4/18/00 - Sorry to shock ya with the injury pic, Foop. The problem you have with webloggers' cameras I currently have with mirrors.
Next stop on the protest circuit: the GOP convention in Philadelphia.
Sir Charles has got forty-eight minutes left in him.
Friends of the Earth, the environmental group that backed Bill Bradley over Al "Earth in the Balance" Gore in the Democratic primary, is considering slighting Gore again in favor of Ralph Nader.
McCain finally gets on the right side of the Confederate flag issue.
Due to my recent tumble, I completely missed the IMF/World Bank protests, so I'll have to take Monkeyfist and Jake Tapper at their word. Dozens of people will have scars from this weekend to commemorate the DC protests of 2000, and I got mine falling off a wall in the dead of night. How pathetic.
Stillwater, the fake band in writer-director Cameron Crowe's upcoming semi-autobiographical feature about a young music writer and the group he idolizes, have a new "fan website" up. Note Jason Lee on vocals and Billy Crudup on lead guitar.
AICN has yet another big Episode 2 scoop today: Makiya Yamaguchi (pictured at left), an expert in the martial art of Shorinji Kempo, will portray Darth Maul's Sith successor. As one wry Talkbacker noted, "What comes after Darth Maul? Darth Maim? Darth Fold, Mutilate & Staple?" Perhaps Mr. Yamaguchi will be forced to face Jar Jar, Hidden Jedi? (courtesy of Backup Brain.) Also, The Other Side points out this list of Phantom Menace Hidden Stuff [Hey, Scott, thanks for the words of wisdom ;).]
I noticed Phish's last song was "Two Suns in the Sunset," one of the forgotten classics from Pink Floyd's last Roger Waters album, The Final Cut. I actually just learned that bad boy on the guitar - it's got this G-A-D or D-A-G progression in between lines which is great fun to play. At any rate, reading Phish quote "Two Suns" reminded me of eighth grade, when I was still heavy in my Wall phase (once a day, every day), and somebody recommended I check out The Final Cut. So on a trip to Columbia, SC, I stop by a Coconuts and get the tape, and while my mom is still shopping I place it in my Walkman and give it a spin. Immediately, I am regaled by cheesy hair-rock guitar solos, and I thought, Hmmmm...this isn't what I expected at all. In fact, this is pretty lousy. So it keeps playing and I grow more and more disheartened, until, four or five songs into the tape, I am regaled by a little ditty entitled, "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich." I go back to the store, the record guy listens to it, and, yes, somehow a Warrant reel had been shipped in a Pink Floyd tape. He said it had been happening quite a lot recently and, sure enough, not five minutes later, this punk-looking fellow with a mohawk and lots of facial jewelry came in and bellowed, "WHAT THE $@%^& IS THIS @#%$?" His "Iron Maiden tape" (Powerslave, I think), when placed on the store stereo, began blaring Phil Collins.
The FEC dismisses Dubya's complaint against GWBush.com, the withering (and dead-on) anti-Bush parody site devoted primarily to penal reform (login required). Excellent news.
My recent injury has taught me a fundamental truth about consumer culture. If you look like a freak, you will get bad service. The people at the local Starbucks, in particular, acted as if they just wanted me to take their change and go away.
Harry's got some spiffy new Gladiator pics on his site. This one continues to look like a keeper, especially given that it's Oliver Reed's swan song. The first rule of Gladiator is that you don't talk about Gladiator...
Lucas relents on the Episode I DVD.
With maximum efficiency and minimum fuss, Epinions sent along my royalty cash-out. Gracias.
Speaking of thanks, Matt of Hit or Miss and JV of DumbMonkey sent along nice notes wishing me a speedy recovery from this weekend's messy fall. Thanks, y'all, I really appreciate it.
4/17/00 - Dubya hijacks the DLC playbook.
Some San Francisco establishments are leading the charge to ban cellphones. Bully for them. I'll take second-hand smoke over obnoxious conversation anyday.
The surprising Orlando Magic gave it the old college try, but fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 85-83 and were thus knocked out of playoff contention. Ray Allen was injured, joining Miami's Timmy Hardaway and Detroit's Grant Hill as Eastern Conference franchise players whose health is suspect entering the playoffs.
Instant Karma's gonna get ya, gonna knock you off your feet. I should have known as soon as I accidentally put the hurt on that guy on the court last week that I was due for a bout of bad luck. As I was leaving a party in Northwest DC Saturday night, I misjudged the height of a wall and tumbled about four feet, landing squarely on my nose. Lots of blood and five stitches later, I'm looking as you see me to the right - scraped nose, forehead, chin, hand, and knee, with considerable possibility for scarring. The silver lining is I somehow managed to cause no damage to my mouth, teeth, and jaw. Thank heaven for big Irish noses.
As Elaine and I were leaving the ER at George Washington University around 8am Sunday morning, one of the fifteen or so police officers milling around (in preparation for the IMF protests) asked me what happened. I said, "Cop beat me up for protesting!" He replied, "If that were true, you'd look a lot worse."
R.I.P. Edward Gorey 1925-2000. One of the twentieth century's true masters of the macabre. K is for Kevin who fell off the wall...
The new Playstation 2 appears to be one powerful machine.
According to Chris Matthews, Ralph Nader is pulling 10% in California, which may shift the state into Bush's electoral column. Bradley's Revenge?
Georgia begins to tackle its own Confederate flag problems.
4/14/00 - Well, I'm now officially scared of the Raptors. They win the season series 3-1 over the Knicks: All three Toronto wins were blowouts, while the Knicks won their game at MSG by one point. And, barring a continued Heat meltdown, they meet in the first round in less than two weeks...
Wendell is a fellow fan of Harry's new animated heads. By the way, I much prefer Wendell's new metablog to the last several incarnations of Foop.
It's time to play some ball. I really hope the blood is gone from the free-throw line. Update: The guy's kid showed up to play today, and he told me, "He's ok, he's just got a bust lip. Last time he did that he chipped three teeth." Which caused me to wonder, Last time? How many times can the same guy munch on the pole?Yuppieslayer blogs another Wassup! parody, this time featuring the South Park gang. The format's getting a little tired by this point, although Mr. Hanky is exceedingly well-placed.
While Neale blogs Elian, Monkeyfist eyes the impending DC protests. Methinks this would be a good weekend to head into town with the digital camera and a pair of tear gas-proof swimming goggles.
Via Kestrel's Nest and Pith and Vinegar, the Action Figure Block Party! Admiral Ackbar going house on the margarita sold me.
Every day I go over to check out Dumbmonkey after updating and discover that nine times out of ten we both share at least one link (today it's the quasar.) When did we mind meld, jv?
This kid wants his Cheerios. Who say video games have no redeeming social value?
The most distant object ever observed, clocking in at over 26 billion light-years away.
Toronto Raptors coach Butch Carter pours on the bad news for Indiana joke Bobby Knight. Ditch him already. I think the fact that Bobby Knight is getting the same treatment this year as Bob Jones University is a testament to societal progress: They're both racist, boorish, backward institutions whose time had finally come.
Metallica sues Napster. In the midst of a tablature search yesterday, I also discovered that Metallica has threatened to sue any guitar tab sites carrying their songs as well. These guys might want to hone their rebel trucker image and buy some pinstripes.
Excellent news on Episode II. Lucas is actually getting some creative oversight! This bodes very well for the next installment, especially given the fact that the best parts of Empire were all a result of script-tweaking by Lawrence Kasdan.
Tech stocks take another hit, and the Dow is down 615. Warning: imminent collision with reality...
The trailer for The Patriot, Mel Gibson's summer entry as a reluctant American Revolutionary, is now online. I'm stil afraid it'll just end up being Braveheart 2, but, speaking as a history buff, the sea battles look particularly eye-catching.
Slate takes on fan fiction.
4/13/00 - Tickle me Yoda, via Riothero.
While playing three-on-three at the local half-court about a quarter-hour ago, my errant block attempt on a tall, burly father out with his son sent him accidentally careening into the pole, leaving him spitting out all kinds of blood. In between cursing and tending his wound, he said not to worry about it, but it was a bad enough injury to break up the game. I was going to stick around and shoot some, but the spatter of blood on the court gave me pause. Now I feel terrible.
One of my old friends from school, Mike Colton, is very close to launching his new humor website, Modern Humorist. In the meantime, he's put up some teaser pieces, such as Propaganda in the Internet Age and Harry Potter and the Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.
When Worlds Collide: Stan Lee does D.C.Sex and marathons. Finally, the link is revealed.
John McCain thinks aloud with grudging respect about a Senator Hillary Clinton.
As with his opponent (cited last week), Dubya gets the pop culture equation treatment from Salon. In other Dubya news, Bush (finally) met with a group of gay Republicans today, and it sounds as if the Christian Right have already started re-sharpening the axes.
Harry says he has this confirmed. Christopher Walken will be starring in Episode Two(!). As what he has yet to determine, but I would guess he would have to be some kind of Machiavellian Sith or enterprising Grand Moff.
Sally released the new Bloat today, and I must say it was definitely a treat to see more than just the usual cast of characters. Nice going!
The Knicks win (barely), the Heat lose (badly). The gap closes...
The Chinese are giving Viagra to pandas. (Warning: May cause headaches, blurred vision, and indigestion in some bears.) According to the story, "Their love lives had to be improved by making their environment more natural, letting them watch television, and teaching them simple tasks with sex as a reward."
4/12/00 - Well, hot-diggity-damn. My home state enters the twentieth century. And, in even more good news for the state, the (Democratic-controlled) State Senate have voted to take down the Confederate flag. We'll see how it fares in the Republican-controlled House.
By day, mild-mannered Kevin Murphy. By night, the Wombat Singer! Super-Speller and Scourge of the Underworld! (Via Phish. By the way, Phish, you look like Tracy Chapman...What's the name of that song you sing?)
Jish and 50 Cups point out the Online Lite-Brite. This way you won't hurt your fingers when the template is slightly out of line and you're still frantically trying to push the pins in.
From Gammatron, George Lucas will shoot Episode 2 digitally.
Oh man. If you didn't think Battlefield Earth is going to be a megastinker before, check out this clip featuring Travolta and wife Kelly Preston. I don't think even Tarantino will be able to get Travolta out of the hole he's going to be in after this one. I just hope this movie doesn't destroy Barry Pepper's career too.
The Republican Presidential Candidate talks about helping the working poor? We're through the looking glass now.
Well I've been driving around DC this morning, and the only sign I saw of protests going on so far was bad traffic (no news there) and a ridiculously large police presence in Georgetown. I wonder how things are going over at Ground Zero.
Rush Limbaugh wants to replace Boomer on Monday Night Football. Amazing how ABC can key in on the only person who might be worse than the aforementioned Mr. Esiason.
Bobby Knight gets busted on tape. Good riddance. The guy's been an embarrassment long enough.
Keyshawn leaves the Jets for Tampa Bay. I'm curious to see where they go with their two new first-round picks. A QB, perhaps?
So here's how demented the upcoming NBA playoffs have made me. I had a dream last night that I ran in to Shaquille O'Neal at some party, and he told me that the Kings were trading White Chocolate to the Lake Show for two second round draft picks. I remember thinking, "Oh No! How are the Knicks going to beat the Lakers with Williams at the point? I gotta make Shaq trip!" whereby I spent the next few minutes of the dream putting barstools and other pieces of furniture in Shaq's way. Madness.
I am not one of those many folks who prefers the college game to the NBA. (Two words...zone defense.) Mind you, I love March Madness, but the NBA playoffs are definitely my sports highlight of the year.
And, while I'm on the subject of basketball, I should probably mention that I spent three hours yesterday working on my jumper. I had a pretty good flow going before my Orlando trip, but the past two days I've been throwing up bricks like nobody's business. My feeling is, if you're 5'6" and built like Steve Kerr, you need four things to be a good playground player:
1) A good handle. (In this area, I'm fortunate that I'm a lefty, which gives me an instant edge over the average player, used to guarding righties.)
2) Quick hands. (a la Mookie. People are going to kill you in the post, so you have to keep them honest with the occasional steal.)
3) Deft passing ability. (Think Jason Kidd. You gotta keep the big guys happy or they might just freeze you out of the O.)
4) A sweet J, with 3-point range and a quick release. (Allan Houston's trademark catch-and-shoot is what I aim for. Face it, you're probably not going to score in the paint, and you want to be able to drain it if you're left open off a double-team.)
So anyway, I've been having big trouble with numero four the past few days. It got to the point where I would set my feet for a shot and the defense would back off for the rebound. That's just embarrassing. I've been trying to rebuild my shot from the fun-der-mentals starting from about a month ago (set your feet, make the fishhook, etc. etc.) I was making big progress for awhile, but I definitely lost a step living the good life in Florida.
Well, I've gone on and on, haven't I? Well, basketball and guitar are my primary diversions these days, so forgive me if the onset of warm weather has me a tad euphoric over hoops.
In other news, Elaine and I saw High Fidelity last night. All in all, I thought it was a well-done conversion of the book, although its Americanization bothered me more than I expected. Hornby's character is a Brit whose musical interests (Elvis Costello, etc.) dovetail closer to mine. John Cusack turned the character into just another Subpop-loving Indy-rock type. Despite such minor quibbling, though, I liked it. And I think everybody knows the two guys who work in the record store, even if it's the type of character you don't see too often in film (I felt the same way about Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Freddy in The Talented Mr. Ripley).
In DC news, the National Zoo is getting replacement pandas, courtesy of China. To quote the director of the National Zoological Park, "I'm as happy as a tick in a mattress."
The L.A. Confidential prequel TV series, starring Kiefer Sutherland as "Jack 'Spacey' Vincennes"? I'll give it twelve episodes at best.
Third Party Strategy, courtesy of the Boston Phoenix (and, among others, Bird on a Wire, Breaching the Web, Cluttered, and Now This.) Meanwhile, Bush is now up nine on Gore, primarily due to the latter's protean views on Elian Gonzalez.
[Main Page][Contact Me][Archives][Other Weblogs][My Epinions/GitM][My Links][Bio][Bradley vs. Gore][Library]
Stillwater, the fake band in writer-director Cameron Crowe's upcoming semi-autobiographical feature about a young music writer and the group he idolizes, have a new "fan website" up. Note Jason Lee on vocals and Billy Crudup on lead guitar.
AICN has yet another big Episode 2 scoop today: Makiya Yamaguchi (pictured at left), an expert in the martial art of Shorinji Kempo, will portray Darth Maul's Sith successor. As one wry Talkbacker noted, "What comes after Darth Maul? Darth Maim? Darth Fold, Mutilate & Staple?" Perhaps Mr. Yamaguchi will be forced to face Jar Jar, Hidden Jedi? (courtesy of Backup Brain.) Also, The Other Side points out this list of Phantom Menace Hidden Stuff [Hey, Scott, thanks for the words of wisdom ;).]
I noticed Phish's last song was "Two Suns in the Sunset," one of the forgotten classics from Pink Floyd's last Roger Waters album, The Final Cut. I actually just learned that bad boy on the guitar - it's got this G-A-D or D-A-G progression in between lines which is great fun to play. At any rate, reading Phish quote "Two Suns" reminded me of eighth grade, when I was still heavy in my Wall phase (once a day, every day), and somebody recommended I check out The Final Cut. So on a trip to Columbia, SC, I stop by a Coconuts and get the tape, and while my mom is still shopping I place it in my Walkman and give it a spin. Immediately, I am regaled by cheesy hair-rock guitar solos, and I thought, Hmmmm...this isn't what I expected at all. In fact, this is pretty lousy. So it keeps playing and I grow more and more disheartened, until, four or five songs into the tape, I am regaled by a little ditty entitled, "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich." I go back to the store, the record guy listens to it, and, yes, somehow a Warrant reel had been shipped in a Pink Floyd tape. He said it had been happening quite a lot recently and, sure enough, not five minutes later, this punk-looking fellow with a mohawk and lots of facial jewelry came in and bellowed, "WHAT THE $@%^& IS THIS @#%$?" His "Iron Maiden tape" (Powerslave, I think), when placed on the store stereo, began blaring Phil Collins.
The FEC dismisses Dubya's complaint against GWBush.com, the withering (and dead-on) anti-Bush parody site devoted primarily to penal reform (login required). Excellent news.
My recent injury has taught me a fundamental truth about consumer culture. If you look like a freak, you will get bad service. The people at the local Starbucks, in particular, acted as if they just wanted me to take their change and go away.
Harry's got some spiffy new Gladiator pics on his site. This one continues to look like a keeper, especially given that it's Oliver Reed's swan song. The first rule of Gladiator is that you don't talk about Gladiator...
Lucas relents on the Episode I DVD.
With maximum efficiency and minimum fuss, Epinions sent along my royalty cash-out. Gracias.
Speaking of thanks, Matt of Hit or Miss and JV of DumbMonkey sent along nice notes wishing me a speedy recovery from this weekend's messy fall. Thanks, y'all, I really appreciate it.
4/14/00 - Well, I'm now officially scared of the Raptors. They win the season series 3-1 over the Knicks: All three Toronto wins were blowouts, while the Knicks won their game at MSG by one point. And, barring a continued Heat meltdown, they meet in the first round in less than two weeks...
Wendell is a fellow fan of Harry's new animated heads. By the way, I much prefer Wendell's new metablog to the last several incarnations of Foop.
It's time to play some ball. I really hope the blood is gone from the free-throw line. Update: The guy's kid showed up to play today, and he told me, "He's ok, he's just got a bust lip. Last time he did that he chipped three teeth." Which caused me to wonder, Last time? How many times can the same guy munch on the pole?
Yuppieslayer blogs another Wassup! parody, this time featuring the South Park gang. The format's getting a little tired by this point, although Mr. Hanky is exceedingly well-placed.
While Neale blogs Elian, Monkeyfist eyes the impending DC protests. Methinks this would be a good weekend to head into town with the digital camera and a pair of tear gas-proof swimming goggles.
Via Kestrel's Nest and Pith and Vinegar, the Action Figure Block Party! Admiral Ackbar going house on the margarita sold me.
Every day I go over to check out Dumbmonkey after updating and discover that nine times out of ten we both share at least one link (today it's the quasar.) When did we mind meld, jv?
This kid wants his Cheerios. Who say video games have no redeeming social value?
The most distant object ever observed, clocking in at over 26 billion light-years away.
Toronto Raptors coach Butch Carter pours on the bad news for Indiana joke Bobby Knight. Ditch him already. I think the fact that Bobby Knight is getting the same treatment this year as Bob Jones University is a testament to societal progress: They're both racist, boorish, backward institutions whose time had finally come.
Metallica sues Napster. In the midst of a tablature search yesterday, I also discovered that Metallica has threatened to sue any guitar tab sites carrying their songs as well. These guys might want to hone their rebel trucker image and buy some pinstripes.
Excellent news on Episode II. Lucas is actually getting some creative oversight! This bodes very well for the next installment, especially given the fact that the best parts of Empire were all a result of script-tweaking by Lawrence Kasdan.
Tech stocks take another hit, and the Dow is down 615. Warning: imminent collision with reality...
The trailer for The Patriot, Mel Gibson's summer entry as a reluctant American Revolutionary, is now online. I'm stil afraid it'll just end up being Braveheart 2, but, speaking as a history buff, the sea battles look particularly eye-catching.
Slate takes on fan fiction.
I am not one of those many folks who prefers the college game to the NBA. (Two words...zone defense.) Mind you, I love March Madness, but the NBA playoffs are definitely my sports highlight of the year.
And, while I'm on the subject of basketball, I should probably mention that I spent three hours yesterday working on my jumper. I had a pretty good flow going before my Orlando trip, but the past two days I've been throwing up bricks like nobody's business. My feeling is, if you're 5'6" and built like Steve Kerr, you need four things to be a good playground player:
1) A good handle. (In this area, I'm fortunate that I'm a lefty, which gives me an instant edge over the average player, used to guarding righties.)
2) Quick hands. (a la Mookie. People are going to kill you in the post, so you have to keep them honest with the occasional steal.)
3) Deft passing ability. (Think Jason Kidd. You gotta keep the big guys happy or they might just freeze you out of the O.)
4) A sweet J, with 3-point range and a quick release. (Allan Houston's trademark catch-and-shoot is what I aim for. Face it, you're probably not going to score in the paint, and you want to be able to drain it if you're left open off a double-team.)
So anyway, I've been having big trouble with numero four the past few days. It got to the point where I would set my feet for a shot and the defense would back off for the rebound. That's just embarrassing. I've been trying to rebuild my shot from the fun-der-mentals starting from about a month ago (set your feet, make the fishhook, etc. etc.) I was making big progress for awhile, but I definitely lost a step living the good life in Florida.
Well, I've gone on and on, haven't I? Well, basketball and guitar are my primary diversions these days, so forgive me if the onset of warm weather has me a tad euphoric over hoops.
In other news, Elaine and I saw High Fidelity last night. All in all, I thought it was a well-done conversion of the book, although its Americanization bothered me more than I expected. Hornby's character is a Brit whose musical interests (Elvis Costello, etc.) dovetail closer to mine. John Cusack turned the character into just another Subpop-loving Indy-rock type. Despite such minor quibbling, though, I liked it. And I think everybody knows the two guys who work in the record store, even if it's the type of character you don't see too often in film (I felt the same way about Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Freddy in The Talented Mr. Ripley).
In DC news, the National Zoo is getting replacement pandas, courtesy of China. To quote the director of the National Zoological Park, "I'm as happy as a tick in a mattress."
The L.A. Confidential prequel TV series, starring Kiefer Sutherland as "Jack 'Spacey' Vincennes"? I'll give it twelve episodes at best.
Third Party Strategy, courtesy of the Boston Phoenix (and, among others, Bird on a Wire, Breaching the Web, Cluttered, and Now This.) Meanwhile, Bush is now up nine on Gore, primarily due to the latter's protean views on Elian Gonzalez.