Visit the anagram page, and discover new stuff in your name:

Half of this is GIBBERISH, but Here are some cool ones for Matthew Dunegan -

A WANTED GENT HUM
A WANTED MEN THUG (Better look out!)
A WANED TENTH MUG
A WANED TENTH GUM
A TANDEM WET HUNG
A MANNED WET THUG
A GNAWED TENT HUM
A WANTED GEM HUNT
A WANTED MEG HUNT
A WANTED GENT HUM
A WANTED THEN MUG
A DAG THEN WENT MU
A DAG THEN NEWT MU
A DANG WHEEN MUTT (what did you call me?)
A HAD TEN WENT MUG
A HAD TEN WENT GUM
A HAD TEN NEWT MUG
A HAD TEN NEWT GUM
A HAD TENT NEW MUG
A HAD TENT NEW GUM
A HAND NUTMEG WET
A HADNT GWEN MUTE
A HADNT GET NEW MU
A WHATD GUNMEN ET
A WHATD NUTMEG NE
A WHATD NUGENT EM
A WHATD NUGENT ME
A MAD NUGENT WHET
A WHATD EM TEN GUN
A WHATD ME NET GUN
A MAD GENT HEW NUT
A MAD GENT NEW HUT
A MAD GENT WET HUN
A MAD GENT WE HUNT (paranoid much?)
A MAD GET WENT HUN
A MAD GET NEWT HUN
A MAD GET NEW HUNT
A MAD THEN NEW GUT
A MAD THEN NEW TUG
A MAD THEN WET GUN
A MAD THEN WE TUNG
A MAD TENTH WE GUN
A MAD HEWN TEN GUT
A MAD HEWN TEN TUG
A MAD HEWN NET GUT
A MAD HEWN NET TUG
A MAD TENT WE HUNG (Camping)
A DAM THEN WET GNU
A DAM THEN WET GUN
A DAM THEN WE TUNG
A DAM TEN WENT UGH
A DAM NET WENT UGH
A DAMN HEWETT GNU
A DAMN HEWETT GUN
A DAMN TWEEN THUG
A DAMN TWEET HUNG (penis size ? )
A DAMN GET WET HUN
A DAMN HE WENT GUT
A DAMN THE NEW GUT (mad about getting fat!)
A DAMN THE NEW TUG
A DAMN THE WET GNU
A DAMN THE WET GUN
A DAMN TENT WE HUG (lonely campers)
A WAND THEME TUNG
A WAND THE MEN TUG (masturbation)
A TAD WHEN MEN TUG
A WAD THEN MEN TUG (masturbation)
A TANGENT DEW HUM
A ANTHEM DUNG WET (Diarrhea song)
A HANG MUTED WENT
A HANG MUTED NEWT
A HANG MUD TENT WE
A WHANG NUTTED ME
A GUNMAN WHETTED
A TANG UNWED THEM (the girl that caused the divorce)
A GNAT MUTED WHEN
A GNAT UNWED THEM (or was it a bug?)
A WANG MUTED THEN (divorced men not getting any ... )
A WANG TUNED THEM (magical musical manhood)
A TAG WED MEN HUNT (label whores ... )
A HAM END NEWT GUT
A HAM END NEWT TUG
A HAM NUTTED GWEN (But she liked jim anyways ... )
A MATH NUDGE NEWT (always needed help with math... )
A MATH UNWED GENT (never did like artihmetic much ... )
A WHAM NEEDNT GUT (Some Advice)
A WHAM NEEDNT TUG ( " " )
A WHAM NEEDNT GUT ( " " )
A WHAM NEEDNT TUG ( " " )
A WHAM DUNG TENET (Shitty Philosophy)
A HAT DUNG ME WENT (drunken mistake)
A MAN DEW THEN TUG (
A MAN WED THEN GUT
A MAN WED THEN TUG
A MAW HUNTED GENT
A WANTED MEN THUG (again, best lookout for me)
HEADMAN WENT GUT
HEADMAN WENT TUG
HEADMAN NEWT GUT
HEADMAN NEWT TUG
HEADMAN WET TUNG
MAGNATE DEW HUNT
MEGAWATT HED NUN (Electric Sisters!)
WET HANGMAN DUET
HANGMAN DU TWEET (Bathroom Graffiti)
HANGMAN DU ET WET (Bumper sticker)
NATHAN TWEED MUG
NATHAN DE WET MUG
NATHAN DE WET GUM
NATHAN WED ME GUT
NATHAN DUG EM WET
NATHAN DUG ME WET
AD ANTHEM WET GUN
AD MEANT WENT HUG
AD TEAM WENT HUNG
AD MEAT WHEN TUNG
AD MEAT WENT HUNG
THE WET GUNMAN AD
THE NEW MAN GUT AD
THE NEW MAN TUG AD
TEAMED WANG HUNT (Bachelorette party)
EGAD WHAT MEN NUT
AGED MUTANT WHEN
AGED ANT WENT HUM
AGED WANT THEM NU (may december relations??)
MUTANT WE HANGED
HANGED TAUNT MEW
MUTE WANT HANGED
HANGED WATT MENU
GNAWED AT MEN HUT (Sounds gay ... )
WAGED AMENT HUNT (helped madge find her future hubby)
WAGED HUMAN TENT
THE NUT WAGED MAN (my current job)
ME HAUNTED TWANG (ghostly country songs)
DEATH TWANG MENU
DEATH WANG UNMET
DEATH MAN WET GUN
DEATH MAN WE TUNG
DEATH WANT ME GUN

And that's all i care to look at . . .

Here's a pretty cool video for teh song, Come Together.

And speaking of which, it was pretty cool to get together with Curt out in Gallup, NM.

Got to visit the Painted Desert, Petrified Forest (which is in the same huge park). Saw El Morro, which is a big bluff with some cool carvings on the sides, and some Indian ruins (Anasazi and Navajo?) on the top.

For those of you who dig fleamarkets, there;s a cool one in Gallup on Saturdays if yer ever out there.

Curt and Ann have a pretty sweet house, very colorful (Ro would be proud . . . ), with a deck out in the back, some swanky new furniture. The sad part of the trip was learning that poor ol' Buddha, probably the most chill cat I ever met, has since passed. He was much loved.

Some figures to think about in the formation of the west:

Geronimo, Quanah Parker, and Chief Manuelito.

Update from Gallup, NM

Flights in: ok. and good. always nice to have your sense of hearing once you land.

It's true.... it is a desert out here. I've seen cactuses. for really real.

and salsa

and some rocks.

No for real, toallay having funhere i gallup. it's awesome to hang with curt again. tooo bad ann isn't her. at least she's in italy though

oh yeah,i guess what can you use butt paste for? more than you'd imagine!

Courtesy . . . is it pase' these days?

What ever happened to replying to your friend's emails? Understandable if you won't respond to SPAMMERS, but what about your friends?
Your silence is equivalent to saying, "I'll email you when I am hard up for an erection, when I need to enlarge my breasts, or when I need a get-out-of-debt service."

Let me give you an example: This past January a 'friend' (notice the quotes?) sends me an email around the same time that my father passed away. They are of course oblivious to what's just happened in my life. "How are you? what's been going on? It's been a while, and it'd be great to talk with you, can't wait to hear all about the things you've been doing!" writes this person. So I respond with my news: My father's just passed, going through a lot but making it OK. How are you?"

And they wrote back: Nothing. Nada. Zippo. Zilch.

Now, to this person's credit, three months later, I got an e-birthday-card from said person. It read nothing more than 'happy birthday,' with a picture of a teddy bear holding some balloons or something. In January I suppose that person didn't know how to respond, what to say, etc.

But really, they should know.
Everybody should know (but especially someone who has also lost someone close, as they did. These are the people who surprised me the most . . . ).

When somebody has a significant life change, be it a birth, graduation, vacation, engagement, marriage, or death or whatever, you SAY SOMETHING to acknowledge said event, even if it sounds trite:
"Great to hear about your new kid!"
"Congrats on your graduation!"
"Good luck on the game show!"
"Hope all goes well with yer wedding plans!"
"I wish you the best in life together with your new spouse!"
"So sorry to hear about your Dad."

And when someone acknowledges this event/thing/whatever, you respond in kind, usually by saying "thank you."

When someone gives you a gift or a present, you say "Thank you" as well.

For the sake of these people who are consistently lacking in their manners and courtesy, I shall not list their crimes against courtesy nor shall I name them. Nor do I beg clemency from these misdemeanors. I am just reminding you, as I am reminded myself.

It is simple common courtesy.

*******************************************

On a lighter note, let me introduce you to Gunther. Listen to his song, and watch his video

Happy Birthday, Mr. T !!!

I went to the hardware store with Jim Hee last week, and vaguely recall seeing a short blonde chick and rocker type guy crossing the street as Jim was hitting the ATM on 18th and Carson. Ok, a not too uncommon sight in South Side, though eh? True enough, but Jim thought that she looked a lot like Drew Barrymore, and sounded kinda like her. He thought, nahhh couldn't be. Apparently the Strokes were in town last Thursday night, and apparently that guy who drums for them (who probably dresses like a rocker?) is dating Drew Barrymore. And after the concert, they went to Dee's. I helped Danielle take down the stuff set up in Art Space 303 last night and then went out to Pipers for beers.

In other news: Just one more reason why you should never do crack . . .

Every quadreplegic should have a monkey . . . I mean that with all due respect, but I'd think the breed of monkey is most important.

I'm getting stoked about travel plans,but a little worried that being away may hurt me in the job search. Keep yer fingers crossed for me . . . !

In the mean time, don't let yer kid leave his bike by the elephants

Starbucks has created an official entertainment position. My job search at the university is plodding along, although more slowly than I'd like it...

In more important news, are girls wearing sweaters around the hips a lot (ass sweaters)? or is this a Canadian thing? I haven't noticed it, but again it's almost summery out now!

this weekend was pretty cool. got some tix booked for my two vacay trips: Gallup, NM and Punta Cana, DR (Dominican Republic). friday night, i saw neko case at the world, and she rocked the house. what a voice, what... a ... voice...! Saturday, i went ot see Gabby and Autumn do their last show (how many last shows can people do? i thought only the Crawling Low Band did every show as their last show ... ) at the Gemini Theater. Sunday softball was excellent. And I watched The Whole Nine Yards last night after getting my first chocolate malt for the season from the Page Dairy Mart.

Today is Sea Monkey Apreciation Day! and how I wish I had known that yesterday, cuz we were talking a lot about sea monkeys...

This is the story of the cat with hands . . .

Apparently Blogger has been buys over the weekend.

Everybody is glad it's spring, and some folks are feeling their sap rising, so to speak. This is fine and natural, sometimes pleasant even. What is unpleasant is when people ignore boundaries. like the guy who accosted me this morning.

I'm on my way to work, almost to my building and i see this tall middle-aged guy, combover with glasses in a suit and tie approaching the other way. He looks like someone I know from the business school, so i nod to him, ahhh but then he speaks and I know it's not the guy I know from the business school. the dialog went something like this:

Strange man: "hey how are ya?"
Me: "Hi, I'm fine thanks..." and nod.
Strange Man: "You look really nice today, very spring-like ... "
Me (somewhat befuddled): "thanks... "
Strange Man: "how'd ya come to wear that outfit?"
thinking better of saying what immediately came to mind, Oh, my mother dresses me each morning, i simply said,
"I got up and got dressed, like i do every day."
Strange Man: "well you look so nice, like you'd cheer anybody up on a dreary day like today."
Me: "hhmmm ... "
Strange Man: "Where you off to?"
Me: "Work. I work right there." (I point to my building)
Strange Man: "Where do you live? here inPittsburgh?"
Me: "Yes"
strange Man: "Did you grow up here?"
Me: "Yes."
Strange Man: "Oh, really? Wherebouts?"
ME: "South Hills"
SM: " I know the South Hills, where?"
Me (I'm becoming a bit uncomfortable): "Mt. Lebanon" (I start feeling like i've given out way too much information to a stranger)
SM: "Oh it's very nice there. Did you go to High School there?'
Me (now definitely uncomfortable): "Yes."
SM: "Well, you look like must've graduated about 10 years ago. what are you, say 28 or 30?"
Me (Now quite uncomfortable): "Sure... something like that."
SM: "Say what's that you've got in your pocket? (Indicating my left pants pocket) Your wallet? your cell phone?" (And then he reaches over and tap-tap-taps the box of cigarettes n my pocket).
Me: "Cigarettes." (this, to my great joy, seemed to disgust him)

And at this point i've become so very uncomfortable, not only with the whole conversation but even just being near said Strange Man, and tell him:
Me: "I'm going to work now. Goodbye." And walked away.
Strange Man: "It was nice to meet you." and I continue walking nod and smile and dash across the street and into my building.

Let me be clear: I do not hate people who are old, gay, or Jewish (he was wearing a Yamuka (sp?) ). But I do feel awkward, flattered or not, when another man hits on me. Especially so when he gets in my personal space, and very very awkward when he reaches to touch me anywhere near my mid-section/crotch areas. I dont have a problem with walking away from an uncomfortable situation. I did not slug him, though I had thought about it.

My advice is two-fold . . .

1. Be polite, but don't be afraid to ask someone who suddenly asks you questions, tons of 'em, why they want to know so much about you. I should've asked him that, but i think I knew the answer already.

2. if you're trying to flirt with someone or pick them up, it's better to say something about yourself in additon to your barrage of Questions, rather than to interrogate them. Interrogation tends to make people feel like they're being interrogated, and like your up to something. If you feel like your being interogaed, feel free to ask, "What are you up to?" or "What's the point of all this?" If you're trying to pick someone up, dont get in their personal space, and DO NOT touch them, especially anywhere remotely near a personal zone. You're destined for failure and perhaps a black eye, broken nose or lawsuit . . .

A Dutch website dedicated to Air Guitar . . .

Hey, I'm looking to take some time off at the end of May, something like an extendo weekend . . . any suggestions for a trip? any takers on a road trip maybe? anybody want to go with? drop me a line and let me know what you think . . . .

So apparently rules #1 and #2 have been broken, but there is a Girl's Fight Club

What is this? Starbucks is bucking up to responsibility?

"Hey, Bob, working this flight undercover again? Let's hope it's a nice flight, eh?"

Open mic night at the Rex was kinda quiet, but it was cool to hang out with Marty and Madge and Renee and some of the regulars from down there. Not sure what was up with my guitar, cuz it sounded pretty jive, and the vocals allsounded mushed, and well not be a whiner but it sucks when the sound guy does sound for a bit ... and then leaves before you come up to play.

i'm not really sure what they're saying beyond say, some city names, but it's kinda funny. I'm not even sure why. It's just Japanese, after all.

A good weekend overall.

We had sushi Friday night, some Red Hook beer, watched Ten Little Indians and some Spike and Mike's Animation.
Saturday i helped my mom and sister with some yardwork, clearing back vines and branches... and then went with Anders to see Jill Sobule. She's pretty cool as a performer, an awesome songwriter, and she really related well with her audience.

Softball was a bit of a wash: 8 of us showed, but we had a batting practive (of sorts) even though it rained and rained, and nobody had a bat, but Stu found a branch that was kinda straight, and we something like Neanderthal softball.

Here's a pretty cool article about the revamped NYPD and how their new approach to management is cracking down on crime, and spreading across the nation. It's really working in some cities, maybe not so well in small towns though. From the NYTimes.

Correction: Gypsy Cafe is by the corner of 14th and Bingham, not 14th and Sydney

I had lunch today with Bucket, Marto, Stuch, Madge and some other Printcafe folk at the Gypsy Cafe.
We're talking good food for a reasonable price, and casual comfrotable atmosphere. I had the Curry Chicken Sald Sandwich, a Spinach Orzo salad, and some minted fruit salad. Tres Bien. is that French for quite nice? very good?

Gypsy Cafe is on the 1400 block of Sydney Street in the South Side, right up from the City Theater.

Anyone care for a muffin? #4, 6, & 9 are particularly delicious.

Spatula vs. the Burger

I've decided that I like being the spatula, and not the burger. I think I prefer being the one to flip the cooking stuff, as opposed to being cooked. Does this mean I want to work in fast food? No. Does this mean I'm carrying a spatula with me now to whack people with? No, although that's a tempting idea. I'm saying that I'm trying a new approach. It may have been prompted by any number of things, but I'm feeling a strong urge to opine. I'm not trying to pick a fight, but I may step on some toes. Pardon me . . .

Some do this a lot . Some do this a little. Some do it like never, but say they always want to do it more. Some I understand but don't, but I'm glad to see them go for it (nice to have you back, I had stopped checking).

Well here's three beefs I've got:
Giant Eagle's self-checkout gig;
Anti-Abortion advertising in the sky;
Dan Brown v. Christianity

Giant Eagle's self-checkout gig: Let me begin by saying the machines are rude. "Move your Braeburn Apples . . . " Sounds like the angry woman in produce who's trying to get by you, but your too busy squeezing fruit to notice her. It's an impatient machine, with its frightfully slow process. Maybe you regular users of the self-checkout love it. I used to think it was great, until last night when my ginger ale fridge pack jettisons cans all over the aisle. Until the machine stops to demand that I wait for someone to bag my groceries (and they're not coming, but the light above the register is blinking like there's a problem at this machine) because the cargo area is full. Until it stops asking me, like an unsatisfied wife, if I'm finished yet. Until it jams up when a toothbrush passes through the belt way. Until it seems apparent that the days of the clerk and bagger are numbered.

Anti-Abortion Advertising in the Sky: Ok, the concept of an aborted fetus flying here in Oakland and presumably elsewhere. Have your beliefs, ok . . . but do you really need flying aborted fetuses?

Dan Brown v. Christianity: The fundamental tenet of Christianity is that Christ came to earth as God incarnate to die for man's sins, and then rose from the grave. It's simple: You buy it or you don't. Without delving too far into Nietzsche or Hegel or other dialogues of truth and reality, suffice to say that anyone can claim any authority for any reason. The proof or disproof is often difficult. That's why it's called a faith. Faith in your friends, family, deity, whatever . . .

"so if trees could scream, would we still cut them down? probably, if they screamed all the time for now reason . . . " obligatory deep thought and its related article

Flexitarian: a person who is usually a vegetarian, but is known to eat meat on occasion.

Jim Dietz and Mel have opened the Gypsy Cafe on the South Side. It's off 14th and Sydney. Their black bean hummous is pretty killer, as is the pesto pizza. thanks guys, fo rhaving us all out to your opening!

Jim Hee has a new blog, Caesar's Jester. You can find a link on the side, too.

Here's a cool new word: Iraqnophobia

Another word that's just funny: Poo X. It's any poodle crossbreed. The list of names is brilliant: cock-a-poo, peek-a-poo, etc.

First it was panties for men, now it's panties for dogs. people are really really strange.

I saw a girl picking up roadside garbage (No, I don't mean hitchhikers ... ) this morning on my way into work, and I thought, how odd, cool but odd. And then I realizes that . . .

Earth Day is today... The name of this day always makes me think of aliens from our neighboring star systems coming to visit all the quaint Terran sights: the big pictures of critters drawn in the chalky hillsides of England, Mexico and Australia. Some of the mildly miscreant ones will be doing the old crop-circle-practical-joke thingee again before leaving. Others, the more surly of the lot, will be doing all their goofy Mengelev-type experiments with bright lights and dentistry tools. Gross. . .

Anyways, there's a coupla different things going on if yer interested in helping out in some way:

Post Gazette has some things about cleanups, as well as PA Cleanways. These folks are also having an Art for Arts Sake/Earth Day event. the details are below:

hey, everyone!

In my earnest attempt to save the planet, I am pushing AGAIN to solicit your attendance at art for earth's sake. It's this Thursday -Earth Day. Tickets are $12 (26-/65+ and $20). There will be music (per Duquesne University), food, good libations, and an spectacular silent art auction. Please support our mission by attending this event. To learn more about PA CleanWays visit www.pacleanways.org. Please pass this along to anyone who may be interested. I appreciate all that you do to improve our community, and I ask that you extend your effort to my organization and purchase a ticket to this great event.

art space 303 is located at 303 east 8th avenue in homestead - just 2 blocks from the homestead hi-level bridge on the left.

And you never know who is reading your blog. I found out last night that a Duquesne professor I never even had has a link to this blog. You go, Anne Brannen....!

Finally, a solution for your bruised bananas . . .

Flying somewhere soon? Want to see what they'll be serving you? Check this out.

And the porn industry is shutting down for 60 days.

I bought a mandolin this past weekend. It's a made in China type, but the cool part is it has some built-in pick-ups. i've learned a couple chords, and have a whole lot more to learn, but it's pretty sweet.

Not a whole lot going on today, it is monday after all.

My spring class is finished for the semester, softball has begun for the season, I have vacation-jones working, I just need to figure out where I am going, and if I can drag an accomplice with me.

Oh, and I started a Fotolog on Fotolog. I'll be posting some pics up there,probably jsut one a day, at least for now.

So it's that time of year agian when the dogwood trees bloom . . . and for some reason, they make everything smell like there is a guy out and about abusing himself and spreading his man seed all over the sidewalk.

For real, these are the second smelliest trees, aside form the infamous Gingko trees. they are the stinkiest trees.

Some pretty cool artwork, from Tara McPherson. I especially like her posters for Beck, Cat Power and Suzanne Vega

Here is a freaky looking video, with a kinda cool but equally freaky tune . . . I'm not sure who the band is though.

Who knew Kissing was good for curing the hiccups? As well as a wealth of other ailments . . .

Sushi fans, cartoon fans Join Forces. My Favorite is the Power Puff Girls one . . .

Hello All.

I hope those of you who celebrate Easter had a good 'un, And I hope everyone had a good weekend.

Today, the first monday after Easter, is Dingus Day. There will be clebrations at the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern tonight. Alas, i won't be able to make it, since I've got some portfolio work and some writng to do for Wednesday.

April 15 is this Thrsday folks . . . just a little heads up.

May 7th is No Pants Day.

Candian news: Cattle Burps, and the importance of animal bones in the great North

Some weird French cartoons... even if I knew French, i doubt if I'd know what they're saying. #1 is dumb, #2 is ok, #3 is kinda funny, # 4 is dumb.

This is probably the hottest bird i've ever seen. Oh! Sexy sexy . . .

As they say, these chicks rock. I think the little blue guy they rock out with is really Jon Spencer from the band Blues Explosion. The SWEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAT!
. . . of the Blues Explosion. This is the band who reminds you of their name in nearly every song when they say "Blues Explosion." And they make for some rockin' rock n roll music.

And no, dear reader, I am not interested in any manties for myself, thank you.

The Ultimate in Emasculation . . . for a gift giver at least.

M C Paul Barman is back with a new album.

Lyrics may be explicit (and funny): "It's a porn utopia, cornucopia of warm fallopia"

Andrew Beaujon writes some cool, simple songs with a subtle something. something like some cool lyrics. Yeah, and he's written what's possibly one of the funniest song lyrics I've heard in a long while: "Baby yer so cold, you got a popsicle at end of the stick up yer butt, hope you don't die alone another succesful New Yorker." The website this came from is a good source for music you've never heard before. they even have a Boxstep single on there!

This weekend saw my birthday (30th) come and go. Thanks go out to matt and tony and kath and kelly for buying me a steak dinner, and much thanks to the 15 lucky women who helped me get halfway to my goal of kissing 30 beauties for my birthday. You know who you are, you minxes. :P

Here's a silly ad for Sports Betting in Europe

Hey Sci fi fans,Asimov readers, and tech heads . . . this movie coming out inthe summer looks pretty cool

For those of you who just like cartoons, here'sone from Steve Martin. i like th tiger best . . .

The music of Mark Geary is good food. He's like Damien Rice meets Josh Ritter when he was feeling a bit like Paul Simon. Go check him out!

Here ya go, Skippy . . .

This is probalby some of the wierdest,sorta creepy sorta funny picspage i've seen in a while.

Margot Quan Knight

I like the series called a Girls' Best Friend and "Bad Worm" best . . .


And this is kinda funny.... a brief biref version of the Lord of the Rings

Internet Explore is a bitch. No, it's a dirty, old, egg-suckin' bitch dog in heat.

I wrote out this rather concise, well crafted blog post, some links and cool ideas in it . . . and of course as I near the end of the post, POOF!!! That dirty old egg-suckin' bitch dog in heat vanished into thin air. Gone. With all my eggs . . . or blog stuff.

Go see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Tell me what you think. I dug it, but was a little confused will have to see it again, sorta like in Memento and in Being John Malkovich.

This is a band called Schrodinger's Cat. Check out their page, go to the games section, and play the s-cat game. It's a bunch of sound samples from their songs . . . pretty cool schtuff!

I ran across the here, at the SXSW (South by South West) page. It's worth poking around there, too. Probably gonna be something you like, seeinghow there's all kinds of music there.

This morning's commute was like no other.

I got on the bus, and the driver said "Don't worry about the fare . . . " to me and the other passengers getting on board.
Strange, I thought.
As we crossed the bridge heading towards Oakland, made a right onto Forbes and approached the merger of Forbes and Boulevard of the Allies, we were forced to stop. Two cars in front of my bus was the police motor cycle blocking traffic for
the fallen firefighters funeral procession that was just coming into Oakland.

Firetrucks . . . and firetrucks,

and firetrucks,

and firetrucks.

and firetrucks,

and firetrucks,

and firetrucks,

and firetrucks,

streamed by with lights a-flashing, adorned with black banners, black wreaths, black cords, and uniformed firefighters.

There must not have been a single district, borough, township, or municipality that didn't send a representative truck or engine. Folks from Ohio were there. It was nearly thirty minutes of continuous emergency vehicle parade. I thought this was every little boys dream, a half-hour parade of firetrucks, every shape size and color.


Truly a sight to behold how firefighters honor their own. Be proud of the men and women who protect us an come to our aid in times of need.

Viceland has some dumb stuff, but the dos and donts make it worth checking out once a month, and this article on Canada is totally worth reading. Especially if you know anything about Canada or ever went there.

The Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Ontario is supposed to be pretty cool. A guy I chat with on the bus some mornings told me about visiting there with his SO/GF this past week on Spring Break. I think you shoe freaks should go check it out.

A good weekend this past one... talking like Yoda, mmm? I saw La Jetee and San Soleil at the Melwood. You can still check out this double feature tonight....

I saw My Architect last night, and although it was a little rough in spots, it was good.

St Patricks Day stuff in Market Square was fun, as usual. Hungout at Becko's place afterwrds, with a bunch of cool folks. and no hangover yesterday, very cool, no headache, nausea, just a little stupid was all.

Please say a prayer or take a moment for reflection for the fallen firefighters. Charles Brace was the dad of Chuck Brace, an alumni from my fraternity.

Bloggers of note . . . be you "relevant" or not, congrats for getting a write up in the paper.

Anyone up for movie-oke? It may be here soon. Perhaps our friend Rich can swing something thru his work? Or maybe the Rex ? they still have movie capacity there.

This girl is way cute (I think it's the hat), and apparently pure evil. I haven't quite decided yet if an eyepatch would make her hotter . . . regardless, I'd sure like to buckle her swash. Funny, if you look, sometimes you find what yer looking for: here's your girl with an eyepatch.

Oh, had I the scrilla to scrape up a trip to Tarifa Spain and go Kiteboarding. Looks like Daedalus if I ever saw him...

You can tell a lot about your lover by how they eat their pancakes. do they stack 'em? spread 'em around? use butter? syrup? a fork? or maybe their fingers?

And now somebody thinks their choice of chocolate has lots to tell as well. For the record, I prefer dark chocolate. the 70% cacao is about my threshold for that. when you get into the 90th percentile, I'm out dude. just a little too bitter. I have to wonder how this one eats her pancakes, and what kind of chocolate she prefers?

I learned something today, something about this record label called Elephant 6.

See, sometime about four years ago, Rich Engel introduced me to a band called the Neutral Milk Hotel. They are a little quirky, trippy, maybe even moments of beautiful dissonance (it is possible). Then last January or February, Josh Seybert introduced me to the band Of Montreal. They are a little quirky, trippy, maybe even moments of beautiful dissonance (it is possible). Their main songwriter, Kevin Barnes, strings together some very different sounding chord progressions, and the contributors make a sound like . . . nobody else. so last week, I dropped off Coquelicot Among the Poppies to Gabriel, a guy I work with. I told him it was maybe the strangest album I own. Today, he beckoned me off the elevator, and said, "Here, give these guys a listen. They're called The Olivia Tremor Control. They're another Elephant 6 group," he said to his girl Kim. And they're all apparently part of this Elephant 6 label. Pretty cool, eh?

Has anyone seen one of these ads yet (courtesy of Exit Stage Left) ? The first three of these refer to 9/11, and Mr. Bush, this is in poor taste. The fourth one makes you look like a beter candidate.

Hey Dr. Seuss is getting his own Stamp!

A page from the Guardian, about Mel Gibson's film . . . and it's a fun read. Trust me. And this one is silly silly silly

She Called it Torture

"Do you ever have a dream where you're with a dream-hottie, they're maybe not even a real person, but someone from the cast of your dream characters. You're hanging out with them, laughing, having fun, and so on. Maybe you are both sitting on a blanket in the park, or maybe on the couch in their living room. They have you lay down on your back; they're beside you or above you. And you know you want to kiss them and they want to kiss you, but for some reason they wait . . . and they hover . . . just above you . . . you may even feel their breath softly brushing over your lips. But no kiss, not yet. They move closer to your mouth, lips parted ever so slightly, eyes closing into smiling slits as their gaze moves from your eyes to your mouth and . . . BLINK!
You are in your bed, and you are alone.
It's Tuesday morning, moments before your alarm clock goes off.
Your dream-hottie, real or not, is certainly not there, just about to plant one on you. And as you drift back into dreamland after hitting the snoozebar, you may be in the same park, in the same room, or wherever you were moments before waking, but that person is simply nowhere to be found."

"That's torture . . . " she sighed, pulling me closer and then she kissed me.

A pretty good weekend overall:

The goodness started Thursday evening, as many good weekends do: I had dinner with my friend Meredith at Tram's Kitchen. Friday I had a nice apres-work nap (also known as stacking Zs in some circles) and then met Jim and Chris at the Inn Termission for some beers and pool. Saturday, i went skiing with Barb, Jack, and his brother Mark. that was pretty sweet. And yesterday, when I woke up, mylegs were a little sore, so I went to the gym, did a little lifting (it's been a while), swam laps in the pool, and then went to visit my mom. While in the gym, i worked my tripceps (oneof my favorite groups to work) but maybe a bit too hard? This morning when I woke up, I cou;ldn't really move my arms. so That means I have to go back tomorrow and lift again to get 'em back in place. Exercise is good food.

And so is Boxstep. My pal Sarah Siplak signs with Boxstep, and they have a CD jsut coming out now. Gotta like whenyer pals are seling CD's here and over in Europe as well. Rock on Sarah!!!

Here you will find some grisly poems to read,
and some lovely pictures go with them indeed.

Peering from behind death's velvet curtain,
The author, of course, is one Tim Burton.

For these I must thank the girl on the bus,
The one so pretty she'll make you cuss.

And if you wouldn't venture a guess,
I'll go on and tell you, her name is Jess.

The word is kind of familiar, in that I've encountered it before, but never knew what it meant. Think ... MacGyver.

Bricolage - (French, 'doing odd jobs'). A characteristic (according to C. Levi-Strauss) of the early human mind, in contrast to modern scientific thinking. But bricolage is entirely rational (i.e. not pre-rational) in its own way. He introduced the term in The Savage Mind. A bricoleur is one who improvises and and uses any means or materials which happen to be lying around in order to tackle a task: 'The bricoleur is adept at executing a great number of diverse tasks; but unlike the engineer, he does not subordinate each of them to the availability of raw materials and tools, conceptualized and procured specifically for this project; his instrumental universe is closed, and the rule of his game is to make do with the means at hand.' In the making of myth, bricolage is the use of whatever happens to be 'lying around,' so that myth is both rational and improvisatory.

Courtesy of my pal Kurt, and of course the folks in Britain, I offer you these three items:


http://flash.trojangames.co.uk/tgames/movies/movie3.html
http://flash.trojangames.co.uk/tgames/movies/movie2.html
http://flash.trojangames.co.uk/tgames/movies/movie1.html

They are not obscene, just funny . . .

Whether I'm dateless or not, this approaching 'holiday' ranks low on my list
(below Columbus Day, but above Flag Day, maybe on par with Arbor Day?), and yet somewhere in the depths of my being, it does have something more than commercial appeal.

I guess . . .

I mean, it worked as an excuse to kiss a girl one night many moons ago: '"Well, no girl should go without being kissed on Valentines day," I said. And then I kinda ended up dating that girl. Hmmmm . . .

So I'm posting a couple items of interest, one for either sex, you can determine who gets what, or you can take both if you like, I won't know and it won't make a big difference to me either way. I'd hope it's not completely obvious that I'm dateless fo the weekend . . . anyways:

1. Gentlemen Beware: During the month of February in a leap year (like this year), it is kosher, kopacetic, considered fair game, in England (and their colonies?) for a woman to propose marriage to a man. Ok, wait, it's really just the last day, the 29th, so be ready. Although traditions and what not are looser now, or it could be anytime this month or this year or .... whenever. Ballsy, eh?

2. For those who are less interested in words, I offer you this link: Sweet Kisses Enjoy!

So Pennsylvanians, even if their convenience stores don't sell hooch, are still big time boozers. check it out . . . Pretty soon, we'll all be subscribers, eh?

Speaking of drinks n'at, I kinda like this Tiki Lounge place on Carson St, and apparently, it's a style of place popular with folks, dudes at least, all over.

Even though there's the little known spot in Friendship (a 7-11) that sells six-packs, for the most part, you can't find beer or alkeehol in a convenience store. But this makes me think , ... could it be true? that perhaps the Commonwealth is catching up with our neighbors? Eh . . . doubt it.

And then that's it for Bingo? Sheesh ...

Even the British politicians are looser than ours here in PA.

Some good fotolog pages to check:

Criminal; Debdamone; Roberta666; Biti; NERVOCRIATICO; MacWagen (aka Dan Buczinski?)

And Punxsatawney Phil says blah weather for the next six weeks . . . as if we needed a doped up groundhog to tell us that....

I want to go see Bubba Ho-tep, it's playing out at the Oaks Theater in Oakmont. THis movie features Bruce Campbell of Army of Darkness fame, and it's supposed to be top notch. Anyone wanna go? My car's down for the week (at least) so you'll have to drive.... :P

Here's the scoop, it's a limited engagement (from the Oaks webpage):

Bubba Ho-tep
SUN & MON @ 3:15, 5:15

TUE, WED, THU @ 5:15, 7:30, 9:30


PITTSBURGH EXCLUSIVE! Based on the Bram Stoker Award nominated short story by cult author Joe R. Lansdale, the stylish and funny "BUBBA HO-TEP" tells the "true" story of what really became of Elvis Presley. Bruce Campbell ("Evil Dead," “Army of Darkness”) and Ossie Davis ("Do the Right Thing") star as two elderly residents in an East Texas rest home plagued by an evil Egyptian mummy. Apparently Elvis (Campbell) actually switched identities with an Elvis impersonator years before his "death," and has now lost his desire to live. But when Elvis meets Jack (Davis), a fellow nursing home resident who thinks that he is actually President John F. Kennedy, the two old codgers sally forth to battle the mummy and rescue the other residents from losing their souls (as well as their lives)! At once a hilarious comedy and outrageously clever horror flick, "BUBBA HO-TEP" is a unique exploration of aging, dignity and the meaning of life.

It's like some local talent's Citizen Kane. but who in Pittsburgh would be Orson Welles? Ok, it seemed a bit hoi poloi (for the rock n' roll set at least) but i'm sad to see this place go. I saw a lot of good shows and this doesn't bode well for the music scene in Pittsburgh. Goodbye, Rosebud.

Correction: Apparently said sleepyhead foreign dignitary is a member of Congress: Democrat Representative Chuck Rangel. Thanks for the heads up, Joe! (see below)

here's a pretty cool article about an artist named Phillip Guston.

My favorite moment of Bush's State of the Onion address last night? When towards the end, the camera panned over to some foreign dignitary who was faaaast asleep . . . perhaps he's thinking deeply? No, he's dreaming . . . :P

Ok, so you may or may not have heard of the movie Big Fish. If you havent' you should check it out. Given recent events in my life, it held particular relevance for me, being a father/son type movie. Plus, Eddie Vedder and the Pearl Jam do the closing credit song, and blammo, it's a doozie. Quite fitting and a good song in and of itself.

I had my first class for the semester two weeks ago and saw this quote in the elementary school classroom where we had our first meeting:

"Be patient towards all that is unsolved in your heart, and learn to love the questions" - Rainer Maria RIlke

Dang! what a great thought for folks at any age (I'm finding it especially relevant in many realms ... ), and what a great school that must be (the Falk School in Oakland) for kids to be getting Rilke perhaps as early as 1st or even the 6th grade. Wish maybe I had gone there as a kid.

Today is my first day back to work. It's a big step in returning to normal.
So far it's going well, mostly I'm being left alone to do the piles of work that appeared while I was away. For those of you who don't know, my father passed away a week ago today (last Friday). He suffered from colon and liver cancer. He was 70, almost made it to his 71st birthday. It's a bit wierd sorting through all these emotions and stuff, but it's also quite an eye-opener learning experience. My father was a good man, and I'll surely miss him. As one friend aptly put it, "he was very sweet, yet scrappy." I am so very appreciative of all the friends and folks who came to pay their respects, and for those who couldn't make it... thanks for being there if only in your thoughts.

In memory of Dr. Lawrence A. Dunegan

February 23, 1923 - January 9, 2004

Finally got my grade for this past semester, got a 'B' in History of Literary Criticism. Not too shabby, considering that was one of the toughest courses I've had in a while. A lot of people dropped out of the class including the one really smart chick who I thought would've rocked the class, being a philosophy major and all. Yeah, she balked . . . :P

Has anyone else heard about the great thing Bill Gates is doing? He wants to promote the internet (which Al Gore invented ) by having us all email our friends, and we'll all get money. Lots of it. We'll go to McDonald's after we get our money and buy each other lunch!!! Keep an eye out for the email in your inbox, i'll be sending it soon!!!

Ok, this is some wierd Flash-thing that chix might dig, like '80's rocker chicks might enjoy . . .

And this, is perhaps one of the silliest and worst poems ever written (thankfully I didn;t write it):

Oh, the Cause of Gauze

Oh, the Cause of Gauze
The Manuels have fondled many memories from my lap
Though each memory has it's own lap
And swimmers swim laps
Even swimmers have laps however
And while in that condition
Many require a delicate gauze
I desire only this in my decrepitude
That I will have one more opportunity to serve as a gauze for my fellow man
And that in that state of gauze
Can somehow disturb the world less often with my prickly fingers.

- Of Montreal

Fighting off the Bah Humbugs

I'm starting to see a secondary / tertiary aspect of Christmas: giving us something to look forward to in the deep dark of winter. Dude, winter sucks. . . and if not for that holiday, winter would suck completely. Oh, I like doing stuff in the snow like skating and skiing, and what not. And maybe it's just because I haven't done any of that fun stuff yet this year, or maybe because my Jetta-opy (pronounced like "Jalopy" but with a ' T ' instead of an ' L ') wont' turn over if there's a sneeze of moisture in the air (not to mention that you can't take any more than one passenger now, because the rear doors dont' open, and the handles on the front doors need replaced as well, and the exhaust pipe has a gaping hole), or maybe because I'm still in limbo about how this last semester turned out, or maybe it's the "Single-for-the-Holidays" crap, or maybe it's that there's short, cold days, the darkest of which are now and until January. Or maybe I just needed to rant ...

Fighting off the Bah Humbugs

This was a really good weekend, overall.
Friday five of us went to Johnstown, OH to see a Tambura band (Otrov) play. On the way up, our friend Tara (also on the way up a few miles ahead) called to say she just got a flat tire when WHap-wup-wup WHap-wup-wup Whap-wup-wup WHap-wup-wup ... we got a flat tire too! Kooky! So fortunately we had a spare and I changed the tire. The show was a lot of fun with really good music that got better as the evening wore on. Something beautiful about seeing these guys play at the bar (like AT the bar) while passing shots of slivovitz and still playing and singing. Nasdrovya !!!

Saturday afternoon, got the tree up and decorated, then hung out with Jim and Mikey for a spell over at Josh & Jessies... got to see young Jacob B. Josh lent me a cd from these guys. It's a lot like the review says.

Here's one thing on my Christmas list:
Skyray
and another: Ukulele
and another: an evening out with Audrey Tatau

Right . . . is anybody else completely bored with finding tons of "Nas7y Par1s Hilton - longs fer yer junk like a biZnatch " emails in their bulk mail . . . and why am i getting stuff like "Beat your Menopause" ?

I went to dinner with jim and Ro at Tram's last night, and the plan was to get a Christmas tree afterwards, but when we pulled up to the place by Page Dairy mart, the tree folks were getting in thier trucks to go home for the night. DANG!!!
So we'll get a tree Saturday. Ended up going to Dee's later, to meet up with jim and Ro and Rudy. I met a crazy girl who flirted with me somethin' fierce, asked me for my phone number, but I figure I was back-up-plan-man because she let on that she was waiting for another dude to show. And of course he did. Cool enough dude, but it became readily apparent that girl wasn't fair game when she kissed his mouth. Shortly after that they both left and I went back to hang with my pals. It's fun to flirt/be flirted with, ahh someday ... some girl will figure it out.

I am finished for the semester. I submitted my Final Exam paper last night around midnight... it was due by 8:00 AM this morning. Now I have to scare up three letters of reference/recommendation for my application.

In other news, I heard some stuff from a girl band called The Likes . . . me likey The Likes. They have two songs from their EP, and both are pretty solid sounding tunes. You can also chek 'em out on my fave, KCRW (see link to the right ... ).

There's another band you can check out: Bedroom Walls. I really dig their chord progressions.

Speaking of which, in the midst of my Final Exam paper writing, I'd relieve my tired brain from its Herculean duty of making sense out of the absurdly abstract Beginnings, by setting myself at the piano. Something happened there in the afternoon, or perhaps over the past few days, and a song came out . . . it's not quite finished yet, but I like to think of it as a fine point of departure where there's plenty of room for stuff to grow.

Today, the Guardian is running an article they ran from Monday December 10, 1980.

A good weekend overall, Saturday was busy busy busy, what with taking apart my spinnet and rearranging the living room furniture with Jim to make room for my new piano ... ok, so it may be 100 years old, but it's been refurbished in the late '60's or early 70's, and been in my family since then.

the New Years eve invites went out, and the party's on... just gots to get some schtuff together in the mean time.

I found this page looking around on one of my fave's . . . it's a couple of cartoon/animation-style movie clips, that are in French, but are pretty cool. Although Euro hotty cartoon chix from the club (hinting at girl - girl ?) arent' bad at all, I like the video for the song, "Deux Pieds" best: it seems fitting for so many of us guys, at least this one... and the ending is tops.

there's a cool article from the Guardian about Edouard Manet. The famous painting is Bar at the Folies-Bergères, and if you look closely, you'll notice the bottles of Bass Ale on the bar . . . way to go Eddie!


I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

"The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be." - Paul Valery

I took my Praxis exam yesterday(it's akin to the SAT or GRE entrance exams, but for teahcers) and scored passing marks for the first half. I gotta wait three weeks to find out about the third protion and the essay portion. And my car is acting up... i think she's tired or something.

The author doesn't believe he can get started.

A beginning must be thought possible, it must be taken to be possible, before it can be one. - Edward Said

The mind's work, in order to be done, occasionally requires the possibility of freedom, of a new cleanness or prospective achievement, of special and novel appropriation. - Edward Said

She looks at him, as a fallow field does the farmer
Yearning to be plowed and sown.
He looks at her, as a horse does a pasture
Hungry for space, and grass to graze upon.
Will you ever sow your seed?
Will you let this horse run free?

As if theft wasn't enough to compromise the identity crisis many Americans now face, it seems now that if you laugh your face off, drink your face off, have heinously disfiguring acne, or just want to look like somebody else, you can get a face transplant. 'I saw that guy who has Charlie's face on the bus again today. I have to wonder what the psychological impact of that would be for the families of the old face people, and the new recipients... gives a whole new meaning to saving face. It may be a viable option for those in the WPA.

THis weekend was pretty good. Friday I went with friends to check out this Gypsy Band at the Paparazzi ... the band was excellent. I think some, if not all of their memebers are former Tamburzini's (aka Tamburitzans) from Duquesne. The service at Paparazzi was rotten, either that or they thought I was rotten, but I saw lots and lots of folks getting drinks, but they never gave me one. Eventually some waiter guy took away my empty's, took my order, gave drinks to some other folks and then walked away from the bar, never came back . . . so at least the music was really good. Apparently they weren't expecting such a busy night, and were thus understaffed, but I dunno. I wasn't too impressed. Then we went to Smokin' Joes and then to a friend's house. Saturday night, I did some busking, and had one of my most successful evenings ever. It was good to play cuz it had been almost two months since I last played out. Sunday we had some folks over for a big dinner thing. it was pretty cool.

THis band, the Distillers is kinda cool . . . my friend Kristie is a big big big fan of these cats.

THis weekend was pretty good. Friday I went with friends to check out this Gypsy Band at the Paparazzi ... the band was excellent. I think some, if not all of their memebers are former Tamburzini's (aka Tamburitzans) from Duquesne. The service at Paparazzi was rotten, either that or they thought I was rotten, but I saw lots and lots of folks getting drinks, but they never gave me one. Eventually some waiter guy took away my empty's, took my order, gave drinks to some other folks and then walked away from the bar, never came back . . . so at least the music was really good. Apparently they weren't expecting such a busy night, and were thus understaffed, but I dunno. Then we went to Smokin' Joes and then to a friend's house. Saturday night, I did some busking, and had one of my most successful evenings ever. It was good to play cuz it had been almost two months since I last played out. Sunday we had some folks over for a big dinner thing. it was pretty cool.

THis band, the Distillers is kinda cool . . . my friend Kristie is a big big big fan of these cats.

most of you will probably have seen this from Tony, but if not check this out:

Flash slot car racing

Ahhh yes . . . the lovely L.U.P.E.C. (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails) gals are still up and running strong . . . here's a bit about founding LUPEC member Jenn Gottschalk, aka Whiskey Daisy, and her response to a new rag on boozing: Modern Drunkard. Funny, cuz I saw Jenn at the Kelly's Bar last Saturday; I think she and her man were pretty engrossed in something, maybe discussing drinks?

President Bush was quoted as saying to British Prime Minister Tony Blair: "The problem with the French is that they have no word for entrepreneur." Blair denied that Bush said it, but the story is plausible because people are always saying similar things about other cultures.

A little bit of humpday eyecandy . . . Basso and Brooke

A NY Times piece on the Johnny Cash Tribute in Nashville.

Good Monday to yinz... Overall it was a pretty good weekend. I had some ups and some downs. Let's look at the 'ups' first:
Ok, the Steelers won against the Cardinals, this is good.
I saw a pretty cool documentary as part of the Three Rivers Film Festival at the Melwood Screening Room (I finally saw a show there!) called "Long Gone." It's about train-riding hobos and tramps, with a score by Tom Waits. . . Funny, cuz it was really interesting, but so many people had 'hives' or 'hangovers' or some other 'gritty in my girly' response for not wanting to go see it.
I saw my friend Karen's new house: it looks pretty cool.

The downs? well check this out:

If There's Still Torches, Be Careful to Not Get Burned.

I'm not sure where I heard that phrase this past week, but t'is sage advice. Just listen:

WTF? Ok, this is what my 'friend' told me about a girl he was involved with: "____, who made me wait and wait Friday to go to dinner, only to cop out and blow me off, ___ is no longer my friend. I'm better off without her. The guy she was not seeing anymore, and then was and then wasn't because he was with another girl, so why don't we give it another try (funny, cuz I was just thinking it was time to give you the boot to the curb), talks with her and they're back together, so I guess I'll be your friend still, but we can't date any more? Yeah, whatever... good luck. Anyways, Mr. Man'll be out on somebody else's ass in two weeks when he gets tired of your stubbly chin (which I was willing to overlook... )."
Suffice it to say, I think we're all better off without self-aggrandizing females whose ridiculously huge egos somehow fail them when it comes time to have real strength, ie, be completely honest with people and not feed them some raggedy bit of bull story just to keep you around, ya know, just in case . . . "Mr. Man and I? Oh we're so done, so why don't we try this out again?" NEVER believe that . . . especially when you've met Mr. Man, when your gut feeling says, she's a flake, and when yer friends all say, give that bag of bones the boot. " Yeah, my poor friend, he'll figure it out one day.

As for me? I remain the Illegible Bachelor.

Congratulations to Brad Yoder (www.bradyoder.com) for having his single 'Used' appear on the Paste Music Sampler III cd. My friend Sarah Lentz (www.sarahlentz.com) has also hooked up with the folks from Paste Music. Go check out some of their stuff.... www.pastemusic.com

Sorry about the no links bits... either blogger or my machine is a bit gakked this morning.

"My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can." - Cary Grant

"To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead. " - Bertrand Russel

"Youth is to all the glad season of life; but often only by what it hopes, not by what it attains, or what it escapes." - Thomas Carlyle

"There are no original ideas. There are only original people." - Barbara Grizzutti Harrison

This was a really good weekend, all said and done!

Friday night we went to Flux. I painted my face blue with stars and a moonn and went as Night, and I saw some pretty cool costumes. My favorite was the girl who went as a Venus Flytrap: not only was she incredibly hot, but she hada great great costume ... almost made me wish I went as a fly for Halloween.

Saturday I volunteered with Madge and Jolene at the Animal Friends Black Tie and Tails fundraiser. Kinda cool to see a bunch folks all gussied up, and then a bunch of cats and dogs all gussied up, too. I met Jim Leland, former Pittsburgh Pirates manager there, too.

And yesterday, with it's unseasonably warm temps made for a great day. I played softball in the early afternoon, and then afterwards went out on the Monongahela river with my friend MJ in her inflatable kayak. Apparently we were being watched by a bunch of other boaters, because a lot of people came up to us when we docked and got out of the water. Some guy told us we could get fined $300 each for not having life jackets ... and another guy tho;ught we were cops because we went out in that crazy boat without life jackets. He said he gets fined all of the time for stupid stuff, and he was amazed we didn't get one... I guess all the cops were at the Steelers game. After boating, I went over to my folks place, and was apparently pretty tired. I fell asleep on the couch and didn't budge for about an hour before eating dinner.

Sounds more like the title to a bad movie, or something rather than a real headline, but there it is in Philly:

Catholic High School Girls Pummel Man Who Flashed Them and then of course the same story from the Philly Inquirer

A Poetry by Nichita Stanescu
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another Kind of Mathematics

We know that one times one is one,
but an unicorn times a pear
have no idea what it is.
We know that five minus four is one
but a cloud minus a sailboat
have no idea what it is.
We know that eight
divided by eight is one,
but a mountain divided by a goat
have no idea what it is.
We know that one plus one is two,
but me and you, oh,
we have no idea what it is.

Oh, but a comforter
times a rabbit
is a red-headed one of course,
a cabbage divided by a flag
is a pig,
a horse minus a street-car
is an angel,
a cauliflower plus an egg
is an astragalus.

Only you and me
multiplied and divided
added and substracted
remain the same...

Vanish from my mind!
Come back in my heart!


english translation by George Mustea.

For those of you who like creepy stories about people from long long ago . . .

Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian Prince also known as Dracula
And if that doesn't slake your thirst, here's even more on Vlad Tsepesh

Finally, the accounts of blood baths taken by Elizabeth Bathory are thought to account for part of Bram Stoker's tales of horror. This lady was pretty gakked up . . .

this is some pretty cool schtuff . . . i think i want my first album to look something like this stuff.

Congratulations to Josh and Jessie Seybert on their new life together! The wedding was fun, and it was cool to wear a tux again. i spent hours walking around and standing with my hands clasped in front of me . . .

for those of you who know why stick people went extinct, and who maybe like Jackie CHan or the movie Kill Bill, go check out this kung fu movie

Ok, I always thought Elliot Smith's songs are way cool in their sadness, honesty and just all around good sounds... I didn't know he was really that suicidal. Dang, Elliott . . . we'll miss you.
Steven Paul (Elliott) Smith. August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003.

manuel ocampo, a dude whose art appeared in beck's album art . . .