One of the problems with buying seed potatoes at local nurseries is that you never really know where they came from, or if they are even suitable varieties for raising in our New England conditions.
Maine is definitely potato country (so is Long Island) and it's here that you'll find the organic WoodPrairie Farm in Bridgewater. If it is organic, locally grown, farm-direct seed potatoes you want to raise in your garden this year, you'll be pleased with the quality and selection of potatoes WoodPrairie offers. From Swedish Peanut to Cranberry Red, the company offers an extensive list of potatoes that are not only delicious, but grow very well here in Connecticut.
You can purchase potatoes at www.woodprairie.com, or call 800-829-9765 to order a catalog. Potato planting is still several months off for us gardeners here in New England, but you can order now and have them shipped to you at the proper planting time.
A harbinger of spring
The majority of the bulbs potted up last October have had sufficient cold weather conditions for to allow them to bloom indoors. A week in the unheated garage and a drink of water are the first step.
After that, the pots are brought into the warm basement and placed near a light source. Root growth that ceased during the cold months has now begun to resume and within two weeks the first top growth will begin to sprout. The first bulbs to be brought indoors are the hyacinths and the daffodils. Tulips need a bit more time out in the cold before they'll be ready to be brought indoors.
Every two weeks another set of pots will be moved indoors, with careful attention paid to timing flowers into bloom for Easter. What a delightful way to bring in some early spring color in the middle of winter! After the flowers fade, I'll compost the entire remains, although many gardeners have success planting the bulbs back in the garden for future blossoming.
A midwinter splash of color for spring is not confined to just forced bulbs. Cuttings of forsythia give impatient gardeners like myself a much-needed boost this time of year. It's also an excellent way to trim off congested branches or poorly placed ones, as forsythia has a tendency to become rather tangled. It certainly is easier to do the pruning now while the shrub is dormant.
All you need to do is place the cut branches into a vase of water. The indoor room temperature will force the buds to swell into long-lasting flowers. The yellow flowers pack a powerful punch and remind us that spring is just a mere ... 47 days away!
From the mailbag
Q: Every spring I notice some of my radish crops turn dark gray and rot. Would you know what is causing this condition?
J. Day, Easton
A: It's probably either rhizoctonia or fusarium root rot. These two conditions are fairly common fungal diseases that thrive in moist conditions often present in spring. They really do have similar symptoms, so it's hard to tell exactly which disease is troubling your radishes. It might even be both. A crop rotation that avoids planting cruciferous and solanceous vegetables will help greatly. If the problem is severe, plant root-rot resistant radish varieties such as Red King and Fuego.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A few tips for winter gardening
It's been a long time since we've had a winter like this one. The snow blanket is generally a good insulator to help protect vegetation from cold and wind.
But there is a danger if the snow is too deep. The excessive weight of snow and ice on delicate shrubs and trees can damage them. I've witnessed quite a bit of this sort of damage, but there's not much that can be done, other than trying to shake off what snow you can.
Snow cover can lead to other problems, such as snow mold on lawns and burrowing rodents that look for the young bark of fruit and ornamental trees to gnaw upon, but in general its benefits far outweigh any minor drawbacks.
By month's end the average temperature will have risen nearly eight to 10 degrees, and though we can still expect several more rounds of wintry weather over the next six weeks or so, the backside of winter is here and visions of spring are becoming brighter.
Meantime, indoors we'll need to get seriously busy this month sowing seeds and raising plants that will eventually see the light of day in the open garden.
Long-season leeks
Leeks are known as the "gourmet's onion" because of their subtle and milder flavor when compared to onions. Leeks are also easier to digest and enhance and bind flavors together as few other ingredients do.
Leeks can be outrageously expensive in stores and are often impossible to thoroughly clean. Homegrown leeks, despite their long occupancy in the garden, have superior flavor and are so trouble-free that no garden should be without them.
My fascination with growing leeks began more than 20 years ago when I watched Jim Crockett, from the popular television show "Crockett's Victory Garden," harvest leeks that were as big as baseball bats in length and girth. I couldn't believe how he had to dig down almost two feet into the ground to unearth the silky white stalks that make up the most edible part of the leek.
Normally, I plant leeks by the third week of February. However, the last few years I haven't been really happy with the size of the transplants that go into the ground in early April. Even with the head start, the leek seedlings were barely the size of a strand of spaghetti. The small seedlings often had trouble surviving torrential spring downpours and their small size made them especially vulnerable to hungry crows that easily plucked them from the soil.
I've changed my leek indoor planting schedule to the first weekend in February, give them more room to grow in larger pots, and continue a regular liquid feeding regimen every two weeks while indoors.
Leeks develop especially long roots, so I use deep 8-inch pots filled with a soil-less planting medium instead of using flats. The deep pots will encourage plenty of long root growth.
I've grown the variety known as Giant Musselburgh every year, for more than 20 years, and I'm convinced they're the best type to grow. A packet of the shiny black seed is sown rather thickly, as leeks are notoriously poor germinators. A quarter inch of soil will cover the seed and a generous drink of water will get them off to an extra early start. I won't need to transplant them into a different container, because they'll go directly into the ground from here.
Coldframe device works
One of the problems with coldframes is that even on a cold winter day they can build up a lethal amount of heat inside when the sun is out. If you're home all the time I suppose it's easy enough to walk outside and lift up the lid of the coldframe when it gets too hot, but often that is neither practical nor possible.
A device which first came on the market years ago was an automatic hinge that worked on a gas pressure system that actually lifted a heavy coldframe lid up in the air and held it open until the coldframe came back down to the proper inside temperature. The problem was that the devices never gauged the right temperature when to lift or close the lid, nor could they really open heavy coldframe lids.
Well, lo and behold, after 15 years out on the market I think they've finally got it right. Lee Valley Tools (800-871-8158, www.leevalley.com) sells a heat-activated window opener that really works. It incorporates a gas-charged cylinder of adjustable volume. As the temperature rises, the gas expands; it will open a 15-pound window, more than adequate in coldframes and greenhouses. A simple adjustment lets you control the operating range. As temperatures fluctuate, the 12 1/2-inch-long unit will open and close a window as necessary to prevent disasters.
For $39, you can own this slick, nonrusting, anodized aluminum window-opening device that works, and works well.
But there is a danger if the snow is too deep. The excessive weight of snow and ice on delicate shrubs and trees can damage them. I've witnessed quite a bit of this sort of damage, but there's not much that can be done, other than trying to shake off what snow you can.
Snow cover can lead to other problems, such as snow mold on lawns and burrowing rodents that look for the young bark of fruit and ornamental trees to gnaw upon, but in general its benefits far outweigh any minor drawbacks.
By month's end the average temperature will have risen nearly eight to 10 degrees, and though we can still expect several more rounds of wintry weather over the next six weeks or so, the backside of winter is here and visions of spring are becoming brighter.
Meantime, indoors we'll need to get seriously busy this month sowing seeds and raising plants that will eventually see the light of day in the open garden.
Long-season leeks
Leeks are known as the "gourmet's onion" because of their subtle and milder flavor when compared to onions. Leeks are also easier to digest and enhance and bind flavors together as few other ingredients do.
Leeks can be outrageously expensive in stores and are often impossible to thoroughly clean. Homegrown leeks, despite their long occupancy in the garden, have superior flavor and are so trouble-free that no garden should be without them.
My fascination with growing leeks began more than 20 years ago when I watched Jim Crockett, from the popular television show "Crockett's Victory Garden," harvest leeks that were as big as baseball bats in length and girth. I couldn't believe how he had to dig down almost two feet into the ground to unearth the silky white stalks that make up the most edible part of the leek.
Normally, I plant leeks by the third week of February. However, the last few years I haven't been really happy with the size of the transplants that go into the ground in early April. Even with the head start, the leek seedlings were barely the size of a strand of spaghetti. The small seedlings often had trouble surviving torrential spring downpours and their small size made them especially vulnerable to hungry crows that easily plucked them from the soil.
I've changed my leek indoor planting schedule to the first weekend in February, give them more room to grow in larger pots, and continue a regular liquid feeding regimen every two weeks while indoors.
Leeks develop especially long roots, so I use deep 8-inch pots filled with a soil-less planting medium instead of using flats. The deep pots will encourage plenty of long root growth.
I've grown the variety known as Giant Musselburgh every year, for more than 20 years, and I'm convinced they're the best type to grow. A packet of the shiny black seed is sown rather thickly, as leeks are notoriously poor germinators. A quarter inch of soil will cover the seed and a generous drink of water will get them off to an extra early start. I won't need to transplant them into a different container, because they'll go directly into the ground from here.
Coldframe device works
One of the problems with coldframes is that even on a cold winter day they can build up a lethal amount of heat inside when the sun is out. If you're home all the time I suppose it's easy enough to walk outside and lift up the lid of the coldframe when it gets too hot, but often that is neither practical nor possible.
A device which first came on the market years ago was an automatic hinge that worked on a gas pressure system that actually lifted a heavy coldframe lid up in the air and held it open until the coldframe came back down to the proper inside temperature. The problem was that the devices never gauged the right temperature when to lift or close the lid, nor could they really open heavy coldframe lids.
Well, lo and behold, after 15 years out on the market I think they've finally got it right. Lee Valley Tools (800-871-8158, www.leevalley.com) sells a heat-activated window opener that really works. It incorporates a gas-charged cylinder of adjustable volume. As the temperature rises, the gas expands; it will open a 15-pound window, more than adequate in coldframes and greenhouses. A simple adjustment lets you control the operating range. As temperatures fluctuate, the 12 1/2-inch-long unit will open and close a window as necessary to prevent disasters.
For $39, you can own this slick, nonrusting, anodized aluminum window-opening device that works, and works well.
Late tips for summer gardening
Late-summer gardening tips from Ann McCulloh, curator of plant collections at the Cleveland Botanical Garden:
-- Remove diseased leaves and stems to reduce the spread or recurrence of plant health problems.
-- Keep the vegetable garden clear of spent plants and dying foliage.
-- When possible, avoid watering plants from above. Many fungal diseases thrive on wet foliage. A better method is to lay a soaker hose at the base of the plants to soak the root zone slowly and conserve water.
-- Put a simple rain gauge in your garden to make sure it's getting about 1 inch of water per week. Check and empty it weekly, and give your plants additional water if warranted.
-- Collect seeds from flowering plants to plant next year. Leave seed heads on perennials to reseed and to feed songbirds.
-- This is a good time to move or divide many spring-blooming perennials, including iris, peony, Oriental poppy and Shasta daisy. Replant with added compost, humus or manure, and water well for the rest of the season.
-- Reseed bare spots in the lawn to give grass seedlings time to develop before winter. Seed according to package directions, scatter straw lightly over the seeds, and keep them watered.
-- Remove diseased leaves and stems to reduce the spread or recurrence of plant health problems.
-- Keep the vegetable garden clear of spent plants and dying foliage.
-- When possible, avoid watering plants from above. Many fungal diseases thrive on wet foliage. A better method is to lay a soaker hose at the base of the plants to soak the root zone slowly and conserve water.
-- Put a simple rain gauge in your garden to make sure it's getting about 1 inch of water per week. Check and empty it weekly, and give your plants additional water if warranted.
-- Collect seeds from flowering plants to plant next year. Leave seed heads on perennials to reseed and to feed songbirds.
-- This is a good time to move or divide many spring-blooming perennials, including iris, peony, Oriental poppy and Shasta daisy. Replant with added compost, humus or manure, and water well for the rest of the season.
-- Reseed bare spots in the lawn to give grass seedlings time to develop before winter. Seed according to package directions, scatter straw lightly over the seeds, and keep them watered.
Gardening gurus offer top tips to carnival visitors
GARDENING gurus will be blooming excited with the range of gardening tips and interactive workshop sessions available throughout this year's Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers.
Winning showpieces from The Chronicle Garden Competition and Toowoomba's Exhibition Gardens will provide the perfect backdrop for green thumbs to gain inspiration, tips and expert advice as well as the chance to speak with the city's gardeners.
This year's Ergon Energy, Flower, Food and Wine Festival will also host a number of interactive sessions and workshops so visitors and residents alike can learn from the very best in the horticultural and floral design industries.
Popular ABC Gardening Australia and radio personality Colin Campbell will undoubtedly be a drawcard to this year's event.
Applying his green expertise to a suite of interactive question and answer sessions, Colin will also hold his aptly titled "Ask It, Solve It" workshop on Sunday, September 20.
Other speakers include horticultural writer and presenter John Daly and Toowoomba's Brian Sams who will be sharing gardening tips and expert tricks within the Ergon Energy Flower, Food and Wine Festival's specially designed "up close and personal" speaker's venue.
In addition, Toowoomba Regional Council gardeners, the very people behind carnival's blooming success, will also host a series of Twilight Tours in Laurel Bank Park.
These tours will be enlightening to say the least.
Winning showpieces from The Chronicle Garden Competition and Toowoomba's Exhibition Gardens will provide the perfect backdrop for green thumbs to gain inspiration, tips and expert advice as well as the chance to speak with the city's gardeners.
This year's Ergon Energy, Flower, Food and Wine Festival will also host a number of interactive sessions and workshops so visitors and residents alike can learn from the very best in the horticultural and floral design industries.
Popular ABC Gardening Australia and radio personality Colin Campbell will undoubtedly be a drawcard to this year's event.
Applying his green expertise to a suite of interactive question and answer sessions, Colin will also hold his aptly titled "Ask It, Solve It" workshop on Sunday, September 20.
Other speakers include horticultural writer and presenter John Daly and Toowoomba's Brian Sams who will be sharing gardening tips and expert tricks within the Ergon Energy Flower, Food and Wine Festival's specially designed "up close and personal" speaker's venue.
In addition, Toowoomba Regional Council gardeners, the very people behind carnival's blooming success, will also host a series of Twilight Tours in Laurel Bank Park.
These tours will be enlightening to say the least.
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Kate Hit, Remembered
The death of Katharine Hepburn, for most of us, meant a day of quiet reflection and mourning. For Pulitzer Prize winner A. Scott Berg, however, it meant a day to crook his arm and pull his fist back while making a noise like that of a cash register. His book Kate Remembered, which was finished in 1999 and sat in a vault counting the days until Berg's "friend" of 20 years Katharine Hepburn died, has just come out and is revealing quite a lot about the private life of this movie icon.
This article at CBS News gives the lowdown on the book and includes the following passage, which caught my eye for reasons that will become plainly obvious to you after you read it:
Berg writes that there was one big reason why Tracy and Hepburn never married besides Tracy's Catholicism, his guilt over his son's deafness and his wife's refusal to divorce him:
"I never wanted to marry Spencer Tracy," she told Berg...
Berg should have included the whole quote, however, and I'm hoping that the misquote-catching folks over at Spinsanity give him what for. Here's the quote in its entirety:
"I never wanted to marry Spencer Tracy because of his Catholicism, his guilt over his son's deafness and his wife's refusal to divorce him. Also, he was an abusive drunk who liked to backhand me in public. Plus, I have vaginal warts. Please don't tell anyone any of this, A. Scott Berg."
There are two things that I found incredibly interesting about Berg's book:
1) Hearing Berg on NPR was how I found out that Hepburn died like two weeks ago.
2) In researching this piece, I was reminded that Gregory Peck just died.
After I continued to dig, I found out that a book similar to Berg's Kate Remembered, but about Gregory Peck, had been released shortly after his death. It's called Greg: Finally Dead, So Here's The Book, and it was written by none other than famous movie actor Gregory Peck.
There were a few Katharine-Hepburn-level revelations in the Peck book. Among them:
Gregory Peck, toward the end of his life, used to go to the grocery store sometimes as often as twice a week, just to have something to do.
On the set of How the West Was Won, Spencer Tracy once gave Gregory Peck a dirty look, but it turned out that Tracy had just eaten something very sour.
Peck used to mow A. Scott Berg's a. front yard in an effort to convince Berg to write a book about him. It didn't work, but Berg had the worst looking yard on the whole block.
Peck originally died in 1998, but decided to try it again when his first death failed to make a splash.
Gregory Peck was not gay or anything.
On the set of To Kill A Mockingbird, Robert Duvall and Gregory Peck became close friends.
Whoa! Let's keep it clean, Peck!
This article at CBS News gives the lowdown on the book and includes the following passage, which caught my eye for reasons that will become plainly obvious to you after you read it:
Berg writes that there was one big reason why Tracy and Hepburn never married besides Tracy's Catholicism, his guilt over his son's deafness and his wife's refusal to divorce him:
"I never wanted to marry Spencer Tracy," she told Berg...
Berg should have included the whole quote, however, and I'm hoping that the misquote-catching folks over at Spinsanity give him what for. Here's the quote in its entirety:
"I never wanted to marry Spencer Tracy because of his Catholicism, his guilt over his son's deafness and his wife's refusal to divorce him. Also, he was an abusive drunk who liked to backhand me in public. Plus, I have vaginal warts. Please don't tell anyone any of this, A. Scott Berg."
There are two things that I found incredibly interesting about Berg's book:
1) Hearing Berg on NPR was how I found out that Hepburn died like two weeks ago.
2) In researching this piece, I was reminded that Gregory Peck just died.
After I continued to dig, I found out that a book similar to Berg's Kate Remembered, but about Gregory Peck, had been released shortly after his death. It's called Greg: Finally Dead, So Here's The Book, and it was written by none other than famous movie actor Gregory Peck.
There were a few Katharine-Hepburn-level revelations in the Peck book. Among them:
Gregory Peck, toward the end of his life, used to go to the grocery store sometimes as often as twice a week, just to have something to do.
On the set of How the West Was Won, Spencer Tracy once gave Gregory Peck a dirty look, but it turned out that Tracy had just eaten something very sour.
Peck used to mow A. Scott Berg's a. front yard in an effort to convince Berg to write a book about him. It didn't work, but Berg had the worst looking yard on the whole block.
Peck originally died in 1998, but decided to try it again when his first death failed to make a splash.
Gregory Peck was not gay or anything.
On the set of To Kill A Mockingbird, Robert Duvall and Gregory Peck became close friends.
Whoa! Let's keep it clean, Peck!
Thursday, October 2, 2003
rock 'n' roll & news parody: both found dead. nation mourns, does not actually mourn.
Sorry for the light week this week. Two friends of mine both moved away this week (today specifically) which has meant a lot of staying-out-too-late and drinking-too-much. I've gone to more bars this week than I otherwise would have. Let's just put it that way, okay?
Also, I don't want to burn myself out before I take over blogging duties at Neal Pollack's site next week while he's on tour.
That all said, I've just got a few things to mention.
Rolling Stone takes on Canada's poor math skills.
Rock and roll apparently already successfully destroyed.
Thanks to Paul Serilla (currently piloting Whatevs) for mentioning a RollingStone.com contest whereby some lucky person can win a trip to New York to see the Strokes appear on Conan O'Brien's program. I entered the contest, partly because I do - no matter how uncool it is or how full of it they are - like the Strokes. Also I really like Conan O'Brien (now finally on at 12:30 in Detroit!), and I've seen his show before and it was a blast.
Anyway, as I was clicking through the rules, I found an interesting passage. It turns out that if a Canadian wins, things get a little more complicated:
Canadian residents selected as winners will be required to successfully answer a time-limited, unaided, mathematical skill-based question prior to being awarded a prize, and failure to successfully answer the question will cause the prize to be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner.
That's no-fooling straight from the rules. Can anyone explain this to me? I mean, I know as much as the next guy that Canadians have been getting a free ride for far too long and have simply relied on their American neighbors for arithmetic help, but why is this the proper venue for setting things straight? Do you think the Strokes added this rule? It would be so like them.
Or maybe this is a really common thing and I'm just an idiot. Someone set me straight.
Also, I don't want to burn myself out before I take over blogging duties at Neal Pollack's site next week while he's on tour.
That all said, I've just got a few things to mention.
Rolling Stone takes on Canada's poor math skills.
Rock and roll apparently already successfully destroyed.
Thanks to Paul Serilla (currently piloting Whatevs) for mentioning a RollingStone.com contest whereby some lucky person can win a trip to New York to see the Strokes appear on Conan O'Brien's program. I entered the contest, partly because I do - no matter how uncool it is or how full of it they are - like the Strokes. Also I really like Conan O'Brien (now finally on at 12:30 in Detroit!), and I've seen his show before and it was a blast.
Anyway, as I was clicking through the rules, I found an interesting passage. It turns out that if a Canadian wins, things get a little more complicated:
Canadian residents selected as winners will be required to successfully answer a time-limited, unaided, mathematical skill-based question prior to being awarded a prize, and failure to successfully answer the question will cause the prize to be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner.
That's no-fooling straight from the rules. Can anyone explain this to me? I mean, I know as much as the next guy that Canadians have been getting a free ride for far too long and have simply relied on their American neighbors for arithmetic help, but why is this the proper venue for setting things straight? Do you think the Strokes added this rule? It would be so like them.
Or maybe this is a really common thing and I'm just an idiot. Someone set me straight.
Wednesday, October 1, 2003
happy birthday us
Two years ago, four brave men set out on a journey so daring, so grand and so wonderful that words can express neither the heroism of these wonderful men nor our debt to them.
I'm of course talking about myself and the other Editors (Matthew Tobey, Dennis Proctor, and Sam Forsyth) of Haypenny.com.
On October 1, 2001, the world got its first look at a Haypenny Feature. My Feature from that very first Issue, though not as good as something I might write today, still fills me with sorrow and regret - just like it did lo those many years ago.
I know I keep repeating it, but I think it's necessary that people understand since we started having Dailies (on October 15, 2001 - Daily Archive), we have never missed a weekday. Ever! Can any other site say that? No!
Here's a little-known fact about Haypenny: It was supposed to go live on September 1, 2001, but we Editors decided that we'd better wait, what with 9/11 about to happen and all. It's a fact!
Anyway, to honor myself and to justify some light blogging this week, I've penned a letter to the readers of Haypenny that you all can read too.
Also, don't forget that next week I'll be guest-blogging for Neal Pollack while he's on tour. Donnie Boman (from Left Pedal) is over there now doing a fine job. After me it'll be Monks, Popp, and then Tobey. Rock on.
I'm of course talking about myself and the other Editors (Matthew Tobey, Dennis Proctor, and Sam Forsyth) of Haypenny.com.
On October 1, 2001, the world got its first look at a Haypenny Feature. My Feature from that very first Issue, though not as good as something I might write today, still fills me with sorrow and regret - just like it did lo those many years ago.
I know I keep repeating it, but I think it's necessary that people understand since we started having Dailies (on October 15, 2001 - Daily Archive), we have never missed a weekday. Ever! Can any other site say that? No!
Here's a little-known fact about Haypenny: It was supposed to go live on September 1, 2001, but we Editors decided that we'd better wait, what with 9/11 about to happen and all. It's a fact!
Anyway, to honor myself and to justify some light blogging this week, I've penned a letter to the readers of Haypenny that you all can read too.
Also, don't forget that next week I'll be guest-blogging for Neal Pollack while he's on tour. Donnie Boman (from Left Pedal) is over there now doing a fine job. After me it'll be Monks, Popp, and then Tobey. Rock on.
Monday, September 29, 2003
Personal stuff
There's a new Issue of Haypenny up today. On Wednesday, Haypenny will celebrate its two year anniversary. Or birthday. Whichever it is that websites celebrate. The point is that we've been kicking for two years, and that's pretty amazing. We've posted over 500 Dailies and over 270 Features. I did a site summary yesterday and found out that we have over 1,000 pages in our web, over 20,000 hyperlinks in our web, over 700 images - just staggering numbers if you ask me. Haypenny kicks maximum ass. It's too bad that I absolutely despise doing the updates on Sunday nights.
Anyway, here's to two more. (raises glass)
On Friday, my band Havilland will be rocking Jimmy's Sports Rock over on Detroit's upper east side. You should go.
Next week I'll be guest blogging for Neal Pollack. (October 6-10. Don't forget.)
And then later on this month, my band Havilland will be opening up for Neal Pollack and Jim Roll at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. Check out Neal's tour info here.
Dan Kennedy is also on tour. Go see him.
My good friend Jeremy (of La Beta Corpo fame) is in town before he moves to Brazil. We got to hang out on Saturday night and we had a pretty alright time, though he left his jacket over here. Anyway, we're glad to have him.
Finally, I saw Lost in Translation Friday (official site) and I have a few things to say about it.
First of all, it's a fine movie. I'm sure that's not news to any of you who've read reviews of it. That Sofia Coppola is something else. If you haven't seen this yet, I'm not sure what you're waiting for, but I want to talk to you about it, so you should go see it soon.
But what I really want to say is this: I thought Scarlett Johansson was hot way back in the Horse Whisperer. Actually, she was in a YM or Seventeen magazine for promotion just after the film had come out and she was hot in those pictures. Anyway, I called it. I win. I'm the winner.
I'm a winner.
Anyway, here's to two more. (raises glass)
On Friday, my band Havilland will be rocking Jimmy's Sports Rock over on Detroit's upper east side. You should go.
Next week I'll be guest blogging for Neal Pollack. (October 6-10. Don't forget.)
And then later on this month, my band Havilland will be opening up for Neal Pollack and Jim Roll at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. Check out Neal's tour info here.
Dan Kennedy is also on tour. Go see him.
My good friend Jeremy (of La Beta Corpo fame) is in town before he moves to Brazil. We got to hang out on Saturday night and we had a pretty alright time, though he left his jacket over here. Anyway, we're glad to have him.
Finally, I saw Lost in Translation Friday (official site) and I have a few things to say about it.
First of all, it's a fine movie. I'm sure that's not news to any of you who've read reviews of it. That Sofia Coppola is something else. If you haven't seen this yet, I'm not sure what you're waiting for, but I want to talk to you about it, so you should go see it soon.
But what I really want to say is this: I thought Scarlett Johansson was hot way back in the Horse Whisperer. Actually, she was in a YM or Seventeen magazine for promotion just after the film had come out and she was hot in those pictures. Anyway, I called it. I win. I'm the winner.
I'm a winner.
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
we believe in very little
Apparently, Elton John is a minimalist.
"Singer" Elton John has decided to sell all of the contents of his London home according to a Yahoo! News piece. It seems that the Great Pink Knight wants to experiment with minimalism after living a life of opulence and excess. I thank God everyday that I haven't been burdened with "possessions" and "fame" - that I have the opportunity to live a simple, thankless, terrible existence, and that I will be forgotten almost instantly after I die.
The contents of the estate will go up for auction (handled by Sotheby's) on September 30, and they estimate that the whole lot should bring in about £800,000 ($1.2 million). Nothing says "minimalism" like going liquid for over $1 million on a Tuesday morning by selling all of your assets at prices that I can only imagine are fairly low.
So why is Sir Elton John, Knight of the Upside-Down Triangular Table, doing this? Good question. Here's another good question: is there even a slight chance that he's not somehow bankrupt?
In other "music" news, Jeremy at La Beta Corpo (blog) links to this neat piece in the East Bay Express, which is some sort of periodical. Here's the experiment: take a classroom full of fifth graders and make them draw while they listen to Radiohead. What do you get? Strange shit.
A couple (like the one to the left) depict "hell" scenarios. (The booth in the center reads "Free Suicides" - that's right: free. This kid is clearly a communist. He needs to be stopped immediately.) Others seemed to react to the melancholy and sometimes somber tone of the music. One girl says the music is about "bummed out dolphins," which means she either
A) totally got it,
B) thought she was listening to Live (whose songs really are just about bummed out dolphins), or
C) was going to draw dolphins no matter what music was on.
Regardless, the experiment is interesting and some of these children require, I think, immediate psychological attention. So do all the Radiohead fans that don't realize that elementary school teachers are Radiohead fans now. Pretty alternative, eh?
Lastly, Jeremy from La Beta Corpo (blog) also gave me a link to an article on Salon that does a much better job of saying what I was trying to say yesterday. Jeremy didn't phrase it that way, but I will. It's a great piece. I don't read Salon enough, because I hate having to do that day pass thing. Just like how I don't visit NYtimes.com because I hate logging in.
Anyway, from that Salon piece, I found Iraq Today, which is calling itself the "Independent Voice of Iraq." I read this article: Basrah Moves Towards Religious Stability.
"Singer" Elton John has decided to sell all of the contents of his London home according to a Yahoo! News piece. It seems that the Great Pink Knight wants to experiment with minimalism after living a life of opulence and excess. I thank God everyday that I haven't been burdened with "possessions" and "fame" - that I have the opportunity to live a simple, thankless, terrible existence, and that I will be forgotten almost instantly after I die.
The contents of the estate will go up for auction (handled by Sotheby's) on September 30, and they estimate that the whole lot should bring in about £800,000 ($1.2 million). Nothing says "minimalism" like going liquid for over $1 million on a Tuesday morning by selling all of your assets at prices that I can only imagine are fairly low.
So why is Sir Elton John, Knight of the Upside-Down Triangular Table, doing this? Good question. Here's another good question: is there even a slight chance that he's not somehow bankrupt?
In other "music" news, Jeremy at La Beta Corpo (blog) links to this neat piece in the East Bay Express, which is some sort of periodical. Here's the experiment: take a classroom full of fifth graders and make them draw while they listen to Radiohead. What do you get? Strange shit.
A couple (like the one to the left) depict "hell" scenarios. (The booth in the center reads "Free Suicides" - that's right: free. This kid is clearly a communist. He needs to be stopped immediately.) Others seemed to react to the melancholy and sometimes somber tone of the music. One girl says the music is about "bummed out dolphins," which means she either
A) totally got it,
B) thought she was listening to Live (whose songs really are just about bummed out dolphins), or
C) was going to draw dolphins no matter what music was on.
Regardless, the experiment is interesting and some of these children require, I think, immediate psychological attention. So do all the Radiohead fans that don't realize that elementary school teachers are Radiohead fans now. Pretty alternative, eh?
Lastly, Jeremy from La Beta Corpo (blog) also gave me a link to an article on Salon that does a much better job of saying what I was trying to say yesterday. Jeremy didn't phrase it that way, but I will. It's a great piece. I don't read Salon enough, because I hate having to do that day pass thing. Just like how I don't visit NYtimes.com because I hate logging in.
Anyway, from that Salon piece, I found Iraq Today, which is calling itself the "Independent Voice of Iraq." I read this article: Basrah Moves Towards Religious Stability.
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
We are nihilists, We believe in nothing
The other day, I was surfing the web, as I am wont to do, and I discovered some fairly interesting (if by interesting I mean either actually interesting or easy to make fun of) sites that I thought I'd share with you, my loyal following.
My adventures started over at left pedal, run with grace and cunning by the keen Donnie Boman. While reading Donnie's witicisms, I glanced over at his links list to make sure that WWKAD? was properly represented. It was. So I looked around a bit and saw a link that read "The Situation Room" and decided to click on it.
I really didn't read a whole lot of the site, but I did a lot of clicking. Some of it pleased me and some of it did not. This is nobody's fault but my own, and I understand this completely. This should be considered neither praise for nor an indictment of this website, but rather a collection of web oddities that I happened to find all at the same place. Understood? Great.
Classic rock music videos in ASCII. Pretty cool.
I'd like to see some contemporary videos.
A collection of subversive posters that almost all miss the point from Wake The World.
I would never try to suggest that I am currently or that I ever was completely satisfied with the administration's argument for/handling of the war in Iraq, but I have to admit that I'm very, very far away from getting illogically angry about non-issues. Look, for better or worse, I'm glad to be rid of Saddam Hussein, and I believe (if Christopher Hitchens is worth his salt, which I'd bet he is) that many people in Iraq - and in the Muslim community - are glad to be rid of him. Does the end justify the means? No, of course not, which is exactly why we'll elect someone else in November of 2004 and hurriedly purge ourselves of the Patriot Act and all the other filth this administration will have left behind. That said, who gives this much of a shit? Not me.
The first poster reminds me too much of the WW2 propaganda posters, coffee table books about which probably exist in most of our homes. Why is it that we can look at these old propaganda posters and laugh at their naivety, but the dillweed who designed this "Fashion 2003" (which by the way is a terribly lame title) poster thinks he's just written the next Doonesbury?
And the second poster: Nothing says "I... uh... I'm not really sure... uh... what I believe... in..." like this poorly-kerned (and, as far as I'm concerned, therefore poorly designed) nonsense palindrome!
If this one doesn't tickle your fancy, try our "Rise To Vote, Sir!" poster where the word "Sir" looks like it's made out of ice cream!
And to ignore the ambiguous pronoun answer the question of the third poster (which thoughtfully asks "Why isn't it called Terrorism when it's committed by the United States?"): because they're different things. They have different purposes and are carried out in different ways. Let's not forget that the United States didn't invent war. We're not the ones who codified it.
The only good poster of the whole bunch (that I saw, that is; I stopped looking after I'd found enough to make fun of) was the one that The Situation Room had displayed (I should have just stayed there).
It looks good. It's funny. It's not decidedly idealistic, but it's smart enough to know that. In fact, if you added breasts to this poster, I'd marry it.
My adventures started over at left pedal, run with grace and cunning by the keen Donnie Boman. While reading Donnie's witicisms, I glanced over at his links list to make sure that WWKAD? was properly represented. It was. So I looked around a bit and saw a link that read "The Situation Room" and decided to click on it.
I really didn't read a whole lot of the site, but I did a lot of clicking. Some of it pleased me and some of it did not. This is nobody's fault but my own, and I understand this completely. This should be considered neither praise for nor an indictment of this website, but rather a collection of web oddities that I happened to find all at the same place. Understood? Great.
Classic rock music videos in ASCII. Pretty cool.
I'd like to see some contemporary videos.
A collection of subversive posters that almost all miss the point from Wake The World.
I would never try to suggest that I am currently or that I ever was completely satisfied with the administration's argument for/handling of the war in Iraq, but I have to admit that I'm very, very far away from getting illogically angry about non-issues. Look, for better or worse, I'm glad to be rid of Saddam Hussein, and I believe (if Christopher Hitchens is worth his salt, which I'd bet he is) that many people in Iraq - and in the Muslim community - are glad to be rid of him. Does the end justify the means? No, of course not, which is exactly why we'll elect someone else in November of 2004 and hurriedly purge ourselves of the Patriot Act and all the other filth this administration will have left behind. That said, who gives this much of a shit? Not me.
The first poster reminds me too much of the WW2 propaganda posters, coffee table books about which probably exist in most of our homes. Why is it that we can look at these old propaganda posters and laugh at their naivety, but the dillweed who designed this "Fashion 2003" (which by the way is a terribly lame title) poster thinks he's just written the next Doonesbury?
And the second poster: Nothing says "I... uh... I'm not really sure... uh... what I believe... in..." like this poorly-kerned (and, as far as I'm concerned, therefore poorly designed) nonsense palindrome!
If this one doesn't tickle your fancy, try our "Rise To Vote, Sir!" poster where the word "Sir" looks like it's made out of ice cream!
And to ignore the ambiguous pronoun answer the question of the third poster (which thoughtfully asks "Why isn't it called Terrorism when it's committed by the United States?"): because they're different things. They have different purposes and are carried out in different ways. Let's not forget that the United States didn't invent war. We're not the ones who codified it.
The only good poster of the whole bunch (that I saw, that is; I stopped looking after I'd found enough to make fun of) was the one that The Situation Room had displayed (I should have just stayed there).
It looks good. It's funny. It's not decidedly idealistic, but it's smart enough to know that. In fact, if you added breasts to this poster, I'd marry it.
Monday, September 22, 2003
So Much For The Protestant Work Ethic
Without internet access at home (including no phone line for dial up--it was supposed to have been installed yesterday) and an ever increasing feeling among my boss and my coworkers that I ought to be getting stuff done, it's become very hard for me to blog a lot lately, and I super apologize.
And I know we're all shook up over the David Kelly suicide thing, and the realization that Laci Peterson probably killed herself too and that one woman probably raped herself, but I have no choice but to post fewer posts this week. So sorry.
In the meantime, check out:
City of Floating Blogs
Life and Times of Deckie Holmes
Jesse Popp
I Am The Stallion
Left Pedal
Utter Wonder
...and all of the other sites I've linked so far.
Thanks.
And I know we're all shook up over the David Kelly suicide thing, and the realization that Laci Peterson probably killed herself too and that one woman probably raped herself, but I have no choice but to post fewer posts this week. So sorry.
In the meantime, check out:
City of Floating Blogs
Life and Times of Deckie Holmes
Jesse Popp
I Am The Stallion
Left Pedal
Utter Wonder
...and all of the other sites I've linked so far.
Thanks.
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
So, Wait... This Thing Answers Questions, Right?
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Sunday, September 14, 2003
I Knew That George Tenet Was Keyser Soze The Whole Time; I Swear!
As many of us already know, CIA Director George Tenet claimed that he was responsible for President Bush’s inclusion in his State of the Union address this January of bogus information regarding Iraq’s planned purchase of uranium from uranium powerhouse Niger. The CIA is the last line of defense against warmongering psychos who try to include made-up intelligence into otherwise overly-emotional and underly-logical speeches of national importance.
Because of this statement by Tenet, many Americans are learning for the first time about this seemingly-complicated system of checks. In essence, however, the system is quite simple:
1) Speechwriters make up facts.
2) Someone pretends to present those facts to the CIA.
3) The CIA pretends to check their accuracy.
4) Condaleeza Rice goes on TV and dodges the real issue—which is whether the President knowingly included unreliable “intelligence” in a speech whose purpose was to pump up the American people and make a case for war against Iraq—by claiming that the veracity of one particular comment would have neither made nor broken the need for war.
But what many Americans aren’t hearing is that, in the same statement, George Tenet also took responsibility for a host of other Presidential gaffes, most of it not even related to the State of the Union speech. Here are just a few examples:
“I told him to pronounce it nuke-ya-lur.”
In one of the most surprising revelations made by the former Russian spy, Tenet has taken full responsibility for the President’s chronic mispronunciation of nuclear. Tenet said that he was motivated by jealousy, stupidity, disrespect for the president, and a complete lack of concern for the American people.
“I taught President Bush to smirk.”
Tenet continues: “Specifically, I forced him, through blackmail and threats of violence, to make light of the prospect of war and to smirk as much as possible at the conference in the Azores with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, making it appear to the discerning viewer that the thought of sending young men and women off to die in a war did not bother—or even delighted—the President.”
“I’m the one who fell off of that Segway.”
Aha! It was George Tenet who fell off of that Segway last month. Tenet explains: “The Segway is a wonderfully designed machine, and it is nearly impossible to fall of a Segway, but I, with my persistent inner-ear problems, clumsiness, foolishness, and disdain for any form of transportation that doesn’t guzzle gasoline and make oil tycoons richer, managed to lose my balance and fall like a moron to the ground. I hate America.”
“I lied to the American people about a lot of other stuff too.”
George Tenet, it turns out, “willfully and purposefully made statements that [he] knew to be false to rally support for a war against Iraq and, in bad faith, manipulated American public opinion for [his] own personal, political and financial benefit and to draw attention away from more important domestic problems, like a sluggish economy and low consumer confidence, which [he is] completely incapable of handling.” Tenet went on to say that he “should never have been elected,” and that he “should be impeached immediately.”
Because of this statement by Tenet, many Americans are learning for the first time about this seemingly-complicated system of checks. In essence, however, the system is quite simple:
1) Speechwriters make up facts.
2) Someone pretends to present those facts to the CIA.
3) The CIA pretends to check their accuracy.
4) Condaleeza Rice goes on TV and dodges the real issue—which is whether the President knowingly included unreliable “intelligence” in a speech whose purpose was to pump up the American people and make a case for war against Iraq—by claiming that the veracity of one particular comment would have neither made nor broken the need for war.
But what many Americans aren’t hearing is that, in the same statement, George Tenet also took responsibility for a host of other Presidential gaffes, most of it not even related to the State of the Union speech. Here are just a few examples:
“I told him to pronounce it nuke-ya-lur.”
In one of the most surprising revelations made by the former Russian spy, Tenet has taken full responsibility for the President’s chronic mispronunciation of nuclear. Tenet said that he was motivated by jealousy, stupidity, disrespect for the president, and a complete lack of concern for the American people.
“I taught President Bush to smirk.”
Tenet continues: “Specifically, I forced him, through blackmail and threats of violence, to make light of the prospect of war and to smirk as much as possible at the conference in the Azores with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, making it appear to the discerning viewer that the thought of sending young men and women off to die in a war did not bother—or even delighted—the President.”
“I’m the one who fell off of that Segway.”
Aha! It was George Tenet who fell off of that Segway last month. Tenet explains: “The Segway is a wonderfully designed machine, and it is nearly impossible to fall of a Segway, but I, with my persistent inner-ear problems, clumsiness, foolishness, and disdain for any form of transportation that doesn’t guzzle gasoline and make oil tycoons richer, managed to lose my balance and fall like a moron to the ground. I hate America.”
“I lied to the American people about a lot of other stuff too.”
George Tenet, it turns out, “willfully and purposefully made statements that [he] knew to be false to rally support for a war against Iraq and, in bad faith, manipulated American public opinion for [his] own personal, political and financial benefit and to draw attention away from more important domestic problems, like a sluggish economy and low consumer confidence, which [he is] completely incapable of handling.” Tenet went on to say that he “should never have been elected,” and that he “should be impeached immediately.”
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Matthew Tobey
Matthew Tobey, Neal Pollack's guest-blogger for the past two weeks and golden god from City of Floating Blogs, has been mentioning What Would Kofi Annan Do? left and right. It just goes to show that Matthew Tobey is a genius.
Also, J. Daniel Janzen has a great article about Euchre up over at Flak. As a Michigander, I've played my share of Euchre, and Janzen's article makes me want to play more. Janzen also has a Feature in the current Issue of Haypenny, which you should have already read by now.
Also, J. Daniel Janzen has a great article about Euchre up over at Flak. As a Michigander, I've played my share of Euchre, and Janzen's article makes me want to play more. Janzen also has a Feature in the current Issue of Haypenny, which you should have already read by now.
Colleen Haskell is a Flower: A Flower Who'd Better Have Some Good Bodyguards
I'm sure we all remember Colleen Haskell from the first season of CBS's Survivor program. But how many of us are stalking her? More than you'd think.
Just for fun this morning I decided to do a little web work and find out just what's become of America's summer camp girlfriend from Summer 2000. It turns out that she's not up to a whole lot, but, while searching, I did find a couple of funny/creepy/cause-for-alarm-on-the-part-of-Haskell things that I think are worth mentioning.
The first is the following dedication from colleen-a-flower.com that asserts that Colleen Haskell is, well, a flower. I think Yoda registered the domain, though.
This site is dedicated to the lovely former
Survivor castaway, Colleen Haskell. She is
a beautiful woman, yes. But she is much
more than just that; she has the most joyful,
genuine, charming personality that I have
ever seen anyone have. She is simply
entrancing to watch. Her glowing smile is
brighter than the clearest diamond. Just the
sound of her voice can make me smile.
Colleen is as elegant and graceful as...
a flower.
Notice the effective use of ellipses there. "Colleen's a what? She's a what? Tell me!!" Now I'm not saying that Colleen ain't easy on the eyes, but this guy is very, very--and very hilariously--sad.
And then there's this, from this nameless fan site:
This floor plan is from Colleen Haskell's high school. I repeat: Colleen Haskell should be moved immediately to a safe place.
Two Other Quick Things:
1. This article asserts that male scientists and criminals both do their best work before their mid-30s and that it's probably to attract women. Satoshi Kanazawa, of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, says: "They do whatever they do in order to get laid."
The unanswered question: Does it work?
2. Sorry these posts have been kind of short and disjointed and inconsistent. I started a new assignment this week and so I've been writing and posting from a computer lab in a high school in Detroit Public Schools, while trying, at the same time, to ignore the students. I'm sorry: "...to ignore my students."
Just for fun this morning I decided to do a little web work and find out just what's become of America's summer camp girlfriend from Summer 2000. It turns out that she's not up to a whole lot, but, while searching, I did find a couple of funny/creepy/cause-for-alarm-on-the-part-of-Haskell things that I think are worth mentioning.
The first is the following dedication from colleen-a-flower.com that asserts that Colleen Haskell is, well, a flower. I think Yoda registered the domain, though.
This site is dedicated to the lovely former
Survivor castaway, Colleen Haskell. She is
a beautiful woman, yes. But she is much
more than just that; she has the most joyful,
genuine, charming personality that I have
ever seen anyone have. She is simply
entrancing to watch. Her glowing smile is
brighter than the clearest diamond. Just the
sound of her voice can make me smile.
Colleen is as elegant and graceful as...
a flower.
Notice the effective use of ellipses there. "Colleen's a what? She's a what? Tell me!!" Now I'm not saying that Colleen ain't easy on the eyes, but this guy is very, very--and very hilariously--sad.
And then there's this, from this nameless fan site:
This floor plan is from Colleen Haskell's high school. I repeat: Colleen Haskell should be moved immediately to a safe place.
Two Other Quick Things:
1. This article asserts that male scientists and criminals both do their best work before their mid-30s and that it's probably to attract women. Satoshi Kanazawa, of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, says: "They do whatever they do in order to get laid."
The unanswered question: Does it work?
2. Sorry these posts have been kind of short and disjointed and inconsistent. I started a new assignment this week and so I've been writing and posting from a computer lab in a high school in Detroit Public Schools, while trying, at the same time, to ignore the students. I'm sorry: "...to ignore my students."
Friday, September 5, 2003
If jesus were alive today, he'd hang out at the yo-yo store
Tuesday, when I arrived on campus, I was greeted outside the parking structure by an old gentleman passing out free copies of the New Testament. This is, I'm sure, a fairly common scene on most college/high school campuses. I just waved my hand and said "no thanks" before he got a word out. I would have explained to him that I don't want one primarily because I already have more Bibles than I can read and that if his goal is to reach the unsaved, he could spend his Bibles more wisely on people who aren't already Christians, but I decided that I preferred to make him think I was some self-righteous atheist.
Anyhow, later on the same day, I happened upon a most interesting scene: in one of the "commons" types areas on campus - you know, with the benches and the fountain and so on - I saw a gentleman yo-yoing in front of about four PA speakers that were blasting Christian pop music. I could tell instantly that it was Christian pop because the vox were mixed right out in front and the message was uplifting. The guitars were distorted, but not in a caution-to-the-wind kind of way, but in a very boring, very sterile Good Charlotte kind of way. Also, I became instantly aware that, outside of the context of some sort of Christian "ministry", there would be absolutely no cause for anyone to ever perform solo yo-yo tricks in front of giant PA speakers while several other people "warmed up" behind him. I recalled my days on my church's mime troupe. We would do mime skits to present the gospel. That's right. Mime.
Now, I did some searching on the web and by process of elimination (or whatever it's called when there's only one of something so that thing must be the one you're looking for) I concluded that it must've been The King's Yomen.
"Holy shit! Watch out - he's got a yo-yo!"
I certainly don't want to make fun of these folks - no, strike that: I do, but I won't - because I can't fault somebody for using their talents to try to spread a positive message, particularly in a world so bleak. In fact, maybe it's folks like the King's Yomen, who seem totally misguided and naive to folks on the outside, who have everything figured out. "War? Recession? Pestilence? Whatever. I'm just going to yo-yo and think about Jesus." What could be better?
Due to my extensive Christian mime background, I'm totally aware of how far-fetched and cheesy some of the "skits" or "messages" can be. In that spirit, I've decided to take a stab at writing some yo-yo-is-like-[some aspect of Christianity]-type one-liners that I'm sure you'll love.
* Walking with Christ is like walking the dog...
* God's love comes with no strings attached, unlike my yo-yo which has one string attached.
* Jesus is like a Duncan Cold Fusion Yo-Yo and Satan is like a Green Duncan Imperial. I mean, seriously... okay?
* Remember when I tried that Hoopla earlier but I flubbed the dismount? That's like when we sin.
* In the Bible, Jesus says, "no man cometh unto the Father except by me." Now I'm going to Rock the Baby.
By the way, I'm not sure if "King's Yomen" is some bible pun that I should get, but I don't get it. Does anyone?
Either way, I need to read the Bible more and brush up on my Yo-Yo tricks.
Anyhow, later on the same day, I happened upon a most interesting scene: in one of the "commons" types areas on campus - you know, with the benches and the fountain and so on - I saw a gentleman yo-yoing in front of about four PA speakers that were blasting Christian pop music. I could tell instantly that it was Christian pop because the vox were mixed right out in front and the message was uplifting. The guitars were distorted, but not in a caution-to-the-wind kind of way, but in a very boring, very sterile Good Charlotte kind of way. Also, I became instantly aware that, outside of the context of some sort of Christian "ministry", there would be absolutely no cause for anyone to ever perform solo yo-yo tricks in front of giant PA speakers while several other people "warmed up" behind him. I recalled my days on my church's mime troupe. We would do mime skits to present the gospel. That's right. Mime.
Now, I did some searching on the web and by process of elimination (or whatever it's called when there's only one of something so that thing must be the one you're looking for) I concluded that it must've been The King's Yomen.
"Holy shit! Watch out - he's got a yo-yo!"
I certainly don't want to make fun of these folks - no, strike that: I do, but I won't - because I can't fault somebody for using their talents to try to spread a positive message, particularly in a world so bleak. In fact, maybe it's folks like the King's Yomen, who seem totally misguided and naive to folks on the outside, who have everything figured out. "War? Recession? Pestilence? Whatever. I'm just going to yo-yo and think about Jesus." What could be better?
Due to my extensive Christian mime background, I'm totally aware of how far-fetched and cheesy some of the "skits" or "messages" can be. In that spirit, I've decided to take a stab at writing some yo-yo-is-like-[some aspect of Christianity]-type one-liners that I'm sure you'll love.
* Walking with Christ is like walking the dog...
* God's love comes with no strings attached, unlike my yo-yo which has one string attached.
* Jesus is like a Duncan Cold Fusion Yo-Yo and Satan is like a Green Duncan Imperial. I mean, seriously... okay?
* Remember when I tried that Hoopla earlier but I flubbed the dismount? That's like when we sin.
* In the Bible, Jesus says, "no man cometh unto the Father except by me." Now I'm going to Rock the Baby.
By the way, I'm not sure if "King's Yomen" is some bible pun that I should get, but I don't get it. Does anyone?
Either way, I need to read the Bible more and brush up on my Yo-Yo tricks.
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
Aw, Man! Already $400 With 5 Days Still To Go; I'm Never Going To Own One Of These Logs!
I might as well just give up now. There's no way that I'm going to win any of the e-bay autions for Survivor: Amazon memorabilia. All of the proceed go through the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, so you'd normally assume that this type of activity would be beyond reproach. But as my 8th grade Algebra teacher used to say and partially write on the board (to help make the meaning clear): "When you ASSUME, you make an ASS out of U and ME."
Mr. Macarbry, may you rest in peace, and if you're still alive, may your old collapsing body and surely frightful appearance and hellish odor not be too displeasing to those around you as they attempt to quietly kill you.
And you have made an ass out of yourself if you assumed that this Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation was up to nothing but good. I did a little bit of digging and I found out that this elusive "Elizabeth Glaser" person not only exists, but is also not even a child!
If my sources are accurate, at least one of these three women is Elizabeth Glaser. Do any of these women look like children to you? Do you think any of these women suffers from Pediatric AIDS? Is there even such a thing as Pediatric AIDS? The answers to these questions all resoundingly support whatever unstructured attack against the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation I may be launching.
What makes this all worse is that Survivor: Amazon is not Elizabeth Glaser's only victim. The cast of Friends have all designed chairs which were subsequently made by La-Z-Boy and are now being auctioned off (only three of each design) to raise money for these Elizabeth Glasers. Below are the Friends' chairs, followed by some less impressive chairs that are, as far as I can tell, still available.
Mr. Macarbry, may you rest in peace, and if you're still alive, may your old collapsing body and surely frightful appearance and hellish odor not be too displeasing to those around you as they attempt to quietly kill you.
And you have made an ass out of yourself if you assumed that this Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation was up to nothing but good. I did a little bit of digging and I found out that this elusive "Elizabeth Glaser" person not only exists, but is also not even a child!
If my sources are accurate, at least one of these three women is Elizabeth Glaser. Do any of these women look like children to you? Do you think any of these women suffers from Pediatric AIDS? Is there even such a thing as Pediatric AIDS? The answers to these questions all resoundingly support whatever unstructured attack against the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation I may be launching.
What makes this all worse is that Survivor: Amazon is not Elizabeth Glaser's only victim. The cast of Friends have all designed chairs which were subsequently made by La-Z-Boy and are now being auctioned off (only three of each design) to raise money for these Elizabeth Glasers. Below are the Friends' chairs, followed by some less impressive chairs that are, as far as I can tell, still available.
Thursday, May 8, 2003
Some Quick Shamelessness!
I'll be putting up a real post later (probably), but I wanted to point you to some things that make me look cool.
First of all, Ben Hammersley has mentioned Haypenny (the best site in the world, where I also happen to be an Editor) in an article today at Guardian.
Second of all, Matthew Tobey gave what would kofi annan do? a real nice shout out in his blog, Matthew Tobey in the City of Floating Blogs.
And thirdly, if you didn't read the interview that Claire Zulkey did with all four of us Haypenny Editors on her website, Zulkey.com, then you should do so now.
Keep the dream alive.
First of all, Ben Hammersley has mentioned Haypenny (the best site in the world, where I also happen to be an Editor) in an article today at Guardian.
Second of all, Matthew Tobey gave what would kofi annan do? a real nice shout out in his blog, Matthew Tobey in the City of Floating Blogs.
And thirdly, if you didn't read the interview that Claire Zulkey did with all four of us Haypenny Editors on her website, Zulkey.com, then you should do so now.
Keep the dream alive.
Thursday, April 24, 2003
Live from Long Beach!
I'm in Long Beach, California right now, blogging from the upstairs of an Internet Cafe that my friend Rachel told me was a gay internet cafe. I'm not sure if the internet here is gay or the coffee, or this tall drink of water Scott who's sitting on my lap gently suckling my earlobe, but the Chai Lattes here are to die for.
Easter night I boarded a Greyhound bus with a friend. Just 58 hours later, we had arrived in Los Angeles, California. I finished three books: Make Believe Town by David Mamet, A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O'Connor and The Dog of the South by Charles Portis. I recommend each of them. I completely forgot, however, to stay on top of the news. In such a newsy time in world history, that's totally unforgivable.
So what I've decided to do is craft my own version (having still not read a newspaper, or so much as flipped past the news on television--for all I know, SARS has killed everyone back home) of the news, using my experiences on the bus as sort of a guide. Here, for your edification, is the news from the last two days:
Tomorrow I hope to post a little bit on the fun I'm having in California. I have to come back here anyway to pick Scott up for our date.
Easter night I boarded a Greyhound bus with a friend. Just 58 hours later, we had arrived in Los Angeles, California. I finished three books: Make Believe Town by David Mamet, A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O'Connor and The Dog of the South by Charles Portis. I recommend each of them. I completely forgot, however, to stay on top of the news. In such a newsy time in world history, that's totally unforgivable.
So what I've decided to do is craft my own version (having still not read a newspaper, or so much as flipped past the news on television--for all I know, SARS has killed everyone back home) of the news, using my experiences on the bus as sort of a guide. Here, for your edification, is the news from the last two days:
Late Sunday, April 20
It's almost one in the morning. A very, very fat Colin Powell boards enters the Oval Office, dragging behind him a quarrelsome three-year-old Donald Rumsfeld. Donald begins to ask (and does not stop for some time) why Colin Powell is "not driving the train." "Why ain't you drivin' the train, Momma?"
"Ain't you gonna drive the train, Momma?"
Monday, April 21
During a seven-hour respite from fighting, troops in Baghdad decide to lock their Army luggage up in the world's largest coin-operated Army locker and step outside of the Army depot for a smoke. Upon seeing the neighborhood, they quickly board an Army taxi and fly uptown to the barracks of their friend, Sgt. Derek. Even though they woke him up at oh five hundred hours, he was still nice and hospitable and even took the troops out to breakfast.Eventually, the troops had to return to the Army depot, where the fighting was about to begin again. When they did, it took far too long for the fighting to begin and the directions were not all that clear.
In other news: President Bush makes short work of Make Believe Town and Vice President Dick Cheney takes a pretty big bite out of The Jungle.
Tuesday, April 22
If my creativity serves me, Tuesday was a pretty big day in the news.Of primary importance, Jay Garner took over both seats in front of the President and the Vice President, even though he'd only paid for one seat, and put both seats as far back as they could possibly go, thereby earning himself lots of "accidental" bumps from the First and Second knees.
Also: Condoleeza Rice, Tom Ridge and Saddam Hussein (also known as the creepy pool-championship-attending threesome from Boston) continued to spill shit all over the floor of world politics all day, getting the First and Second carry-on bags very messy.
Wednesday, April 23
You know what, I was falling in-and-out of sleep all days as we drove around Los Angeles. Also, I can't keep this joke up any longer. Sorry.
Tomorrow I hope to post a little bit on the fun I'm having in California. I have to come back here anyway to pick Scott up for our date.
Sunday, April 20, 2003
So, I'm crazy; so, what's the fuss?
Tonight, I board a bus headed for Los Angeles. With me will be my trusted and esteemed colleague Chad Roberts, of Havilland fame.
We are headed to Los Angeles to see people that we don't get to see often enough. What does this mean for you, the reader? It means no new posts until Wednesday. That's when we'll arrive in Los Angeles. And even then I think I'm going to have to find a library or internet cafe.
I will do whatever it takes. Look forward to hearing about what will hopefully be an entertaining trip. If it sucks, I will surely take it out on you.
Until Wednesday...
We are headed to Los Angeles to see people that we don't get to see often enough. What does this mean for you, the reader? It means no new posts until Wednesday. That's when we'll arrive in Los Angeles. And even then I think I'm going to have to find a library or internet cafe.
I will do whatever it takes. Look forward to hearing about what will hopefully be an entertaining trip. If it sucks, I will surely take it out on you.
Until Wednesday...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)