The eating habits of American kids are widely considered a good example of what other countries must avoid.E. Schlosser, Fast Food Nation, 2001.
Friday, February 06, 2004
Thursday, February 05, 2004
Schedule's full once again tomorrow, so here it is.
you are the "I hate you so bad" happy
bunny. You hate everyone and eveything and your
not ashamed of it.
which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
you are the "I hate you so bad" happy
bunny. You hate everyone and eveything and your
not ashamed of it.
which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
It's amazing how the dated views (c. 2001) of a comedian, in this case my favorite, Dennis Miller, can be relevant today. For instance...
I get cross-eyed with rage when I hear that there are thirty-five students in a third-grade inner-city public-school class sharing one textbook while the AV-squad jerkoffs at NASA have lost contact with yet another billion-dollar piece-of-shit Radio Shack transmitter that was supposed to land on the surface of Mars and broadcast back pictures that I could take in Barstow in July. Hey, NASA. The space race is over. We won. We know all about space. It's full of black holes that relentlessly suck in all matter around them. Kind of like what you do with our f**king money. There might be water on Mars? Call me when you find oil on Mars, okay?It's a nice warm feeling when someone else can eloquently crystallize your thoughts.
It's nice to know there are things in this world you can count on. For instance, I didn't watch the Super Bowl last weekend. I was working, and didn't care much in any case. But, I heard about "the incident" -- you know the one I mean -- and I wanted a picture.
Somehow, I just knew Mr. Ellis wouldn't let me down.
Somehow, I just knew Mr. Ellis wouldn't let me down.
Sunday, February 01, 2004
What's a guy to do when he spends an evening at home on a Friday night, surrounded by his girlfriend and three nubile Asian women from different exotic cultures, with dishes of fruits and cheeses, sipping fine beer and red wine?
Sit around and discuss the socio-historical-political-linguistic attitudes of Japan, Korea, China and the Philippines, of course. Get those fantasies based on Full Metal Jacket out of your mind.
One of the young ladies was describing her attitude toward her country of origin, Japan -- an attitude she felt was typical (with the usual caveats) of the young people of her generation. She basically said that although there are many elements of Japanese culture to be proud of, there just isn't (in her observations, anyway) that sense of nationalism and patriotism that she observes in the United States. She was sort of amazed to see flags flying all over the place -- US flags, state flags, and even in the deep south where she spent some time, "stars and bars."
Apparently, you don't see a lot of flag-waving in Japan. I didn't state it then, but I wondered how much of that is just the culture of modern-day Japan, and how much of that might have been the doing of post-WWII American policy for the region?
Things that make me go "hmmm..."
Sit around and discuss the socio-historical-political-linguistic attitudes of Japan, Korea, China and the Philippines, of course. Get those fantasies based on Full Metal Jacket out of your mind.
One of the young ladies was describing her attitude toward her country of origin, Japan -- an attitude she felt was typical (with the usual caveats) of the young people of her generation. She basically said that although there are many elements of Japanese culture to be proud of, there just isn't (in her observations, anyway) that sense of nationalism and patriotism that she observes in the United States. She was sort of amazed to see flags flying all over the place -- US flags, state flags, and even in the deep south where she spent some time, "stars and bars."
Apparently, you don't see a lot of flag-waving in Japan. I didn't state it then, but I wondered how much of that is just the culture of modern-day Japan, and how much of that might have been the doing of post-WWII American policy for the region?
Things that make me go "hmmm..."
Friday, January 30, 2004
There's something inherently liberating about deciding for a brief period of time, a day perhaps, to just be an absolute waste of space and precious O2. That's what I did today. I slept in late, idly practiced some kali and bit of kung-fu, listened to NPR in the late morning. Afterward, I left the house, checked out a bookstore that just moved locations, sat at a coffee-shop while leeching off their Wi-Fi connection all afternoon and now I'm about to head to a bar where there's (hopefully) some decent live jazz playing.
Thursday, January 29, 2004
Suicide 'could not be predicted'In a region of the world where "mysterious deaths" of controversial political figures has been going on for nigh over a millenium? In the same region that produced James Bond? My @$$.
No-one could have predicted Dr David Kelly might commit suicide, Lord Hutton has said in his report.
The judge said no-one else was involved in the death of the government scientist who was found dead in woods near his home.
Lord Hutton said he believed Dr Kelly had killed himself after being named as the suspected source of the BBC's controversial weapons dossier story.
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Finally, after months of (sporadic) searching, I found an mp3 of the theme to Once Upon a Time in China in Cantonese. It's one of the final pieces to my workout mp3 playlist.
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
*Edited excerpts from my journal
*E's right about my rigid expectations about my time. My expectations for today were to get up, sip coffee and work on some things at a leisurely pace before work at 8 PM. In the middle of it all, I'd relocate to the coffee shop and soak up some atmosphere.I'm accustomed to bolting out of bed when I feel it's time (or when my alarm goes off, whichever comes last) and getting down to it. I wake up with some things on my mind that I have to act on, or at least write down, before I do anything else. Instead, I get stopped at every turn by something or other. It didn't take a full hour before my vision of the day had completely collapsed, and I had to come up with a way to adapt.
Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way.
*Adaptation isn't my problem. It's the inner resentment that develops, usually toward myself. That's got to end. After all, most of the time I "wasted" was spent taking care of E. Her knee acted up big time last night and it's still not right.I've never had trouble concocting a "Plan B" on the fly. The trouble is I turn into Winston Wolf from Pulp Fiction, who expressed this attitude:
If I'm curt with you, it's because time is a factor. I think fast, I talk fast, and I need you guys to act fast if you want to get out of this. So pretty please, with sugar on top, clean the fuckin' car.The bottom line is that I need to do two things: First, I need to return to practicing genuine solitude. Second, I need to be better and more ruthless about cutting out things that don't need done at a particular time. This is a problem for people with my brain style (read View From the Cliff) -- the feeling that if an idea isn't acted on immediately to the exclusion of all else, it'll be lost forever.
Monday, January 26, 2004
I've been toying around with a new personal mission statement for 2004 for the past 2 or 3 months now, and it's still not done. Sure, I've got lots of goals and am taking steps to securing them. But, I feel like I'm in a spot that I was in a few years ago -- lots of activity, but little direction.
I did come to one conclusion that's brought me a step closer to constructing one for this year. I overheard a group of young women at a coffee shop discussing their mission statement for some enterprise, some sort of publication if I gathered right. Now, this bit that I heard may or may not have been connected to their proposed mission, but someone read aloud something that contained the phrase "b@$tard love child." Then, it hit me. If it was part of their mission, then I realized that whatever I construct for this year has to not only be on my TERMS but in my LANGUAGE. That is, something reflective of the new ways -- and a few of the old ways -- I've been thinking and speaking as of late.
I did come to one conclusion that's brought me a step closer to constructing one for this year. I overheard a group of young women at a coffee shop discussing their mission statement for some enterprise, some sort of publication if I gathered right. Now, this bit that I heard may or may not have been connected to their proposed mission, but someone read aloud something that contained the phrase "b@$tard love child." Then, it hit me. If it was part of their mission, then I realized that whatever I construct for this year has to not only be on my TERMS but in my LANGUAGE. That is, something reflective of the new ways -- and a few of the old ways -- I've been thinking and speaking as of late.
Sometimes, I refer to E as "my Lil' Crusader." She has these "revolutionary" tendencies. She sees something that's not right, whether in her grad school department, on the street, or life in general, her first instinct is to do something to correct it. Sometimes, it gets her in some warm water. But, that doesn't even enter into the calculations for her. And at times, I'm jealous.
I can be such a tool of the system sometimes. Sure, I rail against it when it doesn't suit me. There have even been those rare occassions when I've used the little bit of "da juice" to try and fix things. But, in general, I'll sit and bite my tongue. And, I even go one step further sometimes -- I take the "flawed system," whatever it is, and find a way to manipulate it and play it to my advantage.
I find a disturbing resemblence between myself and the character of Avon from the cult sci-fi show Blake's 7. In the second episode of the series, called "Space Fall," three of the main characters debate their escape from a ship on its way to a penal colony.
I can be such a tool of the system sometimes. Sure, I rail against it when it doesn't suit me. There have even been those rare occassions when I've used the little bit of "da juice" to try and fix things. But, in general, I'll sit and bite my tongue. And, I even go one step further sometimes -- I take the "flawed system," whatever it is, and find a way to manipulate it and play it to my advantage.
I find a disturbing resemblence between myself and the character of Avon from the cult sci-fi show Blake's 7. In the second episode of the series, called "Space Fall," three of the main characters debate their escape from a ship on its way to a penal colony.
JENNAThat last part could easily be an exchange between me and my Lil' Crusader.
Back to Earth?
BLAKE
Yes. That's where the heart of the Federation is. I intend to see that heart torn out.
AVON
I thought you were probably insane.
BLAKE
That's possible! They butchered my family, my friends. They murdered my past and gave me tranquilized dreams.
JENNA
At least you're still alive.
BLAKE
No! Not until free men can think and speak. Not until power is back with the honest man.
AVON
Have you ever met an honest man?
JENNA [Glances at Blake]
Perhaps.
AVON
Listen to me. Wealth is the only reality. And the only way to obtain wealth is to take it away from somebody else. Wake up, Blake! You may not be tranquilized any longer, but you're still dreaming.
JENNA
Maybe some dreams are worth having.
AVON
You don't really believe that.
JENNA
No, but I'd like to.
BLAKE
Yes, well, you asked me what I was going to do and I've told you. What you do is up to yourselves.
AVON
Right. A new identity, a job in the Federation Banking System. Three months with their computers, I could lift a hundred million credits and nobody would know where they went. Then let anyone try and touch me.
BLAKE
And the rest?
AVON
Have the same chance as I have.
BLAKE
You don't really believe that.
Saturday, January 24, 2004
The Lost Journals of Doogie Howser, M.D.
by Pasha Maller and Mike Baker
I love the NPR show Car Talk. It's part of my Saturday morning ritual. The Car Talk Guys end their show the same way every week. "Click" says "Don't drive like my brother" while "Clack" advises "Don't drive like MY brother." They're brothers -- get it? Hey, I think it's brilliant -- screw you, you didn't think of it :).
Lately, I've come to enjoy the way they cut out for station ID breaks. Today's was pretty funny...
Lately, I've come to enjoy the way they cut out for station ID breaks. Today's was pretty funny...
And though Ira Glass prepares This American Resignation whenever he hears us say it... this is National Public Radio.My ultimate favorite has always been...
And even though the Dalai Lama flings a handful of prayer beads at us whenever he hears us say it... this is National Public Radio.Some gags just don't get old.
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