Regally Blonde 13 May, 2012

The lass with whom I attended the prom and I disagreed on several things. One of which was whether I was suitable romantic material for her. Another was my philosophical outlook. She claimed that I was a pessimist. I argued that I was a cynic and it only looked like pessimism next to her Pollyannaish [...]

Not Funny 23 April, 2012

Today one of my coworkers said, “It’s not funny.” Another coworker has previously said the same thing. I feel somewhat bad if they think that I am invalidating their concerns. But I try very hard to maintain a positive attitude and keep things in perspective. So maybe in a way I am invalidating their concerns [...]

Monumentally Egomaniacal Thieves 4 February, 2012

You have probably been wondering why I was absent from the protesting about SOPA/PIPA. (Well, you might have been.) The reason is quite simple, something I learned many years ago: Politicians do not care what you think. Politicians only care about preserving and increasing their own power. One might make the argument that they care [...]

A Little Pitchy, Dog 18 December, 2011

Last week John August wrote about his opinion that only piano or guitar should be taught to children. Obviously, that generated quite a bit of discussion, which prompted him to rebut. I followed a link in that rebuttal to Dave Nuttycombe’s comments  at which I left the following: As both a long-time reader of August and one-time [...]

Internet Plus Fanboy Equals T-Shirt 31 October, 2011

About a year ago I read “THESE ARE COMICS. Rugby players drink half as much, are twice as neat and not nearly as promiscuous.” in a blog entry (a.k.a. “clog”) from Larry Miller. Being somewhat experienced with both, such a bold statement caught my attention. It takes quite a bit to best rugby players in [...]

Who’s Weird Now? 23 October, 2011

I remember sitting in my cousin’s room and listening to Al Yankovic‘s songs on the Dr. Demento radio program. I forget the specific songs but it seems like it would have been “My Bologna” and “Another One Rides the Bus”. So I have been enjoying Yankovic’s work for over three decades now. Thus it was [...]

Cook On! 12 August, 2011

I had a friend at university named Jean. Well, that was the name she adopted (like many Asians students) to free the gwailo from trying to pronounce her given name. When I asked her what her real given name meant, she said it did not translate well but perhaps could be said to be “happy [...]

Disturbed 10 July, 2011

The music of Disturbed is warfighting music for me. I listen to it at other times. But when it’s time to strap it on, I invariably find a Disturbed album playing. I’ve been listening to a lot of Disturbed recently.

Cars 2 26 June, 2011

Cars 2 is a very different movie from the original Cars, and not in a good way. Larry the Cable Guy gets top billing but the film seems to be more about Michael Caine‘s character than anything else. Owen Wilson again voices Lightning McQueen but every time he spoke it reminded me of his well-publicized personal troubles. Cars [...]

I Agree Wholeheartedly 24 May, 2011

A fortnight ago my spouse noticed signs on local roads warning that hundreds of cyclists would descend last weekend as part of an organized ride. I have written in the past about my frustration with cyclists who insist on all the privileges of motor vehicles with none of the responsibilities. Apparently Chief Dan Brown of [...]