14 October 2008

halloween

Halloween is coming; are you prepared?

I'm scrambling to get my proverbial excrement together for this year's costume. I don't know if I'll be able to top the crab from a couple years back but I'm certainly going to do my best.


Yes, those are giant working foam pincers. I also added a french-style giant mustache to cap it all off. Totally would've won costume of the year.

comparrison

While Barack Obama unveiled a revised economic plan last night in light of our financial crisis, McCain's campaign flounders.

Hey, no problem! You take as long as you need, John. We'll just hold tight.

Leadership we can count on.

Yup.

13 October 2008

ummmm....

So, when the right vilifies European economic attitudes as stifling, backward and even (god forbid) Socialist, what does it say about the US when, by all intelligent and informed accounts, Europe -- especially the UK -- appear to be getting it right not only in terms of efficacy but also in quickness when addressing our global financial crisis?

Europe has rendered a plan and embarked upon its implementation in the same amount of time it's taken our treasury to say, "here's what we're plannin' ta do..."

Sort of makes us look like jokers rather than world leaders.

And speaking of leadership, where the f$#k is Bush on all this? Bueller? Bueller...?

08 October 2008

question for today

what is up with people using catch phrases lately?
Palin with "Maverick(s)" in reference to herself and McNutters.
One of my vendors with "Until it's in my hands, it's vapor-ware" in reference to their new products.

Enough already.

06 October 2008

question for today

Is it worthwhile to subscribe to the Economist for one year at about $100 total cost? I've had a subscription to this publication before and I'm generally able to read most of what I want every other week (it is a weekly subscription). I currently receive no other print media having relied solely on NPR and the internets for the past year+.

For purposes of full disclosure, I will note that I am leaning in one direction but wanted to "put it out there" to see what folk(s) thought. This is where you, my solitary reader, would comment...

thought for today

Politics are stoopid, pointless and usually offend at least one person no matter what.

Sometimes I don't know why I even bother. Still, I press on...

04 October 2008

Cross racing 2008: #1

Race number one of 2008.
Mediocre finish: 17th.
Beat Weezy at least.

I'm definitely going to stick with the C category til either win or place in top 5 a couple times. This one was way harder/faster than the Powderhorn race I did 3 years back; don't know if it has something to do with the re-shuffling of cross categories. Though, perhaps I should focus on top 10 first...

The Grifo XS tubulars were phenomenal, btw. The course (Corcoran) was very dry and a mix of mostly grass and loose dirt/gravel. I ran about 40psi and probably could've gone lower but I don't know that it would have made much difference. I look forward to playing with different tire pressures in the coming weeks. Also with my yet-unused Fango tubulars!

More tomorrow.
Time for bed now.
I'm shweepy.

03 October 2008

comedy

Courtesy of George Saunders and the New Yorker:

Explaining how she felt when John McCain offered her the Vice-Presidential spot, my Vice-Presidential candidate, Governor Sarah Palin, said something very profound: “I answered him ‘Yes’ because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can’t blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we’re on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can’t blink. So I didn’t blink then even when asked to run as his running mate.”
Isn’t that so true? I know that many times, in my life, while living it, someone would come up and, because of I had good readiness, in terms of how I was wired, when they asked that—whatever they asked—I would just not blink, because, knowing that, if I did blink, or even wink, that is weakness, therefore you can’t, you just don’t. You could, but no—you aren’t.
That is just how I am.
Do you know the difference between me and a Hockey Mom who has forgot her lipstick?
A dog collar.
Do you know the difference between me and a dog collar smeared with lipstick?
Not a damn thing.
We are essentially wired identical.
So, when Barack Obama says he will put some lipstick on my pig, I am, like, Are you calling me a pig? If so, thanks! Pigs are the most non-Élite of all barnyard animals. And also, if you put lipstick on my pig, do you know what the difference will be between that pig and a pit bull? I’ll tell you: a pit bull can easily kill a pig. And, as the pig dies, guess what the Hockey Mom is doing? Going to her car, putting on more lipstick, so that, upon returning, finding that pig dead, she once again looks identical to that pit bull, which, staying on mission, the two of them step over the dead pig, looking exactly like twins, except the pit bull is scratching his lower ass with one frantic leg, whereas the Hockey Mom is carrying an extra hockey stick in case Todd breaks his again. But both are going, like, Ha ha, where’s that dumb pig now? Dead, that’s who, and also: not a smidge of lipstick.
A lose-lose for the pig.
There’s a lesson in that, I think.
Who does that pig represent, and that collar, and that Hockey Mom, and that pit bull?
You figure it out. Then give me a call.
Seriously, give me a call.
Now, let us discuss the Élites. There are two kinds of folks: Élites and Regulars. Why people love Sarah Palin is, she is a Regular. That is also why they love me. She did not go to some Élite Ivy League college, which I also did not. Her and me, actually, did not go to the very same Ivy League school. Although she is younger than me, so therefore she didn’t go there slightly earlier than I didn’t go there. But, had I been younger, we possibly could have not graduated in the exact same class. That would have been fun. Sarah Palin is hot. Hot for a politician. Or someone you just see in a store. But, happily, I did not go to college at all, having not finished high school, due to I killed a man. But had I gone to college, trust me, it would not have been some Ivy League Élite-breeding factory but, rather, a community college in danger of losing its accreditation, built right on a fault zone, riddled with asbestos, and also, the crack-addicted professors are all dyslexic.
Sarah Palin was also the mayor of a very small town. To tell the truth, this is where my qualifications begin to outstrip even hers. I have never been the mayor of anything. I can’t even spell right. I had help with the above, but now— Murray, note to Murray: do not correct what follows. Lets shoe the people how I rilly spel Mooray and punshuate so thay can c how reglar I am, and ther 4 fit to leed the nashun, do to: not sum mistir fansy pans.
OK Mooray. Get corecting agin!
Thanks, Murray, you’re fabulous. Very good at what you do. Actually, Murray, come to think of it, you are so good, I suspect you are some kind of Élite. You are fired, Murray, as soon as this article is done. I’m going to hire someone Regular, who is not so excellent, and lives off the salt of the land and the fat of his brow and the sweat of his earth. Although I hope he’s not a screw-up.
I’m finding it hard to concentrate, as my eyes are killing me, due to I have not blinked since I started writing this. And, me being Regular, it takes a long time for me to write something this long.
Where was I? Ah, yes: I hate Élites. Which is why, whenever I am having brain surgery, or eye surgery, which is sometimes necessary due to all my non-blinking, I always hire some random Regular guy, with shaking hands if possible, who is also a drunk, scared of the sight of blood, and harbors a secret dislike for me.
Now, let’s talk about slogans. Ours is: Country First. Think about it. When you think of what should come first, what does? Us ourselves? No. That would be selfish. Our personal families? Selfish. God? God is good, I love Him, but, as our slogan suggests, no, sorry, God, You are not First. No, you don’t, Lord! How about: the common good of all mankind! Is that First? Don’t make me laugh with your weak blinking! No! Mercy is not First and wisdom is not First and love is super but way near the back, and ditto with patience and discernment and compassion and all that happy crap, they are all back behind Country, in the back of my S.U.V., which— Here is an example! Say I am about to run over a nun or orphan, or an orphan who grew up to become a nun—which I admire that, that is cool, good bootstrapping there, Sister—but then God or whomever goes, “It is My will that you hit that orphaned nun, do not ask Me why, don’t you dare, and I say unto thee, if you do not hit that nun, via a skillful swerve, your Country is going to suffer, and don’t ask Me how, specifically, as I have not decided that yet!” Well, I am going to do my best to get that nun in one felt swope, because, at the Convention, at which my Vice-Presidential candidate kicked mucho butt, what did the signs there say? Did they say “Orphaned Nuns First” and then there is a picture of a sad little nun with a hobo pack?
Not in my purview.
Sarah Palin knows a little something about God’s will, knowing God quite well, from their work together on that natural-gas pipeline, and what God wills is: Country First. And not just any country! There was a slight error on our signage. Other countries, such as that one they have in France, reading our slogan, if they can even read real words, might be all, like, “Hey, bonjour, they are saying we can put our country, France, first!” Non, non, non, France! What we are saying is, you’d better put our country first, you merde-heads, or soon there will be so much lipstick on your pit bulls it will make your berets spin!
In summary: Because my candidate, unlike your winking/blinking Vice-Presidential candidate, who, though, yes, he did run as the running mate when the one asking him to run did ask him to run, which that I admire, one thing he did not do, with his bare hands or otherwise, is, did he ever kill a moose? No, but ours did. And I would. Please bring a moose to me, over by me, and down that moose will go, and, if I had a kid, I would take a picture of me showing my kid that dead moose, going, like, Uh, sweetie, no, he is not resting, he is dead, due to I shot him, and now I am going to eat him, and so are you, oh yes you are, which is responsible, as God put this moose here for us to shoot and eat and take a photo of, although I did not, at that time, know why God did, but in years to come, God’s will was revealed, which is: Hey, that is a cool photo for hunters about to vote to see, plus what an honor for that moose, to be on the Internet.
How does the moose feel about it? Who knows? Probably not great. But do you know what the difference is between a dead moose with lipstick on and a dead moose without lipstick?
Lipstick.
Think about it.
Moose are, truth be told, Élites. They are big and fast and sort of rule the forest. Sarah took that one down a notch. Who’s Élite now, Bullwinkle?
Not Sarah.
She’s just Regular as heck.

02 October 2008

birthday!!

Woohoo, I got a new iPod!!

Home at last!

I don't think I've ever been so excited to be back in Minnesota.
Not that I didn't enjoy my trip but damn, it's good to be home.