Pet Plane Peeve

Everyone has a few pet peeves about flying.

Personally my problem is that I'm getting seriously tired of the douche bags who refuse to turn off their phones and other electronics when told to on a plane. You know we see you, palming your glowing blackberry or covering your iPod's glowing white screen... hell, half the time I can hear the music still coming out of your headsets.

Now I know you just dealt with the TSA, you're paying too much, you've been herded like cattle, and you have a little dick. That said, following the direction and turning off the item you've been asked to turn off DOES apply to you, . It will not emasculate you, and, no, the world won't end if you miss that one last, super important call. If you were someone where it would, you wouldn't be riding coach on Southwest, you jackass.

Trust me that if I can eschew my block-rockin' beats and texts from my many admirers for 2 hours, you can at least skip watching whatever that stupid tits 'n' jeeps program that was on your iPod during take off and instead, start it at 10,000 feet.

Flying is tough enough nowadays. I'm not the best flyer in the world. The chick I flagged on the way to New York and seat mate I barked at on the way home today are just the beginning. I'm going to become an airline electronics Nazi. Just to be mean. I know full well the chances of these things bringing down a plane are less than slim and encroaching on none (cell phones excepted), but we all obey a few simple directions to keep a little civility in the process, and if you can't do that, well then, I'm happy to make sure the overworked, underpaid, flight attendant busts your ass once I tattle to her like I was Angela on "The Office."

Don't be a dick, just turn the damned thing off, okay?

Back in Business

I'm back from my weekend of amazing family fun in Orlando. Mom loved her surprise family picture, my niece enjoyed her present of dress up costumes, and I enjoyed sunshine and totally blowing the diet out of the water for 3 days. Now we're back and it's time to get on track!

Pictures and anecdotes from Chicago and this weekend will be up soon. I'll keep you posted. It's been a tre' long day today though. I'm off for sleep and all the sweet dreams I can muster. After all, it's a return to real life tomorrow.

Nooooooooooooooooooo!

MTV is going to remake "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

There was a point, right at the end of high school, right before college (in the cradle, there) where I was going every Saturday night to the Dayton affair. I was even in it once, as Dr. Scott, in the wheelchair and everything. It was innocent fun, silliness, and a very cherished event in my life, even if I haven't been back in 10 years.

That movie has grown such an unusual crowd of fans, and is such a... door into a world of variety and difference and "Rich Weirdos" -- and weird richness -- that it's perfect as it is. Untouched. Unrevised.

Leave it alone, MTV, just air the original.

Besides, who the hell are you going to get who could fill Tim Curry's heels?

Prescient?

Your Horoscope for JULY 17, 2008:

Today you could have some sort of revelation about your romantic life.
Maybe you will suddenly understand something that has been perplexing you. You could have insight into a problem with your partner. Maybe you will come up with a new way of approaching this issue. It's a good time to bring a positive, inventive spirit into your personal life. With a gentle touch and an open heart, much can be accomplished.

... and the next day a Polack tried to pick me up in the Sausage line at the festival. I never get picked up. Now that's the kind of horrorscopes I can deal with!

Black Canary is not a "Biker Bitch," thank you very much!

Possibly even more exciting than the Tippi Hedren in "The Birds" Barbie is the forthcoming Black Canary Barbie.

Exciting in more ways than one, it seems...

Shockingly it seems that the combination of black leather and fishnets has the overreaction brigade up in arms with all the "It's filthy" comments. Personally, though, I think the only thing really trashy about the outfit is the bangs. It's more Pam Anderson in "Barb Wire" than anything else, really.

I remember Black Canary in the outfit she's mostly sported, especially from the 40s to the 70s... the Bolero jacket, bustier, and fishnets look was a lot more innocent compared to this Biker Bitch Barbie look. I don't know whether to collect her or ask her put a cigarette out on my ass while I'm tied up...

My unsolicited advice? Drop the leather and go for the classic '40's look and give her the Veronica Lake "Peek-a-boo." Some people will still complain but I bet the sales would be better.

Dirty, Dirty Daleks

So THAT'S why they had the suction cups... (Not safe for work)

Sedentary Centenary

Well, it's my centenary, this makes post number 100. I've got some notes to put up on the joy that was the trip to Chicago (it really IS my kind of town), Pitchfork, pictures, and all kinds of odds and ends... stay tuned .

In brief, I had a fabulous time. Really great. I got to see great old friends, make a few new ones, and catch lots of music. We had beer and festival food and got some sun. I saw a Tiffany Dome and had a Bloody Mary made out of beer. By Sunday I knew which train I needed to take.

I have to admit it was kind of disappointing to come back from the festival... the ride into seeing the Cincinnati skyline is just a tad unimpressive after leaving behind Chicago's. No offense... but Cincy just isn't working hard enough for me to make up for what it lacks in size.

Anyhow, I only have a 3 day layover here before I jaunt off to Orlando, so I hope to get my notes here and some photos up over at The Jayboy Mansion. These things just take time and I don't know how much of it I'll have free.

One of the best things about a music festival, though, is the music. I rediscovered Missions of Burma and Public Enemy, and got tastes of new faves like !!!, Dizzie Rascal, and The Hold Steady.

...of all the things at Pitchfork...

I think I'm most interested to find out what a "Fuck Button" is.

(That and to figure out why I've been saying Gang of Four is playing tonight when evidently it's Mission of Burma...)

...and they're off!

Vacation all I ever wanted, Vacation got to get away...

I'm off to Chicago for the Pitchfork Music Festival (finally) and to see dear friends. Should be an adventure. Back on Monday!



Sadly, this band will NOT be playing...

A calm moment of reflection?

May I just take this one tiny, little, quiet lull in my insanely busy persnickety detail morning that's had 3 different curve balls in it to just jump up and down, stomp, shout and say:
"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!"
(with just the tiniest soupcon of "Please stop babbling while I'm working.")

Thank you.

I feel refreshed.

That is all for now.

4 More Days

It's been a crazy-busy day. Half of work is out and the other half wants me ordering EVERYTHING. My problem is my brain is totally on the trip to Chicago coming up Friday. In my brain I'm already packed. I just can't wait... so I'll be a little sporadic this week. I just need this "Trip to Me" so badly. See friends, let the hair down -- I'll have earned THAT by Friday, too...

That's Sebadoh up there with "Skull." They're playing Friday night at Pitchfork with Public Enemy and Gang of Four.

Damage I've Done

-apropos of Mr. Farve...

-I started thinking of Carrie and Keith moving to Portland, and my one visit there, back in college. The Heads were playing a bar we walked by... part of me really wanted to go.

-I think everyone thinks this ten times a day

You left me, you broke my heart, but I moved on Mr. Farve. I. Moved. On.

I do hope Mr. Farve doesn't start whining too much.

Evidently, he's just gotten the bad news that the Packers are going to stick him into a "Back up role," not releasing him from his contract now that he's changed his mind about his "retirement."

He decided his news may have been a little premature, but it seems they decided to go on with someone else as starting quarterback. Now that the dithering Farve decided he's not retiring after all, they're sticking with their acting quarterback and holding him to his contract... and sending him back to the back of the line since he left it.

"We've communicated that to Brett, that we have since moved forward,"
Thompson said. "At the same time, we've never said that there couldn't be some
role that he might play here. But I would understand his point that he would
want to play."When asked whether that role might be as a backup or coach,
Thompson said: "not a coach."Added McCarthy: "He did ask about that,
though."

I do hope, Mr. Farve, you accept it with dignity or grace. Either retire or be a team player and be the back-up quarterback... if other people move on you have to accept that as a consequence of a decision.

You're flighty, they made other plans, suck it up. No cuts.

Worth the wait

I thought this was just about the coolest thing ever. A pair of siblings who survived the Holocaust were reunited after 66 years. Enough to make one to believe in happy - although belated - endings.

...the people in your neighborhood...

So my neighbors have added a lovely new set of patio furniture to their outdoor seating area...

Or rather, a broken down, upended sleeper sofa, full laundry hamper, and oil change pan have been dumped next to a dead guys car that's been sitting there for 6 months and now was weeds growing up into it...

Seriously, I don't know what to do. These aren't exactly the kinda neighbors I have a relationship with. Rather their the ones I call the cops on when they're having knock-down, drag-out screaming fights at 2 AM.

On Sunday I have an open house. Trying to sell the damn thing. I don't need this ghetto-UNfabulous horse shit going on... I'm not sure how to address it though. Do I have any recourse instead of walking over and whimpering "um, could you please do something about the couch?"

Did I miss something?

Your Horoscope for JULY 09, 2008:

You could be ready to move forward with a relationship. Maybe you have met
someone who has captured your heart. You might want to ask them out for a date.
Or maybe you have been working on improving an existing romance. Your
relationship could be going through some much-needed changes. Don't be afraid to
evolve and to change while still maintaining this close bond. You could be
pleasantly surprised at the progress you can make with your sweetheart.

Ummm, did I get left out of something? I haven't met anyone lately... unless I'm turning 'em on in the check out lane... I think someone is being told by the cosmos to network for more than a job!

On a theme, I stumbled across these videos of the Blue Man Group's show and thought about our trip to Vegas and how James almost proposed to Carrie there... I woulda wanted it during this number.

Short version (Remix):


Long Version:

Needing a break but taking too much of one

It's hard to admit when you need a break or a change. I'm afraid I need to not only admit it, but shout it from the rooftops.

I've spent a 3-day run completely unstimulated at work and vegging at home. I'm caught up on work, the house however needs work, but a lack of motivation has me planted in front of the boob tube. I even have trouble getting around to logging on here. I'm wistfully longing for the trip to Chicago next week like a kid a expecting Christmas.

This is not good. The brain is going to turn to mush. I'm even feeling guilty about the "Brain Candy" book I'm reading and want to suddenly reach for that damn Howard Zinn that's sitting on the bookshelf, taunting me with it's "I'm educational and interesting, but I'm 800 pages of small type and your lazy ass just can't handle that..."

Also, I'm realizing that I'm not sure how much I should really expound on just how unstimulated I am right now, since, well, when you're resume is out you can never be too sure who's googling you. Actually, I just googled me. You can get to plenty of stories about me and Ken and the lawsuit. There's also linkedin, Facebook, and this little flattering piece of brilliance:



Actually it loops back around and I realize I'm not sure I'd want a prospective employer seeing this... but I wear my heart on my sleeve and I have to be taken as found.

So, okay, I'm not sure what to do about the lack of career satisfaction besides network and regroup. The house has a showing Sunday, so it's gotta get cleaned. I guess it's time to kill the television and break out the Zinn.

Big Huge Props...

... to popjustice for turning the snark OUT and making me laugh so hard with the last line of this post about the new Grace Jones video that I think I peed a little. Check it out!

Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't celebrate the 15-year anniversary

Gee, evidently people are starting to think that America's soldiers are capable of acting like responsible adults.

Congress should repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law because the presence of
gays in the military is unlikely to undermine the ability to fight and win,
according to a new study released by a California-based research center.

and:

"Evidence shows that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is unlikely to
pose any significant risk to morale, good order, discipline or cohesion," the
officers states.

To support its contention, the panel points to the British
and Israeli militaries, where it says gay people serve openly without hurting
the effectiveness of combat operations.

I've never understood "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Partially, I've never understood the homophobic "undermine unit morale" argument because it sells short our military and assumes their incapable of putting any differences aside -may as well re-segregate if you follow that argument.

Mostly, though, I always thought that if Clinton was going to broach the topic that he shoulda said "Hey, I'm chief now. Toe the line." Just pushed it through instead of a wimpy, "Hey, you know and I know" compromise like that policy. I also never understood the shortsightedness of throwing gay translators of Arabic out of the military (and revoking their security clearances and all) in the middle of A FUCKING WAR.

But, I've never been enough of a "Cut your nose of to spite your face" type...

I also worry about what our talking head "Culture Warriors" on channels like Fox News are going to say about this. They'll probably take offense to be compared to the Israeli and British militaries...

Anyhow, I am very enthused to see some sensible recommendations coming out about this ridonkulous policy.

We are, in fact, quite screwed

2 headlines on MSNBC.com this afternoon, one presented right over the other:

G-8 wants to halve global emissions by 2050
Newsweek: Why the G-8 doesn't matter

It still amazes me that our national policy is "nah, we're not going to curb our pollution... ya'll do that." I really wonder why we think we're such "leaders" and setters of example when we can't even deign to get together and turn our American Know-How to preservation and clean air and hedging our bets with this oh-come-on-it's-not-"iffy"-you-enormous-jackasses science of preventing"Global Warming" for no other reason than that it's the right thing to do and there's money to be made in it?

Oh, wait, I can't be bothered to add 2 hours to my commute every day and get up an hour earlier to take the bus... least I'm not flying to Chicago for Pitchfork. I'm taking the bus - that's curbing my emissions by sharing with others. Giga will be driving nearly 4 hours round trip to join me... sigh... we have a lot of work to do.

I'm going to try and actively pay attention to my emissions. I keep my air conditioning off more than on. By coasting to save gas I'm turning into a far-less-aggressive driver. We'll have to see what else I can do... because everything I do will be cancelled out by Billions of Asians buying those cheap enough to afford Tata cars...

Aaak, I shoulda stayed in Europe. I'm a pinko, French-loving Lefty.

I want candy. I feel shame.

I am so weak. Day 2 of South Beach Diet and I'm having cravings for sugar. I don't even have a sweet tooth. I'm a "Salty" person, yet here I am, ready to kill for an M&M and having weird sense memory flashbacks to Peanut Buster Parfaits...

Just sick.

Over the course of today, I ate (and I promise not to do this again):

-1 big travel-mug sized (see, how I dissemble there?) cup coffee w/ Splenda (that's not really something I ate, I shouldn't lead with that)
-2 hard boiled eggs, turkey sausage medallion
-12 oz V8
-15 almonds
-8 ozs black bean/garbanzo bean/green pepper mix with salt pepper and cumin
-turkey lunch meat slices with a wedge of cheddar and a slice of tomato (a bread-less sandwich)
-can of diet coke
-a 16 oz container of green salad with mushrooms and lite balsamic vinegar dressing
-8 oz last nights roasted veggies
-5 slices boneless skinless chicken pieces (sliced breasts)
-big plate of green salad
-lots of water
-diet Iced tea mix (no sugar)
-1 cup cherry jello...

wow, am I tedious or what?

Heavy handed thematic song choice du jour with wonderfully-coincidental big red lips for it's youtube image:

Eighty Five

NeonDancing 2, originally uploaded by JayKulpa.

Between June 6th and July 6th I put up 84 posts on here and have kept myself entertained. I'm having a great time and thank you for joining me.

That said, I'm taking the day off and will be back tomorrow with some odds and ends (and more edited pictures over at The Jayboy Mansion).

More'n the fire's hot

More'n the fire's hot, originally uploaded by JayKulpa.

I've gotten the 4th of July Hoffner park night pictures up over at The Jayboy Mansion. They're about half tagged and I'm not done editing... but worth a look-see.

In other news, wish me luck. Monday starts the DIET. I'm taking Nala up on his challenge -cum-dare to try and shake 40 lbs off by Labor Day. I don't expect to lose the whole 40 - hell, I'm not even sure where I'm starting as my scale is either a) busted, or b) doesn't go up that high...

I'll be using South Beach as a guide (I did so well on Atkins, but fell back in love with my sugars) and I'm recommitting to my treadmill. We'll go from there. Keep me honest.

Attentions and Details

Dancing Girl, originally uploaded by JayKulpa.

I've also started a set for all the fun and "Fiddled-with" pictures that make me happy over at The Jayboy Mansion. Check it out, becasue it'll change from time to time.

Happy 4th!

New Patriot (detail), originally uploaded by JayKulpa.

My Northside 4th of July Parade pictures are up over at The Jayboy Mansion. Check 'em out!

Look at me!

A HUGE tip of the hat to Miss Liz, who so kindly took a few moments when she was feeling creative and whipped me up a new logo idea that I am deeply enamored with and most proud to display. I am proud as a peacock and preening my feathers.

36 Degrees

What a terrific Saturday.

Last night I hoofed it down on a whim to catch Dante's Gypsy Circus with it's fire dancers at the Hoffner Park festivities (pictures coming soon). They were even better than last year - and I enjoyed them immensely then. If you ever have the chance to catch them, please do.

Anyhow, I stayed up late - even had a couple beers - and slept in this morning. A nice healthy breakfast, a little TV, a lot of Internet, a little reading, and a trip down to Northside business district. I was going to stick my head in at the Happen Inc. open house but first pass I didn't see anyone in there at all and second pass they had crowd. So, I took a walk around and took some pictures and got some sun. Having gotten too much sun (a polite way of saying "sweating like a pig") , I ducked into Shake It Records, where I saw some books from the Disinformation line I'd like to buy ("Everything you know about God is wrong" and "Under Ground!"). I also picked up a used copy of the first album from one of my favorite bands, Placebo.

I know they're not everybody's cuppa, but the "sound," the color, of their music, it always reminds me of how I sometimes feel in my own head. They sound like my mood sometimes, I'm not sure how else to explain it.

I also sometimes compare them to being in the house with the windows open and the lights off during a heavy summer mid-morning rain shower. No other way to describe them.

Here's a song from their first CD:



I wrapped up the evening with a going away party for Keith and Carrie Hagan-Gray and their adorable son Eamon, easily the world's most concerned looking child. They're off to conquer Providence, Rhode Island, and I wish them all the best. Fabulous people with amazing home brew and green thumbs.

A great day and a lot of sunshine. I'm in now and looking forward to a nice night. Take a shower, put on the PJs and watch a "Film Crew" DVD - "Wild Women of Wongo." Yes, you should be jealous. It's a nice way to spend an evening... unless, you know, you're going out on a date or to a party or something, in which case you're probably having a little more fun. But not by much.

Super-Connected now...

...all the freaks gather round."

I was sitting around reviewing the pictures I put up yesterday from James and Carrie's wedding back in September and others that I took today at the parade that feature people I know. Cleaned up a few Facebook tasks earlier. Updated the bloggy-blog here.

On the whole, between Flickr, Facebook, email, and here, I'm feeling more connected to my friends than I have in ages. I just wish I'd gotten 'round to doing all this sooner. It's my own little corner of the world and the web, and I'm glad to have it.

Senator No

Jesse Helms died. He was 86.

If I think of something nice to say about him, I'll expand on the topic.

Dampness Marched On

Well, the rain was a constant drizzle, but the Northside 4th of July parade happened! Another success! I do love the "DIY" ethic of the Northside parade... I bet the rain kept some groups home, but it was still a good 50 minutes of marching fun.

Sadly, my camera's battery died, but it was toward the end of the parade, right after my friends in GLSEN went by, so I got lots of good stuff. My aim is to get the pictures up of my Flickr page by the end of the weekend... but I have to charge the battery first.

Now, my damp, drizzled on self needs to dry off and rustle up some food...

Sex-for-Gas sting in Ft. Mitchell

How badly do you wanna get to where you wanna go?

This is not all "Secret Diary of a Call Girl," or "Pretty Woman." This is just sad. Sad and awkward.

Northside squishes during the 4th

Got up this morning to the sound of rain drumming on the tin roof of the porch. I'm wondering now if the parade is cancelled... it's only a quarter to ten so chances are good a decision hasn't been made yet. I hope it's not, I've been looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, in the land of "Worst. News. Ever.":

Seems my coffee maker is on the fritz. It turns on, starts to warm up then beeps just like it does when it finishes the brewing cycle. I tried putting it on the cleaning cycle but it won't work through that either (and is now full of vinegar, to boot). The manual has no information. I'm going to have to try an online search then, if that doesn't work, call the customer service number.

No coffeemaker? This will NOT do! It makes you fall on your knees and bellow:

"KAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNN!"

Having seen this however, I'm inclined to think the coffemaker is done for...

Your Horoscope for JULY 04, 2008:

Just when everything was going along so smoothly, something occurs to put
your emotions in an uproar. Some minor accident may trigger your temper and
cause you to spiral down into negativity. Try not to let yourself overreact in
this way. Your nerves are just on edge. You would benefit greatly from some
relaxing activity, such as a sauna or a workout.

Yay! They didn't drop our asses!

Yay! They didn't drop our asses!, originally uploaded by JayKulpa.

My pictures from the wedding of James and Carrie are up over at The Jayboy Mansion. Check 'em out!

Buzzkill

I leave the house and walk all the way down the street and turn the corner. Suddenly it started to POUR. So here I am, wrapped in towels. By the time I got back to the house, even my wallet was soaked.

Weatherblocked! No carnival for you.

Sad Clown.

Of course, it stopped raining 20 minutes later... but I'm still soaked.

Viva la Carnivale

I'm unafraid of the heavy-handed reference...


Off to the Carnival tonight!

Northside rocks during the 4th

Come down to the park tonight and join me at the Faboo 3rd of July party. Last year there were the most amazing fire dancers and this go round they're supposed to even have "Burley-Q."

If you can't make that feel free to come and hang for the Northside 4th of July parade - starts at noon and passes right by my street! I may even put some wine to chill for afterwards - it's a holiday, you can drink at 1PM. I said so.

You can find the schedule here. All I know is I want to see what "Panty Raid" is all about.

You make the rockin' world go round...

The song that has been stuck in my head since I looked up just how many calories were in that damn sandwich I had for lunch.

Trying to eat better, I kept a list of what I had today. Part of firing up the metabolism is eating breakfast - which I usually don't do. I spent years noshing on a Dr. Pepper or Cuppa with a couple of Camels, but I eschew such destructive behavior now...

Brekkies was 2 hard boiled eggs, a little turkey sausage medallion, a can of V8 low sodium and my coffee to go (probably 16 ounces, with Splenda). At work, of course, there were donuts, and I am a weak, weak little man, so we can add a cream-cheese filled triangle-y pastry thing to the list.

Lunch was the sandwich of evil, the chips of death, and 1 1/2 Dr. Peppers. (I'm SO ashamed!)

Dinner... well, after dwelling on the sandwich I had a salad that consisted of lettuce, cucumber, celery, mushrooms, unsalted almonds and just a splash of light Balsamic Vinegar dressing (even that stuff is mostly oil it turns out - sigh).

Then I was hungry so I had a turkey sandwich. A slice of swiss and little mayo, with a big wedge of tomato on it.

Sigh. Accountability is for the birds.

This is gonna be a lot of work.

Lunch is Fattening

Lunch is Fattening, originally uploaded by JayKulpa.

I thought this was going to be a diet-friendly sandwich. "Cold cuts, how bad could they be for you?"

The whole sandwich - 1070 calories. 450 from fat.
With the chips? - 1220 calories, 510 from fat.

1220 calories. Before I added the damned Dr. Pepper...

No wonder people hate to diet! Evil hides everywhere!

The most ominous things...

...can just show up on your doorstep...

I have 2 1/2 months to lose 80 pounds, get a really amazing job, and an amazingly younger and hotter spouse...

I just. I think I might actually go to this. I'm liking who I turned into well enough, and I hope my peers grew up well... or got fatter than I did. Either way, what bliss?

Frescuit, anyone?

We got coupons at work today for a free "Maple Baked Frescuit" off the new Wendy's Lunch Menu.

1) This thing looks nasty, like a dried out scone with bugs that got caught in the batter...
2) the coupon has an all brown-and-yellow aesthetic. Sausage, Hash Browns, coffee cup, weird cheese flap thing.

3) The facing coupon is for a free Breakfast Sandwich or Breakfast Burrito. The burrito is pictured. It makes the Frescuit look appetizing.

I of course will be getting one and will let you know. I'm thinking this is going to be deep in the zen of "Hey! This milk is sour! Taste it!"

Straw Men, Cyphers, and Paper Tigers?

Nolan asked on Facebook today for responses for an art project he's starting:

What/who is a character from a movie/book/story/comic/tv show/etc. that for some reason you have always felt some weird connection with? Like you always felt you related to them on some strange level or knew how they felt. Or someone that represents who you are, how you feel or felt, etc. This doesn't have to be some well known character. It can even be a pee-on or some really minor, insignificant character.

My answer:

Rhoda Morgenstern?

When you watch "The Office" you always hope you're a Jim and not a Dwight
or a Michael... but you're not... kinda like hoping you don't relate to anyone
in "Shortbus"... but you do.

The only character in "Catcher in the Rye" that I could stand was Phoebe,
the little sister.

Virgins in slasher movies? The extras in shows who scream when the little
margarine tub airbags drop from the ceiling in scenes on airplanes? Henchmen in
jump suits working in Volcano hideouts for super-villains in Bond films?

I think there's a lot of characters we all see ourselves in/as/through. Different names came to me all day for different reasons. Dorothy Zbornak. The "Tales of the City" series made me empathize with Mary Ann Singleton and Michael Tolliver in equal amounts (though when I re-read it, I really wanted to be like DeeDee). Saffron Monsoon (possibly the most pathetic character ever on TV). Jim Halpert. Kitty Pryde was my favorite X-Man as an adolescent. When it comes to which of your friends is which "Sex and the City" character, I'm a Miranda through and through. I'm more Scully than Mulder, but I think I'm a Mulder. Heather Hudson from "Alpha Flight," but before she put on that fucking suit. Anyone who watched "Freaks and Geeks" and winced frequently can relate to this line of thinking. I was always exceedingly fond of Anya from "Buffy," mostly the overly literal dialogue that generally matched my blunt inner observations about others. That voice you never let out.

Mostly though, we are all everyman, and by everyman, I mean Charlie Brown.

The whole point of most narrative is to tell a story others can relate to. What is fiction for if not to learn something about the contents of your own mind (as that is where "The Human Condition" resides)?

I tip my hat to Nolan for inspiring a great day of reflection for me (so much nicer than actually attending to my work) and hope his project (a painting) will be a smashing success.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

The city of San Francisco has denied any liability for the Tiger attack at the Zoo on Christmas Day last year. I remember right after that happened that there were stories in the news about how those boys may have been taunting the tiger, as if they had some culpability in the animal's attack on them, which lead to the death of a 17 year old boy.

I never understood that question. Doesn't matter if they were taunting the Tiger or not. There should have been no way for that animal to jump the fence. If this was my TV Judge show, I'd side with the victim's family against the Zoo operators and the city, if they paid to help build the Tiger's habitat. Case closed.

Michael Turner

I'm not sure I was a fan of Michael Turner's style but it was certainly eye-popping. Lots of pneumatic girls and heavy, lacy line work. He was successful enough to have his own studio and a style that had imitators. I enjoyed the "Witchblade" television show and "Identity Crisis" covers. 37 is too young.

I grew up with comic books and find myself turning back to them recently - I'm sure the pressures of jobs and mortgages drive many back to their favorite juvenilia. Of course, that juvenilia is also possibly the only true pop media, stories that have continued and been shepherded by hundreds and hundreds of creators for decades, through good and bad, for an ever-renewing group of children with imaginations. Comics fans can have amazing passions. If you don't believe me, engage Nala on the subject of Power Girl.

I never knew much about the creators. I don't know if that is because of the "Studio system" major comics companies had, or if I was just always more enraptured by the creations. Occasionally stories about Dave Cockrum, Jim Aparo (I LOVED his art), Mike Weringo, and Steve Gerber show up in the media. They're just stories of people passing and belated kudos for being major American pop artists with thousands of fans and collectors who don't make the mainstream media. Such a shame.

UPDATE: I can't believe I almost forgot Dave Stevens, who gave us "The Rocketeer" and was pretty responsible for returning Bettie Page to popular culture for my generation.

Fewer topless mermaids...

The company with some of the best bennies in America is closing 600 stores and laying off 7% of the workforce... what, you mean there's only going to be ONE Starbucks per square mile now?

If this doesn't convince people the economy is in some dire straits, what will? We curb our pleasure driving and now we curb our fancy lattes... and I loves me my Honey Frappuccino, too. Of course, being that this is the company who opens outlets across the street from one another and once talked about opening stores on different floors in the same office buildings... it may not bode THAT badly for us...

Moratorium

I no longer care to hear about anything involving Angelina Jolie's vagina.

No entries.

No exits.

Thank you.

Naughty is...

... listening to Lords of Acid's "Lust" at your desk at work...

"Darling, come here..."