SwampLog 3.0

Dynamite Monkey!

This FARK Photoshop entry originally appeared last week, in a contest titled "The Last Thing You'll Ever See." In that short time, it has already become a FARK PS Cliche, a level of respect and disdain reserved for the Mustard Guy, Admiral Ackbar, and the Squirrel With Large Testicles©. It is one of the funniest images I've seen in a while, just for the look on the monkey's face. That, and monkeys are just funny.

'Road Trip!'

I still have no idea what to make of Bush's clandestine trip to Iraq for Thanksgiving. It's cool that he went, it's nice that the White House made every effort for this to not be a big photo op... but something just doesn't smack right of it. It just seems like the time when I looked around at college, and told my friends in the Bruce Hall dining hall, "Hey, you know Mardi Gras is going on right now." We were in two cars barrelling down to New Orleans inside of an hour.

Have I grown so cynical of Bush and his reign that something like this doesn't pierce my jaded curtain?

(And when the fuck did I start using terms like "jaded curtain"? I need therapy.)

Missing

One of the participants of last year's Blogathon, Persa Zula, has been missing for three days. Her family thinks she may have run away from home, but have no idea where she has gone. They've put up a page with her photo, description, and a plea for anyone with information to let Persa know that she is loved and needed back home.

Report Card

No carnage to speak of, no bloodshed, and not nearly the beating that I expected. Thanksgiving 2003 passed without a lot of incident.

That said, it was still ridiculously tough for me. I hate this time of year, for reasons I don't care to elaborate on. The more I try to push it into the back of my head, though, the worse it ends up being when it all comes bubbling up to the surface.

My father always had a problem with his emotions. Kept 'em under lock and key, until his rage would surface at the worst possible moment. I had previously thought that by being a more emotional person, I would avoid that trap, but lately I've found myself following his example more and more.

It's quiet around here without Marty, who is out of town for Thanksgiving. I was gone most of the day yesterday, because left alone to my devices I'm sure I would have lost my mind.

I was supposed to go to a potluck dinner tonight, but in the end I decided I needed to rest up for tonight's gig. I'm having problems putting my game face on, and the drive wouldn't have helped much. (Sorry, Rachelle, I'll make it up to ya soon.)

"...For A Week."

'Bad Santa' is not simply the funniest movie I've seen all year. It's also one of the most twisted, black comedies I've seen in years. It is so over the top that when I would look around at the other audience members, I'm certain they had the same look of total disbelief I had on my face.

The Disney folks probably had no inkling this movie was being made, and I can understand their consternation over it. They should, in the meanwhile, shut their pieholes and wait for the money to roll in from it. The same goes for critics who think that the film is being marketed as a lighthearted Christmas romp.

Woody had just seen 'The Santa Clause' right before going with us to see 'Bad Santa,' and he said it was truly the yin and the yang of Christmas flicks.

If you have a movie tavern / cinema drafthouse in your area, or somewhere where booze is available, go see it there instead of the mall cineplex. The effect is so much better.

Friday Five: 28 November 2003

1. Do you like to shop? Why or why not?
I'm not one of those guys that is allergic to shopping. There are "walk around and look at everything" moods, there are "get in, get out, drive off" moods.

2. What was the last thing you purchased?
A novel at Half Price Books (Star Wars: Agent of Chaos I).

3. Do you prefer shopping online or at an actual store? Why?
Depends on my mood. Shopping online lends itself more to impulse buying. If I don't know exactly what I'm buying as a gift, brick-and-morter stores are best.

4. Did you get an allowance as a child? How much was it?
I got $10 a week until I got a job at age 14.

5. What was the last thing you regret purchasing?
Texas Rangers season tickets (weekend plan) in February. Two months later, I was working at Front Row, negating my purchase.

Dean v. the Un-Dean

Fantastic column by Michael Barone in the current issue of U.S. News and World Report, on the challenges the Democrats face in choosing the candidate best suited for ousting Bush. The great point is made towards the end of the column:

The Democrats' problem will be different if Dean is nominated. Their problem will be with American exceptionalism. That is the idea, shared by most Americans, that this country is unique and special, with unique virtues and special responsibilities--a city on a hill, as John Winthrop and Ronald Reagan put it, with the responsibility to spread freedom and democracy around the world. Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan were all American exceptionalists. So, as we have seen with ever increasing clarity, is Bush. Dean doesn't seem to be, and neither do most of his followers. When they say they want to take their country back, they mean they want the United States to take its place as just one of many nations, with no claim to moral superiority, heeding the cautions of France, Germany, and Russia; deferring to the United Nations or NATO; seeking the respect of the protesters in the streets of London or the opinion writers in Le Monde.

I think the comment is telling, but might be misguided. America is, still, the City On The Hill (as Reagan stole from Winthrop). It is still the land of promise and opportunity, even if that promise has been squandered in the last three years by the Bush Doctrine of isolation and profiteering. Dean's supporters are tired of seeing America's standing in the global community -- and her own prosperity and well-being -- whittled away by opportunistic power brokers. They want the America we know is possible, and Dean represents the best alternative to Bush and his cronies.

Be What You Are

The mini-site for my 2003 CD, 'Be What You Are,' is now up, along with the final liner notes and CD insert. Peruse at your leisure.

Shake Your Shoes

Jamey Newberg let me know last night that the 2004 Bound Edition is making its way to the press. It's a little bit odd, because I keep thinking that "my book is going to press," even though I didn't write it. Still, I did redesign the book from the ground up, and it's a damned nice looking book.

You can see a sample chapter here (right-click and save; requires Adobe Reader). Once you decide that "Damn, that's a pretty good looking book," you can pre-order the book. If you place the pre-order before 30 November, you get two dollars off. Do it now!

The Washington Post highlights a website by the Federation of American Scientists (read: Steven Aftergood) which focuses solely on the excessive secrecy in which the Bush administration is cloaking itself... and the Bushies are pissed. Having the Freedom of Information Act and the First Amendment as your ally can be an awesome thing.

I firmly don't expect to have a new job before the first of January.

No massive Thanksgiving plans. I'm going to have brunch (I hate calling it dinner since we're doing it at 11:00 am) with members from my mother's side of the family. I suppose that last year was such a rousing success that they wanted another round.

Remember, Volcanos. Karaoke. Friday night, 10 pm - 2 am. Bring friends.

Condolences

Kellie Waymire, who played several supporting parts around the tube in the last few years, died last week -- the cause of death hasn't been revealed. She hit my radar as Brenda's prostitute friend from the second season of 'Six Feet Under,' then as a recurring character on 'Enterprise' in the show's first season. Honestly, I would rather have seen a show based on her character than Brenda's headcase antics from the second season on. Waymire had a certain allure to her, and I am sad more people won't get the chance to discover her work.