The Disintegrating Man

At Gas Works Park

2010-03-31T16:09:00.001-07:00

Saint Mark's Cathedral sits atop the hill, overlooking the city. Below, the lake placidly rests, rippling between the earth and the moon. Between the two lies the freeway, a constant, inexorable progression of vehicles, people, commerce, humanity. Those in cars bemoan the slow pace of traffic, enraged by the delay in their lives, the daily dead zone that is the commute. In the cathedral, monks chant. Their Gregorian mantras flow over and over, endless even when they stop.

I sit atop a grassy hill, doing my best to be the world's observer. My gaze falls down upon the park, the lake, the city. Across the water the towers of downtown race towards the sky, defining the horizon through their angularity, the artifice of man. Within, people drive, walk, eat, shop, work. Every inch dedicates itself to the purposes of humanity. On either side two hills herald this hive, this contraption built to run upon sweat and blood and to create money, clothes, jobs, food, an economy. Between me and it the sun's light reflects off of the water and warms my face with energy from very far away. A police patrol boat cuts a wake through the waves and the sunlight.

Around me people talk, walk, bike, converse. Children play and couples sit on blankets, talking on their cell phones. Photographers sit and shoot and try to capture the scene with light and film as I try to capture it with words. The sun is warm on my body, and I feel the mass of the Earth as it pulls me towards itself. Birds fly low across the water, negotiating with the planet by expending energy to briefly fight its grasp. I am fighting ennui and an inescapable knowledge of the passage of time. "I grow old, I grow old..."

The wind blows the grass and its energy is expended, using up a little more. Eight rowers burn their calories to push one boat across the water, using form to keep from sinking to the bottom. Everyone is living a different life; everyone is living theirs. The people are mostly happy; they have friends, jobs, classes, houses, children. They're almost all white or Asian. Down in the city not everyone is happy; a lot of them are poor, drunk, high, addicted, homeless, helpless, essentially alone. Some are white and some are black and some are Asian, Latino, et cetera. The sad ones, the homeless ones, they're the detritus that has fallen to the bottom in the machine that builds economy. Near me four young, white, athletic college men laugh, talk, wrestle. The city is built for them and they have every reason to be happy. The distance makes the city beautiful. I get back on my bike and ride away, expending my calories to build muscle, to move places, to exist in this place. The sun warms my body.

- Posted usings BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Westlake Ave N,Seattle,United States

On January

2009-12-26T23:28:00.001-08:00

I need a place to live. I'd like someone to live with. I might even like a big-house situation. But I've got to gain a higher level of independence. It's a must. This is priority one.

Priority two is to attain a level of financial responsibility. This includes paying off my debts and getting a credit card.

Priority three is to get my driver's license back. This goes back to gaining a new level of independence.

Priority four is exercise. Training my body to be an ally is essential. This is also a self-confidence issue.

Meanwhile, I need to stay up on my schoolwork and to operate at a high level at work.

January's going to be a busy month.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2009-12-22T00:24:00.001-08:00

With consumption I learn, I take in all the essence of the world. Reading and watching things help me to build in my mind a model of the way the world is, was, and will be.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2009-12-21T14:27:00.000-08:00

I wonder if I should join an atheists group. I wonder if I am an atheist. I have concluded that God is unknowable, but doesn't that make me an agnostic? I find the certainty presented by hard atheism just as arrogant and repulsive as the hard dogmatic beliefs of many faiths. I much prefer to stare into the darkness of what is unknowable and wonder.

2009-12-21T13:35:00.001-08:00

I can consume or I can produce, and both have their merits. This production helps me to organize my thoughts and decide on my point of view, and also creates something permanent for me to review later. For instance, reading my mention of my depression all the way back in 2008 makes me realize that this is something I struggle with within myself, and that the conditions of my life aren't what causes it. This empowers me, because now I know to focus on myself in order to win this struggle. I feel good lately, sometimes, and I feel that I am winning. Consumption later.

A return to this shotgun

2009-12-21T13:29:00.001-08:00

I return to this odd shotgun of a journal after having revisited my posts of 2008 and feeling some sympathy for my voice. I also like the conceit, turning consumption into production, and I love blogging on a mobile device. Hilariously enough, I write this in a public space, but am writing for noone but myself. Indeed, I would likely be mortified if someone I knew read this blog. At the same time I have my full name attached to it, along with details of my life that would make me instantly recognizable to any acquaintance. That exposure both excites and scares me. Perhaps I'll change it. We'll see.

Tizzle Wizzle Show (VIDEO): James Franco Guests On Knife-Wielding Kids Show

2009-12-21T12:56:00.001-08:00

That's the funny part, buddy. The joke is on you; we're all laughing because you're grossed out. Get used to it, it's going to be your life for a long, long time.
About SNL
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Tizzle Wizzle Show (VIDEO): James Franco Guests On Knife-Wielding Kids Show

2009-12-21T12:55:00.001-08:00

I rejoice in both.
About SNL
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

2009-08-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

Ted Kennedy died today. I didn't know him. May he rest in peace, if that's what happens.

Life is crazy now, turned upside-down. I'm staying at my parents' house, but all my things are still at my apartment. Lisa is thinking, enjoying her time alone. We'll see what happens.
It's so sad.

2009-02-11T22:19:00.001-08:00

So when's the next one?

2009-01-27T15:12:00.001-08:00

Ballsy.

2009-01-27T15:04:00.001-08:00

Wunderkind!

2009-01-02T21:56:00.001-08:00

Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats are looking like fools. This refusal to seat an appointed Senator because of the actions of the appointing governor makes them out as asinine when no connection between the appointee and the questionable actions of the governor has been presented. Just let the guy sit in the seat, people. You're starting to look like Republicans.

Of course, the difference there is that Franken isn't a member of the Republican Party, whereas Burris is a Democrat. But whatever. They still look ridiculous. There's more important shit going on, people!

2008-12-30T10:29:00.001-08:00

Any chance Burris could get anything done in the Senate? I doubt it.

Also: I kinda wish Blago had had the chutzpah to appoint himself. THAT would be political drama at its apex.

2008-12-30T10:28:00.001-08:00

Hey, at least that asshat Blago is managing to keep his name in the headlines.

2008-12-30T10:21:00.001-08:00

Whoa. Blago thinks he stil has a job, how adorable.
Well... If Roland Burris is seated (which I'm not sure the Senate can stop. They can remove him after he's seated, but I don't know that they can prevent him from being seated, as Nate Silver notes) then we still have a black man in the Senate... Which is great, if you're into affirmative action at the highest level.

I don't know how I feel about this. His career seems fine, if boring. He has a remarkable ability to lose primaries, it seems. I wonder if this will appointment will hold water... I also wonder what Burris is paying Blago.

Has Blagojevich broken entirely with reality? We'll see...

2008-12-30T10:02:00.001-08:00

And now Axelrod appears to be a proponent of what I think is the dumbest way of trying to provide economic relief. One-time cash payouts do not promote a healthy economy; they don't jump-start anything. First of all, this money only goes to those working already. Unemployment needs to be directly addressed by any stimulus option. Infrastructure investment addresses unemployment by creating new jobs and making sure that existing jobs don't disappear. Handouts help noone, and Bush proved that earlier this year. Sure, I'd love th money, but I don't think it's a good idea. People will do what they did with it last time: Bank it, or pay down their debt with it. While I think that paying down debt could theoretically help to stimulate the economy, in actuality the money appears to vanish into the same money hole that the bank bailout money has disappeared into. This money is better spent as use-it-or-lose-it pork, given to state governments with a mandate to spend.

Cha-ching!

2008-12-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

I'm glad to see that Larry Summers thinks that we need to spend ridiculous amounts of money on this bailout operation. I think it's completely necessary, and as someone on Obama's economic "team" (whatever that means) I'm glad to see that Summers agrees. This is certainly no time for anything but decisive action. I also think that the idea of infrastructure investment is a sound one. While I advocate mass transit as much as possible, and oppose the building of new roads in most situations, I think that distributing the money to state governments in a "use it or lose it" fashion is the fastest and most feasible method of getting the cash circulating. Also- and I'm speculating- much of that money will be used to repair existing infrastructure, a task that I am not opposed to in a knee-jerk fashion. I believe that the Alaskan Way Viaduct should die, but money should still be spent on replacing it with a surface/transit option (I've been brainwashed by The Stranger). And some of this money is going to trickle into mass transit; I think it's that simple. Money should be invested in AmTrak, but I don't know how soon they could use it, and the purpose of the bill is going to be economic stimulus; infrastructure comes as a side bonus. Besides, if we end up switching to electric cars in the next ten to twenty years (something that I don't think is absurd; I believe the name of the game is 'energy' and not 'oil' and that America should be the world's largest manufacturer of high-efficiency large batteries) then that infrastructure will act as a benefit without as many carbon-emission negatives. So get excited! Here comes the trillion-dollar shot in the arm! Let's hope it does more good than Bush's impotent cash handout.

2008-11-25T16:08:00.001-08:00

The socialism of debt

2008-11-23T22:40:00.001-08:00

I am shocked and amazed to hear reports of the financial bailout disappearing entirely.

There goes my health care, there goes the space program I hoped for, there goes the retirement of grandparents across the nation.

2008-10-09T22:41:00.001-07:00

The GOP has refused to live up to its responsibility to hold up the important conservative half of American politics. It has instead fallen prey to Atwater tactics and socially divisive policies. This is to blame for the government's disgusting positions over the last eight years, and the GOP's catering to the greed of the private sector is to blame for the current financial crisis.

2008-08-24T18:25:00.001-07:00

"a href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/hongop.shtml"> Jesus Christ.

John Sidney McCain III

2008-08-23T13:40:00.001-07:00

From The Jed Report

2008-08-23T13:02:00.001-07:00

2008-08-20T01:54:00.001-07:00

The natural tendency of any human being is to take up the middle of the bed. This should not be looked upon with resentment, for each and every one of us might take on this tack in the innocent and unconscious state of sleep.

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2008-08-20T01:46:00.001-07:00

Can we all agree at least that everything's connected?

I believe we all are one, a perpetually recycled consciousness left to many subjectivities all at once.

That at least is beautiful to me. "I" and "we" would be synonyms.

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2008-08-20T00:24:00.001-07:00

In writing, we translate the infinite data of our universe into something receivable by the human mind. The process molds and shapes the intangible essence into tangible, parseable components making up a weave of thuses and therefores that creates our very existence. In writing, we sort chaos into order and further the entropy of everything.

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2008-08-19T23:58:00.001-07:00

A compulsion to write, to publish online even if it is nonsensical or noone ever reads it. A compulsion to add sentence fragments to an ever-growing logosphere, to add data to a widening datastream. Soon it shall be a torrent, a downpour of information perhaps too overwhelming to be anything but static, the noise of rain.

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2008-08-19T11:02:00.001-07:00

I dreamt of being led into a room that held a man and two goons. The goons had been nano-enhanced somehow, and their heads grew spikes and their hands grew spiky claws, like porcupine spikes but black and metallic and shiny. The goons were used to intimidate me, but I was intrigued rather than frightened. In that moment I gained their power. I didn't become them subjectively, but since I am all characters in my dreams I became sympathetic to them and gained a kind of control. While I could only somewhat alter the course of events in the dream, it seemed to be following a scheme that I myself had designed but was not aware of.

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2008-08-13T23:54:00.001-07:00

Goddamn, sometimes I sound crazy.
But PK Dick tells me, see
We all are one eternally.

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New Event

2008-08-13T23:53:00.001-07:00

The writer is allowed to see
Differences, genetographically
but worlds of quantumality
Are considered very differently
When space is time and time is space
And both combined take one great plane
And all the wheres and all the whens
Occur together spontaneously
That's when I'll see
That's when I won't be crazy.

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2008-08-12T15:39:00.001-07:00

A glass of water, a glass of wine
And I, in waiting, bide my time
Against decisions, things of life
I wish would never come to pass
Of age, responsibility
New changes following old plans

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2008-08-12T14:38:00.001-07:00

Oh Hell, oh damn
I'm growing old today
Amongst the youth, long in the tooth
I look insane,
Unsanitary.

My hair is long and greasy-grown
My nails are dirty too
I've kept myself unkemptily
To protest time as it goes on
And beg it please oh please oh please
To let me catch my breath.

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2008-08-12T14:30:00.001-07:00

Oh Hell, oh damn
I look insane
Unsanitary.

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2008-08-12T14:28:00.001-07:00

Some things
Some times
Are mine, all mine

Some things
Some times
Some times
Some times
Nonsense.

I am and ever was
Pursuing down the only way
Nonsense.

No path, no change
No time of day
Could take the place
Of anything

No time could tell
Or would, or might
Of things undone and trials left
Abandoned, given up to fantasy
Those things are buried, ancient.

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2008-08-11T23:11:00.001-07:00

This time
As beautiful
As you
Is part of all
Of everything
Of every smile
Of every child
Again, again

With open eyes
As we all smile
To brightest sun
In sky of blue
To think of me
Says "think of you"
When nothing can feel
Of dances young.

The waress was tall
Oh yah
Oh yah

Posted with LifeCast

2008-08-10T10:31:00.001-07:00

As the bus drives past a highrise construction site I imagine some sort of building material crashing into the roof from hundreds of feet up. I imagine this as a meteor strike, as some sort of Extinction Event. This scenario could go a couple of different ways. I could be killed instantly- not my preferred option. I could be greviously wounded but not killed, an event that would change my life enormously by requiring time in the hospital and rehabilitation, thusly derailing my half-laid plans. Or I could be left unharmed and exhilirated by the experience, put into my preferred position as an observer of life but not an actor. In this scenario nothing would change for me. I am already the observer. The experience would be only another story of someone else's life and I would write much the same thing as I am now, when it is only something from my imagination.

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2008-08-07T08:59:00.001-07:00

Ugh. Mornings without coffee are miserable things. I need my energy brewed, thank you, and poured into steamed milk. I slept late today and my latte was denied to me by a long line and an overwhelming impulse to be particularly punctual.

The bus going to the airport carries an interesting group of people. I'm not going to the airport but am instead getting off at the last stop before the freeway. I work in the scenic SoDo district, right across the street from a recycling plant that smells like some sort of refinery, like a factory that turns horse and cow hooves into glue.

The people who stay on the bus after I get off are all going to the airport. They carry their luggage and generally try to nap in their seats. A disproportionate percentage of them are Asian. The people who get off the bus in SoDo smell bad sometimes, are loud and rude generally, and smoke more often than not. They have no money and were raised with no money. Some of them have prison tattoes. They have jobs down here at least, but jobs that will get them no further than another month's rent and a carton of cigarettes.

Posted with LifeCast

2008-08-06T23:55:00.001-07:00

I love the pervasive public privacy worshipped in Seattle. The rudest people in my everyday life are those who intrude upon me in any way, with their loud voices or their body odor or- god forbid- by physically contacting me. The privacy of any individual in a public environment is sacred. This privacy is wonderfully facilitated
by the iPod and the iPhone. By closing off the auditory portion of potential interaction, the level of public privacy increases tenfold. Every day is made more manageable by this small closing off of an avenue of interaction. The other senses are all that's left to eliminate before true social harmony can be achieved. While sight is relatively essential to moving around and being productive in day to day life, perhaps touch can be eliminated from interaction. Specially designed suits could make it so that individuals could feel things in a public environment only for entertainment. I'll let your mind consider the ramifications of such technology. Smell can also obviously be seconded into the realm of private entertainment in a public environment. Roses, chocolate, feet, whatever one might prefer to smell over that dirty bum three rows ahead who peed his jeans in a drunken haze six days earlier and hadn't bothered to change clothes since. Unless he's what you want to smell, which would always be an option. Taste... That's a fun one. Eating that tbone all the way home while riding the 49 up the hill would be too tempting for most of us, especially if the sensation of food in the mouth could be properly falsified. Mmm...

Successfully existing in a large, closely-interlinked society relies on an extremely well-developed internal universe. This works well in Japanese culture, and is easily facilitated by modern technology. The iPod and iPhone are obvious examples of this. If the other senses can be equally coopted, harmony would be inevitable.

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2008-08-06T23:11:00.001-07:00

John didn't know why he was following the girl, but there it was. Maybe it was the way her eyes refused to meet his or maybe it was the smell of he sweat. Likely it was the beer and the drugs. Whatever the impetus, he found himself following her down the hill into a slightly less trendy part of town than his own. Living here must be particularly affordable, he thought, and wondered if it was worth the social stigma. The girl walked several blocks ahead of him. Her hips swayed and he watched in the light of the street lamps. For several blocks he followed her unthinkingly, until she stopped in front of a tall residential tower next to a Honda dealership. She slipped her key into the lock and opened the door. John worked himself up to a wobbly jog and managed to get to the door before it had shut completely. She looked up and they made eye contact. Finally she had noticed him.

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2008-08-06T20:36:00.001-07:00

One of these days I'm going to make one hell of a good wine. Keep your eyes out for Meredith Cellars; it's going to be sensational.

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2008-08-06T18:52:00.001-07:00

Will Lisa notice the faint but pervasive smell of cat pee? We'll see. Will she blame me?

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2008-08-06T18:31:00.001-07:00

Other things I did today: Found out that my cat peed on my bag, downloaded various apps to my iPhone, jerked off, took a shower, drank a beer.

Tonight I plan to drink at least one more beer, and probably some wine as well. I will not be smoking any weed because I was unable to find any. I will eat lamb with a potato dish. Lisa is a very good cook. I try to let her know how much I appreciate her, but sometimes my laziness, depression and general malaise get in the way. I did not put on the new toilet seat today.

Something in this apartment smells like cat pee. Probably more than one thing.

I did not clean the litterbox today but will do so now, before Lisa gets home.

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2008-08-06T18:21:00.001-07:00

The nice thing about blogging from a mobile device is that the blog can become a constant stream of short bursts, machinegun literature. Not exactly stream of consciousness but something related. Bangbangbang.

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Photos? Not So Much

2008-08-06T17:44:00.001-07:00

Well, this app claims to support photo uploads, but I just tested that and after about 5 minutes gave up. I also wish it would let me type in landscape mode but no luck on that front either. So Lifecast: Flawed, but a step in the right direction. Thank God for updates.

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LifeCast Test

2008-08-06T17:34:00.001-07:00

This post is testing LifeCast...

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2008-08-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

I did these things today: Went downtown, paid my rent, bought comic books, ate a burrito, read comic books, got coffee, did all my laundry, blogged and read blogs. Later I will do dishes and finish laundry. I will not put the new toilet seat on the toilet, probably. I don't know how to do it and am hesitant to do things I don't know how to do. Tonight I hope to watch The Empire Strikes Back.

I have been listening to Derek and the Dominoes all day. It's one of the saddest albums ever.

2008-08-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

John wavered as he stood outside, smoking his cigarette and considering the inevitability of lung cancer. The percocet had kicked in now, and combined with his warm beer it created a numbness within him, a separation between his calm inner self and the world spinning by around him. A cab roared past down the hill, its emissions bleeding out into the world as it passed. John stood strong though he wavered from the effects of the drugs. Though he was numb, sadness managed to seep its way into his perceptions. His apartment was right down the street, in the heart of this, the hippest neighborhood in the city. Only loneliness awaited him there. That girl- what's her name?- She looked nice tonight. The tattoes on her arms had glistened with sweat in the muggy bar in a way that attracted John. Maybe he'd talk to her when he went back inside if he could get her attention. Maybe she'd come up the street with him that night and fill that space occupied right now with only loneliness. Maybe.

As John thought this he wavered, and as he wavered he saw the girl walk past and down the hill, in the opposite direction of his apartment. She didn't look his way.
John stamped out his cigarette and went inside to finish his beer.

Blogger app!

2008-08-05T00:17:00.001-07:00

I was much more verbose on this subject a moment ago, but a Safari crash lost me my entire post.

Which underlines my point: Google! Make a Blogger app for my iPhone! And make it easy for me to post photos from it. Right now they're all getting sent to Facebook.

I really appreciate how this device includes apostrophes for me. Nice touch.

2008-08-05T00:17:00.000-07:00

Agh. Safari crash just cost me an entire post. Life is merciless.

iPhone, iThink...

2008-08-04T03:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got this thing I've been technolusting after, and it's pretty freaking great. I wish there was a Blogger application but there isn't; I have to access the site via Safari. Also I can't get the damned thing to select the compose field, so I have to write everything in the edit HTML field. Gripe gripe gripe. Now to sleep; I have to be up in a few hours.

God I love typing on this thing.

Everyone

2008-07-23T17:11:00.001-07:00

pay attention! This is what we have to do!

2008-07-21T22:31:00.001-07:00

life in death
life in death
life in death
life in death
why dont you tell me
little bitch
what life in death can be

little puff
little sip
little chug
little hiss
little cough
little piss
little death
little miss

little bitch
little bitch
tell me what
i have missed
tell me what
i forget
when i gave up
life in death
life in death.

2008-07-15T22:53:00.001-07:00

John popped a percocet discreetly from under the table and drank from his 32 ounce can of Pabst. He looked again at the girl sitting across from him. Shadows masked her face in the dim red light of the bar. Her dark brown, slightly greasy bangs masked one eye; the other seemed listless and blurred. In the background their group of mutual friends chattered on over the loud, punishing music, but neither he nor her could hear nor wanted to hear a word they said. His gaze held firm on her as her gaze drifted about, sliding over him occasionally but making no connection. After a moment of this he stood, and walked outside.

The Deadly Atom

2008-07-15T12:08:00.001-07:00

Wow...

2008-07-15T11:52:00.001-07:00

I just had to look up a word Obama used in his Iraq speech because I didn't know what it meant. And not in the "Is that even a word?" way I've had to do that with W. What a good feeling.

“a bazooka in my pocket to pull out when we need it to shoot down”

2008-07-15T00:09:00.001-07:00

That's what Treasury Secretary Paulson called the hastily-created bailout of Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac..

The Bush Administration: Boys with toys.

So, wait..

2008-07-15T00:01:00.001-07:00

The bankers said that if the government didn't bail the banks out of their financial woes, there could be negative impacts on the economy?
I'm stunned.

2008-07-15T00:00:00.001-07:00

The smartest guy on Slog

2008-07-14T23:59:00.001-07:00

gets angry.

The Document

2008-07-09T18:58:00.001-07:00

There's an article at Salon that describes the efforts of a team of lawyers on behalf of Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation Inc. to sue George W. Bush for infringing upon their Constitutional rights through illegal wiretaps. The main piece of evidence in their case is what the author describes as "The Document." What is this document? "I can't publicly reveal what's in the Document because, well, it's a secret," says author Jon Eisenberg. The Document is a piece of top-secret classified material that accidentally made it into the hands of these lawyers along with a packet of non-classified material.

My question is this: Can The Document be used as evidence in a criminal court against not only George W. Bush, but against his telecom counterparts in this crime? I really want to know the answer. Any insights?

Sorry, Brits

2008-07-09T17:46:00.001-07:00

But those our our jobs. We pretty much need them right now.

Besides which, outsourcing national security just doesn't make sense. Globalisation be damned, some things need to stay national!

2008-07-09T17:41:00.001-07:00

Data-rich or data-poor
all we want is data-more.
Not enough! Not enough!
We cry with every episode
Give us more! Give us more!
Our ever-hungry modern mode
Oh, Lord, oh, Lord
Give me more.
Give me more.

Drool...

2008-07-09T17:36:00.001-07:00

Drool, drool, drool...

It boggles the mind.

2008-07-09T16:42:00.001-07:00

Another compassionate conservative plan. How does anyone fall for these "have your cake and eat it too" arguments? At what point did it stop being ridiculous to claim that you can endlessly cut taxes and still increase benefits? Borrow and Spend Conservatism has destroyed our economy and the value of the dollar (working in tandem with the GOP's slashing of financial regulations), and claiming to have a plan to balance the budget while continuing untenable tax-cuts AND increasing federal spending is such an absurdity that it makes anyone paying attention scoff.

2008-07-09T16:37:00.001-07:00

Ever notice how much less you read books now that the Internet has become so wonderfully available?
Not that I'm complaining, but... These things make me wonder.
Are we becoming less literate, or differently-literate?
Is the world's great conversation eliminating our (or my) private moments of contemplation? Are these moments being drowned out in a sea of noise?

Oh, the impermanence!

2008-07-09T16:32:00.001-07:00

Here today, gone tomorrow. When man takes complete control of a landscape, such as the internet, the alterations of that landscape occur at a speed congruent with the speed of mankind's interaction with its environment. Thus, the click of a button can vastly alter the topography of the world.

It's not so different from mankind's other interactions with the universe, such as the tearing down of buildings and the creation of new ones, but the speed at which such alterations occur in a virtual environment is fascinating.

This sort of thing really makes me want to host my own site, so as not to be at the mercy of the whims of Google.

Well, you have to attend a party...

2008-07-09T15:00:00.001-07:00

When it's being thrown by your moneylenders.

And

2008-07-09T14:43:00.001-07:00

DON'T tell me there's a loophole there for criminal suits, and that Obama's BIG SECRET PLAN is to exploit that and take the telecoms to court. Do we really think that will happen, or that those charges would hold up? How much evidence is admissible? Mmmm...

Barack Obama,

2008-07-09T14:31:00.001-07:00

Thou hast betrayed me!

Chris Dodd

2008-07-02T19:00:00.001-07:00

for President.

Goddamnit

2008-07-02T18:57:00.001-07:00

Why doesn't he think he can win on a truly Progressive platform?

You know what's going to be awesome?

2008-06-29T19:11:00.001-07:00

When the United States captures Osama bin Laden.... Under President Obama's watch.

I'm Voting...

2008-06-11T11:08:00.001-07:00

No Posting Today

2008-06-10T21:11:00.001-07:00

Even though I try to post on all of my days off, today was spent with real-world stuffz- namely housecleaning.

But once I get my iPhone 3g, I'll be able to post anything from anywhere! Huzzah!

Maureen Dowd:

2008-06-07T23:47:00.001-07:00

"Meanwhile, she wants another power-sharing arrangement. She will help Obama be king, if he lets her be queen of the women."

I'm sorry I said all those mean things about you,

2008-06-07T23:19:00.001-07:00

Hillary.

Yay for this.

2008-06-04T16:07:00.001-07:00

I have a confession to make...

I have a friend who goes to Mars Hill.
I know, it pretty much makes me an awful Progressive. I try not to think about it.
The thing is, she's really nice. A great person. She just happens to be into a completely socially-regressive faith. We don't talk about it.

So it's really refreshing for me to hear things like this. People are welcome to their faith, but when it affects people of other- or no- faiths, it becomes a social problem. I understand that part of the Evangelical thing is evangelizing, bringing the message of Jesus to nonbelievers. And I'm fine with that, if it's on the streets or on the radio. But the courtroom and the houses of legislation are not appropriate places for evangelicism.

I'm glad to hear that the younger generation of evangelicals understands this.

Barack...

2008-06-04T15:53:00.001-07:00

Don't go sounding like a hawk, now. The effectiveness of that method of American foreign policy has been disproven by the past forty-plus years.

So watch it, 'cause I really like you.

Don't get my hopes up...

2008-06-04T15:49:00.001-07:00

If you're just going to let them down, ABC. This is the most exciting headline I've seen all day.

We need ONE democratic nominee, and we need it now.

But why?

2008-06-04T15:45:00.001-07:00

I don't understand the vitriol that Hillary supporters spew against Obama. How is it even remotely conceivable that McCain could be a better president for any one of these people? And what does Obama have to do with mysogyny? I'm being serious. When has Obama been anything but civil and courteous to Hillary, even when she seems to be acting as a potential spoiler for his presidential bid.

Is it backfire against the DNC for seating only half of Michigan/Florida, and giving 40-ish percent of Michigan to Obama?

Does that really make McCain a better choice, a man who is anti-choice , anti-gay , and for a long occupation of Iraq.

I hope, I hope that this is all just blowing off steam, and that this important voting bloc of the Democratic Party will come to their senses and realize that Obama is an excellent candidate- or that, at the least, McCain needs to be defeated.

Hillary has a duty to turn them in that direction, and an obligation to do it without attempting to use their votes as political capital.

Get in Line, Hillary

2008-06-04T14:55:00.001-07:00

Obama has set up his running-mate vetting panel. Hillary's going to have to apply for the job, just like anyone else.

How does that feel on your entitlement?

I drink your milkshake!

2008-06-04T14:27:00.001-07:00

Why, Hillary, why?

2008-06-04T12:36:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm stumped.

Did Hillary expressly not concede because she's pushing for a VP spot?

Unnamed political capital?

More cable news face-time?

What the hell is going on? Why would such an intelligent woman play as if she were holding her delegates and supporters over Obama's head as leverage for something, especially when he doesn't need her delegates anymore? He has his own delegates now, thank you very much. This sort of nonsense is just the icing on the cake for Obama supporters- especially Obama supporters such as myself, who were originally Hillary supporters but were turned off by her increasingly negative campaign tactics and general tone of entitlement. (Ugh!)

I feel like I'm stuck in a bad horror movie. She just won't go away.

And oh yeah, Clintons: Thanks for ruining my memories of the Clinton era. Bill looks like a jackass now.

AP Displays Sexist Bias

2008-06-03T11:07:00.001-07:00

By acknowledging that Obama has won.

Ding dong!

2008-06-03T10:58:00.001-07:00

Dare I hope against hope? Wish against wish? Pray that our long national nightmare may soon be over?

Well, sort of, almost...

"The advisers said Clinton has made a strategic decision to not formally end her campaign, giving her leverage to negotiate with Obama on various matters including a possible vice presidential nomination for her. She also wants to press him on issues he should focus on in the fall, such as health care."

AAAGAGAGAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

A concession without conceding.
A concession that she cannot win, that Obama HAS in fact won, but a refusal to.. Concede.

My head hurts.

We're Never Going to get RID OF HER

2008-06-01T22:35:00.001-07:00

Hillary Clinton is going to bully her way into the Oval Office, I just know it, and then we'll have eight years of secretive double-dealing and deceptive doubletalk. Dah!

It makes a man want to cry.

George W: Liar or Moron?

2008-05-28T10:52:00.001-07:00

Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary, seems to be claiming the latter. On Plamegate, McClellan states that W. had "been deceived, and therefore became unwittingly involved in deceiving" McClellan.
...
So which is worse: Having a President who is more deceitful than Nixon, or having a President who doesn't know what's going on in his own White House? Either way, Bush doesn't look so great after this. But then, Bush hasn't looked so good since 2005, really.

Playing by the rules.

2008-05-27T21:14:00.001-07:00

Well, maybe I forgot about this little conflict when I made that comment earlier about Hillary playing by the rules. So really, I don't think that she should drop out of the race, but I do think that many of her tactics are despicable- from race baiting by identifying herself with the "white" vote to constantly movng goalposts to claiming that DNC rules that were absolutely clear from the get-go are now "unfair" to the people of Michigan and Florida. Oh, and claiming that she has the popular vote when no mathematician worth their salt could possibly agree. AARGH!

So no, she doesn't need to drop out, because the rule say she doesn't. But I still have a VERY negative opinion of her coming out of this race. Ugh.

Oh, and for all her talk about experience, she's only 36th in seniority among Senate Democrats. Obama is 39.

Close Guantanamo Now.

2008-05-27T16:09:00.001-07:00

For this reason and so many others.

But what will we do in Seattle?

2008-05-27T15:37:00.001-07:00

Apple files patent for solar cells in iPhones. I wonder how that would lower the average techie's carbon footprint.

Fly the Noisy Skies

2008-05-27T15:34:00.001-07:00

Airlines in Europe are considering "technology" that will allow customers to use their mobile phones mid-flight.

If this happens in America, they'll charge you $10, I guarantee it.

Entertainment Technology

2008-05-27T14:29:00.001-07:00

This is pretty damned cool. For $100, it's tempting; if only they'd increase their video inventory. If that happens, it's going to be hard to stay with Blockbuster's Total Access package. Blockbuster charges an arm and a leg, but instant access is everything.

Science overstated.

2008-05-27T14:08:00.001-07:00

Oh well, no pixie dust for me. It's still a step in the right direction. I just wish that it were all it had been made out to be. Every day we're able to do more incredible things to the human body, and as soon as we can use all of the resources at our disposal, these steps are going to become leaps and bounds.

Blogger Widget

2008-05-27T12:53:00.001-07:00

This post is testing the new Blogger widget I just downloaded. Hopefully this will increase my productivity, as I can shoot posts directly into the ether without having to interface via browser.

May 27

2008-05-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Fuck it, let Hillary stay in the race. By doing so, she's playing by the rules. So let her drag this out and lose, and I'm sure that she'll back Obama when the time comes. Is it a play for a VP slot on the ticket? Maybe; maybe even probably. After all, it's easier to jump to the presidential position from the VP spot eight years from now. She's got patience; in eight years, she'll be 69 or 70. McCain has proven septuagenarianism isn't a disqualifying point in presidential politics. So let Hillary stay in the race. She isn't hurting anyone, I don't think. Obama knows the spotlight is on him, and he's continually focusing more of his rhetoric against John McCain every day. He knows this is a run-up to a general election between him and McCain, and he's acting appropriately. Meanwhile, Hillary is playing by the rules.

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

The day started out wonderfully, sex in the morning. It was more for me than for her, which makes me grateful. Then brunch, delicious brunch. A lamb chop before noon is decadence, and two mimosas wash it down well. We went home and watched Heroes, escapism that delights us both. Life is most wonderful when you're ignoring your life.

We went to the book store, where I bought more distractions. Science fiction and comic books. Lovely. At the coffee shop I decided to start this blog, which I will never tell anyone about. It is my public secret. I wanted to call it 'The Disappearing Man,' but that is already taken. It has never been posted on. Maybe it disappeared.