An Oklahoma Countdown

Why is it that whenever Oklahoman's are featured in national programs it's always in the worst possible light?

The Art of Racing in the Rain

"A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope - a captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life... as only a dog could tell it."

"The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein is a book that I've been aware of for a while due to it's popularity. I obtained a copy from Dann a few weeks ago and set to reading it a few days ago as I had nearly gone through everything I had to read at work.

The story is told from the perspective of a family dog named Enzo. As the novel begins, Enzo is nearing the end of his life and looking forward to his perceived rebirth as a man. Before his death he tells his life story with his owner Denny, a skilled racer, and the family that is formed over the years. The novel is clever in it's narrative and approach and the author certainly knows how to pull on the heart stings of the reader. At times extremely sad, the book finishes boldly and more satisfying than anything I've read lately.

I wanted to like the book more than I did. I appreciate the wonderful characters, especially the narrator, Enzo, and the themes of life that parallel racing, but I knew the direction the book was going to take early on and I felt it to be a little contrived. It's a book I would definitely recommend but it's not my cup of tea. Be prepared to have your heart pulled heavily by this novel even if the plot is a little by the numbers. The tearful finished to the novel almost makes up for the shortcomings.

That which you manifest is before you.

Ricky Martin Steps Out of the Closet

Interesting. In other breaking news, the Earth is round and orbits the sun, the Pope is Catholic, and the President was born in America.

The Census

"A census taker tried to quantify me once. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a big Amarone." Hannibal Lecter

Or if you prefer the movie quote:


I think I prefer the quote from the book. Someone argued on another web site that Lecter would never drink anything as pedestrian as a chianti.

So I finally filled out my census survey from the government this morning after being harassed by several pieces of mail reminding me to do so. Now I know why the operation costs so much! It was easy to complete, it took me about two minutes. If you haven't filled out your form do so, it's the law. Or don't. I was reading that many people are not filling out the surveys as a kind of revolt against the government, usually in conservative leaning states/districts. Keep it up morons. Lose money for your state/district or even worse lose representation in Congress via a shift in Representative seats, there's only 435 of them to go around to the entire country.

"An Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct." Article 1, Section 2, the Constitution.

Chinese Cigarettes at Bossa Nova

The other night I was hanging with some friends at Bossa Nova, it's a bar atop Cafe do Brazil. I was about to leave and make a cigarette run for everyone when a gentleman overheard me and offered me an unopened pack of cigarettes.


Somehow he had obtained the cigarettes from China. Odd and random huh? The cigarettes were fine, it worked out very well, no one had to leave the beautiful rooftop view and no one turned into a communist after smoking the pack. For the rest of the night all I could think about was a variation of a Margaret Cho bit, "this is not the cigarette of my people!"



Bosso Nova is an awesome destination for some after work drinks. They have great appetizers and the view of downtown from the rooftop sitting area is spectacular!


Definitely check it out; however, don't make the mistake of correcting the server's Spanish as my friend Cris did. We were treated to a visit from the manager as though there was some kind of problem! I shit you not. Like me or my friends would ever cause a problem in a bar...

Further Tales of the City

Once again I return to San Francisco in Armistead Maupin's "Further Tales of the City", the third installment in the "Tales" series (preceded by "Tales of the City" and "More Tales of the City").

"The calamity-prone residents of 28 Barbary Lane are at it again in this deliciously dark novel of romance and betrayal. While Anna Madrigal imprisons an anchor-woman in her basement, Michael Tolliver looks for love at the National Gay Rodeo, DeDe Halcyon Day and Mary Ann Singleton track a charismatic psychopath across Alaska, and society columnist Prue Giroux loses her heart to a derelict living in a San Francisco Park."

The third installment is definitely my least favorite entry in the series thus far (there are still three more books). While the characters are still endearing (curious that some major characters from previous books were missing), the storylines become even more incredible than in the two previous books. A large portion of the book deals with a mystery surrounding the tragic end to the infamous Jonestown mass suicides. This portion of the book takes up a lot of the narrative and is wildly over the top. Perhaps the thirty year old events would have been more interesting to read at the time of publication, the early 80's.

Overall I did enjoy the book, once again I appreciate Maupin's writing style and his ability to create wonderful characters. I also like the progression of the book's timeline, as now we are entering the 1980's. Recommended for fans of the series or Armistead Maupin. While there are still more books in the "Tales" series I don't think I'll be reading them any time soon but eventually I'll be happy to return to 28 Barbary Lane.

Iguana Mexican Grill

After watching the Thunder put the smack down on Houston last night, Dann and I stopped at Iguana Mexican Grill for some late night snacks and beers. Apparently my curse of watching the Thunder lose at home is over.

Iguana is located on NW 9th in Midtown between Broadway and Oklahoma. We were told by the host that their kitchen stays open until around 10:30 PM on weeknights which is fantastic as it can be hard to find somewhere decent to eat after the basketball games during the week. I believe she also mentioned the bar stays open even later. We were seated at a small table in the bar area which was nearly full. The experience was great, the music was up loud and the service was fantastic. We were taken care of by no less than three servers/bartenders at any one time. The food was also fantastic. We just sampled a couple of different appetizers. We tried the Salsa Bar appetizer which is a sampling of four of their salsas, tomatillo (verde), coral snake, citrus habenero, and smoked tomato salsa. We also ordered queso but it wasn't nearly as yummy as the selections of salsa. Finally, Dann and I also shared the Tri Pepe's Mini Tacos. Chicken with pico de gallo, jicama, guajillo aioli in tiny crisp taco shells. Very satisfying. You can also choose to have beef or tilipia tacos as well or mix and match.

Going to Iguana was kind of a last minute decision in our haste to find something still open later in the evening. The food is truly fantastic and inexpensive. With all we had to eat with a couple of beers, the tab was around fifteen dollars apiece. Highly recommended. If you like Mexican food, cold beer, and a fun environment with some of the best service around, this is the place to be.

Health Care Reform Becomes Law

"The ceremony established the biggest new social program since President Lyndon Johnson signed the Medicare act into law in 1965 — and arguably since the Social Security Act arrived on Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s desk in 1935."

Link

Rejoice liberals and progressives, this day has been a long time coming! In fact some form of universal health care has been discussed or proposed since the time of Teddy Roosevelt. This Congress and President has accomplished something that Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton all failed to do, pass and sign into law meaningful health care reform that will nearly be universal.

The bill isn't perfect, I certainly whined about it over the last year! Putting that aside, it's a great start and a truly historic day! Get ready for law suits and bat shit crazy psycho talk by conservatives leading up to the mid term elections. It's time for progressives to stand up and vigorously defend what they've done over the last year! If progressives run away from their record, they lose. What has been done today and over the last several months is a good thing. History will say that.

Opinions?

How Many Weeks Until Football Season?

Another Thunder Game, Another Defeat

More times than not it seems when I attend a Thunder game in OKC we lose. Such was the case last night. It was cool, though, the game was close and the crowd was rockin' especially in the fourth quarter. I'm still a little in awe at having an NBA team in our neck of the woods. I wish I could afford season tickets, I would go to every game given the chance.

Dann, Kim and Grizzly Adams

Our tickets were on the baseline this time. Not great, but it was interesting to watch the game from a new perspective.

Breaking News!

The death panels have just been dispatched by the government to pick up John McCain.

Mwhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Suck it conservatives!

2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament

We're literally minutes away from the start of the 2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament. I've go my computer ready to go so I can watch the games at work, though it will interfere with my blogging, sleeping, reading and Internet browsing at work, I'm willing to make the sacrifice. Rather than making 32 picks and more thereafter, I'm just going post my Final Four picks.

Kansas (National Champion Pick)
Kansas State
West Virginia
Duke

Of course I'll be watching Oklahoma State closely but I don't have them advancing past the first round. In any event, go Pokes!

Star Trek Shirts

Indeed.

I love the phaser burn!

Friend

"What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies." ~Aristotle

I just wanted to say that I'm thinking about my friend Dann at this time when life is most challenging. Be well and we're all here for you.

Blindness

I'm not sure how the novel "Blindness" entered my radar but it's been on my "to read" list for a little while now. "Blindness" was written by José Saramago, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. The story revolves around an unidentified town that is stricken by a blindness epidemic. Suddenly residents of the city become blind with a kind of hazy whiteness. What follows is the story of a group of nondescript people dealing with the onset of the epidemic, their experiences in quarantine by the government, and their eventual escape from what turns out to be a prison in an abandon mental institution.

Saramago is very descriptive in telling the hellish nightmare the quarantined people go through while being locked up in the abandoned mental facility. There are some heavy and disturbing events that progress as the situation deteriorates. Most of the observations are told through a doctor's wife who has somehow managed to avoid the blindness epidemic but in order to be with her husband, she has faked her own blindness and thus becomes an anchor for not only her husband but in parts for the entire quarantined community. The novel is very powerful and is a metaphor what for what true animals the human race really can be.

Highly recommended. The only downside I can see some having with the novel is the way in which it is written. The novel was translated from Portuguese so it has a European flavor to it and Saramago's writing style is unusual as well. The narrative doesn't incorporate line breaks for dialogue so everything is neatly compressed within sometimes long paragraphs. Though the style is a little different, I never had any problems following the story or dialogue by various different characters at one time.

I also believe the novel was made into a movie of the same name but I've never seen it.

The OKC Zoo

The Oklahoma City Zoo is a great destination this time of year with the weather being so nice. I went with Susan and Cris last weekend and we had a blast. With the temperature being so moderate we were able to see all of the animals which can be difficult especially with the big cats. There can be some downsides to visiting the zoo, they no longer sell beer, you're no longer able to ride the giant turtles, and there were a million kids running loose.

The best thing about the zoo? Riding the animal sculptures with your friends:

Yipee ki yay motherfucker!

Crouching Cris, Hidden Tiger.

No comment.

It also helps to smuggle in a flask of Captain Morgan...

Return to Thunder Dome

Went to the Thunder game last night. It was nice to finally attend a game we won! Thanks Dann for the tickets.

More Tales of the City

Once again I return to visit the residents of 28 Barbary Lane in San Francisco to read about their adventures in "More Tales of the City" by Armistead Maupin. The novel is a continuation of the stories established in "Tales of the City," a work that was first published in chronicle form in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Again, the chapters are very short, consisting of a couple pages in length. The stories of the main characters are funny, endearing and at times can be sad. Though some of the plot devices can be a little over the top and some of the characterizations can be mellow dramatic, I really enjoyed this book and series thus far. I look forward to starting "Further Tales of the City" in the near future.

Highly recommended for it's great characters and easy read. Some may be turned off by the soap opera quality of certain aspects of the stories but this is probably more of a problem of format where each chapter was first published in chronicle form and not as a whole in a novel.

Palin 2012

I saw this over at the Democrats of Oklahoma Community Forum in this thread. It was good to have a laugh first thing in the morning.

Why So Serious?

Have you guys seen President Obama lately? He's in some serious need of some Chapstick or Carmex or something! I kid. Riddle me this (oops, wrong Batman villain)? The photo above has been circulating for some time now and I don't get it. What does the Joker have to do with being a socialist? Why do liberals cry that this unflattering picture is racist?

Poker Face

Ronald Reagan on the Fifty Dollar Bill?

Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry from North Carolina wants Congress to tell the U.S. Treasury to replace former President Ulysses S. Grant on the fifty dollar bill with former President Ronald Reagan. Here are five reasons why Reagan's legacy shouldn't be honored in this manner:

• Supply side economics. Reagan's philosophy that cutting tax rates for the rich would increase revenues and eliminate the federal deficit. The debt tripled during his time in office.
• Reagan was a snitch for the FBI during the McCarthy era communist witch hunts.
• The deregulation of many industries under Reagan's watch, including the banking industry. That turned out to be a good plan, eh?
• The explosion of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Reagan did little to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. In fact he never once said the word AIDS publicly. Can you imagine the beating President Obama would take if he completely ignored the H1N1 flu epidemic?
• Ketchup is a vegetable. 'Nuff said.

There are many other issues I have with the Reagan legacy but I just don't have the dexterity to type all day! I also think that Congress would be better served working on more important issues rather than who graces our paper notes. If they must pursue passage of this kind of legislation they should start by removing Andrew Jackson (President Trail of Tears) from the twenty dollar bill, just not with Ronald Reagan...

I first read this story at The Huffington Post.

Quote of the Day

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. They wake up in the morning and that's the best they're going to feel all day."

Dean Martin*

*There is conflicting information on the Internet on who originally said this phrase. I've always thought it to be Dean Martin but some sites credit the quote to Frank Sinatra. Anyone know for sure?

OK House Passes Ultrasound Bill

"The House for the third time in two years easily passed a measure Tuesday that would require a woman be given a description of ultrasound images of her unborn child and be offered those images before getting an abortion."

Really? House Bill 2780 passed 87-7. Really? I guess they think third time's a charm?

What a waste. We have major problems in Oklahoma, like most of the rest of the nation, and our legislature is dicking around with bills to restrict abortions? Another case of big government conservatives allowing the state into one's personal life. Sadly that includes Democrats in the state of Oklahoma as well.

Read the full article at the Daily Jokelahoman.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea

I know next to nothing about Chelsea Handler except that she has a show on E! called "Chelsea Lately" that I've flipped past on several occasions when channel surfing. I came into the possession of her second book "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" from Dann so I've been slowing reading through it at work. I've hit a little bit of a wall with reading (and life in general) so it took me a couple weeks to get through the 250 pages.

In spite of not knowing much about Chelsea Handler, I really enjoyed the book. It's a collection of essays written about different periods in her life from youth to her 30's. She writes very well and some of the stories are hilarious. I especially enjoyed her chapter dealing with her trip to jail in Los Angeles for a DUI, something I could relate to recently. Her stories involving her father are also humorous as well.

Recommended for some light and funny reading. She is also the author of "My Horizontal Life" and a new book, "Bang Bang" due out March 9th. If I run across her other books I'll definitely check them out.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Nintendo held their Media Summit late last month to detail upcoming release information for games and hardware. I'm just now going through the information but I did find a new trailer to Super Mario Galaxy 2.



Nintendo also revealed a relase date for the game, May 23rd, 2010.

There was also some information about Metroid: Other M but I haven't been able to find any new media. The game will launch on June 27th, 2010! Two blockbuster titles by Nintendo to enjoy this summer is outstanding news. I haven't read any news about the next Legend of Zelda game so I'm thinking it has to be Nintendo's big game for the next holiday season.

Picasso Cafe

Sunday afternoon I met up with some friends at Picasso Cafe in the Paeso Arts District. The restaurant is relatively new as it replaced Galileo's Bar and Grill a few months ago. The place is pretty much the same as far as I could tell with the exception of the name and new menu. Since we were there on Sunday, the only options we had for food was from the brunch menu. I like the atmosphere of the restaurant and the area but I have to say the food and service was lacking. Here's a list of observations:

Service. The girl waiting on us wasn't very nice. She didn't do anything wrong really, she just came across as a bit bitchy and clueless. It takes a lot for me to have a problem with service in a restaurant having been there before as a manager, server, and bartender. Oh and silverware is always nice addition to any meal.

Food. Nothing to write home about. I had the country breakfast which consists of eggs, bacon, and biscuits and gravy. Everything was unremarkable with the exception of the gravy which was yummy. I believe Dann tried to order the crepes a la florentine but they were out.

Drinks. Big problem. Part of the enjoyment of going out to eat for brunch is being able to enjoy a mimosa or bloody Mary. When we arrived and joined Jenny and Blaze we were informed by the girls that they were out of champagne and to not order a bloody Mary as they just ran out of Zing Zang mix (it really is the best). Whatever mix was used for their bloody Marys was florescent red and looked a little gross. No brunch drinks? No problem, they have a nice beer selection. Dann and I order Pacificos. We were brought one, the last one in the restaurant. I order a Hoegaarden, the server leaves and comes back empty handed, they're out of Hoegaarden. I order a Newcastle, the server leaves and comes back empty handed, they're out of Newcastle. Finally I have to settle on a Bud Light draft. Nice.

I was told by all at the table that Picasso's has a much better dinner menu. I'll probably check it out at some point and hopefully they'll be able to restock their inventory in the meantime.

Bill Maher

"New Rule: Stop calling 'The Tea Party' phenomenon a 'Movement'. To be a real political movement, you have to, well, move toward some specific legislative goal. The Suffrage Movement, for example, gained voting rights for women, the Civil Rights Movement outlawed discrimination against blacks, and the Gay Rights Movement brought us the Winter Olympics."

I think Bill Maher is one of the funniest satirist of our time. Check out his blog here and his website here.

Douche Bag

Douche Bag - someone who talks shit, starts shit, won't finish their shit, and at the end of the day still thinks they own the universe.

Kansas Jayhawks

The Kansas men's basketball team beat the dreaded Swooners of Oklahoma last night to clinch at the very least a share of the Big 12 regular season title. This is the sixth year in a row the Jayhawks have won or shared the title! Truly amazing when you consider how tough the Big 12 is year in and year out in basketball. While I'm not a Kansas fan, I do have to give them their due for this achievement. Congrats Jayhawk fans!

Meanwhile it looks as though the Cowboys of Oklahoma State will be entering the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row under second year coach Travis Ford. The league's youngest team has struggled at times but they've had enough quality wins to make the big dance again. A couple of years ago I was a little disappointed we wouldn't have a Sutton coaching at OSU but given Sean Sutton's recent arrest in Stillwater it seems to be a good thing now. I expect a lot of good things from Ford and his teams over the next few years as they mature and continue to recruit well. Go Pokes!

I'll be making my March Madness predictions here next month. I can't wait, it's the greastest college sports season of the year.

Daily Dose of Stupid

I love reading the Daily Disappointment's (aka the Daily Oklahoman) opinion page, especially the letters to the editor, it's always good for a chuckle. I bet the editor is bombarded with letters from religious zealots daily! Case in point, a published letter from Sunday's edition of the paper:

"Still in control

What people have failed to understand about 'climate change' is that God is still in control of all things, including the weather. God didn’t say there would not be variance in the earth’s temperature. Genesis 8:22 (NKJV) says, 'While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.'

Man can’t change what God has decreed, although many think they can. Why are the Obama administration, the Democratic Congress, Al Gore and the deceitful climate change scientists pushing so hard for cap-and-trade? Based on my observation of this country’s political and economic situation, it’s evident to me that greed, power and position are more important to them than the welfare of average citizens."

(Name withheld to protect the ignorant)

Does anyone else find it absolutely loony that we should base governmental policy on biblical scripture? What's really disturbing is that not only does the average Oklahoman feels this way but so does the majority of our elected officials in this state!

I submit the following: maybe the big guy in the sky, who controls all things, is using the Democratic Congress, Al Gore and the deceitful climate change scientists to warn his creations about our harmful abuse of the environment and the world. Why is this not a possible conclusion from a religious point of view?

I'm so sick of religious zealotry in my state and my country that I could puke...

Hard At Work

Bored.

Read all the blogs I follow and updated mine.

Read a couple chapters of a book.

Read every news article imaginable online.

Went outside and smoked several cigarettes.

Had a bowl of cereal.

Sent texts to friends who won't respond until much later in the day.

Here's some interesting links for you to enjoy if you're just as bored as I am today:

Donkey Kong's Last Supper

ZombieHarmony

Hot Chicks with Douchebags

Lamebook

I also spent a good amount of time today randomly going through blogs on Blogger. Holy shit there's a lot of mommy blogs and religious blogs!

Blogs don't float your boat? You can also hang out on Facebook all day. I just love reading status updates about every boring minute of one's day. I also love to know every thing you're doing in Mafia Wars, Farmville, etc. It's called sarcasm folk...

It's cool if you're doing something unusual like: "Just landed in China, it's raining, pictures to follow."

It's uncool to do the following: "Made PB&J for the kids!!! LOL :) ;) 8-)"

I don't even hardly bother with MySpace anymore.

Question. For those of you out there who have nothing to do at work, how do you pass the time?

Ash Wednesday

I did a random search online this morning to see what people are giving up for Lent. Here is a list of my ten favorites:

• Lint
• Lentils
• Christianity or religion
• Moderation
• Heroin
• An open mind
• Hopes of a fulfilled life
• Colonoscopies
• Lent
• Deodorant

Me? I won't be giving up anything for the 40 some days leading up to Zombie Jesus Day since I'm not Catholic. What are you giving up?

Fat Tuesday

Laissez les bon temps roulez, cher!

Everyone have a safe and festive Mardi Gras!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Good riddance year of the Ox! It was supposed to my year as the Ox is my Chinese zodiac sign but it really turned out to be a wretched one! Good luck Tigers.

Tigers are said to be bold and adventurous, and are bestowed with initiative and charm. However, they have a tendency to be risk takers, making them act before they think about the consequences. They tend to make good bosses, explorers or racing drivers.

Click here to check out my one other Chinese New Year posting from 2006.

There's another holiday today. What was is? Something to do with a saint dieing on this date after being imprisoned for performing secret marriages...

Tales of the City

I first read "Tales of the City" by Amistead Maupin 15 to 20 years ago, I can't really remember the year. I can't really remember much about the novel as well or the mini-series I'm almost sure I watched on PBS at one time. All I can recall from that time was I enjoyed Maupin's story greatly. Having just finished the novel, again, I still do.

"Tales of the City" takes place in San Francisco in the late 1970's. It chronicles the tenants of 28 Barbary Lane and how their lives intermingle. The tales of the characters and their flow with each other offers a glimpse into varying lifestyles in northern California in a period after the Vietnam War and Watergate and before the explosion of AIDS. The novel is somewhat overly dramatic, almost like a soap opera, but it is charming and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

"Tales of the City" is an easy novel that I tore through quickly. I think I clocked in over 100 pages an hour. The book can be easily picked up and put down due to the short chapters, each one consisting of only a few pages at the most. The stories were originally published as a serial in the San Francisco Chronicle, the most likely explanation for such short entries.

Often referred to as a gay novel, "Tales in the City" covers a wide range of topics and characters both gay and heterosexual and I believe it to be accessible by anyone. Recommended as an easy and satisfying read with memorable and sweet characters.

Nintendo Wallet

I can't quite decide if this is cool or not. Check it out here.

Declarative Text

Here is an example of a text I got from a friend yesterday:

Friend: "I just got fired!"
Me: "WTF? Why?"
Friend: "It's a long story."

That was all. Why even bring up a conversation via text if it's too long of a story to elaborate about?

The Millionaire Matchmaker

Does anyone watch The Millionaire Matchmaker on Bravo? I have to admit that I do as a guilty pleasure. I know it's bad TV but I just love it! I think the biggest reason I tune in every Tuesday night (putting aside that nothing else is on television) is to see what the star of the show, Patti Stanger will say to her clueless millionaires.

Maybe I should back up just a step and reveal the premise of the show for those uninitiated. Patti is a third generation matchmaker with a supposedly high success rate. She is the founder of Millionaires Club International, a dating service that services celebrities, business executives and professional athletes to name a few. Basically a service for high rollers. According the website she has a database of over 30,000 potential matches available to those who want to make use of her expertise.

The television show on Bravo usually deals with a couple of millionaires looking for love, though on occasion there is a millionairess or gay client. The format starts with the matchmaking process and culminates with the first date. What makes the show so entertaining for me is the issues that Patti has to tackle while trying to find true love for her millionaire clients, including ageism, sexism and superficialism. She always speaks her mind and takes a strong opinion on love and dating. More times than not her instincts turn out to be correct especially when dealing with bullheaded men who think they know better than her.

Like I said the show is purely a guilty pleasure for me. The third season is currently airing on Bravo on Tuesday night at 9PM. Give this show a shot, it's something else to watch on Bravo while waiting on Top Chef to return...

Hypocrite

Hypocrite - a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings. See also Sarah Palin.




Hockey mom extraordinaire, Sarah Palin gives President Obama a hard time about his use of teleprompters during speeches yet has to rely on crib notes on her hand!

Palin also takes offense to Rahm Emanuel using the word retarded yet has no problem with Rush Limbaugh using the term?

Typical politician. What a maverick...

Happy Weekend!

Nothing of interest to write about today so enjoy the video below.


Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko

NFL Playoff Predictions (The Super Bowl)

So it's the weekend of America's biggest sporting event. Again, not being a fan of either team left I only hold mild interest in the game. Having said that, I'm sure I'll watch some if not all of the game.

#1 New Orleans Saints (15-3) vs. #1 Indianapolis Colts (16-2)
Sunday February 7th at 5:25 PM
Pick: New Orleans
Comments: Once again I'm going against the "experts" and predicting a win by the "underdog." I'm going to give a slight edge to The Saints on offense while both defenses seem to be evenly matched. I expect to see a lot of points scored in this game and I think that New Orleans will contain Manning just enough to walk away with a win.

Current record 5-5
Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

Don't Ask Don't Tell

I'm really tired of reading liberal bloggers moan about the policy review of Don't Ask Don't Tell. It seems to some of them that our country has a myriad of other issues to deal with at the moment and playing around with military social policy is an unwise way to spend time. I couldn't agree more. There's no reason this debate should have been raging for 17 years! President Bill Clinton should have just signed an executive order in early 1993 to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. I doubt Congress would have circumvented that policy at the time. If they did, we'd be no worse off than we are now.

It's time to end this ridiculous policy. Affording American citizens equal rights shouldn't take a back burner to any issue!

Check out one well thought out argument to keep the ban in affect:

At the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today on the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) expressed his concern that repealing the rule would pave the way for allowing "alcohol use, adultery, fraternization, and body art" in the military -- and that the army must "exclude persons whose presence in the armed forces would create unacceptable risk to the armed forces' high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion."

So let me get this straight (no pun intended), we wouldn't want military personnel (1) drinking, (2) screwing around, and (3) getting tattoos? Only gay military personnel would do this or influence this? Is Senator Chambliss for real? He really sounds like he should be representing the great state of Oklahoma along with Senator Inhofe and Coburn. So I guess the expression about a drunken sailor on shore leave getting a tattoo was really in reference to a fag whenever it was coined? Whatever.

You know what? There will always be groups of people in the country who don't like other groups of people for a multitude of reasons. Are we to deny African-Americans, people of Jewish or Muslim faith, or women from serving in the military because it might make Bubba from Georgia uncomfortable? People with a homosexual orientation deserve the same right and responsibility to serve their country with the same rules applied to it as their heterosexual counterparts. Any other thinking is un-American!

New Blog

I created a new blog just for the fun of it yesterday. It's called Population Growing and is dedicated to the Nintendo Animal Crossing series. Yes, I know, I'm a dork.

Happy Groundhog Day

Apparently Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his hole and saw his shadow today which indicates six more weeks of winter. Big surprise there. Is there ever really the possibility of an early spring?

Check out Wikipedia's page on Groundhog Day for more information about the holiday and it's origins.

Working From Home Day 2

Another "snow day," and another day slaving from home. Today I focused on snowmen...

Working From Home

I was lucky enough to get to work from home yesterday due to ICE STORM 2010 (insert dramatic music here). So what did I do while home?

I visited my new neighbor, Joseph Merrick. I just call him "Stampy."

I did some fishing, finally catching the elusive stringfish.

I was honored by the mayor for my fishing accomplishments.

I took time out of my busy schedule to stalk my friends.

I guess today will be more of the same.

American Psycho

I'm not sure where to begin with "American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis. I became interested in the book some time ago after seeing the movie and reading about the controversy surrounding the publication of the novel. Oddly enough I don't remember hardly anything from the movie now.

From the cover:

"Patrick Bateman is handsome, well educated, intelligent. He works by day on Wall Street, earning a fortune to complement the one he was born with. His nights he spends in ways we cannot begin to fathom. He is twenty-six years old and living his own American Dream."

"American Psycho" is a satire set in the late 1980's centered around Patrick Bateman and his yuppie lifestyle. The novel is told from Bateman's perspective where he describes in excruciating detail his daily routines, such as encounters with his friends, his daily regiment of exercise and self care, as well as his dark forays into murder at night. Bateman is a judgemental elitist and exhibits many disgusting qualities such as homophobia, misogyny, and disgust for the poor and homeless or anyone not socially elite. His narrative in every situation of the book describes in complete minutia what he as well as colleagues and friends are wearing from their overcoats down to their shoes, detailing styles, designs, and designers. Not being the best dressed or owning the latest and best gadget or technology causes extreme anxiety and jealousy for Bateman. It really is almost mesmerizing how much detail the author goes into the description of what people are wearing as well as products they are using or displaying in their domiciles. I believe this stream of consciousness narrative represents Bateman's inability to care for people more than possessions.

Ellis also goes into great detail about Bateman's dark obsessions with sex and murder during his rampages at nighttime. The novel slowly progresses starting with dark thoughts and comments from Batemen during the first third of the book and finally culminating in the last two thirds of the book into sadistic murders, rapes, torture, and cannibalism. This book is not for the faint of heart! Some of the sexual experiences described are teetering on pornography and the mutilations that follow are as raw and disturbing as anything I've ever read. For example, in one chapter of the novel, Bateman reconnects with a former girlfriend from Harvard. After a boozy lunch they return to Bateman's apartment when he proceeds to nail her hands to the floor with a nail gun, cut off her lips and tongue, and sodomizes what's left of her face. The last sentence I just typed pales in extreme comparison to how it is described in the book. In fact that chapter is no where near as bad as other encounters that Bateman has with women.

As the novel continues, Bateman's actions and especially his thought become so disturbed and erratic that one has to wonder what has really taken place. He says and describes some really off the wall experiences and at one point the narrative jumps to a third person perspective in one chapter. There is no question that Bateman is a psychopath but how much of his grisly actions take place outside of his mind? The novel left me to wonder this question after I completed it.

Interesting reoccurring themes in the novel:

Les Miserables and references to the musical are constantly mentioned throughout the book. The Miserable?

There is a constant occurrence of mistaken identity in the novel. People are recognized and addressed by the incorrect name. Is this a reference to Bateman being unremarkable, lost in the crowd or is this in reference to the socially elite of the time being all the same? Or both?

The Patty Winters Show (a show I took to be similar to something like the Jerry Springer Show) is referenced in nearly every chapter by Bateman. He details what the topic of discussion was for each show that day. The topics mirror the narrative of the book, becoming progressively darker with each chapter.

Bateman is constantly saying that he has video tapes to return. This comes up conversationally when he's asked by his girlfriend or friends what he's doing or was doing. I understood this to be his trigger that he had or wanted to do something murderous.

Whew, I didn't intend to write this much! I understand that this book is a satirical look at the culture at the time and for that I enjoyed it tremendously. Again, if you are faint of heart this book will hit you over the head like a sledge hammer with unrelenting brutality. There were a couple of times where I thought I wasn't going to be able to finish. Highly recommended if you can stand it. And now I have video tapes to return...

I would be curious to see what anyone else thought of the book if they've read it.

Nintendo Flash Drive

Game Boy Advance Flash Drive. Pretty cool. Click here for more information. I originally saw this at Joystiq Nintendo.

Screw This Again!

So the Oklahoma media is talking up the next winter storm system that's about to grace our state. Usually they seem to over exaggerate the weather around here, in my opinion; however, I will say that the last two weather events they predicted were correct, the blizzard on Christmas last month and the arctic weather a couple of weeks ago. I'm actually hoping for some nasty weather so I can work from home. Since I do so little work anyways, working from home is like having a day off. Bring it Mother Nature (just no power outages please)!

Everything and Nothing

Restless. More so than normal. I can't bring my mind to focus on anything. Work is dead (so it goes [thanks Vonnegut]), I have done nothing today. I can't even concentrate to read my book, and for once the background noise around here is at a minimum. I think and think and think about everything and nothing. Total randomness:

I brought two personal file folders from home today, one to hold tax information and one to hold payment information for my court costs, fines, etc. The folders were given to me by my niece for Christmas, they say in large, bold lettering on the front: MORE CRAP and TOTAL CRAP. I wonder if they make moving boxes? Thanks Casey!

Gordon Ramsay is as masterful at swearing as he is at preparing food.

What to do tonight? Big Monday? Kansas and Missouri. I don't really care enough to watch the game in it's entirety. The house is relatively clean so doing anything other than the dishes is off the agenda most likely. Read. TV. Wii. Ho hum.

Thanks to my friends for taking me out Saturday night, I literally had three dollars in my wallet. I vaguely remember only parts of the last half of the night, thanks mostly to an empty stomach and Captain Morgan. I should have stayed home. Read. TV. Wii. Etc.

I totally rock at the 90's edition of Trivial Pursuit by the way.

My boss brought his daughter to work today because she has pink eye and can't go to school! Neato.

3:38PM. I'm finally able to do some reading between a couple work related tasks. Gasp, actual work. I'm reading "American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis. The book is sick and teeters on the edge of pornography at time. I now understand the controversy. I'm about half way finished, I'll write about it more thoroughly when I'm done.

The last hour of work is the longest...

Dating Tips 101

When on a first date it's probably not good form to fall asleep during the movie portion of the evening...

I went on a date last night with a guy that I've been talking to since early last month. We've kind of hung out before but it wasn't any kind of planned event, we just happened to meet or run in to each other when out.

So last night we went to Louie's on Lake Hefner to grab something to eat and then we went back to his place to watch a movie. I was asleep 30 minutes into the movie and I slept through it's entirety. What a catch I am!

I truly had a good time, I guess I was just tired.

To the Nines

Once again I'm back to reading a Stephanie Plum novel by Janet Evanovich. To the Nines is another book about the New Jersey bombshell bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. I snatched it off of the community bookshelf at work after I ran out of books to read. I hit Borders tonight and bought a couple of books to give my broke ass something to entertain myself for the weekend. I can take a rest from the comical world of Trenton, New Jersey for a bit again. Though the book is pretty much the same formula and characters as the first eight installments of the series, I found myself really enjoying this story. Here are some reasons why:

The novel pretty much centers on one apprehension that Stephanie has to make with not a lot filler or side stories to slow down the pace. She also teams up with the mysterious bounty hunter Ranger through a good portion of the book. The sexual tension between the two is comical.

Stephanie survives the entire book without killing a car. That is a rarity.

The girls from the bond company head to Vegas to try to catch their fugitive. There is a hilarious chapter at the casino that involves Elvis impersonators and a fight that breaks out between the girls, the Elvis wanna be's, and an unruly mob of Tom Jones fans. Most of the action in the novels takes place in New Jersey so it was nice to have a change of scenery.

Finally, Stephanie doesn't seem to be as clueless in this installment. Though the bumbling bounty hunter routine is endearing, she does seem to be getting a handle on her new profession. Of course I expect that to change when I get around to reading Ten Big Ones.

Again, if you haven't checked out the Stephanie Plum series of books, I highly recommend them as a fun and easy diversion to read. The laughs are plenty and the mysteries are decent.

Sigh

and

Speaking of Football...

Poor Chan Gailey! Funny. I found this picture at Kenneth in the (212).

NFL PLayoff Predictions (Conference Championships)

I have to admit my interest in the playoffs has waned since the elimination of the Dallas Cowboys. Oh well, it was a better season for them this year than it has been in a while. Here are my Conference Championship predictions:

AFC

#5 New York Jets (11-7) vs. #1 Indianapolis Colts (15-2)
January 24th at 2PM
Pick: New York
Comments: What the hell? I might as well keep my .500 streak alive and pick an upset. Maybe Coach Ryan knows something we don't. If New York's defense can keep them in the game they may have a shot.

NFC

#2 Minnesota Vikings (13-4) vs. #1 New Orleans Saints (14-3)
January 24th at 5:40PM
Pick: New Orleans
Comments: This is a tough one to pick. I believe the Saints have the better offense but the Vikings have the better defense. I'm going to pick New Orleans playing at home. Minnesota is on my list after their dismantling of Dallas. Suck it Brett Fava Bean, you still have a losing record against the Cowboys in the playoffs!

Current record 4-4
Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

Slaughterhouse-Five

From the back cover:

"Slaughterhouse-five is one of the world's great antiwar books. An American classic. Centering on the infamous firebombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we fear most."

I have read a few books by Kurt Vonnegut but until yesterday I had never read what is widely regarded as his best work, Slaughterhouse-Five. The novel is the story of Billy Pilgrim who becomes "unstuck" in time and travels randomly through different events in his life, past, present, and future. At one point in his journey, Pilgrim is abducted by an alien race called the Tralfamadorians. The Tralfamodorians help Pilgrim understand time's relation to his world as a fourth dimension, fate, and death's indiscriminate nature.

Don't be fooled by what would seem a silly or science fiction related premise. The story of Billy Pilgrim's jumps though his life is stunning. The book is typical Vonnegut, satirical, dark, and humorous with a cynical look at war. What is most striking is Pilgrim's journey in World War II Germany. His capture behind enemy lines and experiences as a prisoner of war up to and including the dreadful city-destroying bombing of Dresden. The bombing of Dresden was an event that Vonnegut himself survived during the war.

The book hints that Billy Pilgrim's travels through time and experiences with the Tralfamadorians are not reality but it never comes out and says it clearly to the reader. What I took from this theme of the book was that we all travel through time and we all have the ability to relive moments both good and tragic through our memories. Those moments are just as real as what we presently feel and experience.

So it goes. Highly recommended.

"I have this disease late at night sometimes, involving alcohol and the telephone."

Massachusetts Waterloo?

"If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him." South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint in reference to Health Care Reform

In case you've been living under a rock, Massachusetts voters go to the polls today to fill the vacated Senate seat once held by Edward M. Kennedy. GOP state Sen. Scott Brown is running against Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley. Recent polls point toward a win by Republican Scott Brown. No Republican has won a U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts since 1972.

So what does this all mean if Kennedy's seat is lost?

A) The loss of the Senate seat and the super majority in the Senate derails Health Care Reform as we know it and we continue to wait decades for another shot at real reform.

B) Health Care Reform passes Congress with or without the Massachusetts seat via more backroom deals or some sort of nuclear option procedurally.

C) Does anyone give two shakes of a dead rat's ass?

I choose option C.

I'm a self described liberal/progressive, but even my loyalty to the Democratic Party is being put to the limit by their so called "reform." Perhaps it would be better to start over. Maybe Congress should pass smaller pieces of legislation one by one that we can all get behind, for example, the elimination of pre-existing conditions and the ability of insurance companies to drop coverages for no apparent reason, to name a couple. Why not pass revisions we can all agree on and then move on to the tougher parts of reform, like how to cover everyone without breaking their back or without giving the insurance companies a giant giveaway? Why does Health Care Reform have to be all or nothing?

Conservatives aren't off the hook either! Simply opposing something without alternatives isn't going to cut it. It comes across as highly partisan and offensive to me. This kind of tactic will never gain my vote... that and their kooky religious crusades into my private life.

Basically it's business as usual in Washington. Conservatives or liberals. Democrats or Republicans. It's all interchangeable. Wash, rinse, repeat ever two or four years. Maybe if conservatives and progressives could put aside their differences for a common cause, effective government, something could get accomplished more often! Third party anyone?

Thoughts or opinions?

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

The book I've been reading over the last week is "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by James Joyce, published in 1916. The book is listed as number 3 on the Modern Library's 100 Best Novels of the 20th century, a list of the best English-language novels. I've read several other works on the list and I'm not sure if I agree with that assessment, but what do I know. Here is what the book's jacket has to say:

"James Joyce's first and most widely read novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is the story of of Stephen Dedalus, a young man struggling to decide between a religious vocation and an artistic one. The aftermath of the struggle that is so poignantly and unflinchingly recorded forms a large part of the story of Joyce's masterwork, Ulysses, in which Stephen reappears as a main character.

In A Portrait of the Artist, Joyce renounces an episodic framework in favor of a group of scenes which radiate backward and forward. As such, the book more closely resembles a random series of portraits than a chronological narrative. Using his own childhood and adolescence as the basic theme of the story, Joyce attempts to recreate the past by embracing it."

Be warned, there may be some information below that may spoil certain sections of the novel, though, I'll try to keep them to a minimum.

This is my second reading of Joyce's novel, though, the last time I read it, it was 20 years ago. I have no clue what possessed me to read it again but I'm glad I did. I was amazed how much of the book and themes I was able to recall from my required reading back in High School. Some of the book can become tedious and for me it rambled from time to time. On the other hand, there is a lot of good to be found in this novel as well. After several passages or a chapter I was left thinking about what I read. Here are a few items from the book that have stayed with me:

Stephen, attending his first Christmas at the adults table, listening to an argument that becomes rather heated between his family and their friends over the role of the Catholic church and the late Irish Nationalist, Charles Stewart Parnell.

Stephen's triumph at an early age over a wrongful punishment by the prefect of studies at a Jesuit boarding school.

A trip to Cork that Stephen takes with his father, that becomes painful and embarrassing for him on several occasions. Most brutal is the realization by Stephen as to how unfit his father is to him and to his family.

All of chapter three. The chapter deals with a three day retreat at Stephen's current school, Belvedere. A series of sermons are retold in the novel dealing with hell and the experiences one will likely meet in hell. Though I'm not a religious person, I found the descriptions and narrative to be very interesting and very powerful. By the end of the retreat Stephen is terrified for his soul and seeks confession away from his school to save himself from his mortal sins of the past couple of years, specifically his time spent at the brothels in Dublin.

Finally, I found the conclusion most satisfying where Stephen comes to the realization that he must leave his faith, his family, and his country in the pursuit of his artistic development.

I'm not sure that I can recommend this book (I gave the novel four stars at Goodreads which is probably being generous). I enjoyed the style and format of the book but it's probably not for everyone. There are some moments where the book does become tiresome and a little unclear, mostly due to the stream of consciousness narrative technique. Perhaps someday I'll take a shot at reading Ulysses but after spending a week with Joyce, that time will not be soon.

It's the End of the World!!

I was sitting at my desk at work a little while ago loafing off as usual when there was a loud boom like a car hit our building. My boss immediately said it was an earthquake. I didn't believe him so I walked around the building to see who or what ran into us. Sure enough by the time I got back in the building and online it was being reported on Facebook by some friends and at usgs.gov.

I'd never experienced and earthquake before! What's really weird is that we've had more than usual occurrences of them lately. Everyone pray to Jeebus, I'm telling you, it's the end of the world as we know it! And I feel fine...

REM End of the world
by EDATCRANE

I Love You Phillip Morris

In theaters March 26th.

Always On My Mind

I love this video! The first time I saw it was years ago at the Park. There are always a couple of people on my mind...

Speaking of the Park, I stopped by there the other day to grab a beer after work. Ugh. What happened to their happy hour? There were four patrons at the bar and they were watching TV on the multitude of TV's around the bar (the same folks always there). Apparently reruns of King of the Hill and the Simpsons is a fun bar environment. OKC's gay retro video bar has turned into the Fox rerun bar between 5 and 7. In their defense it's usually pretty hopping on weekend nights, right?

I did have a moment of amusement from stopping by briefly. When I was making my way to the door one of the regulars asked why I leaving so soon. I replied that I couldn't drink that much since I was driving. In unison nearly everyone sitting at the bar said, "so are we!" Funny.

NFL Playoff Predictions (Divisional Games)

Four more games this weekend, two on Saturday and two more on Sunday.

AFC

#6 Baltimore Ravens (10-7) vs. #1 Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
January 16th at 7:15PM
Pick: Indianapolis
Comments: The Ravens sport a better defense and running game but league MVP Peyton Manning and the Colts will be too much for Baltimore especially at home.

#5 New York Jets (10-7) vs. #2 San Diego Chargers (13-3)
January 17th at 3:30PM
Pick: San Diego
Comments: Jets defense against the Chargers offense. I'd really like to pick the Jets but I'm going with San Diego at home. Jets coach Ryan may still believe but I do not.

NFC

#4 Arizona Cardinals (11-6) vs. #1 New Orleans Saints (13-3)
January 16th at 3:30PM
Pick: New Orleans
Comments: The Saints have an edge offensively. Defensively both teams seem to be evenly matched. It could be another high scoring affair with The Ain'ts coming out on top. Once again I'm sticking with the home team.

#3 Dallas Cowboys (12-5) vs. #2 Minnesota Vikings (12-4)
January 17th at 12 noon
Pick: Dallas
Comments: Dallas is just playing too well right now on both sides of the ball. Even if I wasn't a huge Cowboys fan, I'd still be picking them. The defense harasses Brett Fava Bean into making too many mistakes. Favre goes 0-4 against the Cowboys in the playoffs and Minnesota loses their first game of the year at home.

Current record 2-2
Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

Shiny Toy Guns Girls Le Disko

I totally forgot that the Shiny Toy Guns Girls Le Disko the remixes album released on December 15th! I'll download it by the weekend. Anyone else heard it? Anyone else a fan? Anyone care? Bueller? Bueller?

Nostalgia

Nostalgia - a bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.

Bedlam

Bedlam - a place, scene, or state of uproar and confusion.


Go Pokes! Beat the Sooners!

South Side Sushi

My friend Cris thinks the world of Oklahoma City revolves around I-240, or the south side. For the two years we've known each other she has hung out with me a total of one time north of I-40! We made plans last week to hang out again on Friday and grab some sushi before going out for the evening. I assumed we would be eating at Sushi Neko. Nope. Apparently there is a sushi restaurant on the south side called Sushi Hayashi. I begrudgingly agreed to, yet again, drive all the way down to her neck of the woods to eat and hang out. It's not that I'm afraid to try new places, it's just that I don't have a lot of money to eat out on these days. If I'm eating sushi, I'd prefer to go somewhere I know that's good since it's kind of a treat lately.

I have to say, for the most part, I was impressed with Sushi Hayashi. The restaurant is located in a strip mall at approximately 109th and Pennsylvania. We ordered an appetizer, two sushi rolls, and shared a beer. The final tab was somewhere around $33 and it was more than enough food to fill us up. The only downside to the experience, for me, was sitting at the sushi bar. It was difficult to get a drink order going after initially asking for water. I'm still not sure who our server was if we even had one. The gentleman working behind the sushi bar did take care of our food needs nicely though.

So now I'm trapped. Anytime I suggest sushi to Cris, she's going to counter with Sushi Hayashi since she knows I had a good experience there. I do know one thing, the next time we go out it will be on the north side of town. Cris and I made a bet on the Cowboys/Eagles game. By losing her end of the bet she has to come visit me on my side of town whenever we decide to go out again.