I don't speak Serbian!

SOFIJA JOVIC JAVI SE na gordana@cytanet.com.cy
Trazim te svuda!

I'm reading Winnie the Pooh. The BBC conducted "The Big Read" not long ago to find the best 20 books of all time. Shamefully, Tolkein won. Nothing to do with the recent release of the trilogy I'm sure... Douglas Adams made it to the top, 4th in fact with Winnie coming in 7th. I suppose one shouldn't be surprised at the result in a poll where Harry Potter came in 5th, 22nd, 23rd AND 24th!
You're all welcome in East Kent this week for the RAMSGATE BOAT SHOW!!!!

Every time I remember to respond to these recent comments, it's my lunch break at work. And the internet filter here blocks quicktopic as "Chat/Instant Messaging." So I'm doing this through the e-mail reply. Here's hoping! (it means I better get it right the first time... no editing will be available.)

First of all: Jeff! Congratulations on your recent wedding! How was the honeymoon? Where are you living? What is the average air/speed velocity of an unladen European swallow?

Re: Neutral Milk Hotel

I'm not sure I would have pegged myself as a fan either. It's safe to say that my music tastes have shifted in the past few years. Maybe not wildly, and I certainly haven't written off the music I liked before (with the possible exception of, like, Ms. Saigon)... I suppose "widened" is better than "shifted."

I first listened to "Aeroplane" in the summer of 2003. I was sort of digging it, sort of digging it, and then "Oh Comely" happened and life hasn't been the same since. That stretch of "Oh, Comely/Ghost/Untitled (Funeral March)/Two-Headed Boy Part 2" is just beyond belief good.
Like you said, Jenn, every single time I listen to the album I find more and more to love about it. It's sort of like "The Big Lebowski" or "The Blues Brothers" in that respect-- it just keeps getting better and better. And it's perfectly constructed.

Their other album doesn't approach the perfection, but it's still pretty effing good (and has my single favorite NMH song on it). I also have their EP and three live concert recordings... it's safe to say that Jeff Mangum is on my list of people that I'd love to meet, only I don't know what the hell I'd say to him. You know? If I ran into Matt Damon, or something, I could say "I liked the script for Good Will Hunting. Oh, and you were the bomb in Bourne Supremacy!" But what would I say to Mangum?

It's unfortunate that he hasn't performed in a while. I wonder what he's doing with himself. He said that "Aeroplane" was based on a
series of "urgent dreams" that he had. I love the idea of dreams being urgent. I hope I have urgent dreams someday.

I've been listening to Aeroplane a lot lately. I continue to find new things that I love about each of the songs, but it's how the whole thing comes together that makes it such an amazing album. Remove any one of the songs and it becomes incomplete, there are so few albums that one can say that about. Almost every album I've ever heard has some song that could be removed and the album would be stronger or just as good. Its completeness is what really takes Aeroplane into the realm of greatness.

Dave, I would not have had you pegged as a Netrual Milk Hotel fan, sorry for doubting.

I think "Aeroplane Over the Sea" is probably my favorite album of the 90's. At least top ten.

Sofija: I realize looking at your post and the few previous that I've become something of a Broom of the System merchant... I want everybody everywhere to read it!

I'm not surprised that you're enjoying it, I knew that it was right up your alley.

Jenn: Thanks! Sometimes, when I write something, I giggle while I'm writing it. That line was one of those times.

"an actual coal oven" my favorite part hands down.

Point taken... BTW, I have (YES I HAVE) started reading "The Broom of the System". I started reading it on the train home last night and didn't really put it down until my Mum called (actually, I kind of read it while I was talking to her, too). I'm about 100 pages into it and I'm loving it! Dave (you), Dave (the author of this book), and I share a similar sense of humor :-) Thank you for getting the book for me, I needed a bite-sized paperback to get me started, Infinite Jest was a little intimidating.

But Salman Rushdie is a British citizen... I'm still just reading western fiction written in English, right?

You are finally reading some good literature :-)

What? One post every two or three months isn't enough for you? Greedy, greedy Jenn....

More postings please :)

I think you'll find that The Broom of the System is fantastic. I liked it when I read it; I liked it even more the second time through. That gentleman knows how to write.

Today I am starting The Broom of the System. I was going to go with Eggers book, but it was checked out and the library had a copy of Broom that was easy to find. I already like it more than Infinite Jest, this could very likely be due to its prominence of a female character, more on that later.

I just cannot get over it, a place that lets me have books FOR FREE! I love the library.

I'm making my way through A Confederacy of Dunces. I think that I'll most likely finish it this weekend. I've spent the past two nights playing with my ipod rather than reading, so I'm a little behind.

I don't find the book to be very humorous. I feel very much like the times I've attempted Catch 22 in that I understand that a passage is supposed to be funny, but it just really misses my sense of humor. There have been a few mildly amusing scenes so far. Very much like my past attempts of Catch 22 I feel like I'm missing a huge layer of the book because it just isn't funny to me.

That being said, I think the book is really well written and I am looking forward to seeing how it comes together at the end.

More to follow once the book is completed.

Hmmm...

It really depends on what you're in the mood for. I was surprised by how unpleasant The Amber Spyglass is. I don't mean that it isn't excellent--because it is!--it's just much more emotionally unpleasant than any book ostensibly for children that I've ever read.

So are you in the mood for a wise-cracking, fast-paced, philosophical/absurdist treatise on modern America? The Broom of the System is the way to go. Becca, I think, actually likes it *better* than Infinite Jest. Knowing the problems that you had with Infinite Jest, it's possible you'd like it a lot better too. Far fewer tendrils, much less occluded, about 1/6 the length. It's my second favorite novel ever, if that gives you a hint.

Have you read any Eggers? I think you should, at some point, give A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius a read. It's very... wonderful, beautiful, and angry. Maybe the most passionate book I've ever read, and a book unsure how to handle its own intensity of emotion. It's a trip, but after Lyra's pretend emotional journey, I don't know if you'd want to launch right into a story filled with real-life deaths of loved ones.

And don't forget A Confederacy of Dunces. I can't recommend that book enough. One of the funniest, most clever, most brilliant books I've ever read. I know that you abandoned it early on to start The Golden Compass, but I would encourage you not to ignore it forever. It's wonderful.

And, assuming that you've read Cryptonomicon (which, if you haven't, should shoot quickly to the top of your list) and you're in the mood to be kept busy for a while, you could start the Baroque cycle with Quicksilver, which is a rollicking good time filled with pirates and smallpox. Really what more could you want?

I'm really enjoying Strange/Norrell, but I'm only twentysomeodd pages into it, so I don't feel qualified yet to recommend it.

Let me know if there's more I can give ya. And let me know what you choose to read.

Hey Dave,

In regards to your reading lists, I just finsihed A Subtle Knife last night and I expect to finish The Amber Spyglass in the very new future, more talking on that later, and I was wondering if you had suggestions for a next book. Becca loved The Broom of the System and I'm really curious to see if Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel is any good. I also know how much you both enjoyed the writing of David Eggers. So which would you recommend reading next?

Hey Dave, you should drop by to chore of choncepts...

I want first dibs at the good times! Mom



  
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This is a note to the people of the board: I will be returning to the Southern California region on the 14th of December, for a sojourn of approximately three weeks.

Start booking now! Dave's schedule fills up quickly! :)

Your Ryu will get his ass kicked. We'll bust out the Sega Genesis and see who's boss, now. But you've gotta get that Soul Caliber II: without question, the greatest fighting game ever made.

In other news, my new favorite underhanded slight, from the IMDb.com trivia for Fahrenheit 9/11:

Ray Bradbury, author of "Fahrenheit 451", has voiced his displeasure at Michael Moore appropriating the title of his book and films. Ray Bradbury is the author of "Beyond 1984" and "Another Tale of Two Cities".

Well done, trivia submitter!

Dave is correct in his assumption that when I steps up to the controller, I rock your fragile world.

My Ryu will beat your anyone-else any day of the week, including Wednesday. My kung fu is my kung foo, yo. And I'd clean the floor with you at that car racing game on the Super NES. And, um, RoadBlasters. I know I could beat you at RoadBlasters.

(And if your memory is really good, you will remember my unbeatable AT keyboard buffer overfill attack at Nibbles. Unbeatable, and a long, high-pitched squeal to signal your doom.)

Re: /m395

OH SNAP!

Yeah, it's true. You beat me in the Tony Hawk games. But here's a plan: let's pick any other video game ever and see who comes out on top.

My guess? Jon Taylor.

These games are also notable in that I can actually play them with my brother, and at his request which is a big deal as he tends to stay away from electronic gaming.

It's also notable in that I can thoroughly kick your ass at them.

dude I don't play City of Heroes at all. I don't even own an account.

You should've waited on CA/Falcon. There's a trade of the 1st four issues coming out next week, I think.

You liking it aside from the awful, awful art?

I've had a comics hiatus since my return to the southland area, except for purchasing the entire current run of CA+Falcon, which I haven't read... so... hold the discussion of Runaways for a couple more days (weeks?) until I catch up again.

Latest runaways made me fall in love with Alex like no heterosexual man should. He managed to reference Wrath of Khan and RPGs in the same rant. Godbless.

Deej,
I approve too. The old setup was getting kind of... SOFT
You read the latest 'Runaways'? It merits discussion.

QT logins are designed to be exceptionally resiliant. There is a ten year expiration time for your sign-in cookie. As founder Steve Yost said in private communications, "I want to make my cookies work hard." You didn't used to even be able to sign out completely -- even if you signed out, your name would still be stored for posts. Now there's text that says "If you're using a public computer and you want to remove your name and email address too, click here" on the sign-out page.

from NYC. That's wierd I didn't type that in your quicktopic name field, I typed it in your brother's.

Owen: It's true, though I hadn't planned on it. Of course, I have little pictures on my site. And hyperlinks, which I hear mcsweeneys.net is totally against.

Dave's friend Scraps from: Don't leave us all in suspense. Where is Dave's friend Scraps from?

You have successfully assimilated the aesthetic of McSweeny's.net. I approve.

Edited by author 08-13-2004 11:49 AM
Dude i'm the last one who posted? wtf stop deleteing all the girls numbers when they post em - just let them hang

Edited by author 06-18-2004 02:41 AM
Dave you better be acting RIGHT NOW

*UPDATE*: Dave was indeed acting. Threat level is now ORANGE

Eric, was I still signed into your computer from last summer?

Uh... whoops.

Check...Check One.... CHECK ONE!....................... Check Two...... Check One, Two... Steve, can we turn up the midrange and drop the bass a little? Thanks. CHECK ONE, TWO!!!!! There it is.

Edited by author 05-03-2004 08:41 PM
I like the H.

Q: Why can you never starve at the beach?
A: Because of all the sand which is there.

"Toilet paper! Toilet paper! Toilet paper in our time!"

SANDWHICHES!!!

Hey how about when I don't address you you jump in and try to talk slick?

Oh wait I've read about that somewhere before too.

Planning on coming to New York any time soon?

How is that thing from The Onion at all relevant?

Edited by author 03-09-2004 04:26 PM
Wait a minute... I'm pretty sure that I've read about this somewhere before.

I guess God knows what he's talking about.

DJ,
You know the only one of these E-Thugs I respect is your boy and mine, the hairy pimp Jaybacca. And that's only because he'll talk smack on the internet and still hit you in the throat with a bar stool if he sees you. All the rest get no love from me.

That is all

Hey, Fontaine, why you gotta come up on my board and be so hostile? Man, you've really changed.

Now apologize to Bob Mike! Do it. Do it.

Scraps,
I've had success with the following:

"Yo!"
"Holler"
"What('s) Up?"
"What's good?"
"I heard you were looking for me" (Yes, that works. I can provide documentation)
"Oh, really? Well not as cute as you"
and an internet favorite:
"Hey Bob Mike call me, let's meet up so I can hit you in the face with a brick for being so corny"

As much as I would love to call myself a disillusioned woman of a previous generation, the real story here is, of course, that I forget to sign out of QT before I left California.

Dear Mother, before you post next time please make sure to sign me out. Or my friends will start dancing around me pointing and saying "dis-illusioned wo-man!" over and over and I'll cry.

 If you have to say it at all, consider: this may not be the one you want to say it to. (from a disillusioned woman of a previous generation.)

mr. mcgee -

i will definitely make infinite jest the next stop on my reading list. currently, i am reading steppenwolf. because through my entire career as a student, no one has ever made me read it.

i will tell you when i get started on infinite jest though.

hitler was a poet!

You don't have to say it, Scraps... I already know. I think you're very sweet to offer, but the answer is still no.

how do you tell someone:

i think you're beautiful, but i'm not obsessed with you,
i don't have to date you, but i would if you wanted to,
sex can be just sex, but it can be more if you'd like it to be,
I'm open to you, I'm open to anything.

preferably all in one or two words.

I am alive and want to see DaveMcGee in action once more

Elisheba! Hello!

The Badass Ninja Book Club sounds like fun to me. I think the rules for entry should be:

1) You've gotta rock badass ninja style.
2) You totally need to read Infinite Jest.

Have you read it yet? You should. But yeah, let me know what you're reading and we'll see what we can work out. Right now I'm reading DFW's Girl With Curious Hair, and it's slow going because... well, you remember what PHTS is like.

Hit me back witchit.

yo, we should start our own little book club. like oprah's book club. although, we'll give it a more kickass name . . . like THE BADASS NINJA BOOK CLUB!

anyways, yeah . . . we should do that. 'cause i have always wanted to be in a book club, but not a hoity toity one, with people who drive minivans. well, i guess english class from 3rd grade to AP English 12 was a succession of book clubs right there. hmm . . .

hey mcGuinness . . .

i know the update was eons ago, but i couldn't help wanting to add to your reading list. have you read any palahniuk? man oh man, i am eating up some goddamn palahniuk right now.

and you know, how is everything?

btw, this is elisheba. "runs with deer" is my indian name.

HAHA!!!

You killed the party once again McGee. Walton won't sue, he's a brawler. You don't think you could take Bill and his shot knees in a street fight?

Zac: While I certainly appreciate you sending me your little black book, and while I understand the havoc we could wreak with just such a list, I think I'll go ahead and commit the list to memory rather than be tracked down and sued by an angry Bill Walton for posting his cell-phone number up all over town.

But if you talk to Gary Payton, tell him I said to tell Kobe to give him the ball every once in a while, god-damnit.

This post discusses Infinite Jest in some detail. If you have not read Infinite Jest, you can stop reading now. If you plan to read Infinite Jest and haven't yet, seriously stop reading now.





OK, I just decided to write the things that are on my mind. This is a conflation of stuff I thought of and some stuff I found on Google Groups that has my mind all a-spinnin'.

So the number one question is, what the hell happened to Hal?

I don't think he saw Infinite Jest... as I discussed (briefly) with Becca, his symptoms do not match the symptoms of those that have seen the samizdat. His symptoms do match precisely with the symptoms of one who has OD'd on the Incredibly Potent DMZ.

When did Hal OD on DMZ? Well, DMZ is said to be a very rare mold that grows only on other molds. And I think our attention is drawn back to the story of Hal munching on the mold patty three times in the book, the only such repetition of a story like that-- I think it's probably important. So, did toddler Hal happen to munch DMZ many years ago, where it stayed dormant in his system? Did marijuana withdrawal call the DMZ out of his system?

Unlikely-- it seems more likely that Pemulis's stash of DMZ feeds into this somehow. At the end of the book, Pemulis finds his stash missing and tries to talk to Hal about it. Hal refuses. Did Hal steal it for himself?

Did the Wheelchair Assassins get in and force feed to him? Did they also feed it to Don Gately? Other symptoms are listed as like... "temporal flux" or something... you're actually unaware of time. Could his hospital delusion really be actual events that occurred after he OD'd on DMZ? He has a vision of Infinite Jest and he has a vision of he and Hal digging up Himself's head (which Hal references in the Year of Glad section at the beginning of the book). Or did Gately really just have a premonition? I'm willing to accept that, because I accept that he met with Himself's ghost.

And if Himself knew all this was going down, why didn't he warn Hal? Mario? Anyone?

Maybe he tried to-- I mean, I assume that Himself is responsible for all the crazy shit going on at ETA (i.e. the furniture getting stuck to the walls and ceilings, what have you).

Why is a masked John Wayne watching Hal and Don dig up Himself's head? Is he in on it? I know his brother was connected-- not jumping in front of the train is known as "Pulling a Bernard Wayne."

Is Avril in on the Quebecois Insurgency thing? It's said that she was connected at some point. Plus, the one guy we see actually get the tape is someone she had a relationship at one point. Plus he gets it April 1st. Avril Incandenza = Avril I = April 1st (just noting that this connection I didn't put together, I read on someone else's post on Google). The tape is marked "Happy Anniversary." Gets me thinking anyway. And does Avril have the Master Copy? It's not buried with Himself-- did Unspecified Services get there first? I assume the Wheelchair Assassins are forcing Hal and Don to dig. Did Avril have it all along?

Near the beginning, in the scene that is either Himself pretending to be a professional conversationalist with Hal, or a scene from his film, or both, he mentions that his tennis racket is strung with cartridge materials like those implanted in his head? Is this another premonition? Is Hal's racket strung with the samizdat? Am I pushing too far on this one? On all of this? Anyone got anything?

Help?

Wow, what a read.

Hey.

I just finished Infinite Jest. I just wanted to talk about it a little bit in general. I have some theories that I want to run by other humans. Anyone?

Crazy man...I'm glad to hear that you're alright, and that no one was killed.

While California continues to burn, my apartment building in New York catches fire.

Yikes. That's no good.

That's what she said.

Welcome to the message board, Scraps.

This IS preposterously easy!

Dave, I don't know if you've made your transatlantic trek yet, but I need to tell you and both of the other people that read your site that Marvel is cancelling "The Crew" in November. We need to organize the proletariat. You were Trorsky for God's sake. Do Something before you catch an ice pick to the head. Be heard and express your concerns to editors Tom Brevoort at tbrevoort@marvel.com and Joe Quesada at joeydaq@aol.com

Dave, was reading some old posts in the forum. I'm extremely curious as to what happened on April 1st, 1992. Care to share?

Edited by author 07-22-2003 04:21 PM
Hmmm... That's a toughie.

I've never been a member of the Cirque cast, so I'm no expert on how common gaping, bloody injuries are during their training and performances. I would imagine, though, that if two people suddenly begin spurting blood in massive quantities while 40 feet above the stage, they have more immediate concerns than whether or not one of them is HIV positive.

On the other hand, I can sort-of see where there might be some concern. As much as it shames me to admit it, I'm not sure how comfortable I would be playing baseball with someone who was HIV positive, because I can recall a large number of fairly bloody injuries that were sustained during my time in Little League. I'd like to think that I'd be strong enough to get over my nagging worries, but I can't say with any real certainty. Fortunately, I've never been in a position to have to make that decision.

It's an amazing testament to humanity's willful ignorance of anything that we don't want to hear that anyone even gets HIV, anymore. The information is out there, we know how to reduce the risk, and yet people are still getting infected, because we're ignoring what we already know. My ex-boyfriend worked at AIDS Center Los Angeles, and I can't recall us ever once talking about it. Ignorance may well be bliss, but I learned a long time ago that bliss isn't necessarily good for you.

oh that tree frog debacle. I forgot about that. Those were the good old days.

1. You know, stuff.
2. tree-frog debacle
3. Me either.

>Ahahahahaha.

What's funny McGee?

>Hey Zac (I really can't call you Goldie, deal with it) I >believe I quote you when I say: OH MY HOW I LOVE AN >INTERNET GANGSTER. I mean, remember the tree-frog debacle?

No I don't, refresh my memory

>Oh, and my mom likes "Goldie" a lot more now that I told >her that it's you. If you know what I mean.

I don't

This is more like it

1.) We've been friends for two years now, roommates for a year and a half of that. You recently graduated college. Now what, exactly, the hell did you get your degree in? I'm still not clear on this.

As you know I attended NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized study. The Gallatin School of Individualized Study, a small innovative college within New York University, gives students the opportunity to design a program of study tailored to their own needs and interests. When students choose Gallatin, they take on the exciting challenge of creating their own curriculum and unique plan for learning. They pursue their individual interests from a person perspective by taking courses in the various schools of New York University, engaging in self-directed education through independent studies, and participating in experiential learning through internships at New York City's countless institutions, businesses, and arts organizations. Undergraduates experience a thorough grounding in the history of ideas and great books, and graduate students pursue advanced study in interdisciplinary modes of thought. That said, I have no idea what I got my degree in.

2.) You're half black and half Polish. Explain what it's like to get it from both sides your whole life. Are you angry?

You know I'm angry as hell, Dave. Always have been, always will be. I prefer to use my ethnic double-whammy to my advantage. I'm glad to be getting it from both sides (you know what I mean) But I also give it to both sides (you know what I mean). I like to think that my diverse background sets me apart from the crowd. I stand alone because I am without peer.

3.) You have appeared in select Jason Gottlieb short film projects. You have a desire to be the dead man at the beginning of a Law & Order episode. You engage in various small acts of guerilla theatre. An agent of some sort recently stopped you on the street and told you that you were, I believe, "beautiful, young, and urban," and said he wanted to photograph you. All this in mind: given any thought to an acting career, pussy?

I've given it thought, you ang JG discouraged me though cause I hear "The Can" came out pretty crappy and I don't want to be responsible for anyone else getting a bad grade. I must say, however, that one of the benefits of my weird NYU degree is that I can lie to people about what exactly "Individualized Study" means, so if I ever get the opportunity to be the dead man on "Law & Order," I can lie to the people in charge and say "Oh hell yeah I studied acting for two and a half years at a little school called NYU. Ever heard of it? I think the main thing that is holdong me back from being a superstar actor is the fact that I don't want to be called a "thespian" you know cause it sounds funny.

4.) Dude the Knicks. What the hell? Discuss.

I believe my fellow NYK fans say it best every year at the draft: "FIRE LAYDEN" This sorry excuse for a GM gets hired hailed as an expert at personnell moves and he's done nothing but trade away prospects for undersized Power Forwards. The management seems to be striving not for a championship, but for a consistently mediocre team. They are unwilling to take a few years in the crapper to eventually get a ring. The perfect example is your team, the Lakers. They tanked after Magic left, but less than 5 years later they were contenders. I'm going out onb a limb and saying that the Jerry West managed Grizzlies will make the playoffs before the Knicks do.

5.) a) You come from a really, really large family. How do you think this has affected you?

Too many ways to count, among them: Older, wiser parents; older siblings, too many nieces and nephews, no need for people outside the gene pool (though I am grateful for my non blood friends Dave) The big family is all positive especially being the baby of seven. The only negative is Christmas shopping.
      b) You come from a relatively small town in Connecticut and now you live in New York City. What are the benefits of each? Do you prefer one over the other?

No benefits in Connecticut. If my family wasn't there I'd never go back. I'm New York like rats and bagels

Zac: here's your interview.

1.) We've been friends for two years now, roommates for a year and a half of that. You recently graduated college. Now what, exactly, the hell did you get your degree in? I'm still not clear on this.

2.) You're half black and half Polish. Explain what it's like to get it from both sides your whole life. Are you angry?

3.) You have appeared in select Jason Gottlieb short film projects. You have a desire to be the dead man at the beginning of a Law & Order episode. You engage in various small acts of guerilla theatre. An agent of some sort recently stopped you on the street and told you that you were, I believe, "beautiful, young, and urban," and said he wanted to photograph you. All this in mind: given any thought to an acting career, pussy?

4.) Dude the Knicks. What the hell? Discuss.

5.) a) You come from a really, really large family. How do you think this has affected you?
      b) You come from a relatively small town in Connecticut and now you live in New York City. What are the benefits of each? Do you prefer one over the other?

Rock out. Yee.

Ahahahahaha.

Hey Zac (I really can't call you Goldie, deal with it) I believe I quote you when I say: OH MY HOW I LOVE AN INTERNET GANGSTER. I mean, remember the tree-frog debacle?

Oh, and my mom likes "Goldie" a lot more now that I told her that it's you. If you know what I mean.

Mike good interview. Insightful. Funny as hell.

Now boys get along now.

Edited by author 07-15-2003 03:37 PM
I like this Hitler character, I respect his moxy.

Hey Bob Mike call me, let's meet up so I can hit you in the face with a brick for being so corny

I don't recall ever addressing anything to anyone named "Hitler" but if you insist....

1.) Which phrase more accurately describes you: "painfully stupid" or "hideously ugly"?

Hideously painful. Keep it up with the slick talk and you'll find out why.

2.) You once went on a date. Were you at all aware that it was a sorority prank gone horribly, horribly wrong?

The first hint was when your sister showed me her omega mu tatoo. I still hit it though.

3.) It's often been said that you have a face that only a mother could love. With that in mind, why does your mama always make you wear that paper bag over your head?

She doesn't want me to bite people like you.


4.) Your skills as an artist are matched only by your passion as a lover. How does it feel to hold the prestigious title of World's Worst Painter and Lover?

Sour grapes from your mother huh? Tell her I'm coming by the house to get the portrait I painted for her and I'll be selling it on ebay next week.

5.) Do you like apples? Depending on your answer, there may be another question to follow.

No

Goldie,

Here's your interview. Now stop begging; it demeans us both.

1.) Which phrase more accurately describes you: "painfully stupid" or "hideously ugly"?

2.) You once went on a date. Were you at all aware that it was a sorority prank gone horribly, horribly wrong?

3.) It's often been said that you have a face that only a mother could love. With that in mind, why does your mama always make you wear that paper bag over your head?

4.) Your skills as an artist are matched only by your passion as a lover. How does it feel to hold the prestigious title of World's Worst Painter and Lover?

5.) Do you like apples? Depending on your answer, there may be another question to follow.

please

Ahem

Interview me beeyotch

When you ask nicely.

When do I get interviewed?

Hey, Jenn I've finally gotten around to answering your interview questions!

You know where to find them.

Hey Goldie I thought it was pretty funny, so I shared it with my brother who said that the link has appeared on his site, and then later at the message board for his site.

Late pass for both of us, indeed.

I may need a late pass on this but has anyone tried typing "weapons of mass destruction" in google and hitting "i'm feeling lucky"? The result is pretty funny


http://www.coxar.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

sorry it took so long Becca, but your questions can be found here

I hope you have fun with them.

I had, once again, forgotten that.

Any chance we can never bring that up again?

Just for the record, again, I'M REALLY REALLY HONESTLY SORRY. :P

As a reader who is, in fact, your mom, I want to thank you for the frequent explanations meant to calm my nerves and rest my weary soul. It is no wonder that "being David's mom" is listed under the American Medical Assoc.'s list of "top-ten stress-producers for American women." I believe it became #1 just after April Fool's Day, 1992.

Dave,
Your mention of Al Franken reminded me of the incident I told you about where Mr. Franken verbally bitch slapped Bill O'Reilly live on C-Span. Here's the link to watch it: http://www.booktv.org/misc/BookExpo_053103.asp

Watch it and you too will agree with what I've known all along: AL FRANKEN IS GANGSTER

If you didn't know already, the Supreme Court ruled that laws against sodomy and same-sex intercourse are unconstitutional. Intelligent people everywhere responded with a resounding "Well, fucking duh!"

Here, read this article in the New York Times just to read part of Justice Scalia's dissenting argument. If you were not previously convinced that he is The Devil I think the printed portions of his argument might sway your vote. Justices Rehnquist and (as Al Franken would say) therefore Thomas signed their names to that homophobic piece of garbage.

In related news, Strom Thurmond died. I suggest we all go honor his memory by drinking out of whichever drinking fountains we choose to.

mcgees.org should be back up. Let me know if there are any problems.

Yes, mcgees.org is down. My whole system is down. I'm going to have to re-install the OS. I'll work on that tonight.

Hey Eric, remember that time I broke your nose when you came home? Oh, right, that hasn't happened yet. See you tonight, Bucko.

Becca Glad to see you've got a livejournal. Will you be updating when you're in Portugal? Or... wherever?

Jenn I'm going to work on your interview today... I think.

Josh mcgees.org is down. I miss it. I want pictures of hamsters. And good ol' Dutch language lessons.

Bob Mike I didn't want you to feel left out.

and Jon you either but you seem to have disappeared. Are you, like the truth, out there?

so, i set up a live journal page.
rejoice and be glad in it.
i already asked jenn for an interview and more requests will come. =) this game is lovely.

Dave,
I realize that I may not have ever been able to play basketball on a level decent enough to maintain my dignity, and I also really don't know that much about the sport in the first place. For all I know I very well could have spelled basketball incorrectly, but sitting here at this desk at work (440 Studios) where I know you've also sat for many hours on end, I was thinking of you and I was reminded of something. Remember that time that Kobe cried? What a tool of a man. I SAID 'GOOD DAY SIR'!

Dave,
Your questions await you here

Dave,

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your interview. By the way, if anyone's interested, I've put up the questions for Jenn's interview here.

My internet randomly works again. How odd.

I thought I'd give it one more shot, plugged my cable in, and it worked. I changed nothing.

This is a good thing. Just strange.

A brand new, excitingly long post! Read Bob Mike's interview of me either at the main page or my livejournal. Word!

Sorry about that last post. I'm troubled by it. I don't want to use those deaths to prove a point about politics.

Ugh.

Dave,

As requested, I've written an interview for you. You can find it here. Also, I answered your questions as best I could. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say.

Zac, welcome to the World Wide Wow! You are totally digital and, like, stuff.

Josh got to me first about books, so I just picked up Carl Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World." The first 15 pages were excellent. But you've never steered me wrong, Zac-- and as you pointed out recently I wouldn't know about 100 Bullets were it not for you. Therefore, neither would Jenn, and Jon probably wouldn't have read them as soon as he did. Bob-Mike would still be on top of shot. But that's because he's a bad-ass.

Edited by author 06-12-2003 03:34 PM
Damn, I am all over this internet community thing. Dave, I share your torture... boring job. Although I don't have the luxury of reading. Typing these messages makes me look busy, and busy is good. Anyway for those of you fortunate enough to read, I say: "Read 'Holy Blood, Holy Grail'" It's a well documented book anout Biblical Christianity and Medieval Europe's shared secret history. A good read for anyone though I think you, Dave, would enjoy it immensely.

And I'm still bored, maybe I'll go light a fire or something. Later.

I am going to see Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden in July. Happy birthday to me. Thank you Mother and Brother.

I refer all-y'allz to Gregg Easterbrook's (Tuesday Morning Quarterback's) new article--this is regarding the section called It Takes a Village to Write a Hillary Book." I'd really like to hear what you all think.

I remind you not to be fooled by the website on which the argument is made. Easterbrook is not a sports writer dabbling in other things. He is, instead, most definitely a renaissance man that happens to also be an excellent sports writer.

My review of last night's Pearl Jam concert is up. You can find it here.

On Fri, 30 May 2003, Susan McGee wrote:

>
> Never say "just" odd. Sing "odd" out boldly. "I am ODD!"
>
>

Bought the Issue 0 of the new Voltron. I'm not sure is #1 is out yet. It does indeed seem pretty badass. Haven't read the new MotU. The Thundercats beginning series was pretty lame but "The Return" is really cool, in my humble opinion. If you only checked out the original run, you should look into the new ones.

One more thing. I bought the first issue of the new Voltron series. It was freaking excellent. In my opinion, much better than the new ThunderCats and the new Masters of the Universe.

Yes... Fables... I bought the first... four or five issues and really hated it, but a lot of smart people with good taste that I know seem to love it. I thought it was real shit, maybe I'll try it again.

Well, Jon you do have access to A Foregone Tomorrow, The Counterfifth Detective and I believe most of the one-shots... because I never got them back from your house in Pomona. I won't be back until sometime in August, probably, so you at least have that going for you.

For now, I have changed the derelict "Movie Discussion Page" to what will hopefully be the new and happening "100 Bullets Discussion Page!" I'm ready for it. Are you?

Oh, and Eric's computer now has internet capablity again. Randomly.

Oh yeah, Fables. I got into that a while ago. Liked it and it is just getting better as it goes. I liked the Jack one-shot and the current arc whole bunches.

What is Bone? I know about it but I've never read it. Everyone says it's good. However, nobody ever says what it's about either. Is it comedy, hero, what?

Bob Mike, you can call me Jon. I'd love to discuss 100 Bullets with you guys at somepoint as I doubt I've gotten as much as you all.

One of my friends and I sat down and had a six hour discussion about 100 Bullets. We had to stop frequently in order to look things up. Grnegsnspm, I know exactly how you feel about missing stuff. If I hadn't had my books with me, we'd have never worked out as much as we did.

Dave, I've read Hulk. I'm not that impressed, but most of my friends swear by it, so maybe I'm just missing something. Other things that I've been reading recently:

Hellblazer: Hard Time - I just read it for about the hundredth time. It's good stuff. Azzarello shows that he can do horror as well as he can do crime. Of course, in prison, the two aren't that far removed from one another.

Uzumaki - A horror manga that one of my friends introduced me to. Very good; I highly recommend it.

Bone - I originally read most of this series several years ago, but I got a chance to revisit it two weekends back while I was in San Francisco. I'd forgotten how much I love it.

Fables - I didn't like it, at first, but I think that it's improving. A LOT of my friends are into it, though, so I'm including it here.

ARG! I was able to pick up the Y 1&2 combo platter but haven't found the other issues before 6. I am frustrated. I wish I actually owned the 100 BUllets TPBs because I get so confused reading the series without being able to go back. Ah well. Haven't read any Daredevil...you know, ever. have been trying to keep up with the Hulk. Excellent series as stated. Batman (just regular ol' Batman. Not Dark Knight or any other spinoff) is actually really good right now. Try from issue...I think it's 408 or something. New arc. pretty good. Batgirl, from what I hear, is supposed to be incredible. You might want to look into that. Oh yeah, Thundercats: The Return. I love this series. It's a darker, more adult twist on the 'Cats we all know and love. Maybe I'm just odd but I like it.

Bob Mike: 100 Bullets is the best book out there right now. I do not believe this is open to debate. The Counterfifth Detective can only be described as absolutely gangster.

Y's first issue was absolutely incredible, and I was worried I would be let down because it couldn't possibly maintain that level of excitement through an entire run. I'm finding that I'm not disappointed at all! Though that urgent pitch isn't constant now, the books are still solid enough to keep me drawn in. The revelation at the end of the second story arc made me yelp audibly. "Yelp Audibly" sounds like a Beck album. Y is probably my second favorite book running.

Bendis' entire run on Daredevil has been truly entertaining. I look forward to every issue. During one of Murdock's court cases, however, Bendis was apparently trying to use correct grammar and kept fucking up. Murdock kept saying stuff like "Of which there was no evidence of." Small nitpick. Go Wilson Fisk! Go!

Just before I came to work, I finished reading the third Promethea TPB. Thank you so much for introducing us. Sophie and I are doing just fine. This book does rock most wondrous.

Are you reading Bruce Jones' run on Hulk? I'm actually enjoying this more than Daredevil. What say you?

I had really shut down my comics budget during the school year because I wasn't getting a paycheck--so I dropped a lot of stuff that wasn't pulling its weight. Now that I'm getting a paycheck, I've increased my comics spending yet again! Now I can read the slightly above average along with the great!

I recommend Beware the Creeper if you're in the mood for a super-villain comic book about the surrealist movement... umm... I'm not sure, exactly, but the first two issues were pretty rad. The first issue of Misplaced was charming and swell, and the first two issues of the Mystique mini-series are taking care of my X-Men duties.

Umm... anything in the DCU I should be reading? Batman is so fucking mired in the continutity of like seven different series I wouldn't even know where to start. What are y'allz reading that I should be? (Jon I know your first answer is The Ultimates. I'm picking up the first TPB on Wednesday)

Yeah for long comics posts!

I also picked up the first issue of Namor which sort of sucked but only cost 25 cents.

Oh, you are going to be at the Tuesday show? I'll be at the Monday show (same location). And the Thursday show, actually (different location). I'm looking forward to them.

In other news, guess who's going to see Pearl Jam on Tuesday?

Dave,

Yes, I'm reading Y. It isn't hitting me as hard as it did at first, but it's still one of the better books on the market. There are really only three titles that I look forward to more (100 Bullets, Daredevil, and Promethea). The Filth has also grown on me (that statement is true, no matter how you read it; I like the book, and I need a shower). I didn't much care for it at first, but it's getting better. I guess that I should have had more faith in Morrison, because I felt the same way when I first started reading The Invisibles.

One problem that I have with The Filth, though, is that I'm getting tired of guys being awakened from their cover, only to profess how much happier they were when they didn't know the truth about themselves. It's not exclusive to that particular book; it's become a Vertigo staple. Morrison already did it with Harper (of Division X) from The Invisibles. 100 Bullets hinted at it with Cole, and then pushed it to its logical conclusion with Milo (poor, poor Milo). I like all of those characters, and I've enjoyed all of the stories involved (especially The Counterfifth Detective), but it's time for Vertigo to get a new trick.

Damn, it feels good to be a gangster!

Josh: The song is by Mandy Moore.


Mom: You're SOOO lame! Oh my God! Like you still haven't seen the Matrix? You're so behind the times!

Bob Mike: Have you picked up Brian K. Vaughan's new book Runaways? The first two issues are out, and I've enjoyed them both... I'm really looking forward to seeing where he's going with this. He has my trust now because Y: The Last Man is so freaking gangster (the technical term).

Which actually prompts me to ask... Dude... you are reading Y:The Last Man right?

Sorry for the confusion: this is another part of what I explained to you earlier. A friend of yours sent you a huge file by email which exceeded the storage capacity on your email account. Due to a mis-configuration (now fixed) on the mcgees.org server this triggered a mail loop, with the message duplicating itself over and over and over and over and over.... You're lucky you just had 400 messages (You're also lucky if you have 400 friends. Not that I'm saying you don't, but this isn't evidence thereof. :-) The number of cloned messages on the server were in the thousands. That also explains most of why the server has been so slow recently. So you folks can visit http://www.davidjmcgee.com, http://www.mcgees.org, and http://www.scotchfinder.com all you like now!

Dave - Just read your forward from the day you were working on setting up your computer. It took me some time to get to it because I first had to delete 400 messages from my local server saying there had been a four hour period of time during which they were unable to send me mail. I had hoped those were messages of love from 400 friends. One can dream! I think I'll go see Matrix now, and then you and John can have it out about X2 vs ReMatrix. I'm sure I am the only one (?) who has yet to take the plunge.

Now I will try to figure out what the meaning is of the QT forwards since thia one. Mom
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM).
http://calendar.yahoo.com

Ah, Bob Mike, you literally meant he was claiming to still be Jenny from the block. Very clever, both of you. How terminally unhip am I? I haven't even heard this song, although through deductive reasoning and cultural osmosis I'm sure it's a Jennifer Lopez song. Well, pretty sure, but I'm not going to go Google on the lyrics to find out.

David: Fantastic de-un-hippification!

Edited by author 05-28-2003 09:08 PM
Josh

The original lyrics:

Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got.
I'm still (I'm still) Jenny from the block.
I used to have a little now I have a lot.
No matter where I go I know where I came from (from The Bronx!)

Here's my submission for the de-un-hippification of your text:

I got to get my props.
Cops come and try to snatch my crops.

Bob Mike

I had never heard of the "Intellectualize Rap" site. The song was playing during tech time for a show I worked on (I certainly didn't choose the music that day) and I just started singing my improved lyrics over hers. I think it gave the song much more universal appeal.

In other news

Suddenly Eric's computer no longer works on the internet either. I'll try again tomorrow, but I may be relegated to posting from work. Bullocks.

Thanks, Mike, for clearing that up. I still can't figure out what the original of David's modification is, but maybe he'll share that with us.

What's really funny is when you read through all of the "Intellectualize Rap" submissions, then click over to read something else without changing mental gears. The next thing I read was this:

The U.S. government will host an international gathering on food and farming next month in Sacramento that will attract thousands of people, probably the majority of them uninvited. The first Ministerial Conference and Expo on Agricultural Science and Technology, at the Sacramento Convention Center, is billed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a showcase for scientific know-how and technology aimed at boosting farm productivity, alleviating hunger and improving nutrition worldwide, especially in developing countries. An alternative point of view sees the conference as the United States pushing industrial-style farming and genetically engineered products on poor countries as part of a broader agenda to promote big-business interests and global free trade.

I found myself unconsciously trying to de-un-hippify the text which, as you might agree, yields some entertaining results. Any one want to submit their reverse translation of this text?

Josh,

The "many rocks" comment was Dave's way of telling us that he's still Jenny from the block. It was probably inspired by Something Awful's popular Intellectualize Rap article.

My personal favorite:

California is well informed about the methods which should be used to hold a social gathering
I repeat: California is aware of the proper format for festivities
In the heavily populated area of Los Angeles
In the metropolis of fine aged Watts
In the residential zone of Compton
We, My partners and I, continue to allow the rock to flow, verily
We work dilligently to maintain the rocking status

OK, I still haven't figured out your 'many rocks' post from the 9th. I've certainly tried. But may I kindly now ask What the hell are you talking about?

Cash is the topic. The object? A fatter pocket.

Rakim said that. Smart man.

Internet is set up in the apartment, but even after an hour on the phone with Josh my computer will still not function properly.

Let me specify that I was on the phone with Josh for an hour, my computer was not.

This apartment, man, is superfly. Just thought you'd like to know. It's located on 18th St. and 1st Ave, just 8 blocks from where I previously lived. Eight blocks makes a lot of difference, and finally living outside of University housing makes an even larger difference. It acually costs less per person to live here than in the NYU dorm, and there's at least three times as much space. And I can bring friends in without the hassle. And I can buzz people in from my room. It just keeps getting better.

No responses on the new template, so I guess that means the current one is fine with everyone. Word. I designed it completely myself, in that I copied the source code from mcgees.org and... umm... changed some colors. Josh had to tell me what colors to change. Other than that, it was all me.

Jon you liked X2 better than the Matrix Reloaded? We can't talk about it here because not everyone who reads this has seen them yet. I, however, loved the Matrix.

A lot.

Let's be clear on this. There was much love.

I'm working during the days, making some money, and coming home at night to watch movies and play video games. This, as they say, is the life.

Yes, I have found that my left shoe *does* come untied far more than my right shoe.

I have also found that my right foot is slightly larger than my left... and that seems counterintuitive to me. Hmmm.

Anybody get any ideas for a new template for www.davidjmcgee.com? I'd love to hear (or more accurately see) them. We could even make a contest out of it. The prize could be all the change accumulated in my room over the course of a month.

Looks like quite a bit of cash there.

If you find the shoes, I will be willing to go get them for you. Fo sho.

I'm moving into my new apartment tomorrow. We will not have internet access. However, I will have internet access at my place of business. It doesn't mean I won't be posting. It just means I may be posting earlier in the day (night) than I normally do now.

Edited by author 05-13-2003 03:24 PM

Bugger my left shoe, man, that shit is always coming untied.

                - David McGee, A Tale of My Shoes

Assuming there is a grain of truth in this, is it just your left shoe that comes untied? Or at least comes untied far more frequently than your right shoe? Thing is, it's my left shoe that comes untied all the time. My right shoe almost never does. It has gotten to the point where I double-knot the laces on my left shoe and single-knot those on my right. This would be easier if the shoelaces on my hemp shoes were somewhat longer, but they are short, and as they are attractive laces and match the shoes well I am hesitant to swap them for longer ones.

Could it be that both of us walk in a pattern that favors our left shoes coming untied? Or is this perhaps common to all right-handed people?

By the way: I was hoping to get a couple more pairs of the hemp shoes in different colors. I bought them at MooShoes, a block from your apartment, when I was visiting last October, if you remember. However, I can't find the model on their website. I've sent them an email asking if they could identify the shoes based on my description of them. If they are unavailable online, however, and still available in the walk in store, I may have to ask you to pick me up a couple pairs.

Holy smokes. I posted to the main page. It's a small miracle.

As many of you may know our grandfather passed away earlier this week. I wanted to share a little about him with you all.

My Grandpa was an amazing man and he gave me several wonderful gifts over the past 25 years.

He tought me how to swim. In the large pool of their back yard. Although his method was questionable,throw the child in the water and tell them to swim to you :) it worked. I love to swim and I love the water.

He tought me a love of being outdoors. There was rarely a weekend at Grandma and Grandpas' house that didn't involve my Granpa taking us for a hike. He would point out edible plants and animal tracks. In the summer he would fill canteens for us and in the winter he would create make shift sleds out of plastic grocery bags.

He tought me that if you want something in life you have to work for it. One of his favorite sayings was "You can want in one hand and shit in the other and see which one fills up first." He worked so much harder for everything in his life than I've ever had to, and part of that is the foundation he was able to create in our family.

He always had an endless supply of handkerchiefs and hugs for whenever one of us was hurt.

He had a wonderful sense of humor which he shared with everone around him. My Grandpa loved to see his grandkids laugh.

He tought me that the best thing in life you can do with your resources is give them away to others. The living rooms are so full of gifts at each Christmas that we used to joke that Santa must have dropped his entire sleigh in my Granparent's home. I cannot remember a Christmas where, no matter how much she may have insisted it wasn't necessary, my Grandma didn't received a beautiful item of jewelry.

There was nothing in life more precious to my grandpa than his family and he showed me how to live a life of putting the needs of your family above your own and that you can never say "I Love You" too much.

Most of all he gave me 25 years of incredible unconditional love as one of his beloved grandkids. A co-worker of mine wrote in a card that "Grandparents are the best, for all they know is love". My Grandpa came from a poor, working class background, played professional football, and was a strong, tremendous man, but I never said Hello or goodbye to him without receiving a huge hug and kiss. As much as I loved him, I don't think it ever matched the love he had for me.

To give you the best picture of this man who so deeply touched my life I can think of no better words than those of my sister: "We had the best grandpa, we were so lucky."

Congratulations, and congratulations!

So ok. Couple things. One, I finally picked up issue 1&2 of Y. Pretty damn cool. Sadly I can't find issues 3-6 anywhere. Bloody hell

Two, I actually have a livejournal now. Let us all bask in my complete submission to dork culture. My user name is, surprisingly enough, Grnegsnspm. Check it out.

Three, I have found a woman who is just as crazy as I am and digs me as much as I dig her. Her name is Mary. Huzzah.

Happy Belated Easter.

yay! just finished watching RealOne's broadcast of pearl jam's orlando show (only available til tomorrow noon for any of you who want to see it!) and i'm so, so, so excited for june! they even covered the clash's "know your rights" which rocked.

and, even with short hair, eddie vedder is still the goddamn sexiest man alive. ;)

~becca

Which leaves the possibility that he might have gotten caught on purpose, in order to get closer to the potential new fifth.

Bob Mike--

100 Bullets is the coolest shit ever. What an amazing issue #43 was...

I absolutely called this "twist" though. I just didn't think it'd happen so soon.

Three Things That You Should Know...

1.) 100 Bullets #43... Uh-Oh! Once again, things aren't as cut and dried as I thought that they were. Everyone on Earth should be reading this series.

2.) "Do You Realize??" by The Flaming Lips might just be the best love song ever written.

3.) I can NOT get enough of this.

Sadly, no. Throughout the whole thing I just kept going "That would have been explained in the book" or "That would have been expanded upon in the book." Maybe that's why I liked it. Because I could tell where they had to pick and choose what to put from the book into the movie. I just put in my own explanation whenever I felt that happened and I like my explanations.

Have you read the book?

> As a friend of mine said, "Go see Dreamcatcher.
> Watch the
> AniMatrix and then up to and including the bathroom
> scene. Then
> walk out and demand your money back." I, however,
> watched the
> whole thing. I loved it. Mostly because they were
> trying their
> hardest to squeeze alot into a short amount of time.
> I DUDDITS!

As a friend of mine said, "Go see Dreamcatcher. Watch the AniMatrix and then up to and including the bathroom scene. Then walk out and demand your money back." I, however, watched the whole thing. I loved it. Mostly because they were trying their hardest to squeeze alot into a short amount of time. I DUDDITS!

Oh, man!

So close! I'm impressed. The third line of that masterpiece, however, was actually:

Ghosts dwell there; goblins too! Though when I was seven chances are it happened without the semi-colon. Shockingly good use of rhetorical devices, though, huh?

This poem far outclasses the dismal shit I wrote in '99. :)

I'll think about whether you get to read it, but I'm leaning toward NOT!

oh! oh! i wanna read your really bad high school poetry!!
come on, i'll trade you some of mine...we'll see who wins for utter angst and cheesiness. ;)

Now, if we could only come to an agreement on what the definition of "is" is.

susan and dave-
thank you both for your words. i was really very frustrated when i wrote that, and it's funny because afterwards i was journaling and one of the things i wrote was "in the intersection of inspiration and despair, i stumble into hope". then to come back and read those same or similar words in your posts just felt very...communal i suppose. it's just nice to be understood, even before i understand myself. ;)
~becca

Becca
I'm late getting into this conversation because I've been doing report cards (ugh!) but, regarding 271 - I think the word is hope. A very "Hope"ful quotation that I am living with every moment of these days is this: "Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's understanding without guidance from another. This immaturity is self-imposed when its cause lies not in the lack of understanding, but in the lack of resolve and courage to use it without guidance from another. Have courage to use your own understanding!" --Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

 "i think you need to be careful not to let guilt become regret and self-condemnation, but really isn't a feeling of guilt an acknowledgement of responsibility for that which is harmful?"

Well perhaps were playing same word different meaning here again :). I think that a central part of guilt is self-condemnation, in fact I would say that it is crucial to it. So certainly I would say that guilt is not the same as an acknowlegement of responsibility. I can be aware of problems and my role in fixing them or my lack of response to fixing them without putting my self down. I also don't think that shame is helpful either. If there is accountability why is shame helpful. All shame does is hurt yourself, it certainly doesn't help anyone else, in fact I would say it is harmful to the degree that it only adds more pain to the world. Now humility, that I think is helpful. Humility is possible without self abuse, but I would say that shame it not.

Again my central point is action should come out of a responsibility of care for the other. Shame has no place in this and neither does guilt. In my view of an ideal world, all people would be able to live in peace, with lives filled with hope and joy. The self abuse of shame and guilt only takes away from this ideal rather than adding to it.

I hope this helps to clear up the meaning I place in the word guilt.


Jenn

jenn-
i really agree with a lot of what you say. i think the whole idea of self-flagellation over our sins is useless, and potentially even harmful--whenever we act out of a desire to relieve our own guilty feelings instead of a desire to relieve suffering then we're probably not approaching the situation as rationally and helpfully as we could.
however, that being said, i think there is a place for guilt. there is a place for accountability. there is a place for feeling ashamed of your complicity in that which destroys the earth or degrades other human beings. yes, i think you need to be careful not to let guilt become regret and self-condemnation, but really isn't a feeling of guilt an acknowledgement of responsibility for that which is harmful? maybe we're speaking of different feelings with the same name here, but i think that initial acknowledgement of your role in any wrong doing, which i would say is feeling guilty, is vital.
and, frankly, wouldn't you think there was something wrong if a person didn't feel guilty when they hurt others? didn't feel a twinge of conscious or what you will when they caused damage? yet is this just because we've been taught that we should feel guilty, or is it because guilt is actually necessary? is it possible that in trying to remove ourselves from a reaction of guilt we lessen our accountability? do we lessen our own cognitive dissonance, maintain our state of denial, by avoiding guilt, by saying it's unhealthy? or does guilt merely get in the way of empathy and a real ability to respond to a problem? i don't know...part of me wants to go with the latter, but the other part of me is skeptical that i just want a get out of guilt free card.

Jenn--

That is a fantastic response.

Seriously. Thank you.

"How do I live a meaningful, happy life in a world plagued by so many problems?"

I guess my primary answer to this question is let the things that make your life happy and meaningful be the things that make others' lives happy and meaningful.

Also I'm not so big on the guilt. I don't think it serves any purpose. Awareness and responsibility are helpful in the world. They call us to action, but there is also an element of the hope of making a difference within them. There is no hope in guilt and really no factor to act other than to relieve our own pain, and that's not the place we should be coming from to change the world.

So my advice is stay aware of what is wrong in the world, take on and fulfill the responsibility of doing what you can to make your world a better place, find joy in giving another person a spark of hope or happiness, and do it because you love the world and the people in it not because you feel guilty.

Jenn

Perhaps "idealist"? Perhaps "aware"? Perhaps "alive"?

"I'm witnessing this chronic, insidious genocide and I'm really scared, and questioning my fundamental belief in the goodness of human nature. This has to stop. I think it is a good idea for us all to drop everything and devote our lives to making this stop. I don't think it's an extremist thing to do anymore....I spent a lot of time writing about the disappointment of discovering, somewhat first-hand, the degree of evil of which we are still capable. I should at least mention that I am also discovering a degree of strength and of basic ability for humans to remain human in the direst of circumstances - which I also haven't seen before. I think the word is dignity." ~Rachel Corrie

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,916246,00.html

is there some word that means both inspired and despairing at the same time? cause i need it...

hells yeah.

i got a nice little reminder of upcoming bliss when i opened my mail today and recieved my pearl jam tickets (june 2, irvine meadows). i think you'll understand when i say "eeeeeee!!!!"

spent a large portion of the remainder of the evening driving around listening to bootlegs and getting lost on the outskirts of the city since it's my day off.

caught stp's "sex type thing", sp's "today", and nirvana's "in bloom" on the way home.

i'm a happy girl.


p.s.-Jon, you better figure out a way to get your ass home and join me for that show. come on, you can cut class for a few days. it's worth it.

Let it ring, fools!

I just called Canada, and asked if they have similar problems. They just laughed at me.

The challenge has been given.

Answer if you can.

Huzzah. Brian Azzarello (of 100 Bullets fame) is going to be at WonderCon in San Francisco come April. If you want me to get something signed for you, lemme know. They're also going to have Joe Kubert! I'm such a nerd.

"bless me father, for i have sinned."
"how long has it been since your last confession, my child?"
"considering i'm not catholic...i haven't had a last confession."
"i see. and what sins have you committed?"
"i come from an insatiably capitalist country, and i live a comfortable, gluttonous, naive life. is that a sin?"

My friend Briana is one of the greatest writers I've ever known. I recommend that you visit her livejournal and read some of the beautiful words she writes. I love them.

"In the future," he said

Let's play the limerick game.

I'll start. Then someone needs to write a second line. Someone else will write the third and so on. This could be fun.

Here's your starter:

As I supped on some hot Freedom Toast

There ya go. Run with that. Propose your own. It'll be fun.

If you're good we can, I don't know, try a sestina. :)

Holy shit.

I'm actually speechless.

" 'This action today is a small, but symbolic effort to show the strong displeasure of many on Capitol Hill with the actions of our so-called ally, France,' said Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, the chairman of the Committee on House Administration."

Oh my.

I have never been more proud to be an American.

And by "proud", I mean "embarrassed". Prior to this, I really thought that we'd reached rock bottom with our naming every new law via acronym (the PATRIOT Act, the RAVE Act, etc.). Turns out, the bottom was still miles away. I'd say that we just hit, except that I live in fear of what they might do in order to prove me wrong.

I will say this, though: Freedom toast is fuckin' tasty.

USA!
USA!
USA!

Oh, but I did!

I can't figure out how to post a comment on your live journal, but I must say MY dreamscape is more than cinematography. It is actual creation. Had you but seen the monster wading across the strait to the tiny jewel of a island where I and my two beautiful baby boys were hiding from him - watching the color, the textures of gree-gold scales reflect on azure waters, as we breathed in terror! Magnificent!

Just in case you've forgotten, I'm still updating the Live Journal.

That's where you can go for the hip news on my wacky life. Word.

Yes.

From an old issue of The Onion--

You may have seen this one, but it's new to me. I think it's hilarious.

Oh! That is too perfect!

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more
http://taxes.yahoo.com/

This weekend sucks.

Rehearsals all day tomorrow.

Load in to the theatre tomorrow.

Do homework in my fucking imagination.

Ack.

Hey, Bob Mike.

Here in in New York we have something called the "rabbit punch."

I'd be happy to teach you about that when next we meet, with a quick demonstration or nine.

~Blizzle Dizzle

Edited by author 02-21-2003 11:59 PM
A Note For Ed,

First of all, please allow me to apologize for taking so long to write this. It's been a crazy week at work (I'm working at an off-campus bookstore, and the semester just started), and I haven't had the time to post.

No offense was taken at your joke. I realized that you were joking, and I took it for what it was. The only reason that I felt the need to make the correction was because Dave seemed confused by your post, and I didn't want him to get the wrong idea. If Dave were a little quicker on the uptake, the correction wouldn't have been required.

Hey, did you notice how I managed to turn this little apology acceptance into a cheap shot at Dave? Here in Los Angeles, our basketball players refer to that as a "rebound". New York should look into it.

So, in order to relieve Ed's worried brow, I'd like to remind everyone here that I'm posting under the name "Bob Mike HITLER". Before I get offended, the jokes are going to have to get a lot more tasteless than passing references to drugs that I may or may not have taken.

Peace out, y'all! Fo' shizzle.

"Due date" reminds me of my video rentals. And their due date. And last Monday. You know, their due date.

With any luck, I'll remember to return the two good movies and the one potentially-good-but-unwatchable-because-some-fuckwad-used-the-disc-as-a-frisbee-or-some-shit movie before the 4th of October.

I've already returned the bad movie. (#66 in IMDB's worst movies of all time, baby!)

Wow was Thursday exciting!!! I had my first OB appointment. The doctor I went to does ultrasounds instead of pregnancy tests to varify pregnancy. So Josh and I got to see the baby for the first time! It's just a little peanut shaped thing, but you can actually see the heart beat. The little flashing of the heart goes so fast, 160 beats per minute was its rate. Wow, it is so amazing and so weird to think about another creature's heart beating inside of my body.

They determined I'm 7 weeks and 5 days (today) along. That puts my due date on October 4th!

Damn, man. I need to clean my room, I guess. :)

~Dave

hey everyone!
so, i'm going to new york next weekend! i know, a little last minute, but it's the only weekend i have free for months, my current job is needing to know ASAP if i'm staying, and i have fallen in love with this organization (www.hmi.org) in NY that i simply have to talk to before i make that decision. so i booked a flight yesterday (thank god for jetblue and their low prices) and a week from now almost exactly, i'll be on a plane to go crash at dave's and job hunt!
oh, and, hopefully, to see La Boheme. :-D
yay!
~becca

Re: /m246: funny!

I had this longish post planned for tonight and then livejournal was down. Now I lack the inspiration. I'm going to bed.

Galapagos is a good book. Vonnegut is a great freaking writer. Read Mother Night if you haven't, at this point it's my favorite.

Peace!

Oh, and the site itself is pretty damn cool, too. For instance:

In 1998, Kembrew McLeod trademarked the phrase "Freedom of Expression" and created a zine with that title. He enlisted a friend, Brendan Love, to pose as the publisher of an imaginary punk rock magazine also called Freedom of Expression, whom he then pretended to sue. McLeod hired a lawyer and didn't let her in on the hoax. The lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to Love:

We represent Kembrew McLeod of Sunderland, Massachusetts, the owner of the federally registered trademark, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ... Your company has been using the mark Freedom of Expression ... Such use creates a likelihood of confusion in the market and also creates a substantial risk of harm to the reputation and goodwill of our client. This letter, therefore, constitutes formal notice of your infringement of our client’s trademark rights and a demand that you refrain from all further use of Freedom of Expression.

Shortly thereafter, the Daily Hampshire Gazette ran an interview with McLeod. He played it straight, telling the paper, "I didn't go to the trouble, the expense and the time of trademarking Freedom of Expression just to have someone else come along and think they can use it whenever they want." Two years later, when McLeod asked to reprint the Gazette article in his book Owning Culture, the paper denied him permission.

The best EULA, ever, courtesy of Illegal Art:

----------------------------

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NOTICE TO USER: BY METABOLIZING YOU ACCEPT ALL THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, USE OF YOUR HOME AND CAR BY THE AUTHORS OF THIS AGREEMENT.

This Website End User License Agreement accompanies the Web Pages and related explanatory materials ("Crap"). The term "Crap" also shall include any upgrades, modified versions, or repaintings of the Website licensed to you by either The Prince of Wales, a sentient washing machine, or my old Rabbi (the one who used profanity). Please read this Agreement carefully. At the end, you will be asked to accept this agreement and provide this Website with a warm, lingering, creepy hug. If you do not wish to accept this Agreement, simply click the "I do not accept" button while forcefully shoving your computer off the back of your desk ("Card Table").

Upon your acceptance of this Agreement, this Website grants to you a nonexclusive license to use this Website or your own Shoes ("The Dressy Ones"), provided that you agree to the following:

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1.2 You may make and distribute unlimited copies of the Website, including copies for commercial distribution, as long as each copy that you make and distribute contains this Agreement and is created in one of the following media: carved out of ice, as in an ice sculpture centerpiece; smeared in mustard on the side of a white or off-white panel van; or taught to a parrot who is then condemned to fly the earth for eternity, incessantly repeating the mantra of this Website.

2. Copyright and Trademark Rights. The Website is owned by its authors ("the Elks Clubs of America") and its suppliers. Its structure, organization, and code are the valuable trade secrets of the Freemasons, probably. The Website is also protected by United States Copyright Law and a group of big, scary goons who will happily beat you until you're ejecting teeth like a winning slot machine. Use of any trademark does not give you any rights of ownership in that trademark, jackass. Except as stated above, this Agreement does not grant you any intellectual property rights in the Website. Got it, fucko?

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6. Notice to Government End Users. The Software and Documentation are "Real Bitchin'," as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. §2.101, consisting of "Real Bitchin' (formerly 'Radical' items)" and as such terms are used in 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.7202, as applicable. Or maybe 56 C.Fsomething something. 7. Oh, and these things, too: §§§§. Consistent with 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §§227.7202-1 through 227.7202-4, as applicable, as well as §R2-D2 and §JOHNNY 5, locked in a beautiful metallic embrace of everlasting robot love.

PLEASE INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OR DECLINE OF THE FOREGOING AGREEMENT BY CLICKING ON THE APPROPRIATE BUTTON BELOW.

I Agree | I do not agree

by Jason Torchinsky

Edited by author 02-18-2003 09:06 PM
Okay so I think I answered some of these with Dave on an IM, but given my altered state, some of the answers have changed and it's nice to share so here are my answers:
1. Who sent this e-mail to you? Didn't get sent, was shared on some aspect of the David J McGee world.
2. What time is it? Actually, this may come as a surprise since I am a bit of a bitch when it comes to being on time, but I have no time telling device available to me at this moment.
3. Name as it appears on your birth certificate? Jennifer Ruth McGee (we'll save the Ruth debate until after the ultrasound, dear God just let me have a boy:) )
4. Nickname(s): Jenn to almost everyone, and Jenni if I love you.
5. Parents' names: Wendy and Brian
6. Number of candles that appeared on your last birthday cake: I don't remember, but it was a yummy ice cream cake, the kind with actual cake in it!
7. Date that you regularly blow them out: October (the best month to be born in) 28th
8. Pets: Mika, Sebastian, Nikki, Cats listed in the order of intelligence.
9. Hair color: Turning back to a goldish brown now that I can no longer color it that dark brown/red that I like.
10. Tattoos: a green dragonfly for Josh, most likely I'll get a second one for the baby after its born
11. Piercing: One in each ear that works, a second set in each ear that is closed and a third hole in the left upper ear that is also closed (although that was darn cute and I may get it pierced again)
12. Favorite color: Browns and Blues
13. Hometown: It's a toss up between Pomona and TO, but mostly I was a nomadic PK
4. Current Residence: San Gabriel YEAH!!!
15. Favorite food: love the sushi, but alas I cannot eat it for 8 more months. Right now anything salty and starchy is my friend.
16. Been to Africa? Not yet, but hopefully some day.
17. Been toilet papering? I've never had this experience.
18. Loved somebody so much it made you cry? Hello this is me I cry over people who don't even exist!
19. Been in a car accident? I was hit by a couple of teens while I was driving the gigantic van for work,{and just for the record my child is never getting into a car with someone like Diva, Christ what were mom and dad thinking :)}
20. Croutons or Bacon Bits? Croutons, without a doubt
21. Current car you drive: my little Toyota
22. Favorite Movie(s): Blue, Mosters Inc.,Being John Malkovich
23. Favorite Holiday: Christmas!
24. Favorite day of the week: Saturday, potential for fun and so much available sleeping time.
25. Favorite word or phrase: Baku!
26. Favorite toothpaste: Sorry Bec, but I don't think Tom's of Maine cleans very well, I prefer your plain mint paste. At least that artificial mint makes my mouth taste cleaner.
27. Favorite Restaurant: Akio's Oh well I guess I'll just have to have King Crab special next time I'm there. :)
28. Favorite Flowers: star gazer lilly
29. Favorite Drink: Bombay Cafe's ginger lemonade is the current drink of choice.
30. Favorite sports to watch: "God help me but I've started getting into football. I feel so dirty", I hear you Jon
31. Preferred type of ice cream: Chocolate and Peanut Butter.
32. Favorite Sesame Street Character:Snuffleupagus, but I also have a special fondness for Cookie Monster
33. Last book you read: The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy
34. Favorite fast food restaurant: The Hat, yum salt is good
35. When was your last hospital visit? Over sib fest, my Karmic punishment.
36. What color is your bedroom carpet? light brown, I think.
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Once, the first time I turned left instead of right (a huge surprise to those of you who know me) and since I "failed to follow a direct instruction" I was given an automatic fail.
38. Who is the last person you got email from before this? Mono, she's moving back to California!!!
39. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? Nope.
40. Which single store would you choose to max out your credit card? A really fun antique store.
41. What do you do most often when you are bored? Sew, sleep, watch Food TV.
42. Name the friend that lives farthest away from you:Dave is in New York, that's the farthest I think.
43. Most annoying thing people ask you: "What do you do?"
44. Where are you working now? United Cerebral Palsy
45. Who will respond the quickest to this email? N/A
46. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond? N/A
47. Favorite all time TV shows: Buffy (although I find this season some what lacking), The Sopranos, She-Ra, and Alias.
48. Last person(s) you were out to dinner with: Josh and Susan.
49. What's in your CD player right now? I have no CD player at this time.

1. Who sent this e-mail to you? Becca
2. What time is it? 2:44 PM
3. Name as it appears on your birth certificate? Jonathan David Taylor
4. Nickname(s): Little Man Tate
5. Parents' names: Wendy and Brian
6. Number of candles that appeared on your last birthday cake: Hell if I know. But since this is supposed to be asking how old I am, 20.
7. Date that you regularly blow them out: September-ish
8. Pets: Tiger, Checkers, Cha-cha
9. Hair color: Brown
10. Tattoos: DA PLANE!
11. Piercing: Thank you, no
12. Favorite color: Black. or Red. Soooooo gothic
13. Hometown: P-Town! Wooo! Pomona Pride
14. Current Residence: Santa Cruz. Home of the Hippies
15. Favorite food: Burgers. generic? yes. true? hell yes.
16. Been to Africa? I hope not.
17. Been toilet papering? I t-peed the inside of little Jake's house once. He helped.
18. Loved somebody so much it made you cry? Not really. Unless it's that something happened to someone I loved and then I cried.
19. Been in a car accident? I was with mom when we got rear-ended right on to the train tracks. Oh and a train was coming at the time. And the car wouldn't start. Managed to get off the tracks though. It started after about 5 or 6 tries. True story.
20. Croutons or Bacon Bits? Croutons are tasty goody
21. Current car you drive: Pow-Pow-Power Wheels
22. Favorite Movie(s): Big Lebowski; Requiem for a Dream; Memnto; Army of Darkness; South Park; Pulp Fiction
23. Favorite Holiday: Christmas is during a month of school and I get stuff.
24. Favorite day of the week: Tuesday and Thursday. I hav my Shakespeare class those days. And there's this girl in my class...
25. Favorite word or phrase: Indeed
26. Favorite toothpaste: I like tooth rot
27. Favorite Restaurant: Casa del Rey. Good food. Good memories.
28. Favorite Flowers: dead ones. soooooo gothic
29. Favorite Drink: Dr. Pepper is my savior
30. Favorite sports to watch: God help me but I've started getting into football. I feel so dirty
31. Preferred type of ice cream: Chocolate Malted Crunch. Can only get it at Rite Aid now. used to be Thriftys. I love that ice cream.
32. Favorite Sesame Street Character: I hate Sesame Street
33. Last book you read: for class? Play it as it Lays by Joan Didion. on my own? Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan
34. Favorite fast food restaurant: In & Out Burger
35. When was your last hospital visit? I've had blood work done alot. The last time for anything serious was 6th grade when I broke my other arm.
36. What color is your bedroom carpet? Green and red. HOw festive.
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? 2 and counting for the permit.
38. Who is the last person you got email from before this? Megan Reef from church back home.
39. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? I'm like Teflon, baby.
40. Which single store would you choose to max out your credit card? Costco! You can get so much there for so little. If I maxed my card out I would be drowning in stuff.
41. What do you do most often when you are bored? Play Solitaire and listen to mp3s/CDs.
42. Name the friend that lives farthest away from you: My friend Alex is in New Zealand.
43. Most annoying thing people ask you: not really a question but: "You wanna be a comic? Cool, tell me a joke."
44. Where are you working now? McHenry Library at UCSC
45. Who will respond the quickest to this email? N/A
46. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond? N/A
47. Favorite all time TV shows: Buffy; Upright Citizens Brigade; The Tick; starting to get into Smallville
48. Last person(s) you were out to dinner with: I took myself out to dinner and a movie for Valentine's Day. And I didn't even get any at the end of the night. I'm such a cocktease.
49. What's in your CD player right now? A CD I made of random songs on my computer. Including that song from Sprung monkey that was cool 4 or 5 years ago.

Bob Mike,
I knew the moment I hit "submit" I screwed up. I offer you my deepest appology for slandering you. As is the case with most extroverts in my addled brain state I thought it a joke a could poke at you. I was on my way home that I realized it wasn't funny and in bad taste. Please forgive me.

Ed

ok, so i wanna play too! and i'm sitting around bored anyway...soo....
1. Who sent this e-mail to you? the little automatic sendy doolybob that delivers everyone's witty comments to my inbox, and sort of susan and josh i suppose.
2. What time is it? 9:12 pm
3. Name as it appears on your birth certificate? Rebecca Dorothea Taylor
4. Nickname(s): Becca, Maayaa (mero Nepali naam)
5. Parents' names: Wendolyn and Brian
6. Number of candles that appeared on your last birthday cake: i believe it was 8...on today's cake though...
7. Date that you regularly blow them out: February 8th
8. Pets: oliver, our old english sheep dog in vegas, and tiger, checkers and cha-cha at home in pomona
9. Hair color: variations on the theme of brown
10. Tattoos: are very much too permanent for me, but oh so tempting
11. Piercing: little amethyst nose stud
12. Favorite color: Purple, but really multicolored things
13. Hometown: uh, kinda Pomona,CA i suppose...it's where i'd say feels like home anyway.
14. Current Residence: Vegas, baby. Vegas.
15. Favorite food: hmmm...moroccan for eating style, ethiopian for the communal friendly feel, nepali for comfort food, bread/cheese/wine/fruit for picnics and sushi for sheer sensory bliss.
16. Been to Africa? nope
17. Been toilet papering? hehe...i toilet papered my friend's entire dorm room for her birthday freshman year...
18. Loved somebody so much it made you cry? yes
19. Been in a car accident? well, this one time in high school davina was driving and checking out these guys in a car across the way and she rearended somebody. her car was a '52 convertible that had no seat belts...good thing we were only going about 10 miles an hour...
20. Croutons or Bacon Bits? did you know bacon bits are vegan? now, i'm not saying i'd eat them either way, but just thought that was interesting.
21. Current car you drive: a red jeep cherokee death trap or a sliver minivan
22. Favorite Movie(s): damn...i can't answer this...my favorite movie i've seen recently has been kurosawa's Madadayo though
23. Favorite Holiday: oh, i love holidays. christmas is probably my favorite, but i think halloween is incredibly cool.
24. Favorite day of the week: i like mondays
25. Favorite word or phrase: fabulous
26. Favorite toothpaste: Tom's of Maine cinnamon...i love cinnamon...i brush my teeth at least four times a day since i got this stuff. =)
27. Favorite Restaurant: gosh, probably this moroccan place in sacramento. though i love me some good diamond palace indian food when i'm back in socal.
28. Favorite Flowers: tulips are pretty, and i adore the smell of orange blossoms
29. Favorite Drink: hmm...mango lassi or irish coffee...depends on the mood
30. Favorite sports to watch: I like soccer and hockey, but neither is as good on TV cause you don't get a real sense of the space with either. acutally, i'm not a big sports watcher, but i can get into it if i'm with people who are.
31. Preferred type of ice cream: oh, there is this moca cheescake almond stuff at bert and rocky's in claremont...it is incredible...yummm...that and i love hopscotch--you know, that vanilla and orange sherbert checked stuff? but i never see it anywhere anymore...
32. Favorite Sesame Street Character: grover =)
33. Last book you read: just finished The Food Revolution by John Robbins, The Bean Trees by kingsolver, and re-read The Prophet for the hundredth or so time.
34. Favorite fast food restaurant: el pavo...little hole in the wall mexican place. yummy...
35. When was your last hospital visit? well, i went last year to get some lab work for a job physical, but i've actually never been treated at a hospital...
36. What color is your bedroom carpet? the same industrial multi blue gray brown crap that's in the rest of the house
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? I passed on the first try.
38. Who is the last person you got email from before this? Idealist.org
39. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? nope
40. Which single store would you choose to max out your credit card? Oh, credit cards make me nervous...but given a get out of debt free card, it would definitely be the folk music store...instruments and cds galore...though borders comes a close second...
41. What do you do most often when you are bored? Play my guitar or sing or go to the library...man, i love the library
42. Name the friend that lives farthest away from you: my friend matt is dancing in argentina
43. Most annoying thing people ask you: "what are you doing next year?" though this is more panic inducing than annoying really...
44. Where are you working now? Boys Hope of Nevada
45. Who will respond the quickest to this email? irrelevant
46. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond? irrelevant
47. Favorite all time TV shows: dude, i love buffy.
48. Last person(s) you were out to dinner with: bruce, susan, susan's parents and sister, andrew, ariel and jackson
49. What's in your CD player right now? i don't know, cause it's far away, but if i remember correctly: ok computer, siamese dream, and the ken burns collection of tholonius monk

Oh! I get it!

It's easy to mix up those things. I mean, there are things I mix up too...

I can never tell the difference between "Franz Kafka" and "Frank Capra." That's one.

Another one: "Caligula" and "Bunnicula." I get those two fuckers confused.

In all honesty, Mike, I understand not wanting to be on codeine. After surgery, I dropped that as soon as I could stand the pain.

And Dad, in the future, that's a really important distinction to make. :P

Co-DEINE! Codeine! The pain killer!

On the off chance that there's any confusion, I wrote that my mind was addled with Codeine, which had been given to me by a doctor, in order to deal with the blinding pain from a toe operation. While Codeine IS an opiate, which has a chance of abuse, there's a significant difference between it and cocaine. The main difference, as far as I can tell, is that the Codeine actually does something useful (numb the agonizing pain). For the record, I used Codeine, which had been prescribed by my doctor, for a single day, in order to deal with the pain and get some sleep. I haven't touched it since.

I hope that clears things up.

Re: /m237

You wrote:
"...Bob Mike (the cocain addled brain one)..."

I respond:
What?

First time I've been on in 11 days. Never dawned on me I was announcing to the world that Jennifer was pg. Should have, but it didn't. Sorry to steal your news and let Bob Mike (the cocain addled brain one) know prematurely. Josh, you should have called and cleared your voice at me earlier.

I guess I owe you a trip to the store for dill pickles and strawberry ice cream.

Dad

I forgot movie: Magnolia;
changed my icecream favorite last night after my first taste of Baskin Robbins World Class Chocolate; And how could I forget Moonlighting?

1. Who sent this e-mail to you? I snatched it off David's web site. 2. What time is it? 9:27 pm
3. Name as it appears on your birth certificate? Susan Marie Spencer (although I was named in error - they actually intended to name me Mary Susan)
4. Nickname(s): Susu, Moogie, Moog
5. Parents' names: Vi and Dick
6. Number of candles that appeared on your last birthday cake: 40 (cakes not too big in our family)
7. Date that you regularly blow them out: October 16
8. Pets: currently borrowing Mika, Nichi, and Sebastian
9. Hair color: which strand?
10. Tattoos: been a while since I rubbed one on - I think it was the Power Puff Girls. 11. Piercing: One in each earlobe.
12. Favorite color: some greens, some pinks
13. Hometown: Born Monterey Park, CA - hometown, Yucaipa?
14. Current Residence: the southeast bedroom
15. Favorite food: whatever I cook and whatever somewone cooks for me 16. Been to Africa? I wish!
17. Been toilet papering? Yes. My college roommate and I t-p-ed a guys bed - you should have seen it!
18. Loved somebody so much it made you cry? I am a mother - enough said. 19. Been in a car accident? My mom drove into an embankment when the sun was setting in her view one day.
20. Croutons or Bacon Bits? Real homemade garlic croutons, Italian bread, half butter, half olive oil.
21. Current car you drive: "The Goat": White 1990 Ford Escort 5-speed with blue striping. 22. Favorite Movie(s): In no particular order: Roman Holiday, The Piano, Star Wars, Indiana Jones (original)
23. Favorite Holiday: Family camping/road trip.Was Christmas until recently. 24. Favorite day of the week: Monday; full of promise.
25. Favorite word or phrase: I love you.
26. Favorite toothpaste: A small, fresh tube of single-color mild gel - not pump. 27. Favorite Restaurant: Any local place in NYC.
28. Favorite Flowers: Sweet peas for color, long-stemmed Red Roses for passion 29. Favorite Drink: My own Margaritas with Joshua's additions; ginger lemonade 30. Favorite sports to watch:Lakers in the playoffs
31. Preferred type of ice cream: High-fat vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and toasted nuts, whip cream and a cherry with a non-reactive spoon.
32. Favorite Sesame Street Character: Kermit. It ain't easy bein' green. 33. Last book you read: Young Jackie Robinson: Man of Courage
34. Favorite fast food restaurant: The Hat (Chili-cheese fries with onions, tomatoes, pickles and pastrami)
35. When was your last hospital visit? Lung Biopsy last year: "symptomless non-kesiating granular pulmonary sarcoidosis"
36. What color is your bedroom carpet? camel? taupe? sand? yeah, beige. 37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? I passed on the first try. 38. Who is the last person you got email from before this? David
39. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? Only by individuals. 40. Which single store would you choose to max out your credit card? Bookstore. 41. What do you do most often when you are bored? Eat.
42. Name the friend that lives farthest away from you: Eleanor Loeliger - South Africa. 43. Most annoying thing people ask you: "How are you?"
44. Where are you working now? Emperor Elementary School: finest public elementary I know, and only 5 doors from home!
45. Who will respond the quickest to this email? David
46. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond? David 47. Favorite all time TV shows: Wow. My first decade: Captain Kangaroo, Tuesday Night Fights, Maverick, Ed Sullivan and Ben Casey, Sky King; second decade: Time Tunnel, Star Trek, I Dream of Jeannie, Dark Shadows, Laugh In, Smothers Brothers, Sonny and Cher, Tom Jones, M*A*S*H; third decade: Mork and Mindy; Shogun; Oshin; Nikko, Nikko, Pun; Hill Street Blues; and Mrs. McGee's Fun English; fourth decade: Star Trek Next Generation; fifth decade: E.R., Law and Order, West Wing, and early Seventh Heaven.
48. Last person(s) you were out to dinner with: Pastor Maria Wette, earlier this evening. 49. What's in your CD player right now? Law and Order game, disc one.

__________________________________________________
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Hey Josh--

Thank you very, very much.

I have now submitted it to both of those sites.

I'm glad it spoke to you. It was hard to write.

Good grief, that's a chilling and fantastic poem. In my opinion, you should submit it to Poets Against the War and Poets for Peace.

I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
I thought it was the end
I thought it was the Fourth of July

That ended up sounding a lot harsher than I intended. Of course it's nice to spend money on nice things. I just hate being pressured to feel that it's proof of love.

I think that's better...

Umm...

The commercial nature of February 14th really bothers me. I agree that getting nice things is nice. I just resent the fact that it's being advertised to me that

a) if I don't spend that much money I don't love her

b) she's going to love me more if I spend money on her

That's just fucking terrible, in my opinion.

Okay, so here is my thoughts on the buying girls shiney rocks. For the most part, we like them. They are sparkley and pretty and they tend to bring out nice features. Earings pull attention to your eyes, a good necklace will show off your neckline, bustline, and face, and a nice ring highlights pretty nails. When we want to look pretty, the shiney rocks help. Plus each time we wear them we get to remember the special occassion in which we received them and the special person who gave them to us.

But I think I speak for most of us when I say, that's not why we like to get them as gifts. We like them as gifts because they cost the giver somthing, and shallow as it may seem, it is a true self esteem booster to know a man loves you enough that he'd rather spend his money on buying you shiney rocks then fancy electronic toys for himself. Granted the same sentiment can be made with gifts that take a lot of time and effort, but cost nothing. The point is, as selfish as it may seem, if a gift costs the giver something (be it money or time) it means that the person getting the gift is more valuable to the giver than what they spent to obtain the gift. Being made to feel like the most valuable thing in the world to your loved one is a romantic thing.

Bob Mike: I agree with you that it's a ridiculous "crime." But come now, surely your joy at the possibility of him being off of television must outweight your outrage at the injustice?

Josh: Really great post. Between this and the Vonnegut book I'm reading now (Galapagos) I'm in a state of questioning the human brain like ne'er before.

Edited by author 02-18-2003 09:22 PM
Tracks four through seven of Oasis's "Definitely Maybe" album? "Up in the Sky", "Columbia", "Supersonic", and "Bring It On Down". Track three is "Live Forever". If only.

Another of these odd coincidences occurred in 1944, prior to the ultra-secret Allied invasion of northern Europe. In the Daily Telegraph's crossword puzzle, relevant words began appearing: Utah and Omaha, the American landing beaches; then Mulberry, the codename for the temporary harbors that would be deployed to support the invasion. On 2 June, four days before D-Day, Overlord and Neptune appeared in the same puzzle. The first was the codename for the Allied invasion, the second the codename for D-Day's naval component. MI5 was dispatched to interrogate the poor, confused, 54 year old schoolmaster Leonard Dawe who composed the puzzles.

Examples of precognition? Certainly not. But they are certainly examples of the human brain's ability -- and strong desire -- to find patterns and meaning, even where there are none. It is a fundamental problem of cognitive science and linguistics that our perception of the world is under-determined: we just don't have enough information to form the complex conclusions we make every day. But this essentially human feature of association, the very thing which makes us into reasoning powerhouses, can get us into trouble: think human sacrifices to gods that control the weather, think the tables of "bizarre coincidences" that unite presidents Kennedy and Lincoln, think the unassailable conclusion that the Gallaghers are either prescient or terrorists.

Would this be better at my own website? Probably. But due to DNS problems with Blogger, the blogging functions of mcgees.org and davidjmcgee.com are inoperative. Maybe I should go fix them.

Funny, I was going to send Dave an email letting him know about the Dell dude's arrest. The best headline, of course, is "Dude, you're getting a cell!"

Several folks at MetaFilter thought it was stupidity that he should have been arrested for. "Dude, you live in New York," they said. "Ever heard of a delivery service?"

Re: The Dell Guy

If you don't know what this is about, then read Dave's LJ.

I'm honestly torn, here. It's the right punishment for the wrong crime. I've wanted that man put behind bars for three years now. I just think that it should be for annoying the living Hell out of me, rather than possession charges.

Personally, I don't care for pot. I've experienced a fairly wide variety of narcotics over the years, but I've never caught the old reefer madness. There are substances that I think should be legal that aren't, substances that I think should be restricted but are for sale over the counter, and substances that I think should be illegal that I've done anyway. Pot falls squarely into the catagory of substances that I think should be legal.

I do, however, agree with the latest anti-pot advertisements. You should definitely NOT point loaded guns at your friends while smoking weed.

- BMH

Mike,

Thank you so much for your kind blessing for our family. There are so many things that one feels at a time like this. The combined absolute terror of something happening to this tiny thing and the extreme joy over finally being able to conceive is overwhelming at times. Not to mention the mixed emotions of finding out I was to bring a life into the world after hearing only two hours before that seven lives had been lost from it. In the midst of all of these emotions, the support, love, and blessings from loved ones remains a constant source of balance,strength,and joy. Thank you again for your hopes for our child and for your friendship.

Jenn

Mike,

I second what David said. Thank you.

- Josh

Mike--

When you stopped trying to think of something clever to say, you instead found something incredibly beautiful to say.

I'm touched.

~Dave

After spending the last few minutes wracking my Codine-addled mind in an attempt to think of something clever to say, I think that I'll stop torturing myself, and simply offer my congratulations and what meager blessings I can manage.

Joshua and Jennifer, congratulations. May your family know happiness, and may your child grow up in a world where peace and liberty are more valued than silver and gold.

- BMH

Son of a bitch! I wrote that last comment, not Jennifer. Jennifer, @(#*$&% sign off of QuickTopic, please, especially when you have been using my Linux server!

Um ... hi, Bob-Mike. Um, Jenn and I are pregnant. We meant to tell you in person, or at least over the phone, but as (cough, cough) it really wasn't public knowledge yet, Dad, we had not told anyone outside the family. No slight was intended: you are still the first of our friends to know.

Yay! (this is Elisheba cheering some more)

No, Mother, I do not "yahoo" but I thank you for asking!

Question for the gang!

OK... every time I start-up my computer it wants me to log in with my network password. I don't have one... I hit cancel, and that's that.

But it does this every time.

Is there someway to get it to understand that it doesn't need to ask me this? Ever?

I was Strega Nona for our school character day last fall! Good choice!
__________________________________________________
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Quick sidenote, I finally saw Adaptation (as per your recommendation). Good stuff. I love the way the movie is split into two such distinct sections. So as not to give anything away I leave at that. Nicholas Cage doing a good acting job. I thought he stopped doing that years ago.

Rebar

Mom-- I'm going with Strega Nona. Welcome to the message board.

Jon-- livejournal is filling in until all the new server stuff is up. Eventually davidjmcgee.com will make a comeback. Until then, be satisfied. Be satisfied. Be aggressive. Be be aggressive. B E AGG RE SS IVE.

~Rygar

Grandma Susan or Nonna Susan? Oh, yeah...so, I clicked in for the first time ever without realizing I was in Jennifer's account and blithely changed her e-mail address to mine. So now will she get no postings and I get two? Will someone more literate than I please explain?

So since you have the whole livejournal thing, are you going to update the page ever?

Congar

The Counterfifth Detective was, politely stated, the shit. I agree with your award!

I also love the Homies. The Homies are rad, and I love them. They are my friends... nay... they are my Homies. I like to buy them from the vending machine. Woo!

Word up to your sponsor.

Hey, Bob Mike, you listening to that Riot Act?

~Dave

Edited by author 02-07-2003 04:30 PM
The 2002 BMH Awards

Favorite Meal: The Peanut Butter/Jelly/Honey Nut Cheerio Sandwich, heated to 110 degrees, and covered in a thick layer of dust. Everything tastes better at Burning Man.

Favorite Gift (Given): Homies! These are quite possibly the best toys ever, and they only cost 50 cents. I've given them to friend after friend. The best part is that no one knows what to do with them, but all of my friends are too polite to point it out.

Favorite Gift (Received): Transformers: Season 1 on DVD. When I was a kid, I thought that Starscream was a badass for standing up to Megatron. Upon reviewing my DVD, I've come to the conclusion that he's an idiot. An idiot that can turn into a jet.

Favorite Comic Storyline: 100 Bullets: The Counterfifth Detective.

Coolest Guy That I DIDN'T Get To See While He Was In Los Angeles: David Friggin' McGee!

The continuation of the Dave McGee Awards for Shit That Happened in 2002!

Favorite meal, made by someone you know and by a professional

By a professional: The meal I had at NOLA-- one of Emeril Lagasse's restaurants in New Orleans. It was too delicious to even discuss.

By someone I know: The McGee's Annual Christmas Eve Japanese Food Extravaganza

Favorite gift, given and received

Given: Dave McGee 2K2, the first ever CD featuring me and me.

Received: Three, 17 discs of Track 3s. Word.

Most anticipated musical album
Riot Act, fo shizzle.

Favorite musical album
Riot Act, dizzle.

Best live show seen
This is difficult Umm... I'm gonna cheat. Play: Metamorphoses; musical/opera: La Boheme; other theatre: Def Poetry Jam on Broadway; play that I directed: Forensic and the Navigators, you bastards.

Single best issue of a comic
Umm... Y: The Last Man #1

Item you most regret getting blue
Face
 
Item you most regret not getting blue
Becca

www.livejournal.com/~davidjmcgee

Check me out there, I'm rocking it live.

Well, new thoughts on parent-hood, grandparent-hood, uncle and aunt-hood. An uncle with blue hair? An aunt with shaved? (ok, it's grown back now) Another uncle whose a comic (or at least hopes to be paid to be one. The others are just unpaid comics) A new day has dawned. 25 years between my father and me, 25 between me and mine, 24 and 10 months between him and his. Boy or girl? What about Hill? Time to end it or keep it going? Have a girl and solve it naturally. Is it exciting? Scary? Both? This should be on Josh's site, bu I was reading here so David gets it. The family grows.

On lighter note, I now own War of the Monsters. It is everything I could have hoped for any more. You can play dodge ball as a minigame.

My mother called me this morning just as I was about to start rehearsal to tell me about Columbia...

I've felt ill all day.

Here's another one just to induce vomiting in case you've swallowed poison or something... just read this to yourself.

"International human rights groups have catalogued other methods used in the torture chambers of Iraq: electric shock, burning with hot irons, dripping acid on the skin, mutilation with electric drills, cutting out tongues, and rape. If this is not evil, then evil has no meaning."

Which makes total sense coming from a man that blocked 131 executions in his term... wait... no... I got mixed up. That's how many people he murdered during his term as Governor of Texas. Sorry, I got confused about the meaning of evil for just a minute there.

These are good things to consider... I will get to them at a later time, it is so very late here. I watched the State of the Union Address, and then I felt fucking nauseous. Here's my favorite part (I know it's Jenn's too):

"All told, more than 3,000 suspected terrorists have been arrested in many countries. Many others have met a different fate. Let's put it this way -- they are no longer a problem to the United States and our friends and allies… One by one, the terrorists are learning the meaning of American justice."

And I'm proud--proud!--to have this man as my President.

Favorite gift ... received

Duh :-)

Most anticipated musical album

Duh

Favorite musical album

Duh, probably....

Item you most regret getting blue

This I'd like to know. :-)

- Josh

Dave some possible additional topics for your best of 2002 list.


Favorite meal, made by someone you know and by a professional

Favorite gift, given and received

Most anticipated musical album

Favorite musical album

Best live show seen.

Single best issue of a comic.

Item you most regret getting blue.
 
Item you most regret not getting blue.

I thought these might be fun to think about/answer.

Jenn

This week I completed the Sandman series, here are my thoughts (as usualy there will be MAJOR plot elements discussed so you've been warned).


When I was 8 years old I read Little Women for the first time. I was so taken with the characters in the book that for the first time I deeply wished that I could be a part of their lives. I wanted these young women to be my friends, I had shared in their lives and I wanted them to share in my own.

It has been nearly two decades since I have found another set of literary companions of this degree. Thank you Neil.

The characters in the Sandman stories are so amazingly portrayed that at times, without my even knowing it, the characters became dear to me. My favorite example of this is the Narnia/Neverending storyesc characters from "A Game of You". While I found the fallen heros of this book to be moving, it was not until several issues later at the conclusion of "The World's End" that I realized how deeply Neil had made me care for them. In the two pages that show the funeral procession for Orpheus we see these brave characters who gave their lives in defense of their land. It was in that moment, in seeing their exsistence continuing, that I realized just how much those minor characters had become a part of my life.

Rose Walker is one of my all time favorite female characters. I wish that I could be her friend, for over the course of reading these books, she became mine.

I think that the finest of the books is "The Kindly Ones" and "The Wake" (we'll just pretend that book ended where it should have at the conclusion of, well, the wake). It was almost more than I could take to keep watching and reading as friend after friend was killed in the defense of the dreaming. In the moment where Morpheus takes his sister's hand, giving up his life, is perhaps the most peacefully tragic moment I've ever read. I could hear in my head as I saw this scene the voice of Tori as she sang the Tom Waits line "Close your eyes son, this won't hurt a bit". It was a death that was exactly as I read Neil describing the process in the liners for "Strange Little Girls" ... its not like being reaped, its more like having a flower plucked from your hair. The moment was perfect. There are nights where I still, 17 years later, find myself crying for Beth. I wonder for how many years I will find myself weeping for Morpheus.

Ultimately the thing that I loved about the conclusion of this tale is that Neil seems to understand that the readers have found companions in his characters, and he makes the reader a part of the story. In "The Wake" we the readers get to be included in this story, we get to be a part of the mourning, and I thank Neil greatly for that.

I also now understand why Dave wanted me to finish these books while he was here. For having the stories means being able to go back and visit the friends who reside there. Dave, I now feel deeply conflicted for on the one hand, I want to package these books up and send them back as quickly as I can to return these stories to you. On the other hand, they are so precious, that I cannot imagine doing anything other than gently handing them back to you, it seems what they deserve.

I thank Neil for the beautiful experience of sharing in his stories. I thank you Dave, for your genourosity and trust in placing your copies into my hands, thousands of miles away from your own.

~Jenn

OK, kids. It's time for the first installment of

THE DAVE MCGEE AWARDS FOR SHIT THAT HAPPENED IN 2002!

I'll continue to add to these as I think of categories! These are pretty biased, 'cause I can't remember everything that happened in the year!

We'll start with movies:

My favorite film of 2002: Punch-Drunk Love. Wonderful film-making.

My least favorite film of 2002: Just the ads for Sweet Home Alabama and Maid in Manhattan.

The best film of the year that got absolutely fucking raked by critics: Reign of Fire. Come on, it was the bomb. I honestly loved it.

Best single acting job of the year: Jack Nicholson, About Schmidt.

Actor who most realized how quickly fortunes can change so got into every fucking movie he could fit in his schedule: Colin Farrell.

Best performance by a kick-ass actor wearing a mullet: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Punch-Drunk Love

Best performance by a cast member of the West Wing in other material:
NOMINEES: Well, we got Allison Janney in "The Hours"; Martin Sheen in "Catch Me if You Can"; Rob Lowe in "Austin Powers 3"; and special mention Mary-Louise Parker in "Red Dragon".

The winner by a fucking longshot is Richard Schiff, as the Subway Driver in "Speed." True, this movie is eight years old. But we just fucking noticed it was him. Brilliant turn. (ok, seriously, think about how far is career has come in eight years!)

Best ensemble work when the cast had nothing had to work with of any interest: The Hours. It's amazing these actors can work with that shit and make it sort of interesting.

Best editing-- and you know it's good when you're like "holy shit, this is cut together better than it should be"-- Chicago (Martin Walsh, editor)

Best TV show: Fucking Alias. If you don't watch it, get out of my house.

Most exhilirating sports moment of the year: Robert Horry nailing the three pointer at the buzzer of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

Least exhilirating sports moment of the year: The San Francisco Giants fucking blowing the World Series.

Best video game of the year-- actually, ever: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Video game I'm most looking forward to: War of the Monsters

Video game I'm least looking forward to: BMX XXX. Who the fuck thought of that?

OK, that's it for today... more to follow. Lots more to follow. I'll keep 'em coming. Suggestions for categories? Let me know!

~Dave

Let the damned QuickTopic posting begin anew!

I'm safely back at school, and I have my own bedroom. Kick ass. Word.

davidjmcgee.com will be down for a while longer, until Josh has the free time to set up his computers. But as a person with an actual job and responsibilities, this might be a while. :) I'll post here, as you all should, until it's back up.

Re: 100 Bullets #40 (non-spoiler)

Well boys, it appears you are certainly correct, that takes care of that.

Jenn

David's home :)

Re: question 18-- does this mean that you love onions?

Tear gas makes me cry.

Re: question 50. It was "do you read the dictionary?" I removed it out of respect.

LOL

I am, actually, fairly surprised that you responded to the survey. If I had e-mailed it, the response to 46 would have been "Josh."

Re: question 18-- does this mean that you love onions?

Re: questions 12 & 36-- green is both your favorite color, and the color of your fairly ugly carpet. This is very meaningful.

Re: question 50. It was "do you read the dictionary?" I removed it out of respect.

Re: question 7: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

So... what are you... like 31?

Edited by author 12-11-2002 01:57 AM
OK, Dave, you can be sure I'm really bored if I took the time to fill the email survey you posted on your site. I don't think I've ever responded to one of these before.

1. Who sent this e-mail to you? Dave, sort of
2. What time is it? 10:09 pm
3. Name as it appears on your birth certificate? Joshua Hill McGee
4. Nickname(s): Josh. My late Nana called me Josh Squash.
5. Parents' names: Edwin and Susan
6. Number of candles that appeared on your last birthday cake: See question 43
7. Date that you regularly blow them out: December 11
8. Pets: Three cats: Mika, Sebastian, Nicola. Two late hamsters, three late rabbits.
9. Hair color: Brown
10. Tattoos: Jenn's dragonfly!
11. Piercing: Two in my left ear, now closed
12. Favorite color: Green. That's my favorite political party, too.
13. Hometown: Probably La Mesa, California.
14. Current Residence: West Hills, at the far Western extreme of Los Angeles.
15. Favorite food: Akio's ass-kicking sushi.
16. Been to Africa? Yes
17. Been toilet papering? I was once in high school, but the answer is still 'no'.
18. Loved somebody so much it made you cry? Onions make me cry.
19. Been in a car accident? Sure. In one I was a passenger and a child. Our car spun around in circles when another car hit us. In the other I was the driver and a teenager. Our car spun around in circles when a tire blew out.
20. Croutons or Bacon Bits? Apricots
21. Current car you drive: 2000 Audi A6 2.8L 5V
22. Favorite Movie(s): Aliens, Ronin, Schindler's List
23. Favorite Holiday: I always like me a good Christmas too.
24. Favorite day of the week: Gavadai (don't ask)
25. Favorite word or phrase: Probably "enantiomorph".
26. Favorite toothpaste: Aquafresh Whitening with Tartar Control
27. Favorite Restaurant: Akio's, and the chances of my ever going there again look very good.
28. Favorite Flowers: Jenn has turned me on to Stargazer Lilies.
29. Favorite Drink: Toss-up. Single malt scotch or single leaf tea.
30. Favorite sports to watch: Olympic gymnastics, Olympic diving, billiards, the Lakers when they are in the playoffs.
31. Preferred type of ice cream: Rum raisin
32. Favorite Sesame Street Character: Snuffleupagus
33. Last book you read: Quantum, by Tom Grace (I had to look it up.)
34. Favorite fast food restaurant: Rubio's
35. When was your last hospital visit? I think it was for removal of a bladder tumor, but it might have been removal of a kidney stone or removal of a 104.5 degree fever. In any case it was some time in 2001.
36. What color is your bedroom carpet? Green. It's fairly ugly.
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? I passed on the first try.
38. Who is the last person you got email from before this? Dave, indirectly
39. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? A speeding ticket, a parking ticket, an illegal U-turn. I'm not sure if those count.
40. Which single store would you choose to max out your credit card? The Whisky Exchange. The shopping list would include the three Black Bowmores, the 50 year old pear-shaped Springbank in the glass cabinet, and the 40 year old 1958 Highland Park in the wooden case. Not that my credit limit's that high.
41. What do you do most often when you are bored? Check MetaFilter.
42. Name the friend that lives farthest away from you: My friend Michael in Australia. Second furthest is probably my friend Cyril in France.
43. Most annoying thing people ask you: It used to be "Do you read the dictionary?" It's now "How old are you?"
44. Where are you working now? Rockwell Scientific
45. Who will respond the quickest to this email? n/a
46. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond? n/a
47. Favorite all time TV shows: The West Wing; Alias; The New Yankee Workshop; the original Twilight Zone.
48. Last person(s) you were out to dinner with: My wife, Jennifer.
49. What's in your CD player right now? Pearl Jam, Riot Act. It's on track 12.
50. Were there really only 49 questions? What an odd number.

The story of my discovery of Hildegard is a wonderful little story. Some day I will share it with y'all. But not right now, I'm writing a paper, damnit.

Edited by author 12-11-2002 01:24 AM
I cannot begin to express my surprised delight to find out that Dave knows the music of Hildegard! I found this music my freshman year of college. It is beautiful music. Listening to it is also the most sensual musical experience I've ever had. The name of the cd is perfect for this music as it seems to embody the very concept of spiritual ecstasy. I encourage you to give it a listen and enjoy!
 
I know that Josh is also familiar with Hildegard and her story in "The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat." You should check it out sometime Dave, its fascinating.


Jenn

Just to keep you informed-- the music I am listening to while writing this paper is Hildegard von Bingen.

The group Sequentia's album "Canticles of Ecstasy." If you ever want to understand just how ugly music can be, you're going to have to find songs that are the exact opposite of these songs.

I am writing a paper for my 19th Century European Romanticism class. When I am done, I will be done with school for the semester. Praise the Lord.

I got my TV back today. It only took them like six weeks to finish, which I think is totally reasonable considering it was just six times what they estimated. I now can watch SportsCenter in my room for the next five days until I go home.

That is all for now. I will work on my paper and check back in later.

OK, so for no apparent reason I was looking up information on next years ComicCon. Turns out that all they have up is a list of some of the people that will be showing up. However, in that list is Neil Gaiman and Alex Ross. I am now officially looking forward to an event that wont happen for about another 7 months. Plus, this should be my first Con. I really want to get my giant Marvels poster by Alex Ross signed. Yeehaw.

Despite their best efforts, Sutton will always be far cuter than Molly Ringwald... yes...

I mean this Molly Ringwald? Also currently on Broadway? In Cabaret? In the worst casting move since "Michael Knight" in Jekyll & Hyde?

I hate producers.

Edited by author 12-10-2002 02:59 AM
You know, Dave, we (Jenn and I and tens of thousands of other people, including some other readers of this forum) saw Sutton as Eponine in the touring production of Les Mis. She was, by far, the best thing about the show. Everyone there knew it. The audience were on their feet, roaring and applauding, and would not sit down until she came out for a second curtain call by herself. What a gorgeously talented young woman. I'm not at all surprised to see her winning a Tony a couple short years later.

By the way, is it just me, or were the producers of Millie trying to make Sutton look like Molly Ringwald?

Speak for yourself Josh, anti-capitalism gets me all hot and bothered.

Welcome to the message board, Eric Clem. It sounds, by the description of your balls, like maybe you've been hanging with Russian chicks too much? Perhaps?

I'm proud to be your deity. And it's a capital "G", you fuck. Don't disrespect my ancestor, the notorious "HUGH."

Change my identity.

A cringe.

I want to be someone else.

A pain.

David J. Mcgee is my god.

Does anyone else's balls really fucking hurt?

Edited by author 12-09-2002 10:54 PM
Jennifer is going to be very amused with your last post, Dave, to learn that I am not the only McGee man who finds Russian names (and women) hot. This is a running joke between Jennifer and me. Recently a group of us were playing "Apples to Apples", and while I was judge, Jennifer offered "Communists" as a match for "Sexy". She was very miffed when I did not pick her answer. I told her, "Jenn, it's not the anti-capitalism that's sexy."

- Josh

I'm going to see La Boheme on Broadway this Wednesday, and I'm looking forward to it. Lots.

There are three rotating casts of principals, because one should not sing opera more than 2-3 times a week, or else one will be very sad.

Because I'm assuming that the casts are at least very closely equal in talent, is there a way I can choose which cast I'd like to see?

Well, yes there is. Which Mimi-playing actress is the hottest?

First we look at names.
Lisa Hopkins- eh, doesn't do it for me.
Wei Huang- has a certain charm to it
Ekaterina Solovyeva- definitely wins. I think this might be the hottest name I have ever heard.

Then we turn to their pictures, which you can see for yourself at La Boheme's website... it's interesting that their pictures get very nearly the same reaction from me. So I say... let's go Ekaterina!

Speaking of attractive and extremely talented ladies, I saw Thoroughly Modern Millie last week. Now, you may remember from a previous post that I was seeing this show particularly to see the lead actress, Sutton Foster, whom I had seen perform a number from the show on television. After seeing the show, my review comes down like this: she's just one of the unfair people in the world. She's a fantastic singer, dancer, actress, and from all accounts it seems like she may just be the friendliest person in the world. She was picked from the chorus to be the star, quite literally. Plus, she's just so freaking cute, seriously, go look at her site. Ah... the show without her could be generally amusing, with her performance it makes it worth the ticket price. Goodness, she rocks.

So that's my article on pretty ladies in Broadway theatre. For today. Fjord.

It does make sense that way. Only I didn't mean it that way. haha

Thanks for the benefit of the doubt, though.

Re: 100 Bullets #40 (non-spoiler)

Well... that certainly does take care of THAT then, doesn't it.

From the "What a great thing this great thing is department":

I assumed you meant "...he's one of my all time favorites, if not my favorite author of all time." Parsed that way, it makes perfect sense.

From the "What a great thing this great thing is department":

"...he's one of my all time favorites (if not my favorite author) of all time."

~Me, in a previous post

Ach! I don't have it yet! I'm getting it tomorrow afternoon! I'm really excited! These months between 100 Bullets seem really long...

Re: The latest issue of 100 Bullets (non-spoiler)

Well, that takes care of THAT, I suppose.

Dave,

I'll agree that the Cole Burns story was a little bit weak, but I still enjoyed it. I'd always been somewhat curious what had happened to Cole's lady after he left, and it wrapped that up nicely. Besides, the Benito issue that came out immediately after it is extremely good, so I'm willing to be forgiving.

The reason that I like Lono so much is that we know so little about him, other than the fact that he's a really unfortunate man to cross. He reminds me of Graves in that respect, but I enjoy stories about him more because Graves isn't exactly a fountain of personality (although seeing Graves in the JFK story was great; it made him seem much more human). I have a suspicion that, somewhere down the line, Lono's going to go toe to toe with either Cole or Sheppard. It should be interesting to see who walks away from that one.

Also... I did not see Abre los ojos.

Vanilla Sky, however, was absolute drivel. When the credits began to roll I turned to my friend Laura and asked, completely seriously, "Was that a joke?"

Jason Lee was the only decent part of the film. Someone tell Hollywood that that kid's a good actor and should be given something meaty.

Bob Mike: 100 Bullets #40 comes out today. Where have you been?

Regarding the Minutemen, I'm a Cole Burns fan myself... though I hope Lono's one-shot is better than Cole's throw-away one-shot.

I think the way that reading Pratchett is working for me is reading two books maximum, then taking a three or four month break. I've been reading them in the order in which they were published (or at least listed in the covers of all them)... I think some of the jokes do have a tendency to get tired, and I agree that some of them are repeated way too often... I'm willing to put up with this because in each book there are at last three good laughs, and several more hours of pleasant diversion, beside.

Good Omens is by far my favorite of his books, and is actually one of the funniest books I have ever read.

But Jon... you really don't like Adams all that much? That surprises me... he's one of my all time favorites (if not my favorite author) of all time.

I read most of the books in Pratchett's Guards line, and several of the books in the Witches line, and a smattering of his other work. I was a really big fan for quite a while, but he eventually wore me down. Each of the storylines that I read used several jokes far too often for my tastes. Of his work that I've read, I think that Small Gods and Good Omens were his two best. By the way, every time I hear the title "Small Gods", I think that it's a part of Hob's toast from Season of Mists (the original quote mentions "old gods"), which was written by Neil Gaiman, who Pratchett wrote Good Omens with. Somehow, free association has brought my two favorite Pratchett books together.

Well, call me a poor man, but I prefer Pratchett. In fact, as much as this may be an affront to my nerdiness, I'm not all that big of a fan of Adams. As far as the "not a monkey" joke and the criticizm that you give of him, I would say that he makes that joke about 6 times in the myriad books that I have read and that would rank as the most common of any repeated joke. One of the things I like about pratchett is that he doesn't use the same joke over and over. His books are so varied and run all over the place. I would recommend reading Mort and Small Gods (my personal favorites) if you don't want to have anything to do with the wizards or Rincewind, as these don't involve them at all. Even the character of Rincewind manages to stay entertaining and nuanced, though at a glance it would seem that he is just there as throw away comic relief. Sorry but Pratchett is one of my favorite authors and I feel he doesn't get much of a close reading by people and is easily dismissed.

The thing about reading Terry Pratchet is that you can only hear the same joke so many times before it starts to get on your nerves. Terry Pratchet has made some incredibly funny jokes. Unfortunately, he used them all in his first book, and then had to repeat them again in each subsequent book that he wrote. I hear that he's back on the ball in some of his newer books, but I haven't had the opportunity to regrow my optic nerves after clawing out my eyeballs at about the eight millionth joke about how the librarian isn't a monkey. Once my eyes have healed to the point that I can make out crude shapes once again, I might just give some of his new stuff a try. I'd say that Terry Pratchet is a poor man's Douglas Adams, but putting those two in even the same league might just be grounds for the Douglas Adams fans to stone my to death before I get to see his previously unreleased Dr. Who script (which is currently in production).

By the way, does anyone know when this month's 100 Bullets will be out? This issue is Lono's time to shine, and he's my favorite Minuteman.

"It's big, but it's not THAT big."

You write in your review of Solaris that it "is the film that Vanilla Sky might have been if Vanilla Sky had been any good." Have you seen Abre los ojos, the fantastic Spanish film of which Vanilla Sky is a remake? That's the movie Vanilla Sky would have been if Vanilla Sky had been any good.

This is me sticking my tongue out at you. :)

No, you do that like this :-p

Jon--

I read Terry Pratchett books basically as filler between other books. They're all really funny, they're all so short. They cost about the same as seeing a movie and last about as long.

Wyrd Sisters is not one of the best, not on the low end. It's just right for an airplane book.

Thanks, dude.

It was the best movie I didn't see all fall!

Your review of sweet home alabama is now officially the funniest thing I've read all month

You know, Terry Pratchett has to be one of my favorite authors. What did you think of Wyrd Sisters? That's one of the few I have yet to read. I would suggest you read Small Gods if you haven't already. Oh and big props go out to Jen and Josh for getting me my first Pratchett books.

I swear to everything holy, youse guys are a bunch of fucks.

It was all that Dick Van Dyke's fault. Fuckin... Mary Poppins and shit.

Oh! And Thanksgiving! It was Thanksgiving's fault!

I'll injure you when we're playing Encore... mutter...

Don't make fun of David just because he hurt himself during a game of encore. That Encore is a rough game. I damn near lost an eye to that game.

I was considering telling you to bite me, Jenn... but I decided instead to tell you to bite me.

This is me sticking my tongue out at you. :)

~Dave

Jon we have that game, we got it through EBay because it was out of print for a while, but last year it was re-released and I think you can find it at Game Keeper. We can play when you all are up, just be careful Dave, I don't know where our local Emergency Room is.

hmmm. Depends on when the TPB comes out and when I might be able to read 1 & 2. If it comes out soon then I think I'll just get the TPB.

As for Buy Nothing Day, that was a gigantic flop as I proceeded to go out to eat at a nice restaurant, browse about in a mall, go to Target, hop into the grocery store, and then go out for ice cream. Aaahhh, spending money is so much more fun than making it.

I love turkey and mashed potatoes. They make giddy. And then sleepy. Which is another good after effect. I love my TG. I went to a friend's house, ate alot, played chess, and came back home. While there I began explaining the game Encore to someone and it dawned on me, I really love that game. I have, for the past 2 days, been searching for a place to buy it. Nobody has it. I am sad. I really want to play that game, especially with Dave and Becca. You know, because I like getting my ass handed to me.

Y: The Last Man #5! My thoughts: goodness, this comic kicks ass!

Jon, they're releasing a TPB of the first five issues-- you still want me to bring you issues 1 and 2?

Yeah, that's about right.

Edited by author 11-23-2002 12:40 AM
Okay so I decided to redo my quiz, there is a beginners and an advanced level now. You can find the first level here http://www.myonlinequiz.com/viewquiz.asp?id=53046 and the more advanced one here http://www.myonlinequiz.com/viewquiz.asp?id=52909 if the silly site ever decides to start working.

Well I got a 70 on Dave's quiz and an 80 on Jon's. And in the sisterly interest of Hey, Me Too I decided to also make a little quiz.

Dave I'm so glad to have you as the source of all up and comming comic issues so I don't actually have to do the work of looking it up myself :) I'll have to swing by Monrovia in the near future to pick up Y the last man #5.

I actually always liked Thanksgiving break. I guess it always came two weeks or so after midterms and was a welcome break before finals. Even though I never took advantage of the time to study or work on papers, I liked having that break when things were at their most stressful.

For that matter I also enjoyed the Harry Potter movie. It has been a while since I've read the book, and it was nice to have the things I enjoyed about it brought back to mind. Plus Kenneth Branagh, Robbie Coltrane, and Alan Rickman are oh so fun to watch in such over the top characters. Now I will give you that Columbus is not nearly the imaginative thinker that Rowling is, but all in all it was a fun experience.

I just finished reading American Gods. You can read my reviews of it here. Major plot points will be discussed, consider yourself warned.


Jenn

Oh, I just looked it up and apparently there was a godzilla game for the original NES called Godzilla: War of the Monsters. I wonder if they purposefully stole that title or not.

Alright. So this is the first I have heard of this game at all. Sounds like someone at Sony looked at Godzilla: Destroy all Monsters (which amuses me for nothing less than being shortened to God: DAM)and decided they should remake it but include monsters other than Godzilla ones. It very well could be cool. I just might have to pick this up for a rent.

i would like to third the "yay for the rythmn section" discussion line.

and i don't know dave...i mean, i saw no mention of the inspiration to head to an airport in your comments...i think we had vastly different impressions. ;-)

Josh-- the movie is infuriating... but I think it's in good ways mostly. I'm interested to hear what you think.

Edited by author 11-13-2002 04:53 PM
Last night I watched Michael Moore's new film Bowling for Columbine. I give this the highest recommendation that I can give a film.

This is good to know; I guess I will see it, then. I had intended not to. Longtime mcgees.org readers will remember my struggles with Michael Moore a year ago (here, and here, and here) in which I tried to decide whether Moore was an idiot or whether his aims were more sinister. (If those links do not take you to directly to the posts just search for "Moore" on the page.) He has infuriated me in the past. He's the kind of liberal, along with Alan Dershowitz and Jesse Jackson and Oliver Stone, that I want to grab by the lapels and shake. I want to shout "I don't want you on my side!" His idiocy has, on multiple occasions, underminded his message. The very fact that he is so inflammatory gives people an excuse to disregard his valid points.

So thank you for the recommendation of the film. I'll have to watch it now.

Becca, I know you didn't read my notes before you wrote yours... guess we had... umm... a "similar" reaction, huh? Pretty much song by song then.

I concur. I didn't realize that much at first because I was so wrapped up in experiencing them. Although, even the first time through, I managed to catch how badass the drums were on You Are.

Edited by author 11-13-2002 10:03 AM
Let me throw in for the record that Matt Cameron kicks ass. What an amazing drummer... but more than that, even. For the first time I feel like Pearl Jam has a five-member band of equally talented musicians-- not four kick-ass guys and someone to keep the time (maybe) with sticks.

His drumming (not "frumming," despite what you may have heard) is as integral to these new songs as any other instrument. He, as Bob-Mike would perhaps say, rules my jewels.

I'd say that's actually a pretty decent summary!

:)

So I think the general feeling I got from this album was that I wanted to hug those I love close to me and give society a big kick to the nads.

oh my...wow...

so two hours and 39 minutes ago i spent my last dime (quite literally...i have a nickel and two pennies left) on riot act.

i figured i'd pop it in, do a little casual listening to the first few tracks as i drove out to the library where i planned to spend the afternoon before picking up the boys thumbing through psychology grad school books.

instead, "i wanna race with the sundown/ i want a last breath i don't let out" and i'm hooked.

speeding down the freeway and dancing and laughing to "save you"

hearing love boat captain and thinking that this just might possibly have to be my new favorite pearl jam song (supplanting elderly woman...for those of you who care)...of course at that point i didn't know what was still to come and what an impossible decision that will be...

and i decide to head for the airport...windows down on this glorious clear and cool and sunny day...i'm taking in the lyrics to cropduster at red lights and wondering how eddie managed to read my journal entries from two weeks ago before writing this song..."everybody's practicing"...

laughing outloud as i pass by the casinos, that flashy holy city of capitalism, as i catch a line about the tv selling us all that we don't need

and, then oh, that song..."me, i figure as each breath goes by i only own my mind"...i had heard it in a broken crackling form through our very old and sad computer (thanks dave!) but was totally unprepared for the full effect it would have on me, lyrics clearly understood...on such a high at this point i'm practically floating down the road (of course, this may have something to do with the fact that the suspension on our jeep makes it feel like you're driving a boat...but...)

and then the next moment i'm crying so hard i have to pull off the road...thumbing my way hits me in a way i have no time to explain right now, but its love and loss and yet hope...and the fact that i had pulled off the road and into the parking lot for a cemetary, where all the graves were freshly decorated from veterans day...petals and ribbons against that unearthly green...just laughing into the spaces between sobs and i couldn't breath...

just two blocks from the airport and closing in upon a state of composure and there...a parking lot across the street...so i pull over, open the rear of the jeep, and lay back and watch the jumbo jets' silver bellies as they seem about to crash into the roof everytime and i revel in the lyrics i am now able to fully attend to...now, this is a revolution i can dance to...solidly crafted music around a message i wish i could phrase so well.

and on second listen it just gets better...able to really read the lyrics on save you and i wish eddie vedder was my bodhisattva...sigh...there are so many themes here..but i've already taken up so much space so we'll discuss later. =)

you're all beautiful. i love you.

"cause to the universe i don't mean a thing and there's just one word that i still believe and it's love"

~becca

I was reading this interview with Eddie Vedder, and I recommend it muchly.

At one point, the interviewer asked about two prevalent themes in the album: optimism and disillusionment. I had actually named these "love and lies." Which, if they were lame, could have been the album title. I probably would have named this, initially at least, "On Love and Lies."

I think "Riot Act" is a perfect title, I'm just pretty sure I wouldn't have thought of it.

Alright. So I got my paycheck today and had about 70 dollars more than I thought I was going to get. So I treated myself to Riot Act. Now, I'm not the worlds biggest Pearl Jam fan but I must say, that is pretty damn good.

On a related note, I just ate what could possibly be, the worlds greatest burger ever.

I am stunned.
And feeling slightly bloated.

I just figured out why Arc is the perfect song in the perfect place.

I just figured this album out, on the most basic level, what it means to me.

I just figured out the journey of this album, the same way I figure out the journey of a play before I direct it.

I cannot wait to listen to this over and over and find the moment-to-moment action of the music. I cannot wait to envelop this music inside of me.

I love this album. I love this band. It's 3:30 AM, and I'm going to bed.

I am stunned...

I am blown away.

I just finished listening to Riot Act, the new Pearl Jam album, and I'm trying to find...

Should I talk about having to pause the CD after Thumbing My Way because I couldn't stop sobbing?

Should I talk about my jaw dropping open when in 1/2 Full Eddie quoted himself from a song 11 years ago to remind us...?

Should I talk about sitting in stunned silence during Arc, which I don't know how they knew but was exactly the right song in exactly the right place on this CD?

Should I talk about rocking out and dancing because the music is perfection?

Should I talk about the tears I cried when All or None began to fade, just because I didn't want it to end?

Should I talk about Cropduster giving me a new way to look at life?

Should I talk about being taken on an emotional journey the likes of which I've never experienced in a single album, of being led on a true journey through brilliance of music and lyrics?

Maybe, instead, I should just say that I just finished listening to what is quite possibly the greatest album ever recorded. And that I'm so stunned I don't know what to do.

Future listenings, future analysis, future words and memorization and someday I'll sing along with the Eddie and rock out with abandon. But for now, I am inspired. I am simply inspired.

It's already been sung, but it can't be said enough. All you need is love.

Peace- you are all loved.

~Dave

Now, I know you got a serious Jonesin' to be back in New York but...really, New York is just a compact Los Angeles anyway. What's the big deal?

(FLAME ON!)

Okay I know the opera made you a grumpy bunny, and I'm sorry for your loss of money and time;
but..... you got TO GO TO THE OPERA IN NEW YORK CITY, so stop feeling so sorry for yourself and start feeling sorry for me, who doesn't get to live in New York let alone get see bad theater there =P.

That is the most wonderful account of the Opera I've ever read. it is also the only account of the opera I've ever read. I ever find myself going to the opera for a reason that isn't to get into a girls pants then I think I might have to truly reevaluate my life.

The server, as you are no doubt aware, is down. I'm posting my recent blog here just so that there's a chance for you to read it before Josh's return from Ye Olde Easte Coaste.

Here it is, hot and freaking juicy:
 
I went to the Knicks/Kings game at Madison Square Garden and that was all well and good. Though I love Chris Webber, despite his tendency to be literally afraid of the ball at crunch time, my loyalties still lie with my Lakers and my Clippers. So anytime a Western Conference foe loses to an (L)Eastern conference team, that's fine by me.

The national anthem performance was the best I have ever heard live. Ever. John Popper, on his harmonica, kicked that song's old ass. My goodness, it was awesome.

One other note: I attended the opera last evening (well, you know, the first half. but we'll get to that) because it's important to be a worldly, cultured person.

I did, however, find it necessary to leave at halftime, or whatever they're calling it these days, because boredom became not so much a side-effect as a full-on tumor gnawing at my psyche. While a man standing at the edge of the stage and repeatedly yelling "FIGARO!!!!!" (this actually happened. the opera was "The Barber of Some Shit or Other" I think it may have been in Italy, because I think they were yelling in Italian) may pass for entertainment for, you know, cultured people, I decided I'd rather not experience any more. So I left, having lost only $25 and several hours of my life, but did escape with most of my sanity intact.

I think next time I'll opt for experimental theatre where, at least when they're yelling Figaro, there's a chance of somebody flying or eating Rice Krispies or something.

Josh... What are you doing?

I told you, I'm reciting a poem.

Yeah, but you didn't mention that it was going to be an epic poem.

Edited by author 11-06-2002 05:50 PM
Good points, both of you. I've heard both of them before from my various poetry teachers. However, I am of the school of thought that I want my poetry to be a snippet of my thoughts/being that is set on paper. I generally don't think in quatrains and couplets. However, much like Josh's ship sonnnet, there is definitely something to be said for form folowing thought. if what I was trying to express could be better understood in the form of a Sonnet or a Sestina then I would be happy to write it that way. I also am not a big fan of rhyme that beats you over the head. Once again turning to the ship poem, I liked that because it wasn't a readily apparent rhyme scheme. Generally, on the first readings of a poem, I have trouble getting past the ryhme. I'm not really sure. That's one of the reasons I liked your sonnet, Dave. Because I didn't have to struggle to get past the rhyme. It didn't seem forced into place, as poems of hat sort often times do.

When I was doing a lot of poetry writing, in college, the vast majority of it was free-form. It seemed more expressive, less restrictive. Even when I was assigned a sonnet in a poetry writing class, I styled myself a re-inventor of the form: my poem was nautical in theme, about a ship on the sea in a storm. The rhyme pattern was ABCDEFGGFEDCBA, supposed to sound like an ocean swell. I thought I was pretty clever.

If I were to take up poetry writing again today, however, I think my approach would be quite different. I think C.S. Lewis had a point when he advised a young correspondant that she should stick to structured poetry at first: to break rules effectively, one has to know them very well to begin with, to be able to function within the constraints effortlessly, and I don't think I ever reached this point.

Edited by author 11-05-2002 11:35 PM
I understand the preference of "free form" poetry. Honestly, it's what I've privately written more than any structured style. However, I find the challenge of expressing an idea within a set of limitations exciting and deeply rewarding. I realized, while thinking about this, that it's very much like directing. Free-form poetry is like a performance piece, and those can be wonderful, but usually those end up being, even in final form, a mass of ideas that end up unstructured. "Event" may still occur, perhaps even "story" will occur. On Writing and Raindrops is an example of that, I think.

But when forced to deal within a structure (in-doors, proscenium arch, 2 1/2 hours with intermission-- or ABABCDCDEFEFGG) a new sort of exploration is possible. One begins to have to edit, to confine, to cut. A quote from an amazing book that I'm having the absolute pleasure of reading right now-- On Directing by Anne Bogart:

"Great performances exude both exactness and a powerful sense of freedom. This freedom can only be found within certain chosen limitations. The limitations serve as a lens to focus and magnify the event for the audience as well as to give the actors something to measure themselves against... These limitations invite the actor to meet them, disturb them, transcend them. An audience experiences the actor testing his or her limits; expressing beyond the ordinary despite the limitations."

Replace "actor" with "writer" in the previous, and I think it still applies. The form of "sonnet" exists. There are rules. When broken, the result is no longer a sonnet. So how can I take this structure and make with it something whole, something unique, something meaningful? That is a challenge that gets me going.

Thanks for sharing your poem Jon!

damn, I'm posting alot. Just thought I'd give you all the shortest poem I ever wrote.

Aborted

Lost is my life
And all there is
And all there could be
Inside of you
My deadly disease
Threatening castration
Replace my love
With dying flesh

oh yes and one more thing. My horrible suspcions have been confirmed. Jason vs Freddy is currently in production. oy.

1. I've never really enjoyed writing sonnets myself, but then I've never really spent any time trying. My reading of love sonnets has been limited to the obvious, Shakespeare and Neruda. I thought Neruda's works were beautiful, and like many things, I've always meant to spend more time with them.
2. I think Becca is with me on saying that most stories that involve a fox kick ass. Gaiman's portrayals are so real, yikes I need to stop reading American Gods before bed.
3. You should check out some of Alison Weir's books on British history, I think that I own all but one, if you would like to borrow them.
4. I hope Josh finds a midnight release!!!!
5. Will pick up 100 Bullets #39 Wednesday night and I'm looking forward to it!
6. Yup, that's what this is for.
7. Okay, but maybe he's just hungry and looking for a banana, I bet if you put one in your pocket, he'll take that and leave the change.
8. Thank you for remembering!
9. Seriously, no seriously, there is no place in the world I love as much as I love Central Park.
10. Yes you should, you'll have an amazing time.

I am not the biggest fan of writing sonnets. I have no problems reading them but I just really don't like having to follow a form. Occasionally it can be fun to do a standard poem but I prefer the free form.

Well you know I live to entertain the men in my life :)





~Jenn

Well that took a good 10 minutes. Good times. Thanks for giving me something to do while at work.

Okay fellow PKs I got a fun new puzzle at work that I think you will enjoy!



Jenn

I would just like to let the record show that I am the shiznit and yalls is bustas.

Thanks for your comments, guys. I appreciate it.

It's sort of difficult to put this stuff up here, because it's an area where one can be completely judged, and of course that's uncomfortable. Especially "On Writing and Raindrops" because I was most nervous about putting that up. After I wrote it, when I read it, I almost deleted the entire document because it was too hard for me to read.

I realize, bro, your comment was a misunderstanding... but it really jarred me. I was already thinking of taking OWaR down because it was so personal to me... so your comment (I know it was a mistake!!) just really unnerved me... Anyway, I was really tired, and sort of bugging-out anyway and even in jest (which I thought it was... I didn't think it was mean-spirited, I just assumed you were teasing me) I just got really scared to have it up.

But it means a lot to me that all y'all (Josh, Jenn, Becca, Jon, and Allie) have asked me about it... I do appreciate it and that makes me want to leave it up. Thanks for your support and not being harsh in your judgments.

~Dave

Oh, and Josh: it's iodized, my man. Fuckin' iodized. :)

Actually, to be completely honest, I thought "And just for a moment in the silence of stillness, in the language of the rain, we find each other" was a line from A Memory, which is the only piece of writing that you have put up that I don't like. I didn't bother to check the reference, I just assumed Jenn was quoting the recent poem. I was embarassed to admit that when my error was later pointed out to me. Upon reflection, I even mostly like the line out context. The only part that bugs me is "in the silence of stillness", which seems redundant, self-indulgently alliterative, and a bit trite. Also, I tend not to be fond of -ness to turn an adjective into a noun. The still silence would have worked better for me. Or even better, to remove the rendundancy and the alliteration and make the parallelism more explicit: "And, just for a moment, in the silence, in the language of the rain, we find each other." That makes it especially interesting because the language of the rain is described as a silent language, which is both fitting and poetically engaging.

But truth be told, you are probably a better poet than I ever was, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt.

So please forgive me, especially if I was an influence in your removing the writings in the first place. I have been under a lot of stress at work recently, and have been a jerk and on a short fuse of late (ask Becca about the SUV that boxed me into the parking place at Frank & Son, and ask Bob Mike about my sweeping generalizations about Christians.) So please bear with me.

I'll now return you to your regularly scheduled QuickTopic.

I'm glad to know that you guys liked having it there, that makes it worth it.

Not just liked having it there, we really like the content (notwithstanding my asinine comment on "opting out" of the line from On Writing and Raindrops, a failed attempt at being clever if ever there was one.) The piece on Lexington is one of my personal favorites (not one of my favorites of your pieces, one of my favorites.)