Intellectual Poison

Undeniable and Invincible Rapture
While I might start out with an apology to any readers out there who've been checking in and wondering, wondering, wondering what's the deal with my last post and announcement of pending nuptuals, I don't think I'm going to be making any apologies for having been in utter and complete blissland these last few days.

What would be the point of souring all that bliss with the poison of guilt? There is none and I'm moving on to the real post and some explanation of what's going on in my wonderful little world these days.

First off, her name is Paula and in good geek form, we did meet in the wonderful (and parentally scary) world of cyberspace. In fact, we met on Hotornot many months ago. And I'm sure that there a few people out there who may be raising an eyebrow or two. But really, the most important thing to remember in all of this is that; whatever enables two people to find and connect with each other is a viable means to finding your love.

So back to Paula and I. We've been friends online for months, emailing each other regularly, one meeting that had been planned back in June or July but circumstance interfered and it didn't happen. But we stayed in touch, moving into IM's (a fairly new 'net toy for me) and then on to phone calls. We felt each other out slowly and carefully, testing out moral compatibilities, desires, needs and who each other was.

At each step, we compared notes honestly and found ourselves matching up exactly on every important topic, from wanting of kids (yes please!) to how to raise kids to flowers to movies to music to what was most important in a relationship (honesty, fidelity, humor and love) to makes of cars to things as trivial as to everything else you could possibly think of.

What grew out of all of our talks and chats and whatevers is that we share common moral ground that extends out into almost every aspect of our lives.

She paid me the most amazing compliment I've ever received last night. We were talking about where we were both living, she in San Diego, me in Santa Cruz and she said, "I can't even call it home down there anymore, because home is where the heart is and my heart belongs to you." She actually brought tears to my eyes, and for those that know me, they should know how unprecedented, incredible and overwhelming this is and was to me.

There are details to think about, plans to make and many, many changes ahead for the both of us but that's just it, for the both us, together, as one. We move forward unified in and bound by a powerful love between us that flows through us, around us and infuses others near us so that they too feel a hint of the joy we carry with us.

Pictures will follow when I have more time to spare (i.e. Paula's asleep or otherwise inaccessible to me because I'm not wasting any live time with her if I can help it).
And I'll have to make some changes to my 100 Things list. Namely numbers 31 and 32 and number 10 but for other reasons (thanks Santa!). And number 99 because I now know something I want on me at all times, details on that to follow as designs are weighed. But its not the design that is significant, more what the tattoo will symbolize.

Happy New Year to you all! I know it will be the best year of my life and I am so looking forward to leaving 2002. It was one of the most difficult years I've yet experienced but hardship brings its own reward and mine is laying in my bed and looking at me now with her beautiful blue eyes. I think I'm going to go and join her.

More about Paula as time permits and conscience allows, there are somethings that are meant to be shared with only that one person who completes you. And in my most incredibly fortuitus universe, I found her! But I'm always open to questions or suggestions.

What Do You Do When You Get EXACTLY What You Want For Christmas?
This may come as a major shock damned near everyone who's a regular or irregular reader of Intellectual Poison.

But yep, I got the absolute best Christmas present ever! EVER! And yes, that includes the toy guns and holsters I got when I was six and my first bike and the Playstation a couple of years ago.

This year for Christmas, I got a wife.
No, she's not my wife yet but she will be. And I'm most positive that there will be much, much more to come about her (depending on how much she wants you all to know because she IS the boss of me and quite happily too).

Christmas dreams DO come true!
I hope each and every one of you has the best Christmas ever!

Brevity, Randomness and Christmas Surprises

Too-tall Christmas tree makes over the top sight gag and yeah, its a bit goofy and all but still kind of a nice idea.

Abrupt seque into the meat of the day, or meet of the day. Today's a watershed of sorts, a culmination of events and it may just work out in the best way possible. But that is something that I don't think I want to speculate about before the fact. Think good thoughts around 9 and 9:30 tonight, we should be down on the beach having a Christmas bonfire with all the storm debris.

But today is the first day of vacation and I've got a bajillion things to do and not enough time to get them all done so I'm chopping this puppy off and getting on task. I will, likely, be back writing more later in between errands but don't hold yer breath.

By the way, iChat kicks ass as an instant messenger. Been using it since making the jump to Mac OS Jaguar (which also kicks ass).

If I'm not here (and fingers crossed, I will be too busy entertaining and being entertained) then I hope everyone has a wonderful break and holiday.
And let's all raise a glass on New Years!

A Weekend's Debauch
Well, that was fun, tiring and not cheap at all but it was one heck of a fun and entertaining weekend. I'm sure it was, by no means, as cool as Layne's (and her Spanish go-go dancer visiting pal come girlfriend, yeah, go read her) but we did have some decent fun. Lots of alkie pops, random flashes of boobs and pubes, breakfast in a bar, sneaking downstairs in some misbegotten Christmas dream cross over story to sneak a peek at my new housemate and his ex, um, negotiating a rejoinder?

A couple of good parties, some folks getting out of control (as must happen) I guess some guy caught himself on fire for a moment or two, nothing serious though.

But the final end result is that I slept almost none all weekend and am drained and tired (and those late night IM sessions, while tremendous fun, aren't helping me catch on sleep and some of us couldn't sleep in today).
Anyway, short day here in research land, Christmas party and lunch today and then I'm done until next year. It will be a very, very nice break I think.

For reasons that I'll go into after the fact if they go but yes, there's a girl involved and I'm going to see her this week. Hope everyone's going to have a lovely Christmas.
Just don't ask me how the Christmas shopping went this year. It didn't. At all.
And no, I'm not kidding. It didn't happen for a lot of reasons and not any of which I care to jump into here.

But it will still be a nice holiday.

Legal Issues with Blogging
During lunch today, the subject of libel and slander on blogs came up. My take is that this is a private forum and what I write here cannot be held against me in any real legal sense. But this article about Legal Blogging Issues might indicate otherwise.

I think the trickle down is that people need to be aware of the ramifications of slamming your company on your blog. Its really not that good an idea. If you need to publicly vent then go check out a place like Vault for anonymous ranting. Or go to Fucked Company.

But I can see more lawsuits about improper disclosure of company information on private blogs. Yep, we're Americans, we'll sue for coffee too hot or too cold so why not sue for this too?

Other New Links News
Since a fair number of surfers come to Intellectual Poison by looking for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Cheat Codes, I thought I'd save some time and put a perma link up there on the left side. And go get your killin' on!

You Just Won Survivor Thailand, NOW What Are You Gonna Do?
Well, if you're Brian Heidik then you're going to file spousal abuse charges against your crazy, crack smoking white trash wife who apparently has beat him bloody on more than one occasion. Strange, eh? Nothing like a million dollar injection to drop a perma-wedge between two incompatible peoples.
Check out the Survivor Spousal Abuse page with real scanned police report! And kung fu grip!
And don't forget to check out this extra special set of pics from Brian's Soft Core Porn days. Lovely!

Lott Resigns As Senate Republican Leader




Looking like the frumpy racist bugger he truly is, Trent Lott saw the smear on the wall and realized that he is done, politically, stick a fork in him (make it a pitchfork).
"In the interest of pursuing the best possible agenda for the future of our country, I will not seek to remain as majority leader of the United States Senate for the 108th Congress, effective Jan. 6, 2003," said Lott, whose fall was without historical precedent. Interest of the country? Dude, your own party is disavowing you. Wake up and realize that you are political poison now!

The Evil that is Instant Messaging
I was on my way to bed last night at a pretty reasonable 11:30 (very reasonable given my hours this week) but thought, on a whim that I should load up AIM and see who was out and about.
Which is a bad idea when you need to get to sleep. Its kind of like gambling when you first sign into AIM, who's gonna show up on the live list this time around?

And then there's always the possibility of new contacts, generally IM porn bots but sometimes they are friends just making the IM connection for the first time. And it is a ramp of increasing contacts online, I started with just work folks and now I'm pushing 30 on my work buddy list (keep in mind I work for an 8 person company).

So last night was actually pretty cool, I was chatting with a friend in San Jose when a new contact window popped up with a name I didn't recognize. So I clicked yes (in the future I'm sure virus writers will figure out a way to destroy computers this way but not quite yet) and connected up with another new, cool person that I like. And I don't know how other people work with IM's but its sometimes a very difficult prospect keeping up two conversations with two different people, and neither conversation has a bit to do with the other. But being the stupid fast typer I am, I swung it and begged my way out of chats that were great fun and interesting.

And just as I'm about to shut down the laptop for the night, I notice that one of my other chats had gone back to live as she'd worked late and logged back in when she'd gotten off. And she and I ended up chatting with each other, making each other laugh alot until well past my bed time and nearly to last night's crash time. Not that I regret chatting with her at all, she's funny as hell even if she makes fun of my speech.

One of my pending resolutions is to wrangle this demon beast that is Instant Messaging!


In lighter and damn-but-I-want-to-fast-forward-to-next-week news

Go check out Layne for a funny post about how she's prepped and reprepped for her pending Christmas present/visitor. Yes, she spikes it with some serious introspection about her pattern of relationships but that's Layne for ya. She'll instruct without even trying to. And she is one of the most honest bloggers I've ever come across, or least she does one heck of a job coming across as honest. I've truly come to know a bit of her and really care about her and her life. Much as I cannot access or understand it. Sometimes I just want to put my arms around her, stroke her hair and tell her everything's going to be okay.

And it will, Layne! We'll understand if you're not a blogging fiend this next week. But you will have to catch us up.

Poker Night, Major Winter Storms and the General Unfairness of the Weather in Relation to my Weekends
Okay, good news first because it softens the bad news smackage.

We play poker every once in a while and we got a game on last night after much false starting and stopping and scrambling to uncoverer a fifth player. But we did end up playing and for the first time in a really long time, I ended up cleaning everyone else out. Not huge winnings but definitely enough to put a smile on my face and have to buy the yokels a beer next time we're at the bar together. Downside to last night is that I ended up being up until after 2 in the morning, again. Which means another night of not quite enough sleep followed by a day of not quite enough nice weather. We've got a serious big time winter storm about to hit today and thing's're gonna get a bit crazy, I think.

I stopped by my beach this morning as usual to check things out and the wave action right now is amazing. Huge, heavy waves beating the snot out of Ryan (no wait, that's not right, last I checked he was still chock full o' snot), nope beating the crap out of the beach (though in thinking about it, perhaps this is just as appropriate a metaphor for Ryan as the snot considering his predilection for poop posts lately, hehehe). Snapped a couple of pics and then a short video to store it for later. And the debris from last weekend's storms is still very much in possession of the beach's real estate. Thought about walking the beach last night under the full moon but got caught up in poker and that was that!

Which brings me to the final stage of the title line, the bullshit of crappy weather on pretty much every weekend lately and it looks like it'll keep a perfect record for the near future. Maybe I should go visit EB in Arizona where rain's greeted with kow tows and grins?

Breaking In News
Our sales admin just called in this morning saying she was going to be late for work and, while she was talking to our secretary, the police broke into her house in one of those COPS style raids. Shouting voices and everything. And now our secretary is totally freaked out. Life's never boring, is it?

This one will most definitely bear more observation and reportation.
Happy Thursday, Universe!

Sobering Message for the Holidays
First off, while I'd had no idea that Texas was the national leader in DUI related fatalities it does end up making some sense to me. Pick up trucks, perma-beers in hand and an attitude of immortality. (and yes, I'm stereotyping very, very badly here, and no, I'm not serious but the link is).
New DUI Aversion program. This came courtesy of my two favorite Texans (no, not Dubya and Crazy Dickie in the White House), Kim and Kim from 20/20 Kim Site. Always nice to know they care and they do.

And A, Told Ya
Astros Sign Second Baseman Kent from Giants

Obvious News Story of the Day
U.S. Cites Omissions in Iraqi Arms Files is easily the most transparent story today. Of course, Dubya and his posse are going to be finding huge gaps in the files the Iraqi's handed over.
This is yet another stalling tactic by Saddam, another way in which he dictates the process. Another way that he shows his power against our imperialist government. Another way to keep this in the news longer to keep the Terrorist Fires stoked and keep Americans in abject fear of imminent terrorist attack.

This is never going to end as long as Saddam's still in power. But, then again, we created him so maybe we should have to deal with him as a sort of penance? Same thing for Bin Laden really. And please don't even attempt to interpret those two sentences as any support for anything either of them has ever done. I whole heartedly despise people who use terror as a means their ends and both of them are well guilty of it. Or the idiots who use religion as a sword to smite their heathen neighbors.

Lighter News of new Pals Online
Just learned of a pal's online journal located at Volleygirl. She's got some cool pictures up from her recent trips but I have not had a chance to poke through her site too much yet.

Increasing My Karmic Trade Imbalance
Its Wednesday, its beautiful outside. The scary kind of gorgeous day in which workers get 24 hour flus and can't get into the office. The beach is a fascination of logs and debris from the weekend storms that begs to be walked over and examined in finer detail. Or chopped up and hauled off to woodstoves and fireplaces.

But nope, I'm inside at my desk pretending to work when I'm just irritated at being inside. I need some fresh air and some fun. The weekend was a wash because of the heavy storm action. And I'm feeling the need to get out and have some fun. Tonight should be good as we're playing poker but that's not the same as kayaking out to Steamers and watching the surfers from the water, or bombing down from Delaveaga on the single track, or burning a full tank of gas on the SV up Pacific Coast Highway 1 (which has got to be among the best roads in the world).

It could be worse though, I could be back in New England with my family freezing my tuckus clean off. Got a note from my cousin this morning saying it was 16 below zero this morning. And I'm not sure but I think that's really, really, really. Like cold enough so that ice complains about the cold, so cold your nose hairs freeze in place in an instant of exposure (anyway familiar with crunchy nose syndrome?). And I was able to seriously think about riding my bike into work today.

Some good stuff from last night to report. We've got a new housemate, ended up going with Scot who's mellow and seems like a pretty good guy. He's going to be moving in over the next few days and it'll be nice to have a new face and friend's faces around the house. They were fun to hang out with last night, maybe slightly directionless but that's probably just me and my aged cynicism. And that leaves just one housemate to decide on but still a couple of weeks to figure that one out.

I'm sure that there will be plenty of things to happen today that'll be blogged up later. In fact, hold on a second, gotta repost a note from Jay. And yes, some of it is offensive and that's just not my concern as its more funny than anything else and if you take offense then go buy yourself a sense of humor for Christmas. Thanks pal!

10 INDISPUTABLE TRUTHS BLACK PEOPLE KNOW, BUT WHITE PEOPLE WON'T ADMIT:

1. Elvis is dead.
2. Having your children curse you out in public is not normal.
3. Jesus was not White.
4. Skinny does not equal sexy.
5. A 5 year child is too big for a stroller.
6. N' SYNC will never hold a candle to the Jackson 5
7. Thomas Jefferson had black children.
8. An occasional ass whooping helps a child stay in line .
9. Kissing your pet is not cute.
10. Rap music is here to stay.

10 INDISPUTABLE TRUTHS WHITE PEOPLE KNOW, BUT BLACK PEOPLE WON'T ADMIT:

1. Tupac is dead.
2. Crown Royal bags are meant to be thrown away.
3. Having a ring on every finger is too much.
4. O.J. did it
5. Teeth should not be decorated.
6. Breaks are usually only 15 minutes.
7. Jesse Jackson will never be President.
8. RED is not a kool-aid flavor (it's a color).
9. Your rims and sound system should not be worth more than your car.
10. Your pastor doesn't know everything.

10 THINGS WHITE AND BLACK PEOPLE KNOW BUT SPANISH PEOPLE DON'T ADMIT:

1. Chicken is food, not a roommate.
2. "Jump out and run" is not in any insurance policies .
3. Your country's flag is not a car decoration.
4. Hickey's are unattractive.
5. Mami and Papi can't possibly be the nickname of every person in your family.
6. Buttoning just the top button of your shirt is a bad fashion statement.
7. 10 people to a car or home is considered too many.
8. Jesus is not a name for your son
9. Maria is a name but not for every other daughter.
10. Letting your children run wildly through the store can get your ass whooped (or theirs).

Other News
I'm sure this is a huge and exciting day for lots of people across the world because its Christina Aguilera's birth..... no wait, no one cares about that. Today's opening day for the next installment in the Lord of the Rings series, The Two Towers. And I'm sure that there are geeks everywhere donning false mithral shirts and fluffing their furry toes in anticipation of their first viewing. I'll probably go but not until the hype's died down some, I hate it when people cheer a movie's credits for some reason. It just strikes me as odd.

Random Chapter Excerpt

Without to much set up or ado, this is just a shard of something I've been working on for a little bit, part of a much larger puzzle that is my third novel (they get more difficult to write). Its just a scene from the chapter and I hope it captures the sense of the heroine as I want it to. I'd be interested in reading comments on the sort of person she comes across as.

Something in the way she looked, the way her eyes conveyesd a deep and penetrating melancholy that seeped beyond her beauty so it left an aftertaste. Something that could only be recognized when she was no longer near, her effects diminishing with her absence.

Her needs were both physical and emotional, bound up in scars from her past, her present and what she'd held to be her future. The lack of a positive male role model, in fact the reinforcement of negativity by an oppressive and recessive father in tandem with a mother who meant well but was unable to satisfy her children in ways that they truly needed. And they left. He, her brother, joined the Navy while she, marrying a sailor on a moment's whim to escape but only found a new, different kind of prison. And one that she refused to allow to hold her. You cannot keep wild creatures for long, they will gnaw their own limbs off to escape confinement.

It was part of the reason she detested the zoo so much though she was fascinated by the animals all the same. It was a moment that would live in my memories, the inner torment she experienced while staring, humbled, at a polar bear. The flicker of emotion across her eyes, the crinkle in the outer most reaches of her deep strong brown eyes. Her lips parted for a moment as consternation, or something very much like it, passed through her forethoughts. And then the polar bear stood up, walked across its habitat and dove head first into its pool. All nine feet of polar bear, maybe more, a blur of white fur and she clapped her hands together and grinned like a little girl.

She was the most alluring mixture of woman and girl. At once powerfully sensual but also projecting an aura of abatement, that life may have interacted with her and affected the course of events but it had not changed how she was going to conduct herself.

And we walked on, she happily recounted the bear's feats. The woman lost in the girl for the time being. Another facet revealed, another mystery unveiled. Because as we left the bear behind the woman reasserted herself with each step, before we were out of eyesight of the exhibit she had reverted completely and was admonishing me for my excitement, the both of us knowing full well that she had been the alleged transgressor. And I accepted my charge, as was my purpose, the guilt vacuum, the container of secrets and keeper of pacts, alliances and coups.

Flesh-Eating Bacteria Hits Calif. Marine Base
And no, no smart ass remarks with this one. This is serious, scary and real. I have friends down in that area and am concerned for their safety.

I may have to do some digging and find out a bit more about this flesh eating bacteria that we all carry (in its safe state) in our bodies at all times. Which means we're all ticking timebombs.

In Other, Much Lighter News
SF Giants Sign Edgardo Alfonzo which means that not only is Jeff Kent not going to resign, he's just not even needed anymore. So he can take his battitude elsewhere or retire to his redneck farm in East Bumpump, Arkansas. Now all the Giants need is another reasonably good power hitting outfielder to do secure the line up for Mr. Bonds to make another run at history and carry the team to the World Series again next year.

A Quick Word about Trent Lott and Racism in Government
Just because he kept his personal views to himself doesn't mean he was any less of a racist. Just because Strom Thurmond doesn't denounce non-whites as being less than whites doesn't mean that he won't believe it until his dying breath.

These people are red necks. They are in bred haters, they believe they are God's chosen few, that they are blessed whereas everyone else is a sinner and less than dirt. Because they don't say they hate people though they do. What happened with Trent Lott is that he slipped, he thought, somehow, that he was in safe company and he could speak freely. And it will likely be the end of his career. And it should be, make way for another up and coming red neck bigot to make alot of money by espousing hatred and intolerance and all things Republican being right, just and good and all things Democratic being evil, dirty and bad.

But don't think I think the Democrats are any better. They're not, they do just the same thing but in cheaper suits and with their first wives (i.e. not the trophy bimbo wives) on their arms.

Racists run our country. Now they may not be racist towards YOU but they're racist towards somebody. Its the nature of the beast, they'll have to marginalize someone to get re-elected.

Filthy nasty business, politics. What's the old saw, If someone wants power then don't give it to him?

More Morford for Monday!

Who Pray Who Will Save The Deliciously Exposed Nipple? In which SFGate takes on the horrid and irritating practice of video rental places editing out sexual scenes from movies. Which is, truly, copyright infringement on some levels. How dare Blockbuster omit a nipple here and there? Or decide that some swearing is just too much for me to bear?

Could Blockbuster have my own best interests at heart or some other agenda they're following, like the In & Out Burger people with their Bible references on their cups? I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find out that the Mormons owned Blockbuster and were using it as a low end means to influence society to their own norms. Thanks but I'll buy the unedited version.

Other Cool I-Know-Someone-Who-Knows-Someone-Famous News
Today's Morning Fix had a response from Mark Morford to Amy and I'm thinking this is out Amy from intellectual properties. So, super cool, Am's! Can I buy you a drink, you famous girl?

And Today's What The? Link
Kikkoman, no idea what's up with this but its at least marginally interesting and worth a peek.

Coastal Storms
Well we had ourselves another weekend of serious storm action on the coast here. In fact, the damage was enthralling enough to make me stop on my drive to work not once but twice! So when I get home tonight I'll upload pics and post them to the blog. Suffice it to say that the beaches out here are nature's trashcan today.

One group of people was picking through the storm debris on the beach and idly collecting balls that they found in the washed up garbage. In the few moments that I watched them they pulled ball after ball, soccer balls, footballs, tennis balls, big red dodgeball balls, every manner of circular inflatable and the not so circular.

It was enough of a draw this morning off the point that there was almost no parking to get out and take a look. And there were cuties walking their dogs (whoever invented the half shirt should be sainted!) and tourists saddened by the mess alongside the locals who were laughing and enjoying war stories from last night's heavy downpour.

Last night was an exercise in forced ignorance. The wind was blasting the house hard enough to creak it from several angles and, in fact, I had to get up and crack my sliding glass door because it was cracking in a bad spot, instead I dealt with rain being blown into the room all night. Oh yeah, that was my 4 am wake up call! But it was still kind of cool and maybe I should refrain from saying this as I know local pals do read this but so what?

At one point last night I got it into my mind that it would be somewhat cool or just a hoot to climb up on the roof last night in the wind, naked.

Let's just say that I didn't stay up there long. But I can say that I stood in the full fury of the storm without a stitch of protection. And that's gotta count for something, no? I was tempted to do the streak to the end of the block and back but that would have been a bit more extreme than I needed.

Here's the Santa Cruz Sentinel's Friday Warning for the storm. I'll post pics if I find them today. Or will post my own when I get home tonight. Or try my own brand of storm pics.

Coulda Scooped The News Folks
Not that it really means anything but I read this page, Mac Addicts to the Rescue the other day (thanks to Jay for the link and headsup) and then saw this story on Yahoo! News - Student Helps Cops Nab Alleged Swindler

And it was a story that I actually read and liked quite a bit. I'm not so enthralled with his semi racist views towards PC users though I'm a lifelong Mac user myself. He just seems to have a pretty serious chip on his shoulder directed towards the PC world. Much like I used to before realizing that it was wasted energy. But I also very much applaud the final result of the asshole bidder getting his ass caught and prosecuted.

I've never been ripped off for very much on Ebay but it does happen and it does suck. Good to see someone get their come uppance every once in a while as if to prove the system does work every once in a while.

In other, most fascinating and curious weather news, we're in the midst of storms on the Pacific ocean, or coming off of it, I guess. Sideways rains, hard, heavy winds with sand, dirt and water carried along with it. It was an interesting day to try and go out for a bicycle ride. I'd left my camera at work and decided to try and pick it up by biking there and back.

The ride there was great fun, fast and nearly effortless and I ended up going all the way down to the end of the bike path, where I had to cross through a parking lot and then buzz up along a highway on ramp. Yadda yadda yadda. Anyway, the head wind coming up the river on the ride back towards the ocean was quite impressive. It stood me up on several occasions. After averaging something around 20 mph coming down the hill and into the office I was lucky to break 9.5.

But I ended up shooting a pano out on the point. And then a 20 second movie to capture some of the sound. We'll see how that turns out. Still haven't done a lick of Christmas shopping, would Amy be proud?

Art Project News
I think I want to try this disposable camera concept. Which means that I'll need some volunteers.

The basic idea is to get a few people, maybe a half dozen to a dozen, send each of them a disposable camera and a directive, some target to take pictures of. Maybe on a given day even. Once all the pictures had been taken the cameras would be mailed back to me, I'd have them developed and put into some kind of gallery for global oohing and ahhing.

I suppose it would be just as feasible to do this with people who own digital cameras, eh? Okay then. Digicam folks are more than welcome to also join in.

Interested in taking part? Leave a remark or send me Email.

Cereal Bars Freak Me Out
They may seem perfectly normal and all but really, a cereal bar is a scary thing.
For one, what are they using to make it stay in bar shape because I tried that with my frosted flakes the other day (oooh, just a slight Freudian slip and I wrote frosted flasks) and ended up with just lots more frosted flakes in smaller sizes.
And two, isn't milk supposed to be a liquid? How and what are they doing to make it sit between two slabs of glued together cereal mix? It has the consistency of oreo stuffing (but definitely not the sweetness).
Three, they're about as close to a candy as one can get without dipping the whole thing in chocolate (which will be on store shelves by spring, mark my words). Balanced breakfast? How, because you can use the things as building blocks.

I don't know but they certainly don't seem especially natural. But they are convenient and tasty and alot less messy than trying to eat a bowl of cereal while riding a bicycle.

Housemate Hunting
Okay now, I live in a house with three other guys, all friends and we've had a good, comfortable place to live for the last seven or eight months.
But now, two of the four in the house are going domestic and moving in with their girls. And that's all good, I'm happy for both of them and all. But it leaves the two remaining guys with the issue of deciding who we would like to move into the house to fill the emptying rooms.
So far I've met with two of the prospects, the third doesn't count for two reasons, one, I met her for under a minute and two, she's not interested in moving in.
Got one more guy to talk with before making a decision but here's the breakdown on the two so far.

Don - an older guy but stable, mellow, not likely to be prone to wild nights of partying (which is both good and bad really), by his own admission snores like a freight train (which is most definitely a negative as his prospective room abuts into part of mine and I don't want my room to turn into a train station). But he seems like a nice enough guy and would likely be low impact aside from aural pollution. He's a chef by trade to which means his use of the kitchen would be pretty minimal.

Scot - local guy, younger, painter (houses not profiles), equally mellow and kick back. More athletic, easier to talk to (not sure how else to quantify the sense I've got here). Seems pretty quiet and would actually be interested in taking either room that's opening up. Third floor aerie or first floor with radiant heat but effectively no ceiling.

I'm sure Layne would be able to break this all down in a much more professional looking fashion and run one of her binaries or something but I think I'm leaning towards Scot just because he's much closer to my age and shares a lot of common traits with us already. He's meeting with H this morning and we'll make a decision pretty soon. Although I should try and get in touch with the third guy again, its not his fault that all circuits were busy last night.

And I should really put a little more effort into generating more qualified candidates. Maybe I'll do that this weekend too. Get a printed out ad for the upstairs room if Scot's going to end up taking the downstairs. We'll just have to see.

Anyone else in the Santa Cruz area and looking for a nice spot to kick in?

Cool Art Idea
I'm not sure if this is just cool inside my head or out in the real world so I've got to post it and see if anyone salutes.

I was thinking about getting a group of people together who live all over the country or world (though international is harder to coordinate so maybe in the next go around). I'd send each of them a disposable camera with a return envelope and ask them to shoot pics on certain days or of certain subjects. Then they'd send them back to me and I'd be able to compile a Day in the Life site of some kind. Not sure about the publishing side of it but the concept side is very cool, I think.

Anyone ever try this yet or heard of anyone doing it before?

Like I NEED a Reason


Ms. Jules Asner, late of E!'s Wild On series and all over uber hottie.

Thanks to the guys at The Fabulous Mint 400 for the fine, fine product! As always, my life is improved by stopping in over there.

They also linked up to the Capitalist Chicks which is also certainly worth a look see as well.

Random Web Geneaology
As we geeks will do on occasion I was googling on my name last night (one of the advantages of a fairly distinctive surname) and came across this excellent web site that talks about my personal family history. Orgel history in German and then
Orgel history: translated. Note that I'm an Orgell with two L's but we're all the same stock.
I wrote to Thomas Orgel who is listed as the author on the site and we've opened a dialogue now. Its definite that he and I are related although I've not quite worked out exactly how. He was actually working from papers that my grandfather, Opa, had put together back in the 60's!

I'm quite excited about the prospect of learning about another whole part of my heritage and family that I'd only had a hint of before. He's working on creating a full digital family tree and it'll be fun to get the American part of the family in it too! It truly is a shame that my father won't get a chance to meet him as I'm sure he would have been delighted to reconnect with these relatives and was almost certainly already aware of them.

Plenty of other good stuff going on today too!
Other News
Like I had abalone for the first time last night, we had a nice little dinner party with abalone, silver salmon, wickedly good garlic cheese thyme rosemary bread and other goodies. And if anyone was wondering, Sonoma Creek Merlot 1999 is a pretty decent bottle of wine but not after having sweet food. It matches very, very well with fish.

My only regret from last night is that I didn't get any writing done and I've got several projects that I really do need to devote some time to. Oh yeah, I didn't read any either but that's because my eyes were too damned sore by the time I ended up getting into bed. I need someone to train me to get to bed before 1 in the morning or get me a job where I can sleep in until 10 or so every morning.

GREAT MARKETING SCREW UPs

- Submitted by J.K. Davis (though I have no idea who that is or how to get in touch with them, the stuff here was found on this site. And if someone can figure out what is the deal with the Christian in the philosophy class then please take a moment to explain it to me. Was it supposed to be funny, serious? What? I just thought it was kind of stupid.

1. Coors put its slogan, "Turn it loose," into Spanish, where it was read as "Suffer from diarrhea".

2. Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: Nothing sucks like an Electrolux.

3. Clairol introduced the "Mist Stick", a curling iron, into German only to find out that "mist" is slang for manure. Not too many people had use for the "manure stick".

4. When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the beautiful Caucasian baby on the label. Later they learned that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the label of what's inside, since most people can't read.

5. Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called Cue, the name of a notorious porno magazine.

6. An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope's visit. Instead of "I saw the Pope" (el Papa), the shirts read "I saw the potato" (la papa).

7. Pepsi's "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" translated into "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave", in Chinese.

8. Frank Perdue's chicken slogan, "it takes a strong man to make a tender chicken" was translated into Spanish as "it takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate".

9. The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as "Ke-kou-ke-la", meaning "Bite the wax tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with wax", depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent "ko-kou-ko-le", translating into "happiness in the mouth".

10. When Parker Pen marketed a ball-point pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to have read, "it won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you". Instead, the company thought that the word "embarazar" (to impregnate) meant to embarrass, so the ad read: "It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant".

Honda Introduces Smarter 'Asimo' Humanoid Robot
If its so damned smart then why is it called Ass-E-Mo? And really, do people want to have a robot lie to them or a human being?
Though I did see this thing on CNBC this morning and thought it was marginally cool but why ni the hell would they have it selling cars? Why not market it as a walking coffee machine and jukebox or something useful. Selling cars with an incredibly expensive robot just seems kind of, well, stupid.

Because it makes me question how much of the cost of creating this stupid robot has been passed on to me in the form of a more expensive car. Would it be worth an extra $50 to you to have Honda create this stuff? No, I didn't think so, just give me the $50 and keep your Ass robots to yourselves you wacky little Japanese dudes.

Welcome to the Realm of the Surreal
As I've not stopped by Tom Tomorrow's This Modern World in a little while I thought it would be a worthwhile stop in place. And it was and is, some messed up stuff going on there. Who in the hell would want a John Ashcroft Snow Globe?

And bad news about Wil Wheaton for the next Star Trek movie. They chopped him out of it and then invited him to the fake premier. Methinks the Star Trek folks are a wee bit full of themselves. And truly, has anyone been able to tell a difference in the last eight Trek movies? (Hmm, maybe I should actually watch them before making such broad declarations? Nahhh, why mess with ignorance?). And actually surfing Wil's site is pretty interesting. He comes across as a pretty funny and interesting guy (note that I don't think he's a pretty AND funny guy, I think he's pretty funny). I'll bet he's fun to pal around with.

More outrage to follow, I'm sure. And I'm already pissed because I forgot to post a chapter excerpt for public consumption. Oh well, it'll have to wait until tonight, maybe.

But at least I could shave properly today, yesterday was one of those bad days when I got to work I found a few wild whiskers that had successfully avoided the executioner's razor. Which means I spent most of the day absentmindedly rubbing those few hairs that I missed, in much the same way that your tongue can't keep away from a newly dislodged tooth hole.

Myopia in Cyberspace
One of the more fascinating aspects to sites like Hotornot (and yes, I'm STILL addicted to the flippin' site) is that it lets me get a sense for educational levels of people across the various stratum of our country and the world.
And it ain't pretty.

My strongest advice to folks out there is to stay in school because in the real world, spelling counts, grammar counts, syntax counts and typing LiKe ThIs ShOuLd Be GrOuNdS fOr ExEcUtIoN. Oh yeah, and use condoms for Chrissakes! I can't even begin to count the number of 18 year old girls with kids approaching 2 years old! Single teenage moms, lots and lots and lots of them. Now that's truly a scary prospect.

I'm tempted to post a few profiles up here just for the sheer jaw dropability of them but that would be mean. And mean's not something I aspire to, it just kind of happens on its own. But have a look see at the Meet Me at HotorNot section and see what I mean. Or it might be spelled C wut eye meen. Ay freakin' caramba!

Spammers Who Just Don't Get It
Spam can be hobby as well as food. Watching the idiots who send the exact same message to the exact same people only a few minutes apart. Or the people trying to sell prestigious diplomas from non-accredited universities (a paradoxical oxymoron anyone?). Or the fakers trying to pose as big companies and in "need" of your credit information to verify your order.

I just got some spam from some incredibly tiny brained fool who thinks that just because they have FedEx in their email address from AOL that people will respond to their spam. Um, not sure but I think FedEx uses its own domain name for its email. And why would they be giving away laptops anyway? Or "Free laptop giveaway 6723769" as it really was (or close enough for guv'mint work anyway)?

But at least the flood of horrendous animal rape sites has seemed to stop. Just what anyone could find appealling about such depravity is far, far beyond my capacity or will to understand.

And again and again I am moved to laughter at the story from Slashdot below about the bragging spammer who now gets tons, literally tons, of junk mail every single day of the year (well except when they aren't delivering mail that day). That is what's known as karmic payback. I hope he gets buried under all that mail and can't ever even find his computer to spam the universe again.

Among the Best Song Lines of All Time
I'm sure that some of you may digress but I've been listening to the incredibly juvenile but also equally incredibly funny Bloodhound Gang singing the long titled "A Lap Dance is Always Better When the Stripper's Cryin" and it is a damned funny song! Point in fact, one of the lines is "A hardon's really hard to hide when you're dressed up like Minnie Pearl".

Musical comedy gold! And they have other really funny songs so I'm giving my thumbs up endorsement to the Bloodhound Gang this morning for making me smile! Looks like its just about time for some "Take The Long Way Home" (recommended to listen at top volume!).

Also, Layne's posted her mp3 playlist for December and I've got to say that I've no idea who some of those bands are but I'm going to enjoy finding out about them. Layne is responsible for exposing me to Prozzak which has become one of my favorite bands going these days.

Happy Tuesday Universe!

New Words
Came up with a new word while chatting online today that I really like and wanted to pass along here before tossing into the obscurity that is my New Words page. And another last night while writing up some other ideas.

Roller boaster - someone who starts off by talking about how great they are but can't seem to stop and just keeps rolling along complimenting themselves at every turn. And yes, this is based on someone I do know. And no, its not me.

Reflecticle - something that seems to contain whatever was just thrown into it but in the end the container will toss the item back out, like a basketball circling a rim and almost dropping in before it rotates back out and onto the floor, or also works for a golf ball circling the hole and coming back out

Ghetto Couscous
This is a cool and fast recipe I came across after surfing through intellectual properties and beyond. Always fun to check out who your friends are linked to, no?

That and I absolutely love cous cous, no, really I do. One of the fastest and easiest dinners I know is cous cous with butter, garlic and parmesean. Bam on that, Emeril!

Shout Out to Family Surfers
I was just checking the logs for the blog (sounds dirty but isn't) and saw that I had a visitor today from back east and I'm guessing I know who it was that stopped by.

Mercyme.

And that might have rung a bell for one person. Or maybe not, who knows in this wacky mixed up world anymore?

BMX Game XXXcels in Being Lewd, Crude
Sex sells, and when a video game is being threatened with extinction just roll out the T&A cart. Load up the game with gratuitious sex scenes and bam, you have another best seller.
But guys who play video games to get to those 30 second soft core sequences are, well, losers. Go rent Assmasters 7 or something, don't try to multi-task your gaming needs with your personal needs. Anyone who shares a controller with you will thank you (or they should!).

Another interesting facet to this video saga is that this is supposed to be part of the Dave Mirra Freestyle series. But Dave Mirra's no longer affiliated with the project. Why? Not quite sure but I'm guessing it has something to do with the arbitrary T&Aing of his sport. I don't know why it would bother him to think that the game wouldn't sell without the soft core sequences to carry it. That's like saying BMX isn't cool enough on its own and we KNOW that can't be true.

Baseball News
Giants face arbitration from Kent. The Giants have already gone ahead and replaced Jeff Kent but they're still talking over a new contract with him. What the Vegas odds on him re-signing with the Giants? About as good as they are for Dusty Baker to come back and manage another year. About zero really. And that's alright by me, as long as they get a bat to replace his with. Maybe an outfielder with Bonds' style pop like Vladimir Guerrero or Manny Ramirez. Someone that invokes fear in opposing pitchers ahead of Bonds.

The Santa Cruz Boat Parade
I swear that I was way ahead of the game on this one. I'd already gotten my pics loaded into the computer and had even started writing out the post but, as sometimes does happen, my little Mac took a nose dive and crashed out hard. Taking pics, blog posts, emails, web sites and a couple of other things with it.

So.... I'm left holding the tattered remains of a post about the Santa Cruz Boat Parade from this weekend. Apparently the first year in several where rain has not been an integral factor (which might help to explain the pretty impressive turnout of people).

Picture a harbor lined with people at night and boats (sailboats, powerboats, kayaks, outriggers, whatever was float worthy was going out) festooned with lights, christmas lights or pretty elaborate decorations like the dolphin boat or the two people dancing like LiteBrite characters on a boat sized screen. It was pretty cool overall and the weather was awesome, I was on a bike in shorts the whole night! Took some decent pics, had a good time hanging out with Heather and that's about that. I will try to get pics up before long but am really not going to bust anything doing it right now.

Other good news, spoke with my landlady and now have a verbal agreement that she does, in fact, owe the house a security deposit regardless of the fact that she doesn't have that money at this point. Its cash we paid in and its cash we expect to get back out when we do leave eventually. But that was a good thing to get dealt with as the first new prospective room mate comes by tonight to meet with us.

One note to people thinking about moving in with others, do not disclose the fact that "snore like a buzz saw" or have a predeliction for screaming in the middle of the night. Just a little advice.

Which reminds me, anyone know anyone who's in the area or moving to Santa Cruz in the next few weeks and needs a place to live? We've got a ripping good house that's close to the beach but rent's expensive and you'd have to deal with me on a more or less regular basis.
Just thought I'd tap whatever outlets I can. If you know of someone then drop me an Email me.

Maslow's 15 Traits of The Self-Actualized Person
by Dave Jensen

I've had these hanging next to my desk at home for a long time and have always drawn strength from them so I thought it would be kind of cool to share them here. Hope they help someone find the light at the end of their tunnel.

o Perceives reality accurately and objectively; tolerates and even likes ambiguity; and is not threatened by the unknown

o Accepts himself, others and human nature

o Is spontaneous, natural, genuine

o Is problem-centered (not self-centered), non-egotistical; has a philosophy of life and probably a mission in life

o Needs some privacy and solitude more than others do; is able to concentrate intensely

o Is independent, self-sufficient and autonomous; has less need for praise or popularity

o Has the capacity to appreciate simple and commonplace experiences; has zest in living, high humor, and the ability to handle stress

o Has (and is aware of) rich, alive, fulfilling "peak experiences," or moments of intense enjoyment

o Has deep feelings of brotherhood with all mankind; is benevolent, altruistic

o Forms strong friendship ties with relatively few people; and is capable of greater love

o Is democratic and unprejudiced in the deepest possible sense

o Is strongly ethical and moral in individual (not necessarily conventional) ways; enjoys work in achieving a goal as much as the goal itself; is patient, for the most part

o Has a thoughtful, philosophical sense of humor that is constructive, not destructive

o Is creative, original, inventive with a fresh, naive, simple and direct way of looking at life; tends to do most things creatively, but does not necessarily possess great talent

o Is capable of detachment from culture; can objectively compare cultures and can take or leave conventions

The Free Winona Campaign Worked
But at what cost, now she's free to play all those confused and sensitive characters that her cartoon sized body is perfect for.

Winona Freed but three years probation? Was the judge crazy? Look how much business she generated by stealing from Saks, they should PAY her to have graced their store with her petty theft self.

Or maybe she should have gone to jail like a normal person would have if they'd been caught with $5000 worth of stolen property.
Yep, that last seems eminently more sensible. And I liked her in Mr. Deeds, must be a sunspot or something.

Spammer Revenge, the Sweetest Kind there Is
I came across a really good story on Wil Wheaton.net, yep, that Wil Wheaton from Star Trek, Stand By Me, Toy Soldiers and others. Well, he's a blogger too and a mighty popular one at that.

Anyway, its about a spammer who bragged about how much money he was making. And Slashdot opened up a can of super geek whoop ass on the guy. Check out Wil's post (NOT THAT kind of post, geez you people have filthy minds). He lifted it from Boing Boing so I'm the third handed monkey (minds OUT of the gutter, people) here but its worth a repeat.

"Spam-king drowning in snailmail spam

A spammer whose gleeful interview -- where he revelled in the money pouring in from spamming -- was Slashdotted is now drowning in catalogs and other junkmail. Slashdotters have submitted his name to every direct marketer on earth.

"They've signed me up for every advertising campaign and mailing list there is," he told me. "These people are out of their minds. They're harassing me..."

"Several tons of snail mail spam every day might just annoy him as much as his spam annoys me," wrote one of the anti-spammers.

Pending Vote that Affects ANYONE with Student Loans
Okay, I got another one of those incredibly tempting refinance your loans dealies from the government. Refinance a loan at a much lower interest rate and see your monthly payments drop through the floor. Or keep them where they are and pay off the loan in much less than half the time.

But when I spoke to the gentleman on the other end of the phone he picked me out of line because I've already consolidated my loans once (why do I keep typing "loads" instead of "loans"? do my fingers know something my brain does not?) and there has been a law on the books saying its a one time shot. The argument is that the government pays for the fees the first time and won't pay for them again, so instead of allowing the student in question to pay the fees they just said, nope, can't do it more than once. Typical government response really.

Anyway, all of this is conjecture because web searches haven't quite uncovered what I'm looking for on this topic. This is about the best I've found so far and its not close. Anyone out there have some input to add and can illuminate my path through the fiscal darkness that is loan repayment?

New Post from Mecawilson
I just read Mecawilson's post about a macho wank daddy getting his come uppance. Quite awesome to have them back after taking all of November off.
Well worth a few minutes to head on over and read the post and I'm not sure how long it'll be around to quit reading this and go over there. Now!

Ahh, Human Nature

What Would Jesus Drive? is number 4 on my list of overall movers on the search engine index. Which means that an awful lot of people are pretty interested in either knowing or emulating (or making sure they do not emulate) what Jesus Christ might drive if he were alive today.

An indication of a fundamental failing of religious teaching and thought. But oh well, the Boston Catholic church is about to go belly up (and no, that's not some dirty joke about pedophilic bastards in priests clothing) so maybe its important to know what Christ would drive.

In Site-Development-News
I'm thinking about adding a favorite posts link to the cluster of links above the gif. Because it kind of bothers me to think about all of those posts that were drawn out of me like blood from a rock (okay, not that hard but the venting isn't simplistic at all). And it would be a good way for casual visitors to get a better sense of the true sort of freak I am.

Perhaps a Further Explanation is in Order
Well, I just reread a short passage from OverThought from the other night/morning, whatever and realized that my quick and easy dismissal of religion isn't quite so cut and dried on the paper as it is in my mind. So I will make a point of revisiting that concept and see if I can elaborate on it a bit more to give over a better sense of my intent and thought.

MeFi, the most amazing resource there is. Period
Where else can you go and learn how to make a picture on the inside of a roll of toilet paper?
Pinhole Photography
Toilet Paper Roll Cameras

I had to get back and add somethhing to this post, ever here the expression, sink like a concrete canoe? Not anymore, now they design, build, race concrete canoes and no, this is not a joke at all.

Or the first magic eight ball style ask and answer deal, actually the first one really kind of sucked, it was an ugly picture of a horribly overbloated santa with a tv screen in his stomach. Here's what I asked him, will christmas ever get away from the over commercialization and guilt inducive horror of hype and credit debt it is now? to which he very swiftly answered no then yes, then maybe. I was tempted to leave bad press there.

But the next one was much better. Its a real 8-ball on a cam. Not sure if its truly getting shaken each time but it is a real 8 ball and that's kind of nice in the artificial world online.

Internet Filtering in China ought to be an interesting report, its by those crazy over achiever kids at Harvard Law. And it looks like they just made a "documentable leap" so that's, um, not good for Chinese people trying to interact with the rest of the world and find out how fucking oppressed they are by a mechanical and maniacal government juggernaut. And again, I'm reminded of Woody Harrelson playing Larry Flynt and saying something to the effect, a man can get a Pulitzer prize for taking a picture of this [shows the execution picture in Vietnam] but you will go to jail for showing a picture of this [shows two people knocking boots], now just what the fuck is wrong with a world that shows violence to the extreme but hides the most basic human instinct there ever could be.

Something like that, maybe. Anyway, MeFi kicks ass. And I should go back to bed, if only those friggin voices would hush up for a little while.

OverThought
Caveats for reading, this was written straight on, with edits as I went so far as spelling but no for flow, content or syntax.
This was written in a late night altercated stupor, I have not reread it, nor spell checked it aside from as I went but I'm dyslexic with i's before e's and that crap. It is on some occasions, as close to raw flow from my mind as I think I will be able to get with the current state of technology. But the future holds such outrageous promise that I, personally, cannot but relish its approach.
I make no apology for the content herein regardless of interpretation. It is just flow and take it for what you will. Leave a comment or two if something strikes you. And it is long.

Once there was a man, well no, a boy, no, how about a manboy. A boy inside a man's body, one who thought in wide arcing radii of conceptual frameworks as to shoot around inside his brain. Too fast, often far beyond normal control, the overthought, the too many cascading moments, sims, flashes of existence that could be. Overthought, to so deeply over process a situation until there is no possible chance of containing the strength of one's response.

This man thought that the world was fair, that it would deal him a kind hand every once in a while in an abstract sort of karmic merry go round. It seemed reasonable to him, generally tend towards kindness would some day reward him. Of course, he'd considered that, in the expectation, he was spoiling the kindness. A wagon before the horse argument. But in the overthought the whole thing splinters, breaks out into cerebral small group study sessions, gone long enough to bounce off the calcium walls of his skull and back into the cpu, the theoretical throbbing action button of the brain.

In the overthought, minds and subminds carried out their own dirty work, borrowing cycles, stealing a synapse here or there. Much of the mind could function unadulterated like an electric octopus of distending shocking tentacles, hundreds of them. Impacting against that throbbing cpu, flaying its direction off again, onto yet another way, another means, another instance played out across his screened in, private surround sound, 3 dimensional internal arcade mind's drive-in.

In the overthought, the mind is in control, not the ego, the id hasn't yet run amok but its rattling its chains and testing the bars of its cage. There is a seething energy inherent in it, the overthought generates emotional charge after emotional charge and it loads into all areas of the psyche, overloads, overpowers, sinks into the fibers of the brain itself, soaking in images, sounds, flashes, stings, defeats, wins, losses, casualties (why casual-ties? what a strange looking word and it means people being hurt and killed in battle).

This man suffered from overthought from a young age, it afflicted him and made him turn good thoughts into bad, right into crooked, wrong into maybe. The world became a conflict, the impact of the flailing tentacles took its toll. Knocking the defenses down until the id broke free of its constraints and let loose its terrible overurge, the demon of the mind, the scourge of reason and decorum. The animal within becomes the animal without and he is overthought, become a being beyond himself, a state of truth in being. Some might call paragon, some might call knave. It mattered not in the least as there are minds capable of transcending this plane. Overthought was its own reward on occasion.

But when the animal instinct reactionary forces of the id combined with those playback images on the dome inside, it stirred to action a new, a different course of action. One of darkness, contrary but complimentary to his kindness, a balancing of the spheres.

The overthought could tell him things like kindness, on its own right wasn't a good idea as a lifetime pursuit. It cost energy beyond warrant and exposed oneself to the wanton predations of the less scrupulous, an occurrence that could greatly detract from the possibility of reproductive success. A strange deduction? No, in the overthought it is the logical conclusion of much of the urges and needs. Would you like a sample of the process?

Its simple really, what are we? Animals. biological organisms of a highly complex but animal nature nonetheless. We eat, we shit, we fuck, we sleep, we interact with the world. Its what we are and any expectation of God or gods beyond this is really just rather stupid in the overthought. Which means, in the overthought, that the world is a fundamentally out of balance place. The world of humans, the world that matters in a daily sense to him.

Gradon was possessed of the overthought and it occasionally gave him comfort and solace, a respite from the lashings and toned down into a stroking. A pleasure, a purring of the brain as it ran at the spec'ed speed, a Honda without the supercharger and straight pipe cherry bomb exhaust. A mind not being tossed into convulsions but shocks to the system. Because a mind can not exist forever in the overthought. It tires the mind, draws energy out of the body that supports the mind. And even this, in the overthought, is logical, it follows an evolutionary path of thinking that really and in truth there is one organ in our bodies that far supercedes and A1 prioritizes and trumps all others, the brain yucky wet spongy goo that carries those sparks of thought along invisible paths into meeting rooms of brain functions.

His hands had stopped shaking because he knew that it was possible to fool the overthought when it would sometimes descend. It took mighty efforts to bay off those invading thoughts that might cause harm to the inner, tender juicy pink undersection of the mind, the ego. The pale sickly little kid of the mind that always seems to have a runny nose and a watering eye.

It was another episode, a personalized Tivo with all senses intertwined (and the overthought seizes this and wonders how long it will be until technology can actually replicate every aspect of physical experience in a virtual reproductive environment). The overthought is a fucking harsh burden on occasion as it saps the rest of him, usurps energy like a fat pig wallowing in spinal juice. But it was not all powerful, it could be led, trained into pathways familiar and easy to control, or easier. Gradon had struggled in youth to cope with the overthought's youthful attempts, for it didn't appear suddenly but emerged over time, like the bouquet on a fine bottle of wine. Or love though he saw and felt it surge through him each day, a need to vent his charge, his emotional energy, the static charge on the soul of exposure to strongly moving interactions.

The overthought, the otherthought, the anotherthought, the ratherthought, the altogetherthought, the powerthought, the myriadically inclined mega thought, the destination transformation derivative thought, a beyond thought, the overthought. Gradon had once heard a therapist refer to him, to his mother who thought he was too far away to hear, as extra-spatial. A curious combination of words for a nine year old, no?

The overthought races when left without a focal point. It tears apart moments of the day, a tiny second in which Something happened. Who know what but it stuck on the psychic exhaust chute of the cortex that eats of dead thoughts but doesn't ever rid the mind of the them, its like a gelatinous storage area where thoughts no longer present required go to bury themselves into the muck that the roving thought sweepers of the mind cannot penetrate except in moments of introspection or stress (even the wafting of a perfumed scent on the wind can supply such stimuli required).

In the overminded drive, that ever progressing motion to process, to eat up the day, to absorb its merit and demerit equally. The overmind goes. It forages into where fresh rains have brought up those buried thoughts or amber captured instants to let a beam of investigation open it and resample and savor or shudder its contents. The overthought goes.

Gradon sometimes tempted fates by lowering the walls, easing inner restrictions by chemical interference. An interference that grows a callous that grows a wall which dispatches that which would drive him to extraordinary measures. Age had done him some good and not being so subject to emotional go-at-it-like-hell-ism so while he seethed he still maintained some modicum of control. Enough so that the overthought drops the perhaps that's merely illusion also, or the overthought itself is the illusion.

Brains are crazy things. We all have them in roughly the same capacity yet some are musically perfect while others can barely spell cat with block letters. Gradon knew that if they were all different, as evidence assuredly pointed out, then his could be capable of overthought. Why not? Zen like states in which one is descending at high speed on a mountain bike, or while carving Highway 9 on a sport motorcycle. Gradon'd developed a devious sort of underbrain structure that combined with an overthought directive and resulting profound non belief of his own motivations. Overthought made a skeptic and cynic out of its manipulators. Deeply distrustful of overtly open responses, unguarded people out in public. Somehow it struck him as slightly perverse, as if he saw through their shells and into their being.

Overthought or a trick on or of the brain. Gradon was unsure whether the true answer really mattered. He felt the burning caramel colored liquid sitting the waste hole of his belly, his head grew heavy and his sight, while not dim, was flagging on to dim shortly. And as he slipped into unconsciousness, he could very subtilely feel a spring like release as the overthought dropped down off point and the brain spun itself off into the ether.

[Update: This post has been added to the Bestofme Symphony, a collection of blogger's best posts that have slipped past the front page but are still well worth reading. I just reread this post for the first time in a long time and still love it. I cringe at some of the grammatical errors and unfinished thoughts but love the tone and pace of the piece as much as when I first wrote it just over a year ago.]

IntePoi Movie Reviews: A GREAT Old Movie to Recommend
Paul, one of my housemates, was watchin Harold and Maude last night and I was reminded of just how superb a movie it really is. If any of you out there have yet to see this masterpeice then you owe it to yourself to go and rent or buy a copy as soon as possible. Its an excellent date movie too as it has some very poignant things to say about love transcending age and generation barriers. And it doesn't hurt that it was filmed in Northern California where I call home.
Also check out the Harold and Maude fan page for some other insight.
Its on my short list of movies to buy.

The Count of Monte Cristo
This was better than I'd expected although it was somewhat predictable. The scenery is unreal and some of the action sequences are very, very well done. And I'm becoming an ever greater fan of Guy Pearce for this role but far more so for his Detective Exley in LA Confidential which is one of my favorite movies of all time.

What a Damned Fine Day
Good morning, world. Take your best shot, it ain't gonna do a fargin' thing to me today. Hahaha. I took my invincibility pills this morning (stolen from the lips of a beautiful woman as a matter of fact).

Is there anything better than the elation of the possibility of a new relationship starting to blossom?
Nope.
More details might be forthcoming, not sure if I feel like sharing her with the rest of you. Besides, I wouldn't want to jinx anything, would I? And much like a very delicate bamboo carving under glass, too much agitation and the composition will be lost.

And yeah, you can expect for goofy stuff like that from me. I'm happy, bear with me!

Salted Waters
This just came to me from my pal, Jay, and I'm not sure if the stat is quite correct but if it is then Whoooeee!

Take it with a grain of salt (hahahaha)
The average blue whale produces over 400 gallons of sperm when it ejaculates, but only 10% of that actually makes it into his mate. So 360 gallons are spilled into the ocean everytime one unloads, and you wonder why the ocean is so salty... pass it on.

Apologies to those of you who were just thoroughly disgusted but I'm still giggling about it. Especially after just having seen the movie, Blue Crush, the other day. This news may also go some ways to explaining seafoam too, no?

Other Fun
Anyone want to check their IQ online? Have at it, The Ultimate IQ Test from eMode. I've not had a chance to run it yet but I know I got the first question right and that's a start.

Some Selected Pictures from Thanksgiving this Year
Lyme Side Family Pic,
Andrew, up close and cute,
Zola giving off his high beam!,
But pants are for squares!,
Zola and India, flopping and grinning,
Two of the Faux Piers,
King Arthur Flour Sign,
Snowy night in Lyme,
Julia, our CapeTown connection guest,
Me in Lyme,
The Vermont Ponderosa, or Vermontarosa.

If I were really on the ball I'd have thumbnails and all that worked out but not yet. Too much other stuff to be doing this morning.

Some Things I'm Thankful About
It was with a mixture of pleasure and pain that I processed all of my pictures from my recent trip back east to my hometown and my family. Obviously the pleasure came from seeing all of my family, my extended family and friends interacting, laughing and enjoying each other's company. The pangs of pain always come along with that pleasure because, while I truly love my family, I still do not see myself moving back east anytime soon.

And I miss them.

But here are some of the things that I am thankful for and a short explanation of why where needed:
- the technological revolution because without it I would not be able to travel the more than 3200 miles there and back in under four days.
- a family that has never been dull for an instant in my entire life
- flights with no connections, just straight there, one takeoff and one landing as I've realized that I'm really not that into commercial flying all that much anymore.
- getting my Thanksgiving and White Christmas in during the same visit home, as I've not been planning to get back there for Christmas (a pending post will help to explain why) combining the two and having some good snowfall while I was there made me squint and pretend a little bit.
- my two nephews, Andrew and Zola, who are so amazingly fun to be with that it actually hurts to leave them. They're like light in the darkness and I can only look forward to their continued growth and evolution.
- pies, 'nuff said.
- Thanksgiving traditions inside the family that make guests scratch their heads in wonder, as in making new members of the family walk down the table after the meal, pausing to step through plates of food. Yeah, I don't know either but its fun and funny to see the babies and newly married folks traipsing through mashed potatoes.
- for Airborne, the effervescent tablets I took to make sure I do not get another four week flu (editor's note that its now five weeks since onset of flu symptoms and I'm still not completely cleared out yet, bitter? nah!)
- for my iPod, which allowed me to travel with my music playing all day and all night, successfully staving off the random conversations people strike up on airplanes with their seat mates. (of course, if I'd happened to be sitting next to a beautiful woman then I'd forgo the music and engage her but that absolutely never happens to me, I get the aging hottie at best, yeah, I know boo hoo).
- for my home in Santa Cruz, a place from which I draw tremendous happiness and strength and I just reminded myself that I need to get down to the beach soon as I've not been on the sand in well over a week now and that's almost criminal in this town.
- for my SV650S, and while I know its bad to material about possessions but this little (yuh!) motorcycle provides more smiles per mile than any other form of transportation I've ever owned.
- lastly, I'm thankful for my health, both of body and of mind. This season especially considering the deaths in the family and the illnesses stil pending. Its rammed home one of my new mantras, make the most of the days you have because they will run out one day and regret is a terribly useless emotion.

Confusion About Monday Night Football
Has anyone ever heard of a local blackout for Monday Night Football games? I'd never heard of it until I read in the paper today that KGO helped the Raiders sell out the Coliseum tonight for the game. And if that hadn't happened then there would be no local Monday Night Football.

Which would have been unbelievably irritating and cause for the slow, painful death of Al Davis. What kind of a jackass is he anyway? The kind that thinks he's entitled to do anything he wants with HIS football team regardless of the consequences. But the fact is that, without the fans, there would be no league and no Raiders. And yet, he continually treats everyone in Oakland like less than the dirt on the field (at least the dirt gets to see each home game!).

I'm confused by this, I was under the impression that Monday Night Football was a national thing, no matter what happens in the stadium. Am I insane here, or what? (And Amy, I'm not asking if I'm insane for liking sports, just about this aspect, I know you're not a big sports fan). I would have had to deal with a furious household if the game was blacked out here, or we'd have headed to Monterey for the game.

Cool Art Idea
Now Morford doesn't really think this is all that cool but I do. This is a story about an artist that painted words on cows and then let the wander around to see if they could create any meaningful free form poetry. And sure, its easy to say that the guy must have been drunk or stoned or just stupid but really its a very interesting concept. Along the lines of the 1000 monkeys typing for a 1000 years would produce the works of Shakespeare (although I think this is utter and complete crap really but is still an interesting construct to consider).

This is one of those ideas I would have loved to have had myself. Though I don't think I would have wasted a thousand bucks on it. Hmmm, maybe I'm not as dedicated an artist as I should be? Let's see, Ramen for three weeks straight and complete the art project or eat normally and leave the visionary stuff to those with trust funds or sponsors? Yep, I'll go with regular caloric intake. Sorry, Art, I'm just not ready to suffer so for you just yet. But hey, I'll drink my Bushmills and write late, late into the night or until my eyes get too sore to keep open. Isn't that suffering?

Black Friday Retails Sales Numbers
I start my mornings with CNBC, been doing it for more than a year now and have grown to really love the business reports in the mornings.
Some of you who read my blog may also read Amy's intellectual properties blog. Last week she wrote about Buy Nothing Day, a concept wherein people spend no money at all on the Friday following Thanksgiving (usually called the busiest shopping day of the year). Well I just saw the numbers from last Friday, a day they call Black Friday, as in our business is not in the red it is in the black and that's a good thing.

Seventy five percent of Americans went shopping on Black Friday. That means damned near everynoe in this country went out and bought something. While I did curtail my spending significantly (hey, I only get a few cracks each year at the gourmet baking store in my home town and now I get 20% off there too!) I did spend some money on Buy Nothing Day. Hmm, maybe I should have just shoplifted the merchandise instead? Nah, that would have severely upset my aunt and uncle, who's store it is.

Oh well, we can but strive to be better and I did that much this year. And my family is implementing a buy no presents Christmas this year again which is kind of cool but I've trumped it with a request to do stockings inside the family. Because stockings are still cool and everyone likes to open at least something on Christmas morning. Be it in New England, California or Mexico (where I'm very seriously considering a short run down to this year, anyone want to rent a villa for a few days?).

But there are several other blog posts in the works and I need to get myself cranking on the work side.

Home At Last, Home At Last
After a day of travel is there much that's better than getting home to your house. Driving in snow and wind in New England into Boston followed by a single cross country jaunt (no connections just one shot from Boston to SF), a shuttle to the Park and Fly, load up OJ (my old orange Scirocco) and point him south to the Cruz.

First impressions, its soooo much nicer and warmer here. And the drivers are complete and utter assholes and/or idiots. Saw the movie Blue Crush on the flight, gotta love the super hot surfer girls! Sure the movie was pretty predictable but so what, the cinematography and surfing really was outstanding. And I don't know who the star girl was but she's insanely beautiful and can surf like no girl I've ever seen. Worth a rental, I'd say just to watch more of her on a bigger screen than the crappy airplane sized screens.

Same thing goes for The Bourne Identity, worth another watch without the distractions of flying.

But my body's beat, my mind's seared and tomorrow morning will be here before I know it so I'm off to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Oh yes, one last note. I've been reading Daniel Quinn's The Story of B and will write a full review when its done but so far it is quite enthralling for an old athiest/agnostic such as myself.