Tuesday, September 18, 2001

Another joke:
"The Producers is about a guy who produces a show that really stinks. I've been doing that for 20 years. Where's my Tony?"
-David Letterman
(stolen from David Yoder's fan page)

[talk back] [link]  10:51 AM
 

If you're looking for a laugh (and who isn't), Kate has a very funny account of her "trek into the bowels of consumerism," aka The Mall. It's on Sunday's entry - no permalinks on Kate's site yet.

[talk back] [link]  9:28 AM
 

Watching David Letterman last night was quite an experience, both personal and as pop culture. If you didn't see it, you really missed something. Here was this incredibly funny and cynical man, fighting back tears, talking to the audience from behind his desk about the bravery of the rescue workers and how New York is the greatest city in the world. I'm glad he's back on the air, and his humanity displayed so openly and eloquently is worth more than a thousand shots of American flags waving in the breeze.

[talk back] [link]  7:44 AM
 

Another non-PC thought in my head this morning
I don't believe there is such a thing as evil. There is hatred, and insanity, and fanaticism, and greed, and violence, and a host of other human failings. But evil? That lets us off the hook too much. Evil comes from some mythical force outside ourselves. The real problems come from within us - including blind rage and craving for revenge. I'm probably going to get flamed for saying this, especially now, but I don't care. Words mean things.

[talk back] [link]  7:35 AM
 

Monday, September 17, 2001

One curious thing I noticed on Tuesday was that the shopping networks, along with several other non-news channels like HGTV and The Food Network shut down their broadcasting for at least 24 hours. I definitely understand how ludicrous it would be to watch someone hawking Marie Osmond dolls while giant skyscrapers are falling down. But at least for the tape-based channels like The Food Network, seems to me that people maybe could have used a little respite from the other channels from time to time. I know I could have.

[talk back] [link]  12:19 PM
 

Mother and child
Since the response to old photos I've posted in the past has been so positive, I thought I would try one today. This is my favorite image of my grandmother, who we called Didi. She's holding, well, no one seems to know which, so I'll say my mother. I would have cropped it closer for the web, but I love the composition of this one. Beautiful, isn't it?

[talk back:3 comments] [link]  12:05 PM
 

For reasons that I don't understand, I started to sing "If I Only Had a Brain" from The Wizard of Oz yesterday. Not remembering most of the words, I looked it up on the net (of course). When I read over it, I thought it was eerily appropriate for the times, and also for how I've been feeling lately. So here it is.

If I Only Had a Brain
I could while away the hours,
Conferrin' with the flowers
Consultin' with the rain.
And my head I'd be scratchin' while
My thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain.
I'd unravel every riddle
For any individ'le,
In trouble or in pain.

With the thoughts you'll be thinkin'
You could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain.

Oh, I could tell you why
The ocean's near the shore.
I could think of things I never thunk before.
And then I'd sit, and think some more.
I would not be just a nothin'
My head all full of stuffin'
My heart all full of pain.
I would dance and be merry,
Life would be a ding-a-derry,
If I only had a brain.

Gosh, it would be awful pleas'n
To reason out the reason
For things I can't explain.
Then perhaps I'll deserve ya
And be even worthy of ya
If I only had a brain!

[talk back] [link]  9:33 AM
 

Sunday, September 16, 2001

Wow. When words fail, there are always pictures.
(thanks to Melissa for pointing this one out)

[talk back:1 comment] [link]  5:41 PM
 

More links, as I begin to emerge from my cough-syrup-induced fog:

-good stuff from the last three days on pylduck.com
-essential reading on Salon from an Afghan-American

And a big thank-you to Xkot, whose AIM away message reads, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." Amen.

[talk back] [link]  10:23 AM
 

Spacecheese said something we all have to remember: criticizing America isn't anti-American, it's essentially American.

[talk back] [link]  8:31 AM
 

Saturday, September 15, 2001

Rented "The Exorcist" on DVD last night, hoping a little scare would take my mind off things. I actually had never seen it all the way through, so I thought it would be a good chance for me to get into the pop culture groove again. It wasn't bad, exactly, but it wasn't really scary, either. I am continually looking for a movie that will genuinely scare me, and I have yet to find it - even in the darkened theater. (Well, Troll 2 scared me, as Mike B. knows, but because of its scary badness.) If anyone can recommend a movie that really scared them, I'd like to hear about it.

[talk back:6 comments] [link]  6:36 PM
 

Arthur has something to say. You should go there now.
And really listen.

[talk back] [link]  5:14 PM
 

Friday, September 14, 2001

After finally watching "Gilbert Grape" again (I rented it Wednesday but have been too sick to watch it), I've come to the conclusion that John C. Reilly should be given the honor of playing me in the inevitable movie based on my life. He is clearly a cool guy, and did you know we're almost the same age? So it seems perfect. If you ask me.

[talk back:1 comment] [link]  9:56 PM
 

Things are getting insane.

[talk back] [link]  9:50 PM
 

I said I was getting back to regular programming, but there's some stuff you should read, if you haven't already. These links have been all over the last few days, but I want to highlight them too.

Dave Winer on Palestinians
Michael Moore on insanity
Sean Hartigan on "a lie all the worse for being partly true"
Miguel on birthday cakes and tinsel
Noam Chomsky on trying to understand

We need to get beyond the jingoism and runs on flags at Wal-Mart. The eloquent words above, much better than anything I could come up with, might begin to help us understand. If you have any other favorite pieces of writing from this week, please leave the link in a comment so others can read them too. Thanks.

[talk back:4 comments] [link]  4:34 PM
 

Thursday, September 13, 2001

Another 'words mean things' consumer recommendation: Vicks 44M cough syrup. Good stuff, Maynard. I am under its influence as I write this.

[talk back:1 comment] [link]  9:36 PM
 

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...
In the grocery store the other day, I wanted to complement my Boo Berry purchase with Count Chocula. Sadly, they had none. So I settled for Cocoa Pebbles, the Flintstones-themed chocolate rice krispies. I am going to write the FDA and request that this cereal be considered a controlled substance. It's like getting a sugar IV. It's chocolate crack. And to top it off, it makes the most intense chocolate milk you've ever experienced. Not for the faint of heart.

[talk back:5 comments] [link]  11:01 AM
 

Wednesday, September 12, 2001

Chicago hotel room window, morning
On my walk early this morning, I found myself looking up at the sky a lot, and I was reminded again of Gilbert Grape. Looking up at the limitless sky seemed to bring me a little hope - and I think we could all use a little of that.

[talk back:1 comment] [link]  9:25 AM
 

This tragedy has served as another reminder of how amazing the weblog form is. Mike's recollections, Haidi's anger at ignorance and prejudice, Melissa's painting, Xkot's calls for comfort - these and many more show how weblogs can enlighten and inform much more than any TV coverage or news web site can. Watching endless hours of horrifying news footage can only numb; participating in real reactions can maybe bring us some perspective.

[talk back:2 comments] [link]  9:21 AM
 

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

"I've just spoken with the vice president..."
Xkot hit the nail on the head in an e-mail to me today when he said Bush "looked like a frightened little boy" in the face of this monumental crisis. I saw Bush on TV at lunchtime, and when he said, with his Alfred E. Newman face screwed up in an expression of utter bewilderment, "I want you to know that I've just spoken to the vice president," I thought, yeah, I bet you have.

He's not up to the job, folks. Let's face up to that.

[talk back:12 comments] [link]  3:45 PM