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Had to re-post this:   
08:31pm 30/06/2009
  ...because Facebook, as popular as it is... is essentially organized for attention deficit, lobotomized monkeys on hallucenigens. So, I expect my finding this was accidental.

Therefore, gentle readers, you find it here, on purpose, static free. Check it out. Freaking hillarious.

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=129783788664&h=BT-6_&u=cMFU-&ref=nf
 
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Jackson and Farah?   
08:04pm 25/06/2009
  Well, so long to you both.

Farah went down swinging, and though I lusted after her body, I am left in awe of her tenacious spirit. She was a bit unusual for a while, but so what?

Jackson, I often suspected, was a guy who never quite grew up, never quite understood how odd he seemed, and never managed to fully realize how unforgiving the world is of people who don't conform. I'm not saying his behavior was acceptable, but it struck me as more naive and unintentionally creepy than sinister, though that's obviously how it was interpreted. It's an ironic twist that his power and influence only served to fuel suspicion in public opinion about his personal life, even after he was acquitted of charges of molestation. I mean, I kind of wondered myself if he was really innocent, or if his lawyers were just the best legal gunslingers that the King of Pop could buy. 

Is it possible for someone accused of that to ever wash the stigma away, no matter who innocent they may be in truth?  I've wondered about that often when Jackson was in the news. His acquittal seemed only to keep him from jail, and did little to repair his reputation.

With their passing and that of McMahon, I suddenly feel like I've been around a while, a little like my life is theater, and the background, things like Rocky Point, The Station and people like Farah and Jackson, are fading, getting tattered, and falling apart. I don't like that feeling.
 
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RIP, Ed McMahon   
05:51am 23/06/2009
  I'll have this song by Weird Al in mind today:

http://www.last.fm/music/%22Weird+Al%22+Yankovic/_/Here%27s+Johnny

http://www.com-www.com/weirdal/heresjohnny.html
 
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Pirate Faire!   
07:45pm 20/06/2009
  A couple photos, from the totally awesome Pirate Faire Saturday. Show up Sunday. You'll not be disappointed:

photos! )

 
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Winter is coming...   
09:43pm 12/06/2009
 
http://winter-is-coming.blogspot.com/2009/05/first-cast-member-and-director.html


Even better, this appears to not be full of shit.
 
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Oh, the horror...   
08:44pm 12/06/2009
  Phase two of the move-in is complete. (Phase one, unpacking boxes, is incomplete - landlady needs to clear some crap out of the back room before that can happen.) The fridge is cleaned out. So many empty/rancid things in there. Filled up a trash bag. Raccoons in the neighborhood are going to swear off garbage after tonight. (This followed the cleaning of kitchen surfaces and bathroom last weekend, for those keeping track.)

Anyhow, if you see a raccoon at the local McDonald's, blame me.

On the good side, since the roomie doesn't  buy food or cook (there was mention of photosynthesis, and he does look slighty green), the entire fridge and freezer is mine. I may go buy some beer, just to have it on hand. I don't drink much at all, but now I have the space to offer a beer to a random guest. I've operated out of a cold cut drawer and half a shelf in a fridge for so long... It's hard to remember what to buy to fill all that space now.

I've made the acquaintance of a couple of the upstairs neighbors. They're nice. The fact that they're attractive women? Doesn't matter. Not at all. Now, where did I put that cup of sugar? Need to keep it handy...
 
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Owie - All moved. Did I mention Owie?   
04:59pm 01/06/2009
  So, this missive comes to you from an undisclosed internet connection. I am moved in. Everything hurts. I am exhausted. But, all of my possessions are either at good will, the dump, or scrunched into my new, economy sized apartment. Thank God, though, not THIS economy sized.

I cleaned the bathroom. I wish I could make myself forget having done that task. It was horrifying. I'll spare you the details, which I'm busily working to wipe from my long-term memory. I also cleaned the kitchen, which was in nearly as bad shape. I must still tackle the fridge. Note to self: more attention must be paid to past tenant's housekeeping when scouting future apartments.

My cell doesn't appear to work inside this place. I've not yet worked out a solution, but it will likely involve Vonage for indoors, once the Internets are running again.

Now to sort through my remaining myriad posessions, and deciding their ultimate fate. Consering all the effort we put into moving (and thank you if you helped, you know who you are) I am seriously considering purging through bonfire.

I will slowly return to the world now. I'm glad to be on the other end. Now, the only sore muscles I get will be through deliberate exercise. I hope.
 
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Terminator...salvation?   
09:31pm 24/05/2009
  Ah, not so much. This movie hovered near entertainment greatness, and then just gave up on itself. I was tempted at several points to wash my hands of this wonderfully special-effected, well acted and yet wholly fumbled movie:

Spoilers, or,  )So, clearly, Terminator Salvation was a title thought up tongue in cheek. There is no salvation here, unless you hoped to be saved from ever having to consider the Terminator franchise seriously again. This is a series of movies that should've ended two movies ago.  Those films are something worth time traveling naked to prevent!
 
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Grrrrr...   
07:27pm 18/05/2009
  Thanks, Fox25, for advertising your truck driver serial killer segment in such a way as to imply that all truck drivers are potential homicidal maniacs. You're doing your profession proud there. (The responsible tag line at the end doesn't really excuse your three-day hype job and the bulk of your reporting during the piece.)

MBTA - What is it that makes you think someone dumb enough to text while operating a train is going to pay attention to a sign telling them not to? Do a better job of screening your employees to avoid such behavior. Meanwhile, work out a new system to keep cell phones/etc. out of operators hands while they're on duty. Issue uniforms without pockets or something.

Joe Biden - Please, please start thinking before you open your mouth. It's beginning to become worrisome instead of funny.

Landlord - It's only two more weeks. Try to restrain yourself from measuring and sizing up the apartment during the few more days that it is my home.

Discoverer of the Jesus Cheeto - Thank you for your remarkable find. I wish to now make a pilgrimage to observe your religious snack-time marvel. To eat it. That's right. I'm going to totally eat your Jesus. If you didn't want that to happen, you should've seen Jesus in a piece of broccoli.

Coffeemaker - You are supposedly a gourmet coffee machine. I will have a decent cup of Joe out of you. You are the inanimate object. I am the human being. This ain't no Disney movie.
 
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Traveling man   
02:02pm 16/05/2009
 

Last time I did this, I had only been to a fraction of those states. Feels good to have visited more.
 
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Traveling man   
02:02pm 16/05/2009
 
<img src="http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=t&chs=440x220&chtm=usa&chf=bg,s,336699&chco=d0d0d0,cc0000&chd=s:99999999999999999999999999999999999999999&chld=ALAZCACOCTDEFLGAIDILINIAKSMEMDMAMIMSMOMTNVNHNJNMNYOHOKPARISCSDTXUTVTVAWYWIWVMNNCAR" width="440" height="220" ><br/>visited 41 states (82%)<br/><a href="http://douweosinga.com/projects/visited?region=usa">Create your own visited map of The United States</a> or <a href="/projects/fridge-poetry">Like this? try: Fridge Poetry</a>

Last time I did this, I had only been to a fraction of those states. Feels good to have visited more.
 
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Superrob...must...find...roommate!   
05:00pm 04/05/2009
 
If any of you all are seeking an apartment in the Needham area, of know of someone who is, please drop me a line here. Here are the details: 

Read more... )
 
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A little privacy, here!   
07:48pm 28/04/2009
 

Hey, the Large Hadron Collider will be back, better than before, and better than scientists originally planned:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/28/collider.status.update/index.html

So, they're looking for evidence of the Higgs Boson particle, also known as the "God particle". I can't help imagining scientists peeking in at the particle, after which God notices them, utters an exasperated, "Doesn't anybody knock anymore?",  and slams the door. Shortly thereafter, I expect God to start looking for his own place. Maybe a condo where the fees and meetings aren't too much of a hassle.

Or, if you're an alarmist, the new and improved collider will swallow the earth, wait eons for another one to pop up out of creation, and eat that, too.

Blasphemous thoughts, yes. I'm banking on that word being of import more among people than supreme beings, though. 

 
  

 
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On vacation. Editing navy blockade scene. Out of snacks.   
06:08pm 28/04/2009
  My working vacation is going well. Been to the gym two days in  a row, enjoyed four straight days of beautiful weather, slept in a lot, and got lots of work done.

Loafing is hungry work, it seems. After Fringe I'm bound for the market. I'm watching evening TV like a normal person!
 
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Necessity is the mother of addiction   
07:40pm 20/04/2009
  Stopped in at the market to fill in some holes left from the last bachelor supply run. Lists? Who needs lists? Among the items my Bachelor Sense told me to pick up was a pint of Ben and Jerry's. Sadly, none of the options available by Mgrs. Ben & Jerry were my usual. I was forced to gamble. Smores flavor was a very good gamble. Maybe too good a gamble.

I am about 10 chapters away from finishing my first edit of the novel. Then, I have to go back and incorporate all the notes for each chapter from my writer's group. I've been working on this so long, half the people who've weighed in on the first half of this thing aren't part of our group any more. And there's a lot more work left yet.

I'd like to officially take credit for baconalia, the term. Baconalia the event is all Kate. In urelated news, I should start spending more time hanging out with Kate. Don't worry, Justin - my interest is entirely culinary.  

Life was good today. Quiet, thanks to the Marathon. Usually, that just makes work a headache.  That's it. Oh, and I was listening to NPR during the day. Apparently, there was something else going on in th world besides the Marathon. Hm. 
 
 
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Democracy and doom   
07:00pm 15/04/2009
  A couple links from Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor who's chronicling the demise of newspapers, along with other developments in the media world. His gig reminds me much of Astinus from the Dragonlance novels, typing away accurately and studiously as the world goes awry.

First, a column on something I've been observing and trying to fix, (with precious little success)for more than a decade:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/mar/17/newspapers-democracy-decline

Second, his thoughts on why charging for online content won't treat the symptoms:

http://medianation.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-newspapers-cant-charge-for-online.html

It's a little odd to read about how reporting isn't worth paying for, as it's what someone has, in fact, been paying me for during most of my professional life.

It doesn't make much sense to me, but reporting and writing doesn't seem to have much value other than as something to draw a reader's eye to advertising. Its value is indirect.

I think the demise of civic involvement is going to bite us in the posterior eventually. There are really only a couple hundred people in each community running and paying attention to things right now. They're a defacto artistocracy. I think most people believe if they wanted to get involved, they could. But doing that takes practice, and it does require information. The kind of information you get by reading papers and local coverage.

If there is a resurgence of civic involvement, there had best be a bunch of newspapers around, or some very good substitutes. But maybe one will lead to the other. One can hope.
 
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C is for cookie! Cookie! Cooooooooookiiiiieeeeeeee! Say it!   
08:56pm 30/03/2009
  Go ahead Children's Television Workshop, say Veggie Monster again!

Ahem. My nephews and I had a good conversation Saturday. They were dubious about Cookie Monster's rebirth as Veggie Monster. We all agreed they were lucky, quite lucky indeed, to have known cookie monster before he was compromised by the Bourgeoisie in their ongoing class struggle against we, the cookie loving proletariat. What? I can read Marx to children.

So, allright, they didn't speak in quite those terms, but we all mourned Cookie's salad days. Well, I guess, technically, these are his literal salad days. I speak here of the figurative salad days. Except when I'm complaining about him, when I refer to his literal salad days.

But cookies made a return trip to my awareness this evening, when the neighbor dropped off some chocolate chip cookies as a thank you for shoveling and other various good deeds the roomate and I have done for her this winter. They were very good cookies. Ah, the chocolatey taste of neighborliness!

(I would like to point out that she did not leave us produce.)
 
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A few thoughts on Fairey and They Live   
08:17pm 28/03/2009
  Last weekend I saw the Shepard Fairey exhibit with the latest in a long run of dates with whom I just don't see myself spending more time with on purpose.

But I'm not here to complain about dating. Much.

Instead, I wondered about Fairey's inspiration, and whether he inspired They Live or vice-versa.

I was convinced that there is some connection when I saw the giant wall-sized dollar bills with subversive notes written in place of the usual currency stuff. Things like "dissent is the best currency" or something similar.

If you have yet to see the exhibit and plan to do so, rent They Live first. I think your experience will be enhanced.
 
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Urrrghh!!!!   
06:00pm 27/03/2009
  I am going to have an f'en conniption if Scifi Channel fails to post BSG Daybreak 2 and 3 online for another f'en week. Also infuriating? The friggen ran the thing again today at 7 p.m. and I was working late, so I missed most of it. Naturally, I switched the channel immediately.

How much longer can I go before someone spoils it for me, and I'm forced to beat them?
 
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Cool new robot!   
08:57pm 17/03/2009
 
http://www.necn.com/Boston/SciTech/2009/03/16/Japanese-scientist-unveil/1237197705.html

I ask you: With robots this advanced walking around, can jet packs be all that far behind?
 
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