Home Blogs After Hours October 2003
A Day | 10.01.03 | 02:05:03 PM
Jackson Brown, Somebody's Baby
One of the big downsides of death, as far as I'm concerned, is the fact that all of your memories and life experiences die with you. Those memories, those little bubbles of time floating around in your brain, fade out and disappear, taking with them tiny chunks of the universe that are gone forever.
Sure, you can write down those memories; the libraries are filled with books by people who have done just that. But the most detailed memoir is no more than a charcoal rubbing of the past. No words can convey the myriad nuances that make a memory so vivid. It's like trying to describe a dream -- you can relate the facts and how you felt, but you can never bring someone into your dream. All you can give them is a slideshow of your journey.
What's more, some of the most powerful tangible manifestations of memory are things -- objects, smells, tastes, sounds -- that, as infused with the past as they are, are accessible only to you. You know that cheap perfume they sell in drugstores -- Aspen? To most it's a mildly cloying woodsy scent. To me it's a time machine with one setting: 1992. One whiff of Aspen and I'm transported to the driver's side of a rental sedan, performing a thorough pelvic exam on a redhead named Becky while we wait outside her apartment for her roommate to go to bed. Then, like I'm on the Carousel of Progress in Tomorrowland, the scene shifts inexorably to the awkward morning after, and on through the painful breakup and subsequent descent into booze and madness.
Then I'm let out into the gift shop.
I wish you could have been where I was in 1982. If you had been, I could just say, "Man, remember 1982?" And you'd be all, "Totally." And that'd be it, no need for lengthy explanations. You'd just know. Jesus, even I wish I had been there, and I was. But it's okay. Proust had his madeleines, and I've got Jackson Browne.
I'm glad I spent my early teens in West L.A. in the 80's, because it was the locus of everything that was the 80's, the same way that San Francisco embodied the 60's. I hung out at the mall where Fast Times at Ridgemont High was set. Spicoli, Mark Ratner, Mike Damone...I knew those guys! Hell, I was Ratner. And when I bummed around Westwood Village and spent whole weekends pumping quarters into Millipede and Dig Dug at the Westworld arcade or buying the new Cars album at Tower and checking out unattainable high school girls under the endless California sun, it felt like everything in the world was happening right here, on these streets, and the world would just keep getting bigger and bigger.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 67.106.83.29
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/01/2003 06:06:55 PM
Hey, your 1982 wasn't much different from my 1992!
Except with Street Fighter instead of Millipede and Dig Dug and Megadeth instead of the Cars. And an air of gleeful negativity in place of the hopeful glow of positivity.
My 2002 was nowhere near as cool as your 1992, though.
Well, I probably wouldn't be able to survive as teen in the eighties, judging from that song. Then again, I could have seen all manner of excellent underground acts back then.
I need to have some Marvel Comics staffers on hand to whip up a "What If..." whenever I feel like it.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.150.2
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/02/2003 03:12:19 AM
Man, if your 2002 was free of the aforementioned descent into booze and madness I would say it had a definite leg up on my 1992.
The 80's were a great time for underground rock. You had bands like X and Suicidal Tendencies and the Circle Jerks and the Replacements...I mean, yeah, it was a cesspool of cheesy soft rock, but underneath that there was such an awesome punk scene. I think the greatest legacy of the Reagan Administration was that it inspired a generation of rebels.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.150.2
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/02/2003 03:15:45 AM
Ah, I forgot to mention Black Flag. Fuck! Black Flag. They WOKE ME UP.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 204.87.171.4
URL: http://rantorama.com
DATE: 10/02/2003 07:12:27 AM
I love that feeling of time travel you get when certain songs come on the radio. My fat, 35 year old ass is stuck in traffic outside of Mile High stadium, then that Jackson Browne song comes on and I'm 14, just moved to a new state, just started high school, young & naiive and full of hope. My biggest worry was whether or not Ed would hold my hand at the movie, or whether I'd get asked to dance at the dance the next weekend.
Sigh.
I love that song. Thanks for posting it!
Oh, and the descent into booze and madness ... My first drink that wasn't a beer from a relative was outside of a football game that fall. There were four Catholic girls, one beer. Provided by Terry, who was our age but about 5 years ahead of us in life experience. So we mixed it with Dr. Pepper to make it go farther, and because we didn't like how it tasted. It was even more disgusting after we mixed it with Dr. Pepper!
Man, I have to go back in time pretty far to remember NOT liking beer!
Then Terry told the rest of the girls what a boner was.
The end.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 67.106.83.29
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/02/2003 03:45:07 PM
Black Flag, indeed!
"They say things are gonna get better
All I know is they fucking better!"
Among all of the couplets that each by rhyming the same word with itself, that one is the greatest.
☄
A Day | 10.01.03 | 04:59:28 PM
Excellent: I just scored a staff writing position at DVD Verdict. It's a nonpaying gig, but I'll get advance screener copies of new discs, which works for me. I'll post links to my reviews whenever I start reviewing for them.
Could this be the break that catapults me to the top of the DVD reviewing world? The first step on the path to my eventual goal -- writing anonymous blurbs for the Video/DVD section of Entertainment Weekly? Who knows -- I'm just hoping to last awhile before my fraud is discovered!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: xkot
EMAIL: xkot@xkot.net
IP: 64.208.80.95
URL: http://www.xkot.net
DATE: 10/01/2003 05:45:06 PM
Congrats! I'm quite envious of your new early DVD connection.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BOB
EMAIL: bob@agirlnamedbob.com
IP: 172.151.196.221
URL: http://www.agirlnamedbob.com
DATE: 10/01/2003 10:31:06 PM
"Fun! You write great movie reviews!" raves BOB. *****
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.150.2
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/02/2003 01:21:33 AM
Thanks guys!
With my luck, though, the advance screener DVDs I get will be direct-to-video dogs. Perception: LOTR Two Towers Extended Edition. Reality: Pocahontas II.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: matthew
EMAIL: bino1@hotmail.com
IP: 66.84.173.92
URL: http://bakiwop.f2o.org
DATE: 10/02/2003 04:19:25 AM
congratumalations! hope to read some of your reviews soon.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 204.87.171.4
URL: http://rantorama.com
DATE: 10/02/2003 07:05:35 AM
You are perfect for any writing position! I hope you can get paid for it very soon!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/02/2003 11:56:26 AM
I think you are nifty.
Will they let you use "fuck" and the various illuminating and evocative variations of this particularly useful word in your reviews?
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Susan
EMAIL: susan@flowerhead.com
IP: 65.178.209.10
URL: http://flowerhead.com
DATE: 10/03/2003 10:48:37 AM
You write fabulous mooovie reviews - congrats on the gig!
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A Day | 10.02.03 | 02:31:04 AM
Do you believe it's true?
If I'm really honest with myself, I unfairly blame my X for souring me on love and romance.
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A Day | 10.02.03 | 03:36:17 AM
Frankly, if you can't appreciate the multilayered pleasures to be found in a song like "If You Leave Me Now" by Chicago, then you simply aren't drinking enough.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 204.87.171.4
URL: http://rantorama.com
DATE: 10/02/2003 07:04:18 AM
Chicago is some dangerous drinkin' music. High risk of bustin' out cryin' if you get drunk enough.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: estella
EMAIL: floatdrownswim@hotmail.com
IP: 68.99.210.225
URL: http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/02/2003 09:17:35 AM
When I was like nine I would sing-slash-scream Chicago hits off of the porch of our house into the neighborhood. And I didn't even drink that much in elementary school. Chicago kicks ass.
(Um. I didn't drink at all in elementary school. Just so we're clear.)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.150.17
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/03/2003 12:20:08 AM
I'm glad you guys are with me on the Chicago thing. Anyone up for Journey?
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/03/2003 05:36:00 AM
I love Journey! Journey, Chicago, Fleetwood Mac, REO Speedwagon ... they'd be the trifecta of essential music, but there's four of them.
Steve Perry once gave me the "thumbs up" sign while he was singing "open arms". I was 15. It was one of the greatest moments of my life.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: grooveladi@remove_meyahoo.com
IP: 209.246.244.90
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/03/2003 05:16:13 PM
*rushes home to put on some Chicago!!!* Actually I don't have any Chicago. Shame on me. I have Toto though. My friends all laugh me for it, but they just don't understand the musical genuis that is Steve Lukather.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/04/2003 07:15:02 AM
Toto kicks ass!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: grooveladi@remove_meyahoo.com
IP: 68.224.168.139
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/05/2003 01:04:19 PM
Yeah they do! :)
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A Day | 10.03.03 | 01:16:25 AM
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/03/2003 05:32:47 AM
Dude, if you're gonna write a comic about me, at least portray me as something other than a balding male! ;-)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/03/2003 05:34:23 AM
Oh, and PS -- after over 9 months of going through a spiritual crisis like this, I've decided that the meaning of life for me ... well, I'll have to settle for "Paying Off my Credit Cards." That's about the only thing I can find to direct my attention toward.
Sigh.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Wendy
EMAIL: Wendy@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 172.137.158.246
URL: http://weirdsmobile.com/wendy
DATE: 10/03/2003 07:52:45 AM
That is really creepy. Is that a psychiatrist that died and rotted down to the skeleton?
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.150.6
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/03/2003 08:04:51 AM
Mary: You'd rather be the skeletal woman? But yeah, I think the key to happiness is lowered expectations. At 24 I wanted to find Ultimate Truth; at 34 I'll settle for occasional coherence. When my life finally revolves around the quest for regular bowel movements, I'll be a happy man.
Wendy: Ha! It would be a psychiatrist if I could afford one! Alas, I'm afraid the corpse in question represents anyone unlucky enough to enter my Introspection Zone.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 204.87.171.4
URL: http://rantorama.com
DATE: 10/03/2003 09:15:42 AM
Can I break the cardinal rule of password protected blogs and quote you? If I can't then you'd better go to my blog and delete the entry I'm about to make (if the IT department hasn't blocked my admin site as well), because I'm stealing that quote! YOINK!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.150.6
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/03/2003 09:43:38 AM
I feel so quotable.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 204.87.171.4
URL: http://rantorama.com
DATE: 10/03/2003 10:38:31 AM
Well, apparently the IT department at my work blocked me from accessing my admin system for my blog too. Nazi bastards! So your quote will have to wait.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Susan
EMAIL: susan@flowerhead.com
IP: 65.178.209.10
URL: http://flowerhead.com
DATE: 10/03/2003 10:50:32 AM
That comic was making me feel really sad until I saw the corpse, and now I can't stop laughing for some reason.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: estella
EMAIL: floatdrownswim@hotmail.com
IP: 68.99.210.225
URL: http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/03/2003 11:55:49 AM
Oh, B! We're not skeletons. Keep it coming.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/03/2003 01:34:26 PM
I am far more durable than the pathetic comic woman.
Actually, My first thought was that she had become the undead and was about to rid Bald Man of that gut he so dislikes, along with his intestines.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: estella
EMAIL: floatdrownswim@hotmail.com
IP: 68.99.210.225
URL: http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/03/2003 01:44:17 PM
I like that her hair still looks pretty good.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 198.104.0.100
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/03/2003 01:49:09 PM
Aqua Net. Lots and lots of Aqua Net.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: grooveladi@remove_meyahoo.com
IP: 209.246.244.90
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/03/2003 05:12:03 PM
Oh how this comic brought lots of giggles to my otherwise giggle-less day. You rock!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BOB
EMAIL: bob@agirlnamedbob.com
IP: 172.161.186.114
URL: http://agirlnamedbob.com
DATE: 10/04/2003 10:39:19 AM
Am I the only one who got scared, becaues the skeleton looks hungry?
☄
A Day | 10.04.03 | 01:43:31 AM
Pop Quiz: Which of these countries has the highest per capita alcohol consumption?
1. Ireland
2. Russia
3. Iceland
4. Korea
Answer: Korea. In fact, Koreans are the 2nd heaviest drinkers in the world, next to the well-pickled population of Slovenia. If you've ever visited Korea, this fact won't surprise you very much. There is quite literally a bar (or five) on every city block, and the great national rotgut of Korea, Soju (a kind of rice wine, similar to but much stronger than sake at over 80 proof), is sold in 12-packs like Coca-Cola. You know how the Inuit are supposed to have 200 words for snow? Well, Koreans have probably a dozen different varieties of bars, depending on what type of drinking you plan on doing (dating, drinking with buddies, feeling up women, etc.) Sure, America has sports bars, fern bars, and Irish pubs, but the Koreans are on a whole other level.
In short, Koreans are serious drinkers. We're not known as the Irish of Asia for nothing. To me, it's one of the charms of Korea. It's not as hip (or decadent) as Japan, not as huge and ingrained in the popular imagination as China, but it's a country that drinks hard, plays hard, and does everything from fight to fuck with a down-n-dirty intensity that our more restrained neighbors don't share.
Now, I want to say at this point that I think there is a big difference between a hard drinker and an alcoholic. My father was a two-fisted boozehound who could drink the best of them under the table, but when he got older and decided to quit, he quit, no sweat. Same with the rest of my family. I never knew any of them to be violent drunks or to get out of hand to where they couldn't walk away from the bottle when needed. It was just so much more fun to drink than not drink, and if you lived in a country where you barely knew the language and movie theaters didn't exactly provide Korean subtitles, what else would you have to do with your time?
Booze hasn't fared well in American culture. These days it's associated most closely with 12-step programs, rehab centers, sports bars, and tragic frat boy antics. Gone are the days of the gentleman drunk, like the Thin Man, or of noble drunks like Charles Bukowski and Hemingway. Today's typical drunkard is some schlub on a stool playing bar trivia.
I think it's time to bring back the nobility of drinking. And I don't mean in lame ways like buying $40 bottles of superpremium vodka in lovely bottles, or memorizing lists of hip cocktails and brands of liquor. And I certainly don't mean shoving your way through crowds of vacuous college kids in some pansy ass club. I'm talking about no-nonsense, unpretentious boozing, like they did in the 40's and 50's. Or at least in movies made during the 40's and 50's. Grownup drinking, sans Puritanical judgments or infantile hooliganism.
☄
A Day | 10.04.03 | 10:55:06 AM
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/04/2003 01:47:25 PM
OUCH! OUCH OUCH OUCH! OUCH OUCH OUCHOUCHOUCIE OUCH OUCH!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 12.212.207.245
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/04/2003 02:48:27 PM
Heh. "Amusing Pop Culture Figure." That's so "meta."
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: estella
EMAIL: floatdrownswim@hotmail.com
IP: 68.99.210.225
URL: http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/04/2003 04:34:49 PM
If I had photoshop (or... anything) I would absolutely steal the shit out of that idea.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/06/2003 05:41:12 AM
I'm with Estella!
☄
A Day | 10.05.03 | 10:44:09 AM
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/05/2003 04:57:16 PM
I've just realized that is a damned UGLY tie. I wonder which layer has the dinosaur bones.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/05/2003 04:57:53 PM
Oh -- and I've I'd just ripped my own tit off, I'd be a little concerned about my health, too.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: matthew
EMAIL: bino1@hotmail.com
IP: 66.84.173.85
URL: http://bakiwop.f2o.org
DATE: 10/05/2003 07:26:24 PM
aha! i see where this is all going. i will read the comix, but there is no way i will listen to the 70s pr0n midi that'll be playing with them.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/06/2003 05:40:10 AM
I'm sure if I had a boyfriend and a best friend, they'd be having an affair too. Sigh.
(Hee, I slay me!)
☄
A Day | 10.06.03 | 01:18:19 AM
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/06/2003 05:39:00 AM
I'm tellin ya for the last time, quit writing introspection comics about me! ;-)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: grooveladi@remove_meyahoo.com
IP: 209.246.244.90
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/06/2003 10:05:59 AM
I am so loving these comix. I swear I'm that lady sitting on the couch.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/06/2003 01:46:56 PM
I'm afraid I'm the one hidden behind the curtain waiting the chance to leap out and slap that ugly tie off.
It just BUGS me, that's why.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 198.104.0.100
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/06/2003 01:54:07 PM
The tie is symbolic! It's a manifestation of my own self-doubt and the voice of my Inner Critic!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Susan
EMAIL: susan@flowerhead.com
IP: 63.191.104.4
URL: http://flowerhead.com
DATE: 10/06/2003 05:53:44 PM
I feel for that lady on the couch! And I feel for that guy with the loud tie.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/06/2003 06:06:30 PM
If your Inner Critic speaks to you in ugly warning orange and black stripes, you should sign him up for an episode of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy".
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A Day | 10.07.03 | 11:23:12 AM
By request, for a limited time only and exclusively for my After Hours homiez, the entire Lost in Translation soundtrack in high-quality MP3 format. This is the extra-special B² Edition that includes "Fuck the Pain Away" (not on the album) and the Bill Murray hidden track as a separate file. Due to space/bandwidth issues I can only keep this on here for a little while, so get 'em while you can!
(If you have a super-zippy internet connection, you can download the whole shootin' match as one humongous 70MB zipped file.)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Angela
EMAIL: ienjoyfarting@yahoo.com
IP: 65.117.192.66
URL: http://theshakedown.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/07/2003 12:11:39 PM
Awesome! Thanks, B²!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: matthew
EMAIL: bino1@hotmail.com
IP: 66.84.173.237
URL: http://bakiwop.f2o.org
DATE: 10/07/2003 04:28:18 PM
and i just got rid of my broadband on friday!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Rengirl
EMAIL: imac@pixelsensei.com
IP: 12.22.65.5
URL:
DATE: 10/07/2003 05:54:30 PM
The Woz thanks you for this delightful treat.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BOB & Wendy
EMAIL: bob@agirlnamedbob.com
IP: 172.161.80.149
URL: http://agirlnamedbob.com
DATE: 10/07/2003 09:03:42 PM
We heart you! For serious. You are so cool.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Xkot
EMAIL: xkot@xkot.net
IP: 68.19.228.40
URL: http://www.xkot.net
DATE: 10/08/2003 12:39:05 AM
That's super nice of you, sir.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.150.20
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/08/2003 02:21:26 AM
I'm a super nice guy.
No, really.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Susan
EMAIL: susan@flowerhead.com
IP: 65.178.209.152
URL: http://flowerhead.com
DATE: 10/12/2003 04:42:54 PM
Thanks so much! I downloaded the entire thing...on 56k.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Marissa
EMAIL: riss@feelingismutual.com
IP: 164.58.89.2
URL: http://www.feelingismutual.com
DATE: 10/14/2003 07:42:50 PM
Ah fabulous! And it only took 30 minutes to download! Thanks
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A Day | 10.08.03 | 02:52:06 AM
1. Yesterday I uttered a perfect, spontaneous Evil Genius laugh. Sandra thought I was doing it on purpose, but I wasn't. It was purely inspired by a moment where I was being extremely evil and awash in wicked triumph. If you've never done a full-throated, all-stops-pulled Evil Genius laugh, you really need to try it. It's exhilarating. Of course, I spent the rest of the day wondering how this reflected on my character.
2. If I could choose, I would rather be Superman than Lex Luthor. However, I think I'd be too pissed off to make an effective Superman.
3. If your worst enemy were trapped in the wreckage of a burning car, would you risk your life to save him? Because, on the one hand, he would be out of your way forever, but on the other hand, what if your amazing act of mercy and generosity so moved your enemy that he immediately reformed his wicked ways and became your devoted henchman?
4. Finlandia Cranberry Vodka tastes like fucking cough syrup.
5. Um
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 204.87.171.4
URL: http://rantorama.com
DATE: 10/08/2003 07:00:29 AM
I'd save my enemy, but only because that's what I must do as a human being. Now, if my enemy was a child molester or a rapist or something, and I was guaranteed that no one would know I let him burn, I'd stand by the burning car roasting marshmallows and never lose a moment's sleep over it.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/08/2003 10:11:28 AM
1) Never uttered the Evil Genius Laugh. I do, however, have a sinuous Wicked Vixen chuckle I use freely.
2) Superman represses.
3) I'd save my enemy. Who am I to judge? If I perport to value life, human or otherwise, I value it all. This doesn't mean I have to cart him to the emergency room to have his injuries tended to, however, although I might if he isn't some totally sick and reprehensible being (as noted in Mary's post, above.)
4) Thanks for the warning.
5) You're excused.
-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sandra
EMAIL: retrogirl56nospam@yahoo.com
IP: 65.45.150.27
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/sandra
DATE: 10/08/2003 10:25:28 AM
I knew it wasn't fake! That's why I made that comment about how only mad scientists laugh that way, because obliterating puny humans and laying a swath of destruction across the land with a huge atomically mutated beast is the only thing that produces unbridled mirth in homo sapiens.
(I guess you had to be there.)
-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: wabbit@groovebunny.com
IP: 209.246.244.90
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/08/2003 01:20:29 PM
1. My sis and I laugh evil all the time. Well really it goes back between jovial and evil depending on the circumstances. Yes it is liberating, and it also causes your neighbors to look at you funny.
2. I'd definately be Superman. Especially if the situation involved saving orphan kittens for destruction.
3. I'd only rescue my worst enemy from the flaming car if he promised to become my devoted henchman. After all, everyone could use a good henchman. Except for the sicko description used above by Mary, all worst enemies have henchman possibility written all over them.
4. I happen to like cough syrup. I'm weird that way.
5. hmmmm.
-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/08/2003 02:28:26 PM
Groovebunny, saving orphan kittens FOR destruction puts you sort of close to the "sicko" enemy in the burning car description.
Please please please please PLEASE tell me you meant to type "from" and that you'd never ever EVER hurt a kitten, a puppy, or any small furry animal with big eyes and a tiny voice making little helpless noises or even think cruel thoughts about cute helpless animals. Please tell me this, even if you are lying, because otherwise my evil twin may arise and be forced to hunt you down and drag you to Disney for 372 trips through "It's a Small World" while rubbing fuzzy bunny slippers in your face and tatooing a Cliche Kitty on your chest with an embroidery needle and a Sharpie marker.
Ok?
-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/08/2003 02:30:41 PM
I have to go hug each of my cats now.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: wabbit@groovebunny.com
IP: 68.224.168.139
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/08/2003 06:06:39 PM
Accck! From! From! From! I meant from and I have 4 kitten cats to prove it.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Suzette
EMAIL: SuzetteTraveler@yahoo.com
IP: 216.44.68.210
URL:
DATE: 10/08/2003 06:36:19 PM
Geez - you people are good-hearted. I'd let my enemy burn. Unless my enemy was my patient - then I'd be forced to conduct myself in a manner that was therapeutic and non-judgemental. But only until my shift was over.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/08/2003 07:56:18 PM
Ahhh, Groovebunny, I just KNEW the B man would not have a kitten destroyer around here. I am my six cats forgive you ;> (I have 6 cats for 2 reasons. Reason 1 is the sign invisible to all but homeless cats somewhere in my yard and reason 2 is that my husband will leave me if I have 7)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BOB
EMAIL: bob@agirlnamedbob.com
IP: 172.138.210.110
URL: http://agirlnamedbob.com
DATE: 10/08/2003 10:45:24 PM
I really think it's better to be Superman. If nothing else, you can shoot lasers out of your eyes and see through everyone's clothes.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/09/2003 09:30:35 AM
BOB, there are downsides to seeing through everyone's clothes. Some people (like me!) are not intended to be seen naked. Ask anyone who's been to a nudist retreat. I mean, how would you turn x-ray vision on and off? It must be more like a selective "ignore", which means occasionally you see something you wish you hadn't...
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BOB
EMAIL: bob@agirlnamedbob.com
IP: 172.138.210.110
URL: http://agirlnamedbob.com
DATE: 10/09/2003 02:29:12 PM
Sherri, I asked Superman about it, and he said he can turn it off and on whenever he wants. He also said to tell you, "Nice underwear!"
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/09/2003 05:32:56 PM
Damn, good thing I put on the new ones this morning! :>
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: estella
EMAIL: floatdrownswim@hotmail.com
IP: 68.99.210.225
URL: http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/10/2003 10:15:25 AM
I think that if I were Superman I would get confused and accidently throw lasers out of my eyes when I wanted to use my x-ray vision. I'd end up frying a whole lot of really good-looking citizens.
I'm not very coordinated.
☄
A Day | 10.10.03 | 11:58:34 AM
I thought I'd try out a new look. Years and years of extensive testing have gone into this design. Not my years, of course, but years.
Okay, check it out. The Blogger parody was good for a laugh, but it did lack a certain...ambience. Now, while this new one does not incorporate the requested porno motif, I hope it'll combine the warmer, "starry" feeling with just a (ding!) touch of seediness.
(In case you don't know, the photo is of me, taken about ten years ago in the bathroom of a dormitory at Yonsei University in Korea, where I spent a summer. They had a strict lights-out policy, and the only place that was lit after midnight was the bathroom. So, being the diehard night owl that I was, I spent many evenings in there perched on the toilet, writing letters to my girl and, yes, reading.)
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BOB
EMAIL: bob@agirlnamedbob.com
IP: 209.19.117.18
URL: http://agirlnamedbob.com
DATE: 10/10/2003 12:00:37 PM
CUTE!!!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/10/2003 12:08:39 PM
Xkot and I were actually discussing placing bets with each other on how soon it would be before you changed the layout here ;> nice, btw, but then, your designs usually are.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Angela
EMAIL: ienjoyfarting@yahoo.com
IP: 65.117.192.66
URL: http://theshakedown.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/10/2003 01:03:42 PM
What the hey man? Not that I don't like it, but I don't.
I was thinking, you should do a porno theme. Not with naked people, but like a dark lit porno video store with shady characters. That is what I think of when I think "after hours." Maybe because there is a porno shop called, "after dark" here in Ickyta.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Rachel
EMAIL: angrypixel@hotmail.com
IP: 24.247.173.41
URL: http://roninneko.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/10/2003 02:09:02 PM
Augh! So...not retro!! Hurts my eyes!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: estella
EMAIL: floatdrownswim@hotmail.com
IP: 68.99.210.225
URL: http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/10/2003 03:53:50 PM
I like it for a change. I liked your night sky, too, though. It made me feel all snug and secrety.
I agree with Angela's idea about the porno.
Only WITH naked people.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.150.17
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/10/2003 04:08:10 PM
Yeah, I dunno. The concept of it cracked me up, but I'm not loving it.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jeff
EMAIL: tambrnman@hotmail.com
IP: 68.67.130.34
URL: http://www.livejournal.com/users/intersensei
DATE: 10/10/2003 04:51:30 PM
I like the "super-secret for special people" title. It makes me feel special.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: charbaybi@groovebunny.com
IP: 209.246.244.90
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/10/2003 05:02:58 PM
I have to agree with Jeff. The "super-secret for special people" caught my eye right away and made me feel all bubbly and warm. Oh wait...that could also just be meno-pause setting in. Well...I like it. It's tres grey and the orange is funkay. I am currently working on a new layout and it does have naked people in it. yay for naked people!:)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/10/2003 06:45:31 PM
Super Secret for Special People....why does that make me thing James Bond? That has nekkid wimmin in it and the occasionally nearly nekkid super spy.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BeerMary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 207.14.214.200
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/10/2003 09:19:20 PM
This is cute, but I wasn't sold UNTIL I read "super secret for special people."
You had me at "special"!
It's definitely easier to read, and I like the spoof aspect of it. Using the Blogger B and making it your own was inspired!
Now you got me wanting a new layout! But don't worry; I still love mine, and I'm NOT going to change it! I'm just a layout whore.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 12.212.207.245
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/11/2003 12:34:59 AM
Before when I came to B After Hours, I felt as though I was traveling through space and time to a secret pocket in the cosmos that contained a hidden cache of comics and introspection.
This design at first made me think, "Oh, no! B accidentally deleted some stylesheets or something!" But then, I noticed the slanty-eyed Blogger logo, which is hilarious.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 12.212.207.245
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/11/2003 02:25:13 AM
Whoa - this even newer one is slick. It's very readable, yet I feel like I've been transported to some secret bathroom containing a hidden cache of introspection and comics.
(Probably in one of the toilet tanks. The hiding place for the hidden cache, that is.)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.150.10
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/11/2003 02:44:22 AM
Yeah, I think the problem with the "Blogger" design was that it didn't transport you anywhere except maybe to Blogger.com. I want you to feel transported. In this case, to a dormitory toilet stall. But the introspection and comics are there -- maybe in the wastebasket or something?
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: matthew
EMAIL: bino1@hotmail.com
IP: 66.84.173.118
URL: http://bakiwop.f2o.org
DATE: 10/11/2003 05:34:34 AM
eggcellent! the look, being so different from your others, says to me, "matthew, this isn't your normal every day wonderful B²-ster site. This is where he hides in the bathroom and bares his...soul."
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/11/2003 07:00:50 AM
::giggle::
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Rachel
EMAIL: angrypixel@hotmail.com
IP: 24.247.173.41
URL: http://roninneko.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/11/2003 08:43:11 AM
I like this one better. The deep blue paired with the picture of you on the toilet is soothing, yet chuckle-inducing, setting a standard of somethingness for which we should all strive. It is now my intention to reduce my caffeine intake by half and go lie down somewhere quiet. Thank you.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: wabbit@groovebunny.com
IP: 68.224.168.139
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/11/2003 10:12:41 AM
I am so loving this one. I can def relate especially since I get my most divine ideas on the toilet. TMI I know. Plus we get to see B on the can!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: KateMonkey
EMAIL: dymphna@dymphna.net
IP: 62.254.0.38
URL: http://www.katemonkey.co.uk
DATE: 10/11/2003 05:00:06 PM
I'm glad I'm unemployed, 'cause lord knows I'd hate to explain this design to people... ;)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BeerMary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 207.14.214.200
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/11/2003 08:34:03 PM
I liked your blogger one, but I won't argue with any display of studly B pics! ;-)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Susan
EMAIL: susan@flowerhead.com
IP: 66.173.50.42
URL: http://flowerhead.com
DATE: 10/11/2003 09:03:07 PM
Hee! You know, that photo actually reminds me of the title of your other blog.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BOB
EMAIL: bob@agirlnamedbob.com
IP: 172.136.84.115
URL: http://agirlnamedbob.com
DATE: 10/11/2003 11:07:05 PM
That's such a great picture. =)
So when are you going to design my page, huh?
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Rengirl
EMAIL: imac@pixelsensei.com
IP: 4.43.203.104
URL:
DATE: 10/12/2003 08:30:36 AM
This one seems more personal than anything you've designed before. Mama likes!
☄
A Day | 10.13.03 | 03:11:56 AM
I'm still waiting to start that DVD Verdict gig. They're dragging their heels. I don't even know what movies I've been assigned yet.
Boy, though. When you join the DVD Verdict staff, you join a family. I thought I'd just be doing reviews for them, but they've got this whole community thing going, with mailing lists and message boards and people e-mailing you every five minutes...people, I just want my free screeners, okay? Damn!
Plus, one of the guys there apparently not only knows who I am, but is a reader from way back, before the "Are You There, God?" days. This is the kind of shit that's both flattering and horrifying. I mean, on the one hand it's cool to be, like, "recognized." But on the other hand...you've been recognized.
See, this really cuts right through to the basic problem I have with people and groups and communities. Acceptance is great -- it beats rejection by a mile. I like it when I approach a group of people and they welcome me with open arms. But. When they do welcome me, I immediately get this urge to run screaming in the other direction. I don't want to be absorbed into some group.
A guy I know online, a fellow weblogger, moved to Seattle recently. Up until then we'd had a fairly good online friendship. But then he had to go and ruin it by moving to town and, of course, making noises about getting together in person, having dinner, etc.
Etc. Argh.
So of course I had to immediately cut off all contact with this guy. His whole "let's get together and do stuff" attitude totally threatened my whole antisocial lifestyle. Which made me mad, because this was a guy I thought grokked my deal. He was such a misanthrope that I figured he'd understand my solitary ways and respect that. But no, he turned out to be a closet "sosh."
It's not that I hate people. I really don't. I like people a lot. But there's maybe 1 out of every 100,000 people that I feel simpatico enough with to be able to spend any significant amount of time with. My standard is, "Would I rather a) be hanging out with this person, or b) be by myself?" and most of the time the answer is b).
I'm rambling. I shouldn't write entries when I'm falling asleep and/or drinking. I wish I had something more interesting to talk about tonight, but this is really all there is.
My X kept an online journal that she used to end with the phrase "Goodnight, Moon." I always think about her when I hear those words, and when I end some particularly rambling entry, I always want to end it with "Goodnight, Moon."
If I were honest and not a lying sack of shit, I'd admit that I probably am more hung up on her than I'd like to admit. Still. I miss her when I'm going to sleep, because she used to like it when I'd talk to her on the phone as she was drifting off, and I'd hear her fall asleep and drop the receiver. It was cute. You had to be there. I wish I were talking to her right now.
So goodnight, Moon, wherever you are.
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/13/2003 06:21:03 AM
One question: How do you know whether or not a person is the 1 in 100,000 that you are simpatico with, unless you grit your teeth and try and endure an evening or two with them?
I know how you feel though. A girl at work has been trying to get me to agree on the "lets go out" thing for months. I would get out of it or cancel all of the time, which made me feel bad. Finally last week, I bit the bullet and actually went out to eat with her. Had a great time!
-----
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: dvl
EMAIL: dvloranger@aol.com
IP: 66.237.70.170
URL:
DATE: 10/13/2003 10:38:10 AM
that book is one of my little's favorites.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: matthew
EMAIL: bino1@hotmail.com
IP: 66.84.173.142
URL: http://bakiwop.f2o.org
DATE: 10/13/2003 02:23:17 PM
i can totally synpathize...every person i've met in person after knowing them online has absolutely hated the experience of meeting me - i am such a damn bore in person.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/13/2003 02:41:40 PM
Matthew, honey, darling... that's what ALCOHOL is for! ;-)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 198.104.0.100
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/13/2003 02:45:28 PM
It's true -- I will meet anyone anywhere for anything if supplied with adequate quantities of liquor.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sandra
EMAIL: retrogirl56nospam@yahoo.com
IP: 65.45.150.20
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/sandra
DATE: 10/13/2003 03:32:04 PM
I am just going to strangle you. IT'S OVER. PUT IT IN THE PAST.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.150.20
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/13/2003 03:38:33 PM
I want to, but I can't!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: matthew
EMAIL: bino1@hotmail.com
IP: 66.84.173.70
URL: http://bakiwop.f2o.org
DATE: 10/13/2003 04:44:07 PM
ohhh! i thought that when i drank alcohol it only made everybody else seem smarter, funnier, better-looking, and taller. i guess i better start showing up at work drunk now...
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Xkot
EMAIL: xkot@xkot.net
IP: 66.157.227.128
URL: http://www.xkot.net
DATE: 10/13/2003 10:55:52 PM
You know, I talked to someone in Seattle once and you happened to come up. I asked if they'd ever met you and they were like "Uh, no, he doesn't seem to be into that." So I said something about maybe you just needed someone to be extra friendly to help get you out of your shell.
I'm terribly sorry. Hehe.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.144.4
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/14/2003 02:40:28 AM
Damn it!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/14/2003 04:58:55 AM
B, I keep hearing that "the best way to get over someone is to get under someone."
Or, you can do it my way and not interact with any humans outside of work for a year.
Yeah, that works too.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/14/2003 09:49:15 AM
Getting over someone does take effort and practice and dedication, B-boy. You're a guy and so aren't naturally adept at keeping long lists in your head, so it helps to make a nice long list of everything that person ever did that pissed you off, hurt you, made you feel stupid or inadequate, or ever made any friend of yours irritated, uncomfortable, embarrassed or nauseous. At the top and bottom of the list write "I DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS." in very large letters.
Make copies of the list and post it in your car, over your desk, on the fridge. Concentrate on all those things every time you feel the longing, "I'll take her back at any price" feeling rise up.
And you DO deserve better.
As for the Meeting People I Know From Online Thing -- I met my husband online (10 years and going strong) and we were ONLY friends at the time we met face to face. In September during our England trip I made special effort to fly to The Netherlands to meet an online friend I've known for 4 years (it was fantastic). In fact, the majority of my online meetings have gone well, with a few longtime friends made and a few disasters endured.
It's a lot like life in that respect. I no longer build up expectations on online friendships. But, I don't build up expectations with offline friendships either.
Ever ponder what "contracts" you make in your head with other people? A friend of mine realized that about himself, that he made mental contracts with people and then got pissed off when those people didn't fulfil the contract -- even though they didn't know it existed. Once he grasped the fact that he was doing it, he made efforts to stop. I won't say everything got better, but he gets pissed off a lot less at people now. I thought it was such a good idea that I applied it to myself.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: wabbit@groovebunny.com
IP: 209.246.244.90
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/14/2003 05:26:31 PM
Good suggestion Sherri on the list.
B funny you wrote this because just yesterday morning I was speaking to my ex on the phone and he fell asleep as we were talking. For a moment my heart softened as I heard his breathing and I said his name, trying to wake him, softly and gently, something I have not done in years. It just reminded me of happier times with him, times I don't allow myself to remember, since it's remembering the crappier times that gave me the strength to leave him in the first place.
In terms of on-line relationships. Once in a while I'll find someone I really connect with. But I never take the first step at meeting them. I'm just too shy. So everyone is pretty much safe from me calling them up and badgering them to come have a drink with me. :)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Susan
EMAIL: susan@flowerhead.com
IP: 65.178.209.6
URL: http://flowerhead.com
DATE: 10/14/2003 08:28:54 PM
I think that list idea is good. It's often that I get nostalgic for ex's, even if they're freakin' jerkwads. The memories of happy times and the reasons why you were with them in the first place invade your mind when you're lonely and wondering if you will die alone, old and gray. I find it helps to talk to people who will point out all the reasons why the person sucks to you ruthlessly. This summer I almost made ammends with an asshat ex, and then got a lecture from a friend about why I should let sleeping dogs lie. It helped big time, and I try to think of this conversation when thoughts creep into that realm of thinking again.
Anyway, I think pining away for ex's is a cross to bear for people with a large capacity for forgiveness.
☄
A Day | 10.14.03 | 02:29:26 PM
This is probably my favorite early 80's song (1982, the greatest year in history), yet no one I know has even heard of it. It may have only been popular on L.A. radio.
Actually, now that I think about it, it's probably because the band looked like a bunch of poofs, and L.A. was probably the only place you could listen to something like this in public and not be badly beaten. But then, what early 80's band didn't look like a bunch of poofs?
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/14/2003 02:38:50 PM
Actually I remember this song. I remember it because it had a video and I was there on the inaugural MTV day way back when (what, 1981? I associate it with highschool).
Favorite, eh? I've been using the (new) Napster to recreate my faves from the 80's. It's been terrifyingly nostaglic.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 198.104.0.100
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/14/2003 02:45:41 PM
Thank God someone else remembers this song. I vaguely, vaguely remember that video. When did MTV start up, anyway? All I remember is being extremely upset that my cable company didn't carry it. We were stuck with an hourlong local show called "MV-3" hosted by Richard Blade. In retrospect, it was a really hip show and I miss it a lot, but back then I just wanted my MTV.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: dvl
EMAIL: dvloranger@aol.com
IP: 66.237.70.170
URL:
DATE: 10/14/2003 04:35:11 PM
...then i call... ring, ring, ring, ring...
not that it needs to be said over and over and over again, but I heart you, B .
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/14/2003 04:51:44 PM
Because, dearest B, I live but to find answers to your questions (well, maybe not, but it SOUNDS good) I went hunting and found
http://users.pandora.be/thezone/MTV/MTV_FAQ.html
Which says
"MTV America began on the 1st of August 1981. The 1st video was "Video killed the radiostars" from The Buggles. It was also the millionth video to be played on MTV. The song was released in 1979, before MTV was conceived. However, the first "video" video can be seen in movies, and the first with "Special Effects" was "Bohemian Rapsidey" by Queen. "
And it's RhapdOdey. I've got "Night at the Opera" in vinyl sitting not 5 feet from me. I used to play it on my Mickie Mouse record player. Honest. I was 14 before I got anything approaching a stereo.
Now I'm going to find my walker, hobble into the kitchen for my prune juice, and mutter under my breath about young whippersnappers...
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/14/2003 04:53:07 PM
Sigh -- remove the extra D from Rhapsodey. It is a proven snap-o-the-universe -- correct someone's grammar or spelling online and you will make a spelling or grammatical error.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: wabbit@groovebunny.com
IP: 209.246.244.90
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/14/2003 05:30:14 PM
What a co-inki-dink! A local station out here was just playing Love Plus One the other day. It's so catchy that my lil one was singing the chorus before the song was over. :)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: estella
EMAIL: floatdrownswim@hotmail.com
IP: 68.99.210.225
URL: http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/14/2003 10:39:28 PM
I never had MTV either. That's probably why you and I share our taste in music, B.
When I say "taste", it's understood that I mean "suck". We share our "suck" in music.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.144.23
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/15/2003 01:26:03 AM
So when people refer to my musical preferences as "unbelievably sucky," they're actually saying that they're "unbelievably tasty." Okay, that makes sense now.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: hannah
EMAIL: hannahw@med.umich.edu
IP: 141.214.129.152
URL: http://www.livejournal.com/users/misshannah
DATE: 10/15/2003 05:47:10 AM
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, we had cable at the birth of MTV. And I, too, remember that Haircut 100 song. You didn't write the line after "is it down to the lake I fear," which is "Ay ah ah ah ah ah ah ha, Ay ah ah ah ah ah ah ah."
☄
A Day | 10.15.03 | 03:16:22 AM
The reason I've been so damn nostalgic lately is that I can't shake this awful feeling that the best years of my life are behind me, and the years ahead are but a wasteland of shattered dreams and the long, slow decline into old age and the merciful release of death. And it's all downhill from there.
In short, I feel like my life has jumped the shark. You know how it is on shows that have obviously jumped...they keep slugging away to the bitter end, but something's missing. The juice is gone. ¿Donde esta mi mojo? ¡No esta aqui, gringo!
It's like the last season of Family Ties. It's all pretty much over, but the shows keep...cranking...out.
Why yes, I do enjoy a glass of fine whine in the evening, why do you ask?
It could be worse, right? I could be living in a refrigerator box. Life, for the most part, is better than I have any right to expect. But what's it all about? What's the point of it all? Answer my questions, God...if you can.
God blew me off. As usual.
I'm nostalgic because I miss being at the beginning of the journey instead of the middle. I miss being at that point where I couldn't even glimpse the ending, where it was all road.
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: matthew
EMAIL: bino1@hotmail.com
IP: 66.84.173.65
URL: http://bakiwop.f2o.org
DATE: 10/15/2003 05:15:26 AM
you need a life enema, a shot in the arm, a kick in the teeth. spice up that life, baby, and be the b2 we all know you to be (even if you don't know it yourself!). you're smart, witty, talented, and many other positive adjectives! and, by looking at that pic of you on the potty, you have great legs...not that i'm gay...not that there's anything wrong with that...ya know?
seriously, if you are feeling the way you are feeling, you are going to have to seek outward or inward for that life change, remember, that's what you did when you were younger and didn;t know what the hell was going on and what was going to happen. and remember how scary that could be at times? well, now you have a bit of life experience and it won't quite be as scary and you'll be able to better make the changes you decide to make!
(damnit, i probably shouldn't post a comment this early in the morning - hope it all made sense!)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/15/2003 05:55:24 AM
You know, I've been feeling the same way lately. I keep saying to myself "35. thirty fucking five. It's too late for everything. Too late to have a family of my own, too late to go for my PhD, too late to accomplish anything." I think I'm past my appearance prime too, and no one will ever want me again.
But that's the DEPRESSING side. There are good things too. Overall, I feel a sense of contentment that I didn't feel before, even though things aren't as I would have wanted them to be.
It's not so bad being here, if you stop to enjoy it.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Angela
EMAIL: ienjoyfarting@yahoo.com
IP: 65.117.192.66
URL: http://theshakedown.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/15/2003 07:21:03 AM
I always find that I'm happier when I'm not thinking about myself. When I'm doing things for other people, I feel better about life and myself. Maybe you should do some volunteer work or become a big brother. I think you'd make a great big brother.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: wabbit@groovebunny.com
IP: 209.246.244.90
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/15/2003 08:51:11 AM
It's funny how we view ourselves sometimes. Here you feel as if it's all down hill from here, but then there's people like me who think you're the cat's meow. Or the dog's woof, depending on which you prefer, dogs or cats. Anyways, what I am trying to say is I think nostalgia is a great and wonderful gift. It allows us to travel back to places and times when we were happy, or discovering things about ourselves and other people for the first time. But sometimes we get lost in that, longing to change things in our past. All the what if I had done this differently or said this instead of that. When I start to feel like I'd rather be living in yesterday than today, I have to remind myself that my life is what I make it. Everything that's happened in the past has made me who I am today and there's no going back, only forward. Angela gave great advice there. There is nothing more healing to the soul than giving yourself even when you feel you have nothing left to give. *hugs*
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: dvl
EMAIL: dvloranger@aol.com
IP: 172.198.21.178
URL:
DATE: 10/15/2003 08:56:47 AM
two words: More Cowbell
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/15/2003 11:34:08 AM
Mary, my dear, wonderful woman, you and I are going to have to have a talk...(I didn't get my BA until I was 35, and I'm just now getting around to looking into a Master's program. I also got pregnant for the FIRST TIME this year -- age 38 - and my first miscarriage, and I'm going to try the baby thing again -- and I'll be 39).
In other words, it's only over when you declare "end game". Yeah, some things are over. You can't be a child again, you can't be a hormone wracked teen, you can't have your 25th birthday or your first kiss.
But, you know, those things only look good when you are either looking forward to them, or looking back. Usually, when they are happening, you are looking at something else. It's "When I grow up" and "When I turn 18" and "When I get a job" or "When I get enough money." It's never NOW. No matter what time it is, no matter what the desire, NOW is never the RIGHT time.
I say, fuck that. Who says? Who's dictating this time schedule to me? Who's telling me what I can and can't do when? WHO FUCKING SAYS??
Usually me.
Which means I have a lot of pull with the scheduler.
Yeah, I'm going through a lot of nostalgia right now, too, B. There are a ton of things I COULD have done and didn't, for a lot of reasons, most of them living with me and wearing my socks. I'm going through old letters, stories and poems I wrote when I was 15 and couldn't picture living passed 30, photos and books and records and...tons of my past. I've been working my way through it steadily for the last three years, actually, since my father died and I had to move my whole past (left in his house in various boxes, shelves and closets) back into my home.
Sometimes I think I really just missed the wagon. I mean, I was SUPPOSED to do so much. There was so much potential I never used and now I'm old, getting older, and everything is gone right out of my hands.
Only it isn't. I'm just better equipped now to know what I really WANT and what is just a whim. I can compare the value of a goal with the work and sacrifices I'd have to make to get it, and I can judge pretty well whether I will (not CAN) do it or not.
There's nothing wrong with nostalgia or taking stock in your life. But, dammit all, you're 35, not 95. Just pick it up with both hands and get over. There's nothing anyone in this whole world can give you -- not love, not money, not wisdom, not a blow job, not ANYTHING -- that will last you as long as what you give yourself.
And if you learn to give yourself a blow job, you will be famous and rich.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 67.106.83.29
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/15/2003 01:23:25 PM
God never shows up for my fist fight challenges, either.
(I have no useful advice.)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: wabbit@groovebunny.com
IP: 209.246.244.90
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/15/2003 01:31:32 PM
Sherri. One question. How'd you get so brilliant?
Mary I missed your post. Girl I am older than you and I say...you are not too old. And I'm not just saying that because being older than you, if I agreed you were old that would put in me in my grandma years. :) Given life expectancy now-adays, you're still in the spring chicken category. And you're an accomplished spring chicken at that. In terms of whether any one will ever want you, dude I just had a 21 year old young buck ask me to dinner and a movie! Never mind that I thought he was gay up to that point, I'm now doing the past-my-prime-nothing dance.:) Look at it this way, a lot of young guys like older women. Older women tend not to play head games and know what they want in a relationship. Or if you go the older guy route, you'll always be younger than him so dumping you for a younger woman would be total grounds for a good kick or two in his gonads. I dunno...I just think telling yourself it's too late, will eventually make you believe it. Too late for me will be when they close the casket door and start throwing sand on my casket. Up until, most anything is possible. :)
☄
A Day | 10.15.03 | 02:15:50 PM
Man, I have so had it with this ear thing.
See, I've got this ear thing. I'm not sure what it is. It might be an infection of some kind, although in the past when I've had an ear infection it's been part of an overall sickness, and it has usually hurt or really fucked up my hearing. But it doesn't hurt, and I can still hear. I just have this stuffed-up, blocked feeling in my ear. I had Sandra look at it and she said it looked kind of swollen.
The last time this happened was last year, and what it turned out to be was a big ass buildup of ear wax brought on (ironically) by overzealous Q-Tipping that pushed wax into my ear canal. So I did the ol' Debrox number like last year, but no dice. I don't think it's ear wax. In fact, I'm kind of afraid that it might have been brought on by too little ear wax, because ever since the Unplugging of 2002 I've been ultra-paranoid about ear wax buildup and have given the ol' Dumbo flaps a good Debroxing on a regular basis. I'm positive it's also related to the weather changing, although I don't know how exactly.
This is really kicking my ass, though. I'm not sure which way to go at this point. More Debroxing? I can't really afford to go to the doctor. Any ideas would be most welcome.
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 67.106.83.29
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/15/2003 03:47:49 PM
If it's infected you'll feel searing pain if you pour a few drops of hydrogen peroxide down there. That might be one way to figure out if you really need to make a trip to a free clinic or not.
P.S. I am really, really not a medical expert and not aware of any possible sudden deadly consequences this may bring about.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: dvl
EMAIL: dvloranger@aol.com
IP: 172.197.225.128
URL:
DATE: 10/15/2003 08:44:15 PM
don't listen to Jim... there's rumor that he's recently mentioned his desires to take over weirdsmobile.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 12.212.207.245
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/15/2003 11:09:18 PM
Once my schemes reach fruition, I will drive the Weirdsmobile...into the hands of the very hands of its worst enemy...the Hobgoblins of Love! Muahaha!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 65.45.144.3
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/16/2003 03:16:30 AM
The Hobgoblins of Love?!?! Not even you would be that depraved!!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: wabbit@groovebunny.com
IP: 209.246.244.90
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/16/2003 10:36:17 AM
I didn't know hobgoblins were capable of love. Sorry b...I have no idea what it could be that's troubling your ears. But I'd try and go to a free clinic if I were you just to make sure there's no infection. And what do they do anyways if they find you don't have enough earwax from too much debroxing? Put in earwax? Hmmmm...
☄
A Day | 10.15.03 | 02:48:51 PM
"And if you learn to give yourself a blow job, you will be famous and rich." -- Sherri
I've already learned how to give myself blowjobs. I call it a "weblog!" Hee hee. I made a funny. Laugh, damn ye.
I agree though that the solution is to turn the focus outward. The tricky thing is how to do that given my temperament. In a way I feel like that's the central question of my existence. How do I make myself useful to people without feeling drained/used/burned out or becoming embittered? In the past when I've done volunteer type work I've eventually run screaming because the contact is too raw. Instead of feeling empowered I feel impotent. My desire to help runs smack up against my inability to deal with the extremes of human need. How do you save a drowning man without touching him?
I feel most comfortable when my hand in the affairs of my fellow humans is invisible and barely noticed. There's a legend I heard a long time ago that I only dimly recall now, but the gist of it is that God once found a virtuous man and decided to reward him by giving him whatever he wanted, and the man wished that for the rest of his life he would do good deeds for people without being aware of having done so. I find that poignant and true. I have zero interest in being a do-gooder or a hero. I don't want to be warmed by the look of gratitude in someone's eyes. I just want the world to be a better place. I don't care how or who does it or who gets the credit.
In a way I guess that's why I write. I'm overwhelmed by the prospect of, say, reading to elderly people in nursing homes, but I would very much like to write books that people could read to elderly people in nursing homes. My ambition is to write that fat paperback that someone might pick up in an airport or train station to escape the tedium and the whole shitty world for a few hours. I keep coming back to the weblog because I enjoy providing a distraction for people. Even if it's forgotten within minutes, for a little while I gave somebody out there something to focus on other than their boring job or their crappy life, and that's cool.
One of my all-time favorite movie quotes is from Stardust Memories, the Woody Allen movie. Woody's wallowing in a similiar "what's it all about" angst, and then a UFO comes down out of the sky to tell him, "You want to do a service for mankind? Tell funnier jokes!"
Maybe that's what it's all about. Do what you do well, and do it better.
This morning I got an e-mail from a friend that happens to dovetail neatly with this theme I'm working:
I was just reading a section of the Bill Moyers/Joseph Campbell conversations, "The Power of Myth", and I came across the following that reminded me of a conversation we were having a while ago about what constitutes 'meaningful work' or doing something of significance...BM: In this sense, unlike heroes such as Prometheus or Jesus, we're not going on our journey to save the world but to save ourselves.
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/15/2003 02:54:06 PM
You go, B!
Ya know, you might not be rich yet, but you have a certain amount of fame. People who've never seen your face or spoken a word aloud to you wonder what you think, what you are doing, how you are, and if you are all right.
That's something not everyone has.
And no one is using a telephoto lense to get photos of you nekkid, picking your nose. (that YOU know)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: wabbit@groovebunny.com
IP: 68.224.168.139
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/15/2003 03:00:51 PM
Yeah! What she said.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 198.104.0.100
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/15/2003 06:22:18 PM
I think what I really want, what every writer wants, I suppose, is validation that my words aren't just flying off into the void. That someone out there hears what you're saying, and values it. If that's fame, then yes, I do want that. I think everyone wants to matter. Of course, I want to come by it honestly. I don't want to be Jish. I don't want it to be about me, me, me, all self-worship and self-aggrandizement. It really is about communication and connection, which is a two-way kinda deal.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Susan
EMAIL: susan@flowerhead.com
IP: 65.178.201.0
URL: http://flowerhead.com
DATE: 10/15/2003 08:47:01 PM
I can't think of anything to say, I'm too tired...just want to say "I hear ya". Your words are not flying into a tundra void.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: estella
EMAIL: floatdrownswim@hotmail.com
IP: 68.99.210.225
URL: http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/16/2003 07:49:20 AM
Everyone is right. No tundra void. You're not disappearing. It's all valuable.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: wabbit@groovebunny.com
IP: 209.246.244.90
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/16/2003 10:32:20 AM
I know that if I didn't find what you do valuable I wouldn't be here everyday. I can say for myself, I had some voids that I was not even aware of until your words filled them. So nope...your words are not lost at all.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: hannah
EMAIL: hannahw@med.umich.edu
IP: 141.214.129.152
URL: http://www.livejournal.com/users/misshannah
DATE: 10/16/2003 01:20:30 PM
B I know everyone wants to hug you and marry you and all that. And it's because of your words. The weird and scary and funny and sad and profound and silly and nostalgic and sometimes angry thots you put out there for us. So thanks. And you should know, like I tried to tell you before, when your site went "missing" for me, and then I found it again thanks to Blather, my heart did an excited jumpie thing.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: xkot
EMAIL: xkot@xkot.net
IP: 66.157.227.128
URL: http://www.xkot.net
DATE: 10/17/2003 11:06:35 PM
I can definitely say that there have been times when I've been low or stressed and some random thing on your weblog has either made me laugh or distracted me from how I was feeling. Weblogs may seem trivial but you're definitely doing good things for people by doing it.
☄
A Day | 10.16.03 | 01:24:48 PM
• Feeling kind of out of it today. Restless sleep. Woke up late. Made coffee extra-strong, but it's like putting a Saturn V rocket booster underneath Mt. Fuji. Or Mt. Rainier. (Pacific Northwest reprazent!) (I can't believe I typed that.)
• Rainy day today, which reminds me of why I do like living in Seattle. This is one of my favorite times of year, when the weather's just starting to get cold and everything's all misty and the air smells like wet leaves. In three months I'll be carving swastikas into my forehead, but right now it's beautiful.
• At the library. When I came in, I saw a girl who was a dead ringer for Scarlett Johansson, except with dark brown hair. I of course immediately ran up and embraced her and whispered something inaudible into her ear, but for some reason she didn't gaze up at me with adoration and give me a passionate kiss. I'm beginning to think that movie wasn't completely true to life.
• This library also has the bare-ceiling, "look at our cool ventilation tubes" look. Do they make houses like this now, too? Are there ceiling factory workers being laid off because of this minimalist look? I wonder if ceilings will ever come back. Maybe in 20 years they'll put out a coffee table book of "A Century of Ceilings," and artisans will crank out handmade foamboard panels for that classic 1980's look.
• Which reminds me, I've decided that the 1990's didn't exist. Was this the most culturally pointless decade since the 1870's, or what? (Having written that, I now need to go look up information on the 1870's to make sure something monumental didn't happen. I am nothing if not a diligent fact-checker. Well, okay, the Franco-Prussian War and the telephone. But still.)
6. Why am I putting bullet points in front of everything? But look, this paragraph has a number instead. What's with that? What is this mystery that is me? Can you believe I just wasted 10-20 seconds of both of our lives by typing this paragraph? You'll be thinking about that on your deathbed, believe me. "What if I hadn't taken that 10-20 seconds to read that paragraph? How different would my destiny have been? Would I still have been hit by that bus? Would my dad still have had that sex change operation?"
• Maybe I should go home before I stab somebody in the eye with my rapier wit. Which reminds me of a great story that has never been written, where Oscar Wilde is going through customs and the customs agent asks him if he has anything to declare, and Oscar Wilde says, "Only my...rapier wit." Then the customs agent beats the holy living shit out of Oscar Wilde until he cries like a damn baby for his mommy.
Then the story would flash-forward 100 years into the future, and Oscar Wilde is still alive and pumping gas in Nevada somewhere, and Elvis drives up and Wilde fills his tank and Elvis gives him a $50 bill, and Wilde is so touched by this that he writes a book entitled "Elvis Lives and He Gave Me a $50 Bill." It becomes a national bestseller and everybody's like, "Who is this upstart Oscar Wilde that everyone's talking about?" There's more to the story, but if I tell you it'll ruin the surprise ending.
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: estella
EMAIL: floatdrownswim@hotmail.com
IP: 68.99.210.225
URL: http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/16/2003 03:33:28 PM
When I'm on my deathbed worrying about that paragraph, is that the deathbed fro getting hit by the bus? Or did I survive that previously and am just annoyed that it happened later, when I'm on my deathbed?
Either way, SO not a waste of time.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 67.106.83.29
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/16/2003 05:28:41 PM
The 90's...hmm. It did indeed lack a distinguishing character. But people will remember it for the rise of Internet, which is something I now take for granted.
Your library is full of adventures. I need one like that, instead of one that looks like a damn mall.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/16/2003 05:31:07 PM
I just want a library that's open when I want a book. For some reason, our local is closed on odd Saturday afternoons, Thursday mornings, and most any other time I think to stop by. I'm told it DOES open occasionally. Of course, I suspect it only has 8 or 12 books. This is a redneck zone.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: dvl
EMAIL: dvloranger@aol.com
IP: 66.237.70.170
URL:
DATE: 10/16/2003 05:36:26 PM
I cannot help but think of that memorable movie line: the rain is like a baptizm on my car.
yeah, Lloyd, you tell em.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/17/2003 04:17:37 AM
Ha! I'm always doing that in conversation: "Well, A) blahblah, and second, blahblah" but no one notices. Of course I slay myself, so I guess that's all that matters.
I'm going to write a book called "Steve Perry Returned a 'Thumbs Up' Sign At Me While Singing Open Arms During a Concert in Kansas in 1983".
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Wendy
EMAIL: wendy@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 80.117.247.99
URL: http://weirdsmobile.com/wendy
DATE: 10/17/2003 09:15:10 AM
What exactly DID he whisper in her ear at the end of that movie?
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Suzette
EMAIL: SuzetteTraveler@yahoo.com
IP: 216.44.68.245
URL:
DATE: 10/21/2003 04:48:46 PM
I find the current vogue for exposed pipes and wires where the ceiling should be disconcerting. I spend all my time looking up wondering about the configuration of old factories and breweries and thinking about how I could alternatly enhance or disguise them. Also, the seem to go hand in hand with those annoying pinpoint halogen track lights which make looking up and mulling things over all that much more difficult.
☄
A Day | 10.17.03 | 01:53:41 PM
Man, I haven't had a day this uneventful since...well, yesterday at least. I'm tempted to make up some shit just to make things more interesting. I wish I lived in New York City like BOB so I could ride the subways and get a daily freakshow. People in Seattle -- at least in the suburbs, where I am -- are just too damned normal. If you count squinty-eyed, passive-aggressive caffeine addicts as "normal."
Well, except for this one girl I saw outside the library this morning, who was a virtual clone of Sandra, except for the fact that there was something deeply, profoundly "off" about her (retarded? mentally ill?), so that her face was all pinched and screwed up as if she'd eaten a whole lemon. In what was probably a bad move for household kibun, I told Sandra about this on the phone, and from the tone of her response she had the exact same expression on her face!
Other than that, it's pretty slim pickin's today. Wait, is that "pickin's" or "pickins'"? Fuck.
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 67.106.83.29
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/17/2003 02:15:27 PM
Whoa, that's a weird case you've hit upon there. I think it actually is "pickin's" because it's a contraction of "pickings" even though it looks horribly wrong.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 198.104.0.100
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/17/2003 02:21:56 PM
Yeah, that was kind of my reasoning, too.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: charbaybi@groovebunny.com
IP: 68.224.168.139
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/17/2003 03:10:24 PM
My vote is for pickin's.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/17/2003 06:31:24 PM
Yup, typically in a contraction, the apostrophe stands in for whatever letter or letters are left out.
B, I usually stay in the house where I don't have to watch the freakshow. If I really want to see it, I can just toodle on down to the Wal-Mart Super Center and watch for a while.
Which is why when I HAVE to go to the Wal Mart I try to make it as quick a trip as possible.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BOB
EMAIL: bob@agirlnamedbob.com
IP: 172.131.169.249
URL: http://agirlnamedbob.com
DATE: 10/19/2003 03:52:45 PM
Sometimes I wonder about the pure number of freaks living in my city. I mean, is it just that there's such a large population, that the freak to normal person ratio seems larger? Or do the mentally ill gravitate toward my city because it is more freak-friendly? Or does this city actually make people insane? Obviously, more research is needed.
In any case, you're always welcome to visit... or perhaps I can ship a few weirdos out to you via FedEx? ;-)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Suzette
EMAIL: SuzetteTraveler@yahoo.com
IP: 209.210.95.7
URL: http://weirdsmobile.com/suzette
DATE: 10/22/2003 01:18:48 PM
Pickens is the plural of picken.
'Not much cotton left in the feilds now. Pickens are pretty slim.'
☄
A Day | 10.19.03 | 03:43:51 AM
I just finished writing my first two reviews for DVD Verdict. I'll link to 'em whenever they go online. The first one was for this claymation Christmas special called "A Freezerburnt Christmas." All I can say right now is that I really hope Wendy wasn't involved with this project in any way, shape, or form. Although, even if she was, the actual stop-motion animation was just fine, so there's nothing bad in my review about the animators. But everything else about it...oh my God.
In exchange for that desecrated 22 minute block of my life, my next screener had better be Sopranos Season Four, or I'm gonna be bitter.
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Wendy
EMAIL: wendy@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 80.181.67.221
URL: http://weirdsmobile.com/wendy
DATE: 10/19/2003 09:57:03 AM
I didn't work on it or know anyone who did, which makes me very curious. I don't care how bad it was, as an animation whore, I will do any crappy stop-motion there is for the money. I can be bought.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/19/2003 10:08:35 AM
One day, B, Amazon will have an online liquour store and you can have a wishlist for experiences like that.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Rachel
EMAIL: angrypixel@hotmail.com
IP: 24.247.173.41
URL: http://roninneko.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/19/2003 01:35:29 PM
I think they've probably used their spider senses to determine that you're only in it for the free DVDs, and therefore send you all the shitty ones.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/19/2003 02:35:12 PM
Rachen, do you mean the other commentors are all doing it for higher minded purposes like saving the rainforests or protecting endangered species?
....
Actually, I think you hit it right on the nose.
....
Or maybe there's a preset whoredom level, B, and you haven't reached it yet.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Rachel
EMAIL: angrypixel@hotmail.com
IP: 24.247.173.41
URL: http://roninneko.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/20/2003 02:11:23 PM
"Rachen" sounds like a delicious Japanese seafood snack. I declare that from now on, if someone is going to typo my name, that is exactly what it should by typoed as. Everyone loves delicious Japanese seafood snacks!
(and yes, i know it's unkind of me to make fun of the spelling lapses of others. feel free to mock my use of typo as a verb in retaliation.)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Susan
EMAIL: susan@flowerhead.com
IP: 65.178.200.16
URL: http://flowerhead.com
DATE: 10/20/2003 03:01:31 PM
They're probably starting you out on the shit level, and as they see your spectacular reviews, will let you graduate up to Lord of the Rings status.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/20/2003 04:38:57 PM
Rachel (Rachen!), as I am a connosiour of creative spelling, I shall endeavor to remember that, in your heart, you liken yourself to a delicious Japanese seafood snack.
(I'm allergic to seafood, but happily they make chicken and beef sushi)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/20/2003 04:43:12 PM
I knew you would be a Sopranos fan. It's official. You kick ass.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: hannah
EMAIL: hannahw@med.umich.edu
IP: 68.42.116.193
URL: http://www.livejournal.com/users/misshannah
DATE: 10/20/2003 05:00:33 PM
Uh..aren't you already kinda bitter?
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: charbaybi@groovebunny.com
IP: 209.246.244.90
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/21/2003 01:06:46 PM
Sherri and Rachel, ya'll are making me so hungry! Must run to grab some sushi for lunch now. ;)
☄
A Day | 10.22.03 | 05:17:47 PM
1. Wow, I probably should have posted that gigantic fucking pissed-off rant here instead of Happy Fun Blog, huh? [Actually, after posting it and getting it off my chest, I didn't even feel like having it up there anymore. I mean, it's not like the web was running short of political rants. So it's gone now. It's good to purge.]
2. You know, I really need to not write weblog entries super late at night. I wrote one at about 3:30 a.m. the other night, and the website freaked out on me so I couldn't post it. I was so sleepy I decided to just save it to a file and post it the next morning. I woke up, read it , and it turned out to be a big steaming pile of shit. I'm so glad I didn't actually post that lameness. I need an editorial review board to screen my entries for me.
4. I meant to type "3" but I missed, and I'm too lazy to correct it BUT willing to expend 50 times the energy in writing about how I'm too lazy to correct it. Now I've forgotten what I was going to write here.
5. Sometimes you make mistakes and the mistakes compound into other mistakes, and it's too late to change them. I typed "4" instead of "3" up there, so now this is #5 instead of #4. Life is like this. All I can do is move past this, and trudge forward, but I'll always think about that missing #3. Later on, when I'm down to #86, I'll still be thinking about the #3 that never was, and the infinite repercussions of that one omission through this entire list.
6. I wish I had a more interesting life, so I could regale you with stories about how I woke up this morning with a leather g-string draped over my head, wearing diapers. Well, on second thought I guess I wouldn't tell you about that.
7. I'm blathering on like this because I'm trying to avoid writing a DVD review of what has to be the most inept, lame-ass movie I've ever seen. You know what's worse than being forced to watch a shitty, boring movie? Having to watch it twice because it has a frickin' director's commentary on it which you also have to review. And what's even worse than that is that you have to actually be paying attention, so you can't just get drunk and sing to yourself until the movie goes away.
Oh, and then you have to write about it. No wonder movie critics are such a surly, embittered lot. If you had to sit through shit like this day in and day out, believe me, it would put a real dent in your love of cinema.
8. Not that I'm not having a blast with this DVD reviewing stuff, though. I know it sounds silly, but this is actually a step forward for me. It's my first semi-professional writing gig. In the past I've avoided writing-related jobs because I didn't think I could handle the pressure of writing "on demand." I think the problem is that you feel like you have to deliver some gorgeous piece of writing that surpasses anything you've set to paper before. I've gotten over that. I've embraced mediocrity as a valid goal.
As my English prof said, "Don't make it good, make it Thursday." I'm living by that credo. The reviews I've written so far aren't the best I'm capable of, but they're probably better than they would have turned out if I were pushing myself the way I used to. (For one thing, they exist, which is major progress.) For the first time in my life, I can actually envision myself writing as a professional career. Cool.
?. I forgot what number I'm on, and too lazy to scroll up to see. Anyway, I'm gonna wrap this up now, take a shower, and get back to things. Talk to you later.
10. Update: the previous item was #9.
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: matthew
EMAIL: bino1@hotmail.com
IP: 66.84.175.10
URL: http://bakiwop.f2o.org
DATE: 10/22/2003 05:37:47 PM
#2 so applies to me as well, my last post sucks giant hairy donkey balls, but i don't want to take it down because it is the only thing i have posted in a week - i'm such a friggin' hack.
embrace your mediocrity indeed! if most of the stuff you do around here is mediocre, than your mediocrity rocks!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: wabbit@groovebunny.com
IP: 68.224.168.139
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/22/2003 05:57:09 PM
You sir, are no where near mediocrity. :) After going back and reading stuff I've written, I'd have to say 98% is questionable. But like you said, once you put it out there, doing the ooops, retract please thing is impossible. Anyways, I can't wait to read one of your reviews! It's great you're starting to be able to envision yourself as a professional writer cause truly you are fabulous in my eyes.:)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BOB
EMAIL: bob@agirlnamedbob.com
IP: 172.136.175.168
URL: http://agirlnamedbob.com
DATE: 10/22/2003 07:51:57 PM
I'm glad you are having a good writing experience, B. I think you have a real talent for reviews (among a million other things). Maybe some of it will rub off on me, because right now I feel pretty drained creatively. Today, I was trying to write and thinking, "Gee, it sure would be refreshing if I could just do some math right now."
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: estella
EMAIL: floatdrownswim@hotmail.com
IP: 68.99.210.225
URL: http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/22/2003 09:24:43 PM
OH MY GOD. My English 502 professor-- who HAPPENED to be the HEAD OF THE FUCKING DEPARTMENT told me once that, ahem: "If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing poorly."
Allow me to repeat myself. The HEAD OF THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT SAID TO ME: "IF A THING IS WORTH DOING, IT'S WORTH DOING POORLY."
So review on, my friend. Review on. Strive for barely admissable. THE HEAD OF MY GODDAMNED ENGLISH DEPARTMENT would approve.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/23/2003 09:50:18 AM
My favorite quote from Samuel Beckett:
"Try again.
Fail again.
Fail better."
I'm so going to put that on a t-shirt.
Oh, B? There are so many reasons to love and adore you and that was 10 -- no, 9 -- of them.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sandra
EMAIL: retrogirl56nospam@yahoo.com
IP: 67.250.82.201
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/sandra
DATE: 10/23/2003 09:55:58 AM
Wow, you had a cool English prof.
I loved the rant. I thought it needed to be said. Had I the wordsmithing mojo that you do, I would have said the same thing. Viva la Al Franken! Viva La Sticking it to the Establishment! Bill O'Reilly should only get CANCER!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 67.106.83.29
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/23/2003 04:45:27 PM
"Don't make it good, make it Thursday."
That guy sounds like a software developer. But it's true. It's the only way to stop yourself from getting to a state in which you believe it's necessary to take a drill to your temple.
As for editorial boards, I say: not necessary. Post whatever. If people don't want to read it, they can skip it - it's not the end of the world. I think perfectly polished stuff is for books, and relatively improvisational rawness is for weblogs.
☄
A Day | 10.23.03 | 05:31:39 AM
1. I haven't been writing diddly at ye olde Change of Plans this week, but I'm lurking, and totally digging it. This current story is just wacky in a way that really appeals to me. It's the right flavor of wack. I want it to go on for about another five weeks, okay?
2. You know, I realized something about myself just a few minutes ago. I'm always telling people that I was a well-behaved, perfect child who never did anything wrong, and until now I thought that was true. But if I really think about it, I was fucking horrible! Who have I been trying to kid? I used to burn things. I hit people, I vandalized stuff, I stole. I almost got kicked out of the Cub Scouts in 2nd grade because I started a riot during a meeting when I refused to salute the flag and instead demanded that they bring in a Confederate flag! Then (holy shit this is like some kind of funky repressed memory coming back up) when the den mother gave me shit about it, I grabbed the U.S. flag and dashed it to the floor and yelled "HA! IT TOUCHED THE GROUND, NOW YOU HAVE TO BURN IT!" The den mother tried to grab me, but I ran away from her yelling about how I didn't have to salute the flag since I wasn't born in the U.S., and that I would only recognize the Confederate flag from now on! This got everyone else in my den all worked up, and then they started running around screaming about the Confederacy. Jesus, no wonder my parents hated me.
3. Plus, I was, seriously, a gigantic perv. Women in their 20's especially had much to fear from me. I was a cute kid, so the women would think I was all adorable and shit, and the next thing you know..."WHAT THE HELL??!?!?!" You don't want to know.
4. I still can't get over how bad that movie was that I had to review today. Oh my God. A line I removed from my review: "A cavalcade of unfortunate artistic choices unseen in cinema since the days of Ed Wood."
In fact, I'm going to show you some screen shots just to illustrate. Because I have to share this. Have to.
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sandra
EMAIL: retrogirl56nospam@yahoo.com
IP: 67.250.82.201
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/sandra
DATE: 10/23/2003 09:51:06 AM
Seeing these still pictures almost makes it look not so bad, though. You have to see it in motion to truly appreciate the agony.
Brr. I only saw the first few minutes, and I lie awake at night.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 68.59.165.165
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/23/2003 09:55:44 AM
I'd recommend lots of really tasty foods to tide you over.
And, in my own littleannoying Sherri Sunshine way, let me point out that inside of every btruly awful stinking bad movie one must endure is an incredibly laudable piece of parody/satire/snarky sarcasm (snarkasm?) waiting to unfold. You will never be without a topic on which to blog again.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 67.250.82.201
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/23/2003 02:13:30 PM
Still photos can't do justice to the awfulness of this movie, it's true.
And yeah, the one bright spot is that it's always easier (and more fun) to review a movie that's either really good or really terrible.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 67.106.83.29
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/23/2003 04:34:48 PM
The South shall rise again! Heh, that was awesome. I wish I did something cooler with my tour in the Cub Scouts.
I guess the movie wasn't bad enough to be entertaining, a la Battlefield Earth?
"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" --John Travolta
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Katemonkey
EMAIL: katemonkey@digitalcandy.net
IP: 80.4.128.22
URL: http://www.katemonkey.co.uk/
DATE: 10/23/2003 04:45:11 PM
Wow, you really were a lil' bastard. Go you!
Me, I used to kick my brother in the crotch and pull down his shorts in the pool on a regular basis. I've probably given him a serious sexual perversion.
Oh well.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Susan
EMAIL: susan@flowerhead.com
IP: 65.178.209.54
URL: http://flowerhead.com
DATE: 10/23/2003 08:22:49 PM
Those flim clips w/Byrne commentary are hilarious!
The story at Change of Plans rocks. I want it to go on and on.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/24/2003 04:40:54 AM
Did you REALLY do that at a cub scout meeting? Oh my GOD! You had some guts kid!
Did they let you come back to the next meeting?
☄
A Day | 10.24.03 | 02:43:09 AM
Item! At long last, my first two reviews are now up at DVD Verdict. Woo hoo! Here be the direct links:
A Freezerburnt Christmas
.hack//SIGN Vol. 1: Login
Please feel free to go into the Jury Room Feedback Forum and leave lots of posts about how awesome this "Bryan Byun" dude is.
I'm totally in that "new guy in the office" mode, which means I'm being all hyper and overachieving. Not only did I finish my five assigned reviews way ahead of time, but I just sent in a review for Mary Reilly that I wasn't even assigned. Is that gay or what? Actually, I did that one as a favor to someone who requested it. Who "requests" DVD reviews, anyway? Whatever. I can't wait until next week when I burn out and start sending in five-word reviews!
By the way, how do you like that "judicial" theme they use in their reviews? Cheesy or what? But actually I kinda like it, for reasons I can't quite explain. In fact, I think it would be hilarious to recruit some people and start a new site called DVD Night Court where we review porn DVDs using this format. "Throat Gaggers #5 is sentenced to six weeks of 'hard' labor!"
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- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Xkot
EMAIL: xkot@xkot.net
IP: 66.157.227.128
URL: http://www.xkot.net
DATE: 10/24/2003 03:25:57 AM
I will send you a copy of this DVD if you promise to review it.
http://www.xkot.net/images/beef.jpg
http://www.xkot.net/images/beefback.jpg
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Xkot
EMAIL: xkot@xkot.net
IP: 66.157.227.128
URL: http://www.xkot.net
DATE: 10/24/2003 03:28:45 AM
Oh yeah, and since people will ask: I bought some porn dvds online under a "buy 3 get 1 of our choosing free" deal. Guess what they sent me as my free dvd?
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 67.250.184.142
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/24/2003 08:58:13 AM
"Buy 3 get 1 of our choosing free." Uh huh. Sure.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 67.250.184.142
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/24/2003 09:03:38 AM
You know, this is the first porn video I've come across where I'm not sure I actually want to see the "penetrations" promised on the case. "Fonna"?
I'm not sure whether to be nauseated or offer you cash for this thing.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 67.106.83.29
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/24/2003 06:47:03 PM
"Dude, you just sent my boner crashing to the ground." --Butt-head
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BOB
EMAIL: bob@agirlnamedbob.com
IP: 172.133.167.252
URL: http://agirlnamedbob.com
DATE: 10/24/2003 06:57:29 PM
B, great reviews!
And... um, looking at that video box, I found myself wondering who could possibly be so weird as to get off on watching some chick from Staten Island put beef on her feet... and simultaneously wondering if they possibly carried this video at my local store so I could rent it.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: dvl
EMAIL: dvloranger@aol.com
IP: 172.194.234.47
URL:
DATE: 10/24/2003 10:17:51 PM
what's up with '1 brand new scene in every box'?
☄
A Day | 10.25.03 | 04:41:50 AM
I had kind of a weird online conversation with Gene, who does the Something Out of Nothing weblog. (Btw, it's really late, so this won't be a very coherent entry. I just wanted to mention it before I fall asleep and forget all about it.)
We got to talking about weblogs, and he asked me why I do it -- if I write for myself, or for the audience. I hate that question, because when is it ever that clear cut? I mean, if you're doing it only for yourself, why would you put it online? Right? Yeah, huh?
To me, weblogging is essentially an elaborate form of grafitti. You put words out there for strangers to see and read, hoping to elicit some kind of emotional response -- laughter, outrage, concern -- or an intellectual response if you're trying to raise a discussion of some topic. I post things that make me laugh, yes, but I also post them because the idea of making someone laugh makes me laugh. I assume it's that way for other people, too, even if they're not overtly trying to be funny. Performance as communication.
Anyway, he noted that in my weblog I seem to write for a general audience sometimes and for a smaller audience other times, and that my writing style and tone tend to vary wildly. Which, yeah, sure, fine. I don't see it as writing for a general audience, though. I mean, I'm not like a standup comedian or something with a preset list of jokes. I post stuff as I think of it, because it made me laugh and I want to see if anyone else thinks it's funny as well. It's not like, "here's some comedy." It's more like if you and I were hanging out and being goofy, and something funny would occur to me and I'd tell you and we'd both have a big ol' laugh, and you'd tell me something funny and we'd laugh, and so on. Except I'm posting it on a weblog, and you're responding in comments, or you're posting it on your weblog and I'm responding.
There's an interaction. Even if you don't comment, the possibility that you might see it is enough to make me put it out there. I don't have to be present or to know for sure that the connection was made in order to find satisfaction in making the gesture. Someone, somewhere will see it, and if enough someones see it, one or more of them will get it and the connection will be made.
ANYWAY. He said, and he didn't mean it in a pejorative way necessarily, that I had a smug tone in my posts. I didn't really understand what he meant by that. He compared it to Davezilla, who he considers overly smug. Which made me start wondering, am I like Davezilla? Do I have the same tone in my posts? Not that I have anything against Davezilla. I like the guy and I think he posts some funny ass shit, although I don't visit his site very often. I guess I don't visit because in my last few visits I found his posts kind of impersonal and, it's hard to describe, but...like they were pitched to an arena instead of to me. Maybe that's the smugness Gene is talking about (he never could quite explain how he was using that word). It really is hard to explain, but maybe you know what I mean?
ANYWAY. Man, why am I talking about this? I feel like this topic is completely self-indulgent and pointless, but like I say, it's late. I may delete this in the morning. But I guess the whole thing got me to thinking, because, although I do get a lot of feedback from people via comments and e-mail and things, I don't really know how the "silent majority" of readers perceive my site. The people who visit regularly but never say anything. Do they find me Davezilla-esque in the bad way -- the impersonal, "writing to the stands" way? It's a concern to me because I hate being misunderstood. I don't want to turn people off who I might really want to connect with, because that's what it's all about -- finding people of like mind so you don't feel so alone in the universe. So to me, how I am perceived through my weblog is kind of a relevant issue. I don't want to alienate people or come across as an asshole.
He compared me to Shatner??
Am I Shatneresque??
WTF?
I'm not bringing up this topic in order to fish for compliments or anything like that. I just genuinely wonder if I come across to some people the way Davezilla comes across to me sometimes. Because, yeah, there have been times when I've read something he posted and thought, "Well aren't we pleased with ourselves?" I think I'm more self-effacing than that, but who knows.
Anyway, I'm going to bed. I don't know why this issue is so much on my mind. I suppose because that "smug" thing wormed into my head and won't let go. Smug? What? Huh?
Actually, that reminds me -- I was in fact insufferably smug when I was taking Paxil. It made me extremely...comfortable with myself. Eventually I snapped out of it and realized what a big asshole I'd become while under Paxil's sway. So now that I'm on Prozac and Wellbutrin I'm all sensitive to this topic and constantly worried that I'll become an asshole again. I'm making no sense, am I? I'm going to post this though because I would like to get some equally rambling feedback from you regarding your feelings about your weblog, if you have one, and why you post, and what your experience is with these issues I've mentioned, and of course, whether or not you see me as SMUG. Argh! Okay, off to bed. Nitey nite.
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sandra
EMAIL: retrogirl56nospam@yahoo.com
IP: 67.250.82.113
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/sandra
DATE: 10/25/2003 09:11:11 AM
I totally know what you mean here; I think every weblogger worries about this. To a certain extent, if you have a public blog, you do it because you want the audience. Otherwise, you'd have a private blog with just your friends.
The point is, there's nothing wrong with that. If you like it and can take being under the microscope like that, why not? Have fun!
I think the problem creeps in when you stop having fun and doing it for yourself and you start trying to anticipate what the audience wants and cater to that. Of that, my need-to-please friend, you are guilty. You are not, however, guilty of being smug.
Perhaps this guy just didn't have the vocabulary (or alertness at four freaking am) to describe what he actually meant, but I think that calling you smug is unfair. I've never detected a smug tone. Sometimes I think you lose sight of the purpose of the blog and your writing becomes sort of diffuse, but that's about it.
Weblogs are personal projects, about a single person and the events in his/her life. They are, by definition, self-indulgent. Expand beyond that into a format designed to entertain the audience (rather than to be self-indulgent) and you risk "watering down" your writing. Basically, bogging it down with weights and chains and making it sluggish.
That's about the only thing that sometimes happens with your public blog. Compare it to your After Hours blog, which is totally self-indulgent, and you'll see what I mean. People still dig After Hours quite a bit, and maybe even a little more than the sometimes-too-general public blog.
The bottom line is that we visit weblogs to hear all about that individual. It's OK if they talk about their navel gazing last night, because we want to know that kind of shit. We don't come for great revelations or wisdom. We come to be a voyeur to their life.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 67.250.82.113
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/25/2003 09:40:11 AM
I think what some people may not realize is that even my "general audience" entries are personal. For instance, Gene pointed to Paxil Comix as an example of something he felt I did "for the audience." Which is funny because the whole impetus behind Paxil Comix was the guilt I felt over being such an asshole while on Paxil. That guilt is written all over those comix, just not spelled out explicitly. I don't suppose there's any way for a casual reader to realize this, but these are all attempts to take something inside of me and open it up for public view. Sometimes I just let it out, like the Big Ass Rant from the other day, and sometimes I dress it up in a clown suit. Either way, it's there for people to take at surface value or, if they want, to look deeper. More often than not, there's a piece of my deepest self imbedded in those entries.
Any creative expression has that "me, me, me" element to it, because if it's personal at all, it embodies some part of the artist. I've never read a novel or seen a painting that was any good at all without feeling the artist's presence. Even if it's just a weblog (or maybe especially if it's a weblog), it's a way of communicating to whoever is out there that might be interested that this is who I am and what I'm all about. Why anyone should care is of course a deep and lasting mystery, but I do, and other people seem to, as well.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: dvl
EMAIL: dvloranger@aol.com
IP: 172.193.211.223
URL:
DATE: 10/25/2003 09:55:44 AM
this member of the silent majority thinks maybe a better way to describe you is as "an acquired taste"... and as an avid reader/lurker/stalker you know I think you're one tasty morsel.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: estella
EMAIL: floatdrownswim@hotmail.com
IP: 68.99.210.225
URL: http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/25/2003 10:17:06 AM
Your whole conversation with Gene makes me angry as I think more about it. It just plain doesn't matter who you write your weblog for; it's for you AND for others, and the percentage of "how much for whom" is always going to imperceptably shifting depending upon your mood and mindframe. You shouldn't have to justify why you do it. You shouldn't even have to KNOW why you do it. And for Gene to insinuate-- even in a NICE way-- that he detects a "smug" tone, well, that has "jealous" and "I feel inferior" written all over it. He has the right to SAY that, I guess, given that he's a human with rights and all, and maybe he really does think that. But I think that what he's detecting and reacting to is an academic intelligence that is potentially overwhelming to someone who... DOESN'T HAVE ANY. You're more than smart in your weblog, B; you have a firm brain grip on knowledge-- the "learned" kind-- and you use it. I think that you probably do have some percentage of readers who drop by and read you regularly but who aren't confident in their ability to respond to you. Which is fine. I read shit like that all the time. A lot of the time I don't comment on entries of yours that are out of my sphere, you know? That's part of it. If Gene wants to call your handle and utility of academic concepts and liguistic tools "being smug", whatever. I wouldn't be surprised if Gene's weblog is a close seeming representation of what you do, without the intelligence.
Or the heart. Because there's so much heart in your daily posts that no one could EVER think that you're an impersonal asshole. You try to represent yourself in your weblog which adds a genuine and individual touch that a lot of sites don't have. A lot of bloggers try to be someone else, or start of as themselves and then morph into someone else because they sense that's what the audience wants. Or else they start off trying to be the author of their favorite weblog. Which is doomed for failure, always. Anyway. I need some coffee. You're not smug. Ever. And I want to kick Gene's ass for him for making you question yourself just because he's intimidated by you. The Classic Bully Trick. Your weblog is wonderful and funny and personal and NOT SMUG. Coffee.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 12.212.207.245
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/25/2003 10:53:40 AM
I don't remember any smug posts, but I think there's an occasional 'professsional'-seeming post, meaning it's clear you are trying to entertain people. Many of which I like, some of which I don't. Oh, well.
Kinda like Sandra says, it's OK to just indulge yourself. But I'd say it goes in the other direction, as well - you are completely entitled to occasionally write something that's less than personal if it pleases you.
You don't have to connect with every single reader on every single post, but if that's a concern, given your current track record, it's pretty likely that someone will like it.
BTW, the Paxil Comix did seem personal to me, while most of the others seemed kinda like 'professional' humor - but they all ruled.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jim
EMAIL: chaos@corrupt.net
IP: 12.212.207.245
URL: http://chaos.corrupt.net
DATE: 10/25/2003 10:55:28 AM
What I meant was:
"...it's pretty likely that someone will like it, regardless of the direction you take with the post."
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: matthew
EMAIL: bino1@hotmail.com
IP: 66.84.175.231
URL: http://bakiwop.f2o.org
DATE: 10/25/2003 11:02:16 AM
not smug. you write what you write and there are many who enjoy it. what's important is that you enjoy it. get that smug thing out of your head, just because one person says it doesn't make it true. does his opinion on things matter that much to you? also, you cannot please all readers (or yourself!) all the time. there are entries i've written that i thought were total crap and people have liked them, and vice versa.
it can be difficult when you put your writing out there for others to read, and when you have as much interaction with your readers as you do, i would think it gets even harder. most people are going to have different feelings on how well or poorly you write. one of the main reasons i enjoy your writing so much because you seem to get so much enjoyment out of it.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 67.250.82.113
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/25/2003 01:07:15 PM
Well, I do enjoy it. I guess that's why the "do it for yourself or for other people" question bothers me. It makes the choice between being completely self-indulgent or pandering to the audience.
Despite how it seems (especially yesterday), I'm not trying to run a one-man Onion here. If people come here and read me on that level, that's fine, but that's not the audience I have in my head when I write this stuff. It's like, there are things you can say to your friends that make them laugh, but if complete strangers heard them they'd think you were a jackass, because they don't know you and where you're coming from. I guess that's how the blog is, and why the response to it is so puzzling sometimes. It's always weird to hear a perspective from a stranger on something that is so intimately familiar to you that you don't even question it anymore.
I'm telling you, thinking about this weblog stuff too deeply is like dancing in a minefield.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: B²
EMAIL: b@weirdsmobile.com
IP: 67.250.82.113
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/b/
DATE: 10/25/2003 02:00:16 PM
By the way..."acquired taste"? Is that what I am -- the LUTEFISK of the weblogging world???
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BOB
EMAIL: bob@agirlnamedbob.com
IP: 172.148.74.130
URL: http://agirlnamedbob.com
DATE: 10/25/2003 02:00:44 PM
I'm trying not to get pissed off and call that guy a jackass, but what the fuck?!
Look, you aren't "smug." That's just fucking ridiculous. I don't read a lot of blogs everyday, but I always read yours, because you amuse me, I like your writing, and I like you. If you ask me, I think this guy is just jealous of your talent and cult-like followers.
And as far as this issue of writing for yourself vs. writing for others... if I was writing my blog for only myself, I don't think I'd write in it as much as I do... or maybe not at all. But I always write for myself, at least to some degree.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sherri
EMAIL: Sylkenvelvet@yahoo.com
IP: 170.206.250.17
URL: http://formyselfandothers.blogspot.com/
DATE: 10/25/2003 03:48:51 PM
I'm thinking that by saying "smug" your friend might have been trying to convey the idea of confidence based on the approval of others.
I am thinking of my own viewpoint of Dave. To me, he's a funny guy who will occasionally go too far to be funny, and often bases his humor on cruelty, which puts off any real attempt to connect to a reader. He's there, under it all, but he's carefully defended, in part, I think, because he does had a large audience and is facing the "one vs many" thing (one person trying to please many) That popularity has created a certain air of confidence that might be interpreted as smugness.
I don't see you as having that smugness. You are always trying to connect to others. However, you also (by your own admission as well as my observation) move to defend yourself when one of the great "many" gets too close or moves toward a touchy spot. Maybe those occasionally and very acceptable, understandable and human moments come across with the same tone as the smug "oh I know how to make you laugh, i know exactly what you find funny" posts Dave occasionally makes.
I've wrestled with the whole "why do I write?" question many times (Weblogs are just one aspect of my writing). I now think it is just a subsection of the "What is the meaning of life?" question.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Angela
EMAIL: ienjoyfarting@yahoo.com
IP: 66.138.124.1
URL: http://theshakedown.diaryland.com
DATE: 10/25/2003 09:19:09 PM
The guy obviously just does not "get you," hun. I think when you are being smug, it's on purpose and it's hilarious, it's not a general "tone" I've ever felt here. I would never in a million years have described your blog as smug. Unique? Yes.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sandra
EMAIL: retrogirl56nospam@yahoo.com
IP: 67.250.176.198
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/sandra
DATE: 10/26/2003 10:07:01 AM
I think Estella pretty much hit the nail on the head here. I suspect a green monster in the woodwork. What a funny thing for him to criticize!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/27/2003 05:15:40 AM
He's full of shit. I despise smugness, and if I had ever detected one hint of smugness, I would have never stayed to read your writing. He may be misinterpreting the tone of your comedy style. Or, he may just be fucking jealous. Asshat.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Keely St. Clair
EMAIL: SpyWhoLovedYou@aol.com
IP: 209.36.27.8
URL: http://www.weirdsmobile.com/keely
DATE: 10/29/2003 04:36:02 AM
I always thought that when your writing was smug, it was deliberately, ironically, humorously "Look at me being smug! I am denouncing something else for its self-centeredness and yet being ironically smug!" And to great comedic effect.
I have never felt that your writing was exclusionary. It's never "I'm so above this!" but "WE are so above this!"
Some sort-of smart people think all very smart people are "smug," and are being very smart deliberately just to make them feel bad.
Your writing was never an acquired taste for me. Obviously I was dazzled the very first time I read it, or I wouldn't be posting this now.
☄
A Day | 10.28.03 | 06:07:54 AM
I redesigned the public blog to make it look more like this one. I don't know why, exactly, but this more minimal look appeals to me. Or maybe that wood paneling finally got to me.
I feel like I'm betraying the whole retro belief system of Weirdsmobile, but oh well. Change is good. Unless, you know, it's bad.
I also finished my long-delayed design of Bob's site. I don't know what she thinks of it yet, but it's one of my favorites. Nothing too complicated -- but kinda cute. I like cute, and I hope you do, too.
- - - Comments - - -
COMMENT:
AUTHOR: matthew
EMAIL: bino1@hotmail.com
IP: 209.242.228.11
URL: http://bakiwop.f2o.org
DATE: 10/28/2003 08:42:20 AM
makes me wanna go "coo-chee-coo-chee-coo" while tickling it under the chin.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: BOB
EMAIL: bob@agirlnamedbob.com
IP: 209.19.117.18
URL: http://agirlnamedbob.com
DATE: 10/28/2003 01:04:55 PM
It's so adorable that I want to crush it in my arms and call it "foo foo."
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: estella
EMAIL: floatdrownswim@hotmail.com
IP: 68.99.210.225
URL: http://outofcharacter.blogspot.com
DATE: 10/28/2003 03:26:54 PM
Like the "George, my pet bunny" routine?
"I will love him and squeeze him and hold him and love him..."
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: mary@rantorama.com
IP: 12.254.95.0
URL: http://www.rantorama.com
DATE: 10/29/2003 05:30:45 AM
I still think it has a retro feel, but a more polished look. I love your new public weblog design!
By the way, I may be taking a hiatus from my weblog, but I still want to completely expand my medical site. So if you are ever inspired to do a "drunken retro nurse/paramedic" layout ... you know, something classy ;-)
I'm already buying you thank-you gifts! Um, hope you like dishtowels. ;-)
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Suzette
EMAIL: SuzetteTraveler@yahoo.com
IP: 12.175.113.35
URL: http://weirdsmobile.com/suzette
DATE: 10/31/2003 07:45:36 AM
Bob's site design is so very appealing. It makes me feel having some pink bubble gum.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: groovebunny
EMAIL: wabbit@groovebunny.com
IP: 68.224.168.139
URL: http://groovebunny.diaryland.com
DATE: 11/04/2003 10:44:34 PM
I so absolutely love cute! Wonderful job on Bob's site and on your public blog makeover. Me digs.:)
For Skattie.