Recently I have been trying to understand the use of Iraq as a honeypot for militant Islam. I began writing an essay about whether or not this was a realistic perspective, but a quick search for Iraq honeypot shows that its neither an original thesis, nor particularly difficult to explain. By creating a nearby conflict with American targets, we are drawing the attention of Islamic militants who either lack the resources or patience for more complicated roles in the Islamic revolution (as it were).

Current Mood: contemplative

Observation: If one picks up a can of Lipton Brisk Iced Tea, thinking it is a can of Diet Coke, without regard for the taste of the iced tea, initially it tastes like horribly flat diet coke. It requires a real context switch to recognize that it is just mediocre iced tea.

If someone wants to turn this into a book to help managers educate their staff in being screwed over by reorganizations, I want lots of money.

Current Mood: accomplished

Did my taxes. Big bill. Strangely rewarding because we were prepared for it, and most of the cost of it was due to my short stint on a 1099, without withholding. The requirement to pay quarterly is absolved when you are in the 4th quarter and you pay your full bill by the end of January. Anyway all done, and now we can go back to killing off the debt we acrued in 2001-2002. My cards are almost clear, and I think the wifes will be in a month or two.

She was just offered a permanent position. I had told her the rate I felt was appropriate, and she followed my lead and they gave it to her. I figured they would be the kind of place that asked you what you should be paid, and I have learned to prepare for that. I think she would have taken substantially less. I repeated it several times, discussed why, and explained it in relation to her freelance payscale, and she approached it perfectly really. Whenever you go into a job interview you should be very clear with yourself what you want. Let them fight for their price.

My sister-in-law and brother are on the verge of parenthood. It could happen any time now, knock on wood. I am more excited than I can describe, although aware that this is partially vicarious. I am not sure if I really want a baby most of the time, but I am not sure if there is any way that it can be discussed intellectually. Its a package of feelings tied together with a thread of terror and longing. On the other hand being an uncle is all joy, despite it making me think of my own tragically deteriorating uncle, as he was both a wonderful uncle and also a frightening warning of the frailty of the men in my family, all of whom seem so robust until the bottom drops out. The women on the other hand seem so fragile and yet my 90 year old grandma, dropping away into whatever strange desperate senile world she inhabits, may outlive us all.

Current Mood: anxious

So when did the Time Person of the Year end up being one of those tourist trap fake newspapers where you get to be elected President?
Time's Person of the Year is you! Personally I think your best year was a few years back, but sometimes we get rewarded for prior accomplishments.

Anyway congratulations to you on this clearly highly selective award.

Current Mood: embarrassed

Here is a little story of when I was a tree-hugger. It is something to remind myself that there is another part of me.

When I went to California and abandoned IT for a year, one of the things that gave me greatest pleasure was writing protest songs that I could play with Todd and Alicia Littletree. I would sometimes sit down on a stump (being that we were in redwood/dougfir territory the stumps were pretty big) and songs would come to me. I used to think of it as if the goddess had spoken to me through my ass. It was a nice feeling to imagine that something might be brought from the ground into me and out of my mouth in a way that I could save and give to others.

I am still writing songs and stories. it is just that when I write them down they seem broken. I hope that changes.

Current Mood: nostalgic

I want to share something that feels strange to me right now. It is a feeling that involves both being over-competent and incompetent at the same time. I have dreams lately of evaluation,examination, auditing, and generally being inspected. It feels in many ways like I am in a state where if I make any mistake it will be used against me. Sometimes I think I will be fired for no apparent reason. Thats a strange feeling, since I believe right now I am indespensible at my firm due to the bizarre range of skills I have accumulated, along with knowledge of systems that no one knows about from what I can tell. I suppose I am overdramatic, as fuckups happen around here all the time, but still I feel like I am going to forget something important. I started keeping lists but they change fast. I started trying to clear off tasks I was procrastinating, but I am not sure anyone notices.

Its a wierd space to be in. I was told I was to do more self-managing. I consider that an abbrogation of my bosses responsibility, especially since it seems that what he is doing is not management but technical work. If I were sure I was staying that might suggest an approach, but right now I am just trying to be ethical and appropriate.

Ah well.

Doing a little weekend maintenance work that is slowly getting done (server patching and all) so I thought I would drop a line.

Still no news on Liz's college acceptance beyond her rejection by Duke (the program only accepts 2 students a year). That bummed her out and me too really as I was thinking about how nice it might be to find some small house outside of town and maybe breath some air that con-ed hasn't pre processed over at 14th street.

Work sucks. Not sure if I even want to get into it. It is partially difficult because, until we know where we are going (or if we are going) I really am forced to sit tight, both in terms of looking for other jobs, and in terms of trying to improve my situation, mostly because anything I offer to do over a period of time is possibly going to be a broken promise.

Otherwise I think things are ok. I am using the work situation to focus more on self-management and organization as well as doing things I am scared of. Eventually I believe my experience will be positive, it is just painful.

I have gotten below 250 pounds, which is a big goal for me. I am hoping to break 240 by summer. It has been surprisingly easy. I started in May and just pretty much lost a pound or two a week, with some plateaus. I try to explain my technique which is frantic constant pressure and work and a little less carbs.

Current Mood: tired

Well I just wanted to drop a line regarding the Hamas success in the Palestinian Elections. I have mixed feelings. The PLO also had to renounce calling for the destruction of Israel before it truly could gain International support as a legitimate power. I will be optimistic and suggest that the fact that Hamas gained power democratically is the best possible scenario for what may have been inevitable, the deterioration of the PA as a respectable organization, and the constant open warfare between Hamas and Fatah members. It isn't as if terrorist organizations can never transition into responsible political parties. Look at Israel itself.

Anyway I don't want to get into it. I believe in democracy. Its hard to imagine this being a corrupted process with all the attention and the fact that incumbents lost. I hope anyone who is in Israel or Palestine is safe during what is likely to be a really chaotic near future.

Current Mood: optimistic

I keep wanting to say something but it becomes too much so I am going to point out one thing that seems surprising to me.

There was no grace period. From the moment the full effects were known, the Press in general has seemed outraged at the way this disaster has been and is being handled. Just on CNN I have heard reporters so hostile and so anti-administration from the moment the flooding started. I am not saying this is wrong, I am just saying that this is a big difference from other disasters. CNN stories covering government officials all include paragraphs countering their statements. In fact the major news story as far as I can see is that an administration that has refused to accept faults, is doing so again in ways that are instantly discreditable. They seemed to have learned that if they just deny they were at fault eventually the press will give up. Right now I think the press is so well armed because unlike 9/11, the effects of storms on New Orleans are both well analyzed and historically repeated:

Chertoff made a distinction between hurricanes that brought a deadly storm surge flood -- for example, the unnamed hurricane of 1900 that killed at least 8,000 people in Galveston and Hurricane Camille, which killed 143 in Mississippi in 1969 -- and Katrina.

But in 1965, Hurricane Betsy did what Katrina did -- it slammed the city, and the floodwaters went over the levees, an act that prompted officials to build them higher and stronger -- although they were only built to withstand a Category 3 hurricane. Katrina's winds gusted to Category 4 strength -- about 150 mph -- as it passed just to the east.

The actual disaster is massive and hard to fathom. We just do not see entire major cities completely evacuated these days. If a Hurricane of this magnitude hits NYC head on, there will be no ability to evacuate even a reasonable population. I am not sure there is a legitimate evacuation plan for most of New York.

Anyway, we will all forget by Christmas.

Current Mood: cynical

So we saw Devo at the Hammerstein Ballroom. A more esoteric crowd could not be had.
( Read more... )

Went upstate and was feasted and entertained by midgets. Lots of fun, too much driving. Taconic parkway is filled with insane people so I had to drive extra fast to get away from them. I believe that may be what every driver was thinking. They should make a video game out of that road.

Enjoyed the finale of 6 feet under. Won't spoil incase you are lazy.

Enjoyed Hero, although my wife asked 'is any movie made these days not Rashaman?' I think the answer is no. Even if the movie you are watching isn't the complete Rashaman, there is another movie on another channel at the same time that completes the Rashamanial perspective. I think all movies are just trying to tell a story from a different view point. None of them are trying to tell a story of their own anymore. Oh well. More room for my eventual triumphant career.

Robot Chicken Rocks...

Current Mood: confused