Run, which she'd never seen before. (Side note, I considered calling this blog, The Continuing Cinematic Education of Margaret Pitrone, but then I realized I was stealing the blog name and patronizing my wife, so I demurred.) The film is a good one, though. Woody is in fine form and looking YOUNG! The gag with the soap gun is always a winner and the running gag with the broken glasses is chuckle-worthy, but boy-o-boy has MTV ever altered the way one watches comedy. This has some good chuckles, and they happen with regularity, but not with frequency. It's maybe 90 minutes long, but there are only, say, 18 good gags. Not a terrible ratio, but not what one expects from a comedy these days.
I have a couple of more in depth reviews started but not finished, and I'm hoping to be able to get to them today or tomorrow. This weekend you might get a review of stand-up comedy AND of a comic book convention, so keep your fingers crossed!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Don't Touch Ma Eyes!
So, in spite of all my bragging and na-na-ing, I am NOT going to get eye surgery. It turns out that I have some strange and very rare condition where my actual vision is improving, but I am getting a worse astigmatism. It's really rare, but I guess it happens and since my prescription has changed one whole unit (?) in 6 months, they are reluctant to give me the surgery. Also, my corneas are too shallow.
I am pretty disappointed, of course, but what can one do? I am going to have to work now on 5 days that I REALLY wanted off. The Clinic here is becoming unsupportable. What I could once pass off as an irritation on the way to a goal is now... well, I mean, I'm leaving, whatever the goal is will have to be reached without me, so the irritations are now someone else's problem, and I wish they'd get them out of my way.
When I first moved back to Chardon I had to come to a new conclusion about the world. I found life there really irritating and rotten. It wasn't where I wanted to be, living with Grandma Pitrone, while wonderful in a lot of respects, really opens one up to a lot of flack from family. There were some definite downsides. So I struggled with it and came to this conclusion, "Inconvenient is not necessarily bad."
It's not an easy place to get to, but it's true and it's important to remember sometimes. Life can be pretty inconvenient and if you remember that that's not really a bad thing, then it can make the hard times better. I am re-learning that lesson, I guess. You'd think that being in the armed forces would teach that right away, but there are lulls in the difficulty of Navy life.
Tonight, the wife and I go to be EARLY. 10 hours of sleep in 72 is too little. Even if we DID sleep all day Monday.
I am pretty disappointed, of course, but what can one do? I am going to have to work now on 5 days that I REALLY wanted off. The Clinic here is becoming unsupportable. What I could once pass off as an irritation on the way to a goal is now... well, I mean, I'm leaving, whatever the goal is will have to be reached without me, so the irritations are now someone else's problem, and I wish they'd get them out of my way.
When I first moved back to Chardon I had to come to a new conclusion about the world. I found life there really irritating and rotten. It wasn't where I wanted to be, living with Grandma Pitrone, while wonderful in a lot of respects, really opens one up to a lot of flack from family. There were some definite downsides. So I struggled with it and came to this conclusion, "Inconvenient is not necessarily bad."
It's not an easy place to get to, but it's true and it's important to remember sometimes. Life can be pretty inconvenient and if you remember that that's not really a bad thing, then it can make the hard times better. I am re-learning that lesson, I guess. You'd think that being in the armed forces would teach that right away, but there are lulls in the difficulty of Navy life.
Tonight, the wife and I go to be EARLY. 10 hours of sleep in 72 is too little. Even if we DID sleep all day Monday.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Falling Behind
As so many of you have pointed out, I am falling behind on my committment to daily blogs. You're SO right. The reasons are many, but what I will site is the fact that I am trying to get all of my stuff together to leave the US as soon as possible. (Well, as soon as possible being the end of December, but I had my Japanese Encephalitis shot today, and that's only one of several things that sound scary when I tell you about them, only I won't. My MOM reads this, for crying out loud!)
We, the wife and I, had a wonderful time this weekend with my brother Frank and his wife Ami. They came out here on Thursday and we had a nice dinner at Houston's (the Ho, to those who work there.) Then Friday we went to the Pirate restaurant with Ivan and Eliana Vasquez, which I thought was a real treat. We drank grog and had a ball. Saturday was obligatory tourist day and we wandered all over the DC area. We found some really nice areas in Georgetown and Frank and I found the chiars we would like to own for the rest of our lives. Between the two they cost around 7 grand, so if anyone has that burning a hole in their pocket....
Sunday was a day of mostly rest. We went to the pool with Margaret's sister's family in the afternoon. It was a really, really good time, the whole weekend. If anyone has a home to invite Frank and Ami to, I suggest you go for it.
Monday Margaret and I slept all day long.
We, the wife and I, had a wonderful time this weekend with my brother Frank and his wife Ami. They came out here on Thursday and we had a nice dinner at Houston's (the Ho, to those who work there.) Then Friday we went to the Pirate restaurant with Ivan and Eliana Vasquez, which I thought was a real treat. We drank grog and had a ball. Saturday was obligatory tourist day and we wandered all over the DC area. We found some really nice areas in Georgetown and Frank and I found the chiars we would like to own for the rest of our lives. Between the two they cost around 7 grand, so if anyone has that burning a hole in their pocket....
Sunday was a day of mostly rest. We went to the pool with Margaret's sister's family in the afternoon. It was a really, really good time, the whole weekend. If anyone has a home to invite Frank and Ami to, I suggest you go for it.
Monday Margaret and I slept all day long.
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