I'm off to Portugal tomorrow for a week. I hope my flight isn't too delayed. I hope the world doesn't go to hell in a handbasket while I'm away. I hope.

I leave you with this:

"I'm watching from the wall
As in the streets we fight
This world has gone to war
All I need is you tonight

And I draw a line
To your heart today
To your heart from mine
One line to keep us safe"

- PJ Harvey, 'One Line'

posted by Joe Macare at 8:06 AM

Did I say I couldn't condemn anyone's reaction? Let me make an exception:

"We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbour them."

Oh dear, George.

posted by Joe Macare at 3:46 AM

Trying to make sense of the events of the last 24 hours is, to say the least, confusing. Trying to make sense of your own feelings: for example, which is worse? The strange excitement and visceral thrill of seeing the footage of the second plane hit, or that vague quasi-patriotic twinge, that moment of solidarity with 'Western democracy' or the 'free world' that you felt when Bush came on TV and started talking about "hunting down" the "folks" responsible? The fact that seeing New Yorkers run in terror affects you more than seeing people in cities you've never fantasised about going to, or the sneaky feeling of admiration for whoever hit America so hard?

And by 'you' of course, I mean 'me'.

I can't condemn anyone's immediate reaction to this. I'm not sure I can even condemn the people baying for blood. Because I don't even understand my reaction one bit.

I handled this last night in my own special way: I drank until I forgot about it.
posted by Joe Macare at 2:55 AM

"I thought that you were joking / When you said "I want to see you / To discuss your contribution / To the future of our nation's heart and soul / Six o'clock, my place, Whitehall" / Well I arrived just after seven / But you said "It doesn't matter" / "I understand your situation / And your image, and I'm flattered / Oh and I'd just like to tell you / That I love all of your albums / Could you sign this for my daughter? / She's in hospital, her name is Miriam / Now get down to the gist: / Do you want a line of this? / Are you a (sniff) / socialist?" / "Doin' fine, yeah! / Buzzin' all the time / Just one hit / And I feel great / And I support / The welfare state / Oh, you must be socialist / 'Cos you're always off out on the piss / In your private member's bar / Oh yes you are / Yer superstar / Well you sing about common people / And the mis-shapes and the misfits / So can you bring them to my party / And get them all to sniff this? / And all I'm really saying / Is come on and rock the vote for me / All I'm really saying / Is come on roll up that note for me / The gist of all of this is / Do you want hits or d'you want misses? / Are you a socialist, yeah / Socialist, yeah / Socialist, yeah / Oh yeah" / "Yeah, you can be just what you want to be / Just as long as you don't try to compete with me / And we've waited such a long time / For the chance to help our own kind, so now / Please come on and tow the party line / Oh you owe it to yourself / Don't think of anybody else / And we promise we won't tell / Oh we won't tell, and we won't sell" / No we won't / No we won't / No we won't tell..."
posted by Joe Macare at 7:31 AM

As Season 6 of Buffy approaches over in America, so too does my addiction to spoilers intensify. There are some very exciting ones over at the wonderfully-named Bloody Awful Poet.
posted by Joe Macare at 6:23 AM

Keep an eye on this one. He is wise.
posted by Joe Macare at 3:04 AM

"This greeting card cannot be displayed due to a terms of service violation by the sender of the card.

Our system is programmed to prevent the following types of abuse:

1) Offensive and/or harrassing behavior.
2) Sending more than 30 cards per day (SPAM).
3) Creating a nuisance and generating numerous complaints.
4) Using this service for commercial advertising purposes."

Could whoever's been trying to send me stuff that's "unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortuous, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous" and so on send it again via a simple e-mail, please? I get off on that kind of stuff.

posted by Joe Macare at 2:44 AM

I have many terrible secrets. This article pertains to one of them. Yes, it's true - I *heart* Galvatron.
posted by Joe Macare at 10:07 AM

"People say, "After Columbine, do you feel a responsibility about the way you portray violence?" And I'm like, "No, I felt a responsibility about the way I portrayed violence the first time I picked up a pen." I mean, everybody felt... It's a ridiculous thing to ask a writer. But you feel it, and at the same time--and I've said this before--a writer has a responsibility to tell stories that are dark and sexy and violent, where characters that you love do stupid, wrong things and get away with it, that we explore these parts of people's lives, because that's what makes stories into fairy tales instead of polemics. That's what makes stories resonate, that thing, that dark place that we all want to go to on some level or another."

In case you doubted - Joss Whedon is God.
posted by Joe Macare at 10:06 AM

Last night, I fell asleep on the sofa somewhere between 8 and 9pm. With a couple of brief interruptions, thankfully including the chance to haul myself into bed, I proceeded to sleep for 12 hours.

Unfairly, I now feel absolutely knackered...
posted by Joe Macare at 1:58 AM

"When she talks, I hear the Revolution..."

A damn good interview with Kathleen Hanna and Jo can't-remember-her-surname-but-it's-in-the-interview, from Le Tigre, a band who are now my New Favourite Band to such an extent that I might get a Le Tigre tattoo. Maybe. Um.

Lots of good stuff in this, but best soundbite: "I'm sexy when I'm eating a veggieburger." Def.
posted by Joe Macare at 5:10 AM

Funny thing: I finsih reading Count Zero on Monday, and then I discover that there really was a "boxmaker" artist called Joseph Cornell. I'd assumed Gibson just made him up. You learn something new everyday. Pretty boxes, too.
posted by Joe Macare at 9:57 AM