Yes, it's been a while, I apologize. This car thing has had me in a funk. There's several people I owe correspondence to that I've blown off because of it.

Some good and bad news. The bad news is I inadvertantly blew my monetary bargining power with the insurance company by sending in the forms. I freely admit I was nickeling and diming them for a few hundred more bucks, but, still, I should've realized sending in the forms would close negotiation. So, a bit red-faced there. Needless to say, lesson learned.

On the bright side, I checked my policy. For accidents, I get $30 a day for "travelling expenses", with a $900 maximum "per accident". Quick math shows this means that I can rent a car for $30 per day for 30 days. None of this "five days" bullshit. Needless to say, I will happily throwing this in the face of the idiots handling my claim. I expect my righteousness to be fierce, and gloriously smug; you shall be kept informed.

On the brighter-side, I could have a car by the end of the week I spent about six hours on Saturday driving around, and I found a 2001 Civic in West New York that I like. EX model, so it's got all the creature comforts I got used to (sans the 10-disk CD player, but we all have our crosses to bear), and the price is reasonable. Wish me luck as I try to haggle a few more dollars in my favor.

I spent the day with the 'rents. Though this should have already be known, I'd like to state, for the record, that my parents Officially Rock. For one thing, they treated me to three meals today, AND to my ticket to see Return of the King (still rawks, by the by.) For another, we went to SAM's Price Club and they stocked me with various apartment/food supplies, all on their dime. And, most of all, they are helping me with the down payment for my car, and, combined with what I'm getting from the insurance company, have pretty much ensured that I won't be paying off car loans, at all. Of course I'll have to pay my parents back, but the Bank of Mommy and Daddy have 0.0% interest and better grace periods, so I'll be more than happy to go that route rather than sending a monthly check to a more public financial institution.

I have a bit of a headache so I night turn in early. Or I'll watch one of The West Wing episodes Sean taped from the marathon on Friday. Will keep you posted.

What, you think I'd forget that today, being the first day of winter, is the longest night of the year?

I'm thinking this should count as New Year's. I've had this thought for a while, really, and I think it makjes sense: from here on out the days only get longer, so why not have it be the start of the new year as well? Always seemed logical to me.

And like I wrote a few days ago: with this car thing, it certainly feels like it's time for a fresh start; no need to wait ten days, you know?

2004. Good god, that's freaky.

(I'll tell you something else that's freaky: the kid from the accident? He was born in November of 1986. Brrrr.)

I think I'll be posting a New Year's Resolution this year. I used to do this, about ten years ago. A few days after the start of the New Year I'd write some reflections on what was and what's coming. (The most humours one is what I wrote at the end of 1994, where I struggle with the realization that I'll be turning twenty and that the 90's are almost half over. Ah, youth....) But this year can be a big year, and I want to ready myself. This car accident could be a portent. Though if I'm addressing things in obtuse half-references I may not be as committed as I'd like to think I am.

The longest night of the year. It's not so bad, really. It may be the start of three-plus months of Winter, but the truth is it only gets brighter from here.

Not sure what year, probably a 2000 or 2002; it's only got 26,000 miles on it.

Very strange driving again. Felt very cautious at first, though by the evening I was getting comfortable being behind the wheel. I drove on Rt 3 so I got the highway part out of the way. It's a big car, which will take some getting used to. Soft breaks, less acceleration than my Civic (not surporising; it's probably got the same engine and 50% more weight).

I remember, years ago, hearing about an accident a friend of my father's was in. Bad accident, the car was totaled, he was seriously hurt. Months down the line he was physically ready to drive again, but emotionally it was s truggle fort him because of the accident. Not that I'm in as bad a situation as he was, but it really has shaken me, and made me very desfensive on the road. On the one hand it's a good thing to be a safer driver, but not to the point of paranoia.

Elsewhere, Liberty Mutal is already lubing up for the ass-raping. Firstly, they do not go by blue book value (supposedly is a NJ law; figures). they have an appraiser come in, look over the damage, then inspect the car for other flaws and ammenities, look up some undoubtedly bullshit figures about the general value of Hona Civics in my area, throw it all in a blender and then give me a figure for the car's value. The guy I spoke with is 90% certain they'll want to scrap the car.

But here'sd where the fun begins. Because according to the owner of the shop where my car currently is, the damage appears mainly cosmetic. The sticking points will be the windshield and the airbags, but the front-end damage is easily fixed (easily, not cheaply). And I'd much rather keep my car than get a new one. So I'll have to fight it out with my insurance. the good news is I can easily get an edge: if they're going by the value of the cars in my area, I can dig up prices on what a '98 Honda Civic is selling for, which will undoubtedly be higher than what my insurance will offer. Add in the amenities I've got--sun roof, 10-CD changer, $80 rims, under 60,000 miles on a five/six year old car--and I should have room to bargin.

It's going to be an interesting time, that's for sure.

Christine (on why we should join her for her birthday celebration): Why: We can join in common hatred of ... Paris Hilton

Me: I mean, she's a vapid waste of humanity, true, but she looks kinda hot in her sex tape. Girls with green skin and glowing eyes turn me on.

Christine: Girls who breathe turn you on.

Me: Like I need them to be breathing....

Christine: I knew I liked you for a reason.

Bright Idea: telling all your friends on e-mail about your car troubles.

Not-So-Bright-Idea: bitching about repeating the information over and over--when your friends who care enough to write and ask how you're doing--on your blog.

As Chrissy made me realize, it's a rather dumb thing to do. To everyone that's e-mailed, thank you, most sincerely. The comfort is much needed and appreciated.

Bright Idea: willing to squeeze into tight parking spaces during the hight of Christmas Shopping.

Not-So-Bright-Idea: seriously fucking up your car's suspension and wheel alignment in the processes.

An IM conversation posted during the V's discussion on Return of the King:


Jeremy: now that its done, does LOTR Trilogy trump the original Star Wars trilogy?
Nick: Mmmm
Nick: Hard to say
Jeremy: damn, it is?
Nick: Yeah
Nick: LoTR has a mega-advantage in that it has today's technology and a hojillion dollars behind it.
Jeremy: and 3 hours a piece
Nick: Yeah
Nick: But Star Wars was lo-fi
Jeremy: and had Darth Vader
Nick: Yeah
Nick: And wasn't based on something that's been around for decades
Jeremy: and black people
Nick: HAHAHAHAHAHA
Jeremy: you should do a poll on the V
Nick: One of my comments when we got out of the cinema was "Man, Jeremy Love is NOT going to like that"
Jeremy: the whiter you are in LOTR the more noble you are
Nick: Because the only black dudes in the film are (1) Allied with Sauron (2) Ride giant elephants and (3) Have their faces all painted voodoo style
Nick: Totally
Nick: Did you notice how as Frodo got dirtier and dirtier, he got less noble?
Jeremy: EXACTLY!
Jeremy: and how Grand Wizard Gandalf came back dressed like the KKK
Jeremy: the charge he lead in Two TOwers was straight out of Birth of a Nation
Nick: Hahahahaha
Jeremy: I'm not kidding! Compare the shots!
Nick: Note how the Orcs wear BLACK
Jeremy: anything brown was EVIL
Nick: Hahahaha

Well worth reading the whole thread, by the by (the above link skips the first 65 posts that were written before anyone saw the movie). I think they're nitpicking Eowyn's shining moment too much, and some of you may not like them pointing out some other flaws, but the Gollum/Terminator 2 posts are a riot, and they did remind me that I completely forgot to mention the Beacon Lighting sequence in my review which, being the one moment of the film that nearly had me in tears, is trully an egregious sin of omission.

So, as most of you know, i sent out an e-mail explaining the car accident. Did the mass-mailing bit because I didn't feel like repeating the story over and over again. But the thing is, as people drop me a note to wish me well, I still find myself repeating all the updates to the situation. The best laid plans of mice and men, eh?

As long as I'm updating: the rental car won't be avilable until mid-afternoon, which throws all my plans out the window, seeing how I was hoping to get the car early and then drive down to Morganville to salvage my car. Fortunatley my father took this week off from work, so I'm probably going to ask him to do it for me. The auto shop doesn't close 'till six so I could still do it if I wanted to, but as there's no guarantee what time the rental will be ready I'm not exactly looking forward to the prospect of rushing down to get to the auto shop in time.

I called work, I called Liberty Mutual, so all that's really left for me to do is laundry. I know the machines here are terrible, but as long as I have the time, provided they have a change machine, I might as well. But I want to check the price; it may still be better to wait until I have the rental and go to my usual place, if it saves me a buck or two. (It's like 10-10-321, only with dryers instead of payphones, and no annoying Carrot Top.)

Oh, and here's something that might amuse you: while driving with Pete, I was involuntarily cringing any time close turns were made or other cars seemed to be getting too close for comfort. My mind is definitely on "defensive" mode right now. Which will be a good thing, and I'm thinking is something that should last indefinitely, as far as I'm concerned. As I remarked to Lauren, for as much damage done to my car, I wasn't hurt at all, but I know how I drive and if I was a less aggressive driver, the damage done would have been less, and I would have had a better chance at keeping my car. So let's see how long my "safety first" mindset lasts. At the very least it'll make my passangers a whole lot less nervous.

On the very plus side, Return of the King is breaking box office records by the handful, so at least that much is right in the world.

Return of the King was a much needed break for me. Pete and CJ came up around 3:30 and we killed two hours just sitting around and bullshitting, not to mention laughing a lot. Between that and the spectacle that was Return, I got a much needed lifting of the spirits this evening.

I got a call from Angelo, the father of the kid I was in the accident with. Not surprisingly, he called to give me the information I needed rather than his son. It's rather odd; I still don't see myself as an adult, and yet I was speaking to the kid's father because I am an adult, and it makes sense that the father would rather speak to me instead of his son talking to me. He was actually quite concillatory; I don't think I have to worry about any surprise "screw you" moves from them. Turns out I got his last name wrong so I'll need to get that straight when I call Liberty Mutual tomorrow. Christ it's going to be a fun day.

Speaking of days; I got a kick out of this: without my car, I couldn't do laundry today. I went to bed around 1:00 last night, and figured I could use the rest and sleep without an alarm. But my body woke me up around 8:30 because it's so used to getting up early on Sunday's. Rather amusing, even though I got less sleep because of it.

Ah well. Off to bed shortly. Will get up normal time seeing how I have enough to do early in the morning. Can't wait to give Pete the laundry list of stuff he'll need to do.

Well, off to take care of a few odds and end and then sleep.

So I saw Return of the King. It rocked. My jaw was on the floor for at least an hour and a half, and every time I thought I could pick it up, something else happened that made it impossible to do so.

A phenominal film. It's amazing how much CGI is involved and yet the movie retained a humanity and a sense of realness that was paltable. The battle of Minas Tirith is a wonder to behold. The moment you're recovering from one spectacular visual, something else follows it up that sends you reeling yet again. And the ghost army (whose proper name escapes me) is awsome in its design, compellingly eeire with its constantly shifting visage of bone, skin, and decomposing flesh. The sequences with Shelob were likewise fantastic.

The hobbits shine more than anyone in this movie, even more than Aragorn, I feel. Merry and Pippin both face their own trials and really got to shine, far more than their mostly-comedic roles offered them in the other films. And Eowyn's story follows through well; though her love for Aragon is rather swept away without proper closure, she comes into her own as a warrior, and through that ends up having one of the finest moments of the film. Gimli and Legolas also had their moments in the sun--especially Legolas facing the Oliophant that was a masterstroke of direction and CGI--but there was little development for them, which I was disapointed in only because I enjoy their characters; the movie was no less for it.

I do agree with the critics who say the ending tends to drag. I had been optimistic about it because I have enjoyed the movies so much, but the pacing comes to a dead stop once the Ring is destroyed. (Like I'm spoiling anything here; trust me, I knew the ring would be destroyed but I was still on the edge of my seat during the climax; the tension is handled superbly.) I think a good five minutes could have been easily cut and still kept all the scenes of the three our four epilogues in the film.

But, and here again I agree with the critics, it's a minor quibble regarding a masterpiece of film making. Jackson and his whole production team, and espeically WETA Digital have proven they are masters of their craft with this film. I can't wait for the super-delux box setr of the complete series so I can own it--although there's no way these movies--and espeically this movie, which makes the battle of Helm's Deep look like a school yard shoving match--can be done justice on anything smaller than a full-sized movie screen.

I can't wait to see it again.

It's only been a day since the accident--in fact, given that it's 1:30 now, we've just passed the 24 hour mark--and I'm already tired of telling the story, so here's the short-short version:

I was going straight. The 17 year-old-kid at the jug-handle was making a left. Crash.



I got home last night thanks to my cousin Scott. Right now I'm waiting for Pete and CJ to show up so we can still see The Return of the King. Tomorrow begins the fun of getting a rental until I learn the fate of my once-wonderful car.

I also got off the phone with the Marlboro police just a few minutes ago--the accident report does put the other driver at fault, and according to the Lieutenant I spoke to, issuing a summons/ticket does not affect the insurance claim, so I'm not going to bother. this will undoubtedly draw criticism from my parents, but I'm taking the police's word over theirs since I tend to think they'd be a bit more knowledgeable about these things.

I cleaned my room up, which felt good. Lots of garbage to dump; I'll take care of that tomorrow. I already left a message for my office manager, and I'll call Pete (my co-worker, not my friend) tomorrow morning to give him the alundry list of things I had to do Monday that he'll have to do.

And I just left a message with the kid to get his driver's license and home address so I can give that to my insurance company.

Right now I'm listening to Radiohead's OK Computer which Noah gave me last night as a Hannukah gift. I guess he finally got tired of me telling him "I'll get it, eventually". It's . . . it's certainly different from Hail to the Theif though I can see the progession, even wmissing the one or two albums Radiohead released inbetween. Gonna take me a few more listen-to's before I can really decide what I think of it. It's certainly different. And a lot of distortion. The lyrics are wild, though, just reading them in the liner notes.

Well. I'm alive, if slightly bummed. I think 2004 has started early.

So today more than made up for yesterday's lethargy at work. It was disgustingly busy today. Very much a barely-trading-water day, with lots of crap being thrown at me. More problems/annoyances with Morocco. My desk looks atrocious, I have so much crap thrown on it. Between trying to get Morocco to give me ship dates for orders, scramble to get Morocco commerical invoices it needs, not to mention ship it an emergency supply of connectors (because their non-emergency supply is going to be held up in customs for a whole week! This on top of the week it's already been held ther, mind you.), not to mention filling out the maze of forms necessary to ship overseas (and the person who usually helps out with that stuff had left for the day). Throw in the usual requests, orders, and minor emeergencies and the only good thing about today was that it didn't drag.

Fortunatley tonight is 80's night. A bunch of us are heading down to the Breakfast Club, which is the Monmouth County version of NYC's Culture Club. Not 100% sure yet who's actually coming along, but it'll be fun regardless. Tomorrow I have to find a gift for my father in 30 minutes, and somehow figure out how to wrap the damn things. As far as Hannukah gift-shopping goes, this was not my most judicious use of time management.

I'll be seeing Return of the King twice this weekend. Should be able to write a decent review, then. We'll see.

Well, off to have dinner and maybe catch a quick nap before heading out tonight.

First up: The Doom Comicbook.

Possibly the worst comic ever greated, and yet simultaneously one of the funniest things you will ever read. To sample just a little of the destined-to-be-classic dialogue:

"I have a handful of vertebrae and a headful of mad."

"Gah! Zombies! With Guns! Not big guns, but they are guns! And I need guns!"

"At this particular moment in time I don't believe I have a healthier or more deeply-felt respect for any object in the universe than this here shotgun..."

You must read this. Especially for the speech about the dangers of enviornmental pollution the main character delivers after blowing away a bunch of monsters.

(Courtesy of The V and SK8J, of course)

Work was boring as hell today. Business as come to an almost screeching halt. It does that right around Christmas, but I figured we had until the end of this week before the drop-off. Still, with little to do--not counting the mound o' filing I'm blowing off--I spent most of the day online.

It was like old times, and of course I am referring to those few last months at my old job where I had nothing to do but surf the net, killing time by reading the posts on The Warren Ellis Forum or Tri-Net. The V and SK8J don't get nearly enough traffic as the WEF used to (though, to be fair, the WEF had its slow days, too), but I still managed to find threads with sufficient triviality to pass the time. (One of which will result in another blog link which I will get to later tonight. Though, as this blog seems to be mostly read by people during work hours, you will have most likely read that entry before getting to this one.)

Tonight I am thinking about actually working on my Vendetta site, which I have blown off for the last two and a half weeks. Sean's going to see Return of the King (which I now feel silly for hyper-texting because it not like anyone on this planet is unaware of what I am referring to; least of all my friends) which means I have the place to myself tonight. Ill be seeing it twice already--I was going to see it for the first time this Sunday with Pete, but it looks like I'll be seeing it with my Dad on Saturday. (I like seeing movies with my Dad; it's like old times when I was young and he'd take us to the movies. It's one thing to see movies with your friends; to me, it's always special when I see a movie with my Dad.)

On the way home tonight I was behind a car with a Pennsylvania license plate that read "ALWYS-L8". It was cute, I suppose, but then I realized that I have issues with those that are perennially late. (I don't like being late in general, and I suppose dating Patti raised it from a level of "not liking it" to "hating with a passion") I suppose the driver must have thought it cute, but vanity plates no longer appeal to me like they did when I was younger.

There was more I wanted to say, but somehow between walking out of the office and getting to this computer I lost it all. Bugger all.

Today is the centennial of the Wright Brother's flight. And the main ceremony was a bit of a bust when the replica of the Wright Brother's plane failed to take flight.

It's deeply hysterical and yet deeply sad that this happened. We can fly planes a thousand times heavier, complete with kitchens, bars, and movie theaters, but we can't get the very first airplane to fly properly. Orville and Wilbur must be hanging their heads in shame.

For a slightly more dignified rumination, I refer you to my ealier thoughts on the subject.

Mitch posted the Salon link on his blog, but that just got me started.

Show of hands: Who heard of the arrests made during the FTAA protests in Miami last November? Who heard that there even were protests in Miami regarding the FTAA? Anyone who never heard of Miami or the FTAA gets shot and I disown you as a friend.

Well, Miami is in contest to be the headquarters of the FTAA Secretariat. And after the Seatle protests, any city that hosts an FTAA meeting has been on high alert.

So, for the record: 231 arrests in Miami. Reports of unwarranted police brutality.

The Salon article, "This is Not America", as usual for Salon, is brutal in its descriptions and harsh with accusation. It's four pages, the majority of which are quotes from various protesters who attended, and about all the quotes from Miami police make them sound like descendents of the Gestapo. (You should read it all; just accept the "ad", minimize the window for a minute while the ad runs, then click the "premum pass" linkin the ad and read.)

Now, this was all news to me. Last protest I heard was the one in Canada back in 2001. At first I thought these protests happened yesterday. Regardless, I decided to see if this thing was hushed up. So I went to the only Miami newspaper I knew of, the Miami Herald. Sure enough, the online edition has a whole section dedicated to the FTAA and Miami. All sorts of stories, two of which involve the portests.

The most recent article it different than Salons. Firstly, its headline is "Groups air gripes about police actions" And it reads very straight: it reports on the hearings being held about the arrests. But just that word: "gripe". Not "complaints", not "allegations", but "gripes", which I think speaks volumes about what the editors think of the hearings, despite the fairly evenhanded reporting.

There's another article which describes the protests and arrests in detail. Unlike Salon, the article this one is more fair to the police; still raising the allegations of misconduct, but providing evidence, and the police's point of view that lend creedence to the argument that the police may have been justified in their behavior.

Now, Salon wears its allegances on its sleeve; its article title alone tells you what the slant will be. And the Miami Herald seems to be all fair and balanced, right? I'm not so sure. In the FTAA section there's various links to websites about the FTAA. The link for "FTAA Resistence" points to this site which features pictures of angry protestors, men in ski masks, and information on "how to make body armor" and to "bring down corporate globalization"

About half-way down the homepage is a link to FTAA IMC, a site that lists essays and news reports, and gives very little of the radical apperance of FTAA Resistence.

Now, I found this site by a simple scroll. Which means the editors, or researcher (whoever was in charge of gettings links) of the Miami Herald most likely found the same thing, or at least did a quick Google search on FTAA protests, where on the first page of results FTAA Resietence doesn't even show up. Which means someone deliberately chose that website to be people's first impression about anti-FTAA factions.

So, enjoy all the links. Take a look, do a little reading, and think about it.

The ACLU is apparently run by a Jewish mother.

I'm not kidding. I joined the ALCU in the summer fo 2002. I let my membership run out at the end of the year, purely for financial reasons. Well, 99% for that reason. the other 1% was because ever since I became a member of the ACLU I got mail bombed by every goddamn hippie-liberal loser organization you could think of. Robert Redford wanted me to save the trees. Nancy Pelosi wanted to remind me why the Republicans are the tools of Satan. Does anyone else see the irony in joining an organization that, among other things, fights to protect my right to privacy but puts my addresses on half a million activist mailing lists??

Well, The ACLU obviously hates losing members. About once a month I get a letter from them. The last few I've been throwing out without even looking at them. today my monthly reminder arrived. And, for the record, I believe in the ACLU. I support the ACLU. Obviously, thery're no better or perfect than anyone else, but, at heart, I believe in what they stand for and would like to support them.

But then I get this letter:

"Dear ACLU Member"

Uh-huh. My membership ended; I ain't a member. You think theycould at least put my name on the damn thing; if they can put my name on mailin-lists, curely they can do that.

"Have we done something to lose your support? I sincerely hope not. But that is the conclusion I hgave come to as weeks of not hearing from you about renewing your ACLU membersjip have turned into months."

So there it goes, right off the bat. This person--actually Anthony Romero--but Italian mother's are just as bad a Jerwish one's--is deeply hurt that I've abondoned them. Well, at least they don't sugar coat things. But they're just getting warmed up:

"Does the fact that you haven't renewed . . . mean that you're not alarmed by the prospect of FBI officials wiretapping the phones of innocent zititzens . . . Does it mean you aren't worried about a proposed consititutional amenment that would not only prohibit same-sex marriage . . . does it mean you're not bothered by the fact that religious exremsts . . .are you not concerned . . . " blah blah fucking blah.

I can hear my mother's voice in this letter. There's a distinctly Brooklyn-Jewish cadence to this, don't you think?

But the clincher? On the other side of the letter--because it runs both sides of the paper--no less than three times this Anthony guy (apparently the "Executive Director") asks to know why I haven't renewed. "I would like to know why" he says. "help me understand" he says. "It's critically important for me to know" he says.

Except he provides no means of letting him know. The only thing I get is a slip of paper to renerw membership. No address to sent him a message, no website, no hotline. For a guy whose thinks it "critically important" to know why I haven't renewed, you think he'd make it easy for me to tell him.

Maybe I should send back the membership slip with a check that says"I'M NOT PAYING, YOU DUMB GUINEA". Maybe that will help him understand.

Gah. Fucking ALCU. I think I'm going to donate money to Pat Buchanan. Just to piss them off.

Watched Pt 2, which ended about twenty minutes ago. It snowed, again. You all know that because the only people who read this thing all live in the same damn state, but, still. More snow. Played Diablo II with Dave. Wrote out a few more Chistmas cards. Blew off writing the HOLA pitch for Bright-Matrix. Tackling that tomorrow come hell or high water.

The thing about Angels in America--the angel bits were my least favorite. And I see my Athieism at work--when the Angel came and spouted her exposition about God abandoning poeple, and how the Angels were created and how Man came afterwards--your basic post-modern revisonist Creation myth; you know you've read too many Vertigo comics when this sort of revisionism leaves me unimpressed--but some phenominal and intense moments. Two epilogues; not quite sure what I think of that. The first one worked fine and I thought it a pleasant way to end things; the second felt a bit overkill. Sentimental without be maudlin, which is good, and it did refocus the point of the story . . .but, really, that should've been self-evident by the narrative proper. But it is television so maybe Kushner thought he needed the neon sign just in case. I really have to see if the staged version had that as well.

But a wonderful production. Top notch acting all around. Can't wait for the DVD.

Funny thing, though. When Roy Cohn dies, Belize asks Lou to recite the Kaddish. It's the Jewish prayer for the dead. It's the only Jewish prayer that holds any meaning for me. Even with the whole "the Lord is One" crap. It was a strange moment--highly effective scene, very well done. But for the first time in . . . years . . . I actually felt a connection to the Jewish faith. I don't know if that was legit or jsut simply that such a well-done scene hinged on a prayer that I like, but there is it.

I've gotten no sleep this weekend. Won't get any tonight.

New Years plans are up in the air. For the first time since 1996 I won't be spending it with Players alumni. And it looks like I'm breaking ym Lord of the Rings tradition and not seeing it opening weekend with the usual crowd. Patterns breaking. Saddam Hussein was actually captured. Alive, no less. Everything's gone off-script completely, hasn't it?

Nah, no snow . . .

Hey, wait a sec, I haven't updated since Monday? Damn, I coulda sworn I posted something on Tuesday? Ah hell.

Apologies. I was probably doing something else. Well, obviously I was, but that's not the point.

The point is: I'm working on Christmas cards. And I'm kinda on a roll. I signed . . . 30 of them. Not bad. Allmost all of the ones for my co-workers are just waiting for their nbames to be put on, although there's two or three people who aren't Christain so I might go with a different card--which is good because there 21 people in my office and the crads I bought came in a pack of 18.

But as for my friends, I'm fairly set. I've got ten fully addressed and stamped. But let me tell you what a pain in the ass it is getting everyone's address. When you all live locally you tend to forget the actual address, you just know it by sight. But suddenly you've got these Christmas cards you want to send to people and you can't fucking remember where they live. (This could be just me though.)

Now, some were easy. I've already gotten about a half dozen cards, so that worked out nicely. And I pulled about four or five from e-mail, and I think I have old birthday/christmas cards stashed somewhere with people's address. But take Rob Duane for a moment. I don't know where he lives. I mean, I know he's somewhere in Pennsylvania. I know his street address from the directions he sent for his housewarming party in October. But I don't have a clue what town he lives in. Aline is somewhere in Lakewood, that's all I know. Eric Lamedola is another. No clue where he lives.

And, yes, I can call and ask. Hell, I just left yet another classic 5 minute voice mail for Duane asking him for his address (Not many people can take five minutes to ask one question. It's an art form, really.) But just hvaing to ask--it inevitably broaches the subject of why I need it. And I don't want to let people know that they're getting cards. It's like ruining a pleasant surprise, whether they're half expecting it or not. Yes, it's a card. But I can't buy gifts for everyone so cards will do. And I don't think I sent any out last year so I'm overdue.

I hate the holidays.

"The United States, backed by the European Union, Japan and Canada, has turned back a bid by developing nations to place the Internet under the control of the United Nations or its member governments."

This is very interesting. There's a summit being held to discuss the way the Internet can shape the world, it's called The World Summit on the Information Society. In a nutshell, it's all about promoting informatio and education across the world, with strong interest into human rights and liberty for people.

The article makes reference to how many under-developed nations lack the ability to get on the gravy train of the Information Society; they lack the funds to build the infrastructure needed to get its population connected. It reminds of when I worked at Web Media, one of my co-workers had taken a vacation to Vietnam, and when he came back he told me how amazed he was that there were all these internet cafes where people were crammed inside, dozens of computers, all sharing the same 56K connection. And here in America I get ribbing for not getting a high-speed connection because it's so easy to do.

Now, the US, along with other nations, are saying that while it's nice in principle to have the UN regulate things, they are worried about letting government handle too much--they want it to be a free-enterprise system. This makes sense when you realize ICANN and WC3 are all US-based organizations, with strong ties to American business.

The last line of the article hits the nail on the head: "one Latin American ambassador said, 'No one wanted to challenge the real power of the private sector of the rich countries.'"

The beauty of the Internet is anyone can use it, if they have the right tools. And the WSIS's whole point is to ensure poorer and developing countries can have that accesses. Which means the richer, developed countries have to give up their control. In a virtual enviornment like the Internet, the important thing is not the information itself, but who controls the content, formatting, and dissmenation of that information. We normally don't care about this sort of thing because we already have it, and we take it for granted. We shouldn't.

At Petitions Online, there's a petition demanding that the website Pointless Waste of Time retract their article listing Fifty Reasons Why The Lord of the Rings Sucks, and demand that the writer of that article issue an apology to "every LOTR fan".

The petiton, as of this posting, as 202 signatures. That's 202 people who, even when reading reasons like "The character of Elrond was based on Agent Smith from The Matrix" were still too fucking stupid to get the joke. The petition lists there names. If we can find where they live, we can ensure they never dilute the humance race by breeding.

It all came about like a bad episode of "The Simpsons", in which I started down one track and ended up ten thousand miles from where I started. Follow the logic, if you dare:

It started with listening to one of my Mix Tapes. Volume . . . 52. Which chronicles, by way of soundtracking, the final daze of my Freshman year at Montclair and the majority of the summer between that year and my Sophomore year. One of the songs on that tape was a forgotten gem called "The Battle Beast and Barbie" by Tom Chapin. Tom is Harry Chapin's brother, and though he's more well known for his children's records, he has creleased the occasional "adult" album, and that particular song is found on his album, "So Nice to Come Home". I was introduced to this song by the one and only Scott Sivakoff, one of my best friends at the time and, among other things, a serious Chapin fanatic.

"Battle Beast & Barbie" is a great song. It's utterly tongue & cheek, and it's done in this 50's-style, completely with back-up singers going "doo-doo-doo-doo-doo" and a "Big" John Wallace going "doo-doo-do-doo-doo" in his unmistakeable bass voice. It's a great song, and I figured it was worth posting the lyrics on my blog, for shits and giggles.

Unfortunately, being a Tom Chapin song, it's not like you can find the lyrics on the usual lyrics sites. I tried. But a Google search on "The Battle Beast and Barbie" yeiled no luck. Neither did a search on "Tom Chapin"--though it did lead me to his attrociously designed website.

Faced with that dead end, I noticed Tom's site had a link to the Chapin's offical Harry Chapin Website. Now as I said, Scott, who I have not spoken with in some eight and a half years, is a huge Chapin fan. He would go and see the concerts of Harry's brothers, Steve and Tom, even if it was a several-hour drive (I know this for I accompanied him twice--once for Steve and once for Tom.) And last I heard, Scott had become involved in several Harry Chapin tribute concerts. So, ona hunch, I went to the "Links" section of the Harry Chapin site and, sure enouh, found a link to Scott's Harry Chapin website.

Which hasn't been updated since 1999.

However, feeling nostalgic, I decided to see if Mr. Sivakoff had a slightly more recent presence on the web, and so went to Google and searched his name. Google returned several links, all of them relating to the aforementioned Harry Chapin tribute performances that have gone on in the last few years.

Well, seeing how many links google returned on Scott, I figured it was time to Google my own name a see what came up. Would Bright-Matrix top the list? Maybe this blog? My Unemployed Life, surely.

Well, it turns out "Craig Klein" does return a lot of hits. The overwhelming amount of them relating to Craig Klein the New Orleans musician (who, in a bizarre note of synchronicity, played sousaphone for Tori Amos on her song "Talula" from her Boys for Pele album.) There also seems to be a good deal of links for one Barbara Klein Craig, an artist based in Florida. Oh, and the defunct homepage of a Craig Klein fron Penn State.

But beyond that? Zilch. Zip. No Bright-Matrix. No Electric Wire. No Shadow Galaxy or any of its sections. Not a sausage.

Well, almost. Because the one link that actually does relate to me is from The Barn theater's website, where they list my name in the credits of their production of "Six Degrees of Separation", as well as include the utterly embarassing and attrocious head shot that they took for the production. See, I'm not even linking it because it's so bad. But, go on, Google my name and you'll see it.

There is no justice in this world. I have multiple websites. I have a freelance website design business. And the only way you can find me through Google is through that fucking Six Degrees production!?!? There is no justice. There is no God. And, most germaine to this blog entry, there are no META tags with my name in them.

The moral of the story boys and girls: It don't matter what you do, if you don't put your name on your work, no one's gonna know you did it.

That was what it was doing about four hours ago. It's a little worse now.

When i woke up this morning, before I got out of bed, all heard outside was the sound of people walking someone scraping the ice off their car. I didn't hear the wind so my first thought was that the snow must've stopped; that the weatherman were wrong and the second front went offshore or something. Then I opened my curtains and saw what was really going on.

So I'm indoors. Dave called me just before 11:00 and asked if I wanted to play Diablo II, which we did for about two and a half hours. Then I made the obligatory snow-day panckage breakfast and am deciding whether I want to veg in front of the boob tube, play more Diablo II, or try and be productive and work on my Vendetta site.

My company Christmas party is supposed to be tonight. As of yesterday evening we were still planning on having it, but I hear the snow is supposed to continue into the night, so I'm not too sure whether I'll venture out or not. For all I know the catering hall may be closed anyway, but it's one of those things: I can stay home and not risk driving, or I can be one of the dozen or so people crazy enough to show up and have a blast. But I still have a few hours to decide.

I don't think I'll be venturing outside until then though. When the blizzard hit in February I went out for a while to take pictures, but I don't have much interest in taking pictures of the same places again. Maybe tomorrow morning when my laundry is going I'll take a quick drive and take a few. We'll see.

Hope your Saturday is particularly warm and inviting

I'm still kicking myself for not bringing my camera to work, but here's what my world looked like around 5:30 this evening:

Somone decided to draw a picture roughly seven feet wide and fourteen feet high that encapsulates just about every pop culture person/place/thing of the last 100 years (give or take an icon).

Yes, it's badly drawn. And yet, frightening as it is that someone spent the time to do it, there is something oddly impressive . . . in a derranged sort of way...

The Picture of Everything

Ross says "I think the answer may lie in your interpetrations of God and/or theories of the universe...."

Which is interesting, and a valid point, although I think if you believe in God then I would tend to think that makes the universe more of a zombie than a robot.

Anyway, Ross summarizes his position as follows:

"So the Universe isn't a robot and it isn't a monster, although if you believe in all of the laws that govern
our universe and govern how things are in our universe, you might say that the Universe leans
towards being a robot, with the set of laws acting as commands that the robot follows. But based on the definition of what a robot is, than the only way the Universe can be considered a robot is if a human being created it. Which makes it more complicated because philisophically, we create our own realities with psychological filters. So it's neither based on hard evidence."

And he was doing so well untill he hegdes his bets at the end. "Hard evidence" indeed. We're talking robots and zombies here!! Take a stand, dammit!!

Anyway, though his argument for why the Universe isn't a robot seems to make sense, it is in fact presumptious. He's presuming robots can only be built by humans. Who says this? Cannot robots make other robots? And, though the example may seem absurd, look at the Transformers (an example used in the thread that started this mess). Robots, most certainly. But not built by humans. (Actually, Transformers are androids, but androids are really humanoid robots, so the Mobius loop brings us back where we started.)

The irony is, in his unwillingness to commit to one viewpoint, Ross is actually being narrow-minded. If you look at the definition of a robot it does not specify A) who contructs the robot and B) what its parts are made of. (And this ignores its etymological origins which had nothing to do with constructs). Therefore, what you are left with is a mechanical device that performs a series of tasks and functions. Sentience is not a requirement, nor (as Miller pointed out) are the materials used to build the construct specified. So, as you yourself admit, given that the Universe (specifically the solar system) is composed of parts (it came together and was formed by pre-existing pieces, as are robots) and given that the solar systems most certainly operates under certain guidelines, I think it certain qualifies as being a Robot.

So, by my count, that's two in favor of Robot. Any pro-zombie fans out there? Come on, I know the people who read my blog--one of you must have evidence to support this!

I was witing for this one. Get comfy; Miller is about a verbose as I am.

The Mill-Man Writeth:

"Any conclusion that come to about the nature of the universe in relation to Frankenstein's monster will be innately flawed."

Not quite. If you (all together now:) read the thread you'd see that there IS a thematic correlation between what Copernicus wrote in his preface to his book On The Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres wherein he writes: "to discover [. . .] the form of the world and the certain commesurability of its parts. But they are exactly in the same fix as someone taking from different places hands, feet, head, and the other limbs -- shaped very beautifully but without reference to one body and without correspondence to one another -- so that such parts make up a monster rather than a man. And so, in the process of demonstration which they call "method", they are found either to have omitted something necessary or to have admitted something foreign which by no means pertains to the matter; and they would by no means have been in this fix, if they had followed sure principles."

Copernicus was talking by metaphor of course; the idea that you cannot take bits and pieces of something and put them together without trully understanding either the parts or the consequence of what happens when you add it all up. But this is literally what Frankenstein is about: the Dr. Frankenstien, in his rush to put the parts together, fails to truly understand what Life is, and what happens when he creats it, and tragedy results.

Thusly, the implications and ramifications of Copernicus's theories are similar to the implications and ramifications of Frankenstein's experiments,; and if Franeknstein is either a Robot or a Zombie, then the universe must be also. As the Great Philosopher once said: "God is Love. Love is Blind. Therefore: Ray Charles is God." Work with me here, Mill!

Miller, correctly identifying a common ground, points to Dictionary.com's definitions of zombie and robot. And I find this acceptable as it gives one a frame of reference to work with. He says the definition of Zombie, in some way fits Frankenstein's Monster "but unless you consider lightning to be supernatural (which I don't), you are missing a primary ingredient to zombiehood."

To which I say: Mary Shelly never explains how Frankenstein brought the mosnter to life. Lightening and electricity are never mentioned. Those cliche's are due to Universal Pictures, not Mary Shelly. That said, while Shelly's Dr. Frankenstein is obsessed with Science, I think creating life from lifelessness--especially when it is not at all spelled out how this is accomplished--has very much the air of the supernatural. Or, as dear ol' Uncle Arthur Clarke once said: "the science of any significantly advanced race is indistinguishable from magic."

Miller then says: "as to the comparison to the universe, Considering the definition of robot that we (or at least I) was using the fact that it is composed of parts of other universes is irrelevant. It neither fits the category of robot or zombie. It is just normal process of creation."

To which I answer: IF there is a God, and if a zombie is created by supernatrual means, then the Universe certainly falls under the category of "being created by supernatural means". Therfore, it's plausible that the universe/solar syetm/whatever IS a zombie. If God would merely be so kind as to write me and let me know what he made the Universe out of, we can resolve this question for sure.

(I would like to point out that if I am actually arguing a position of God existing, you know I'm just playing devils advocate here.)

Miller finshes off by saying: "Aren't all people created out of body parts of separate individuals. We are all composed of spermatoa and ovum. So all people are creating a new body out of other body parts. So are we all then monsters?"

To which I must reply: of course we're all monsters. Mind you, I'm agreeing not to point out that with your semi-flippant question you're making the same sort of silly, spacious leap of logic that took us from Frankenstein to the Universe, but that's OK. Because, in all seriousness, I would think it quite obvious that we are all monsters. Nietzsche said it best, and he was right.

So, Terry wrote back saying:

"I didn't give an answer because I don't have enough information. A polititian would choose an answer even if he diodn't have enough information and start a war with his answer."

Just like a politican: backpeddling after being called on the facts.

Beyond that, no one (for I am not singling our Terry here) should have to worry about not having any information for they have only to take a few moments, sign up as a Guest, and read the thread on The V that started This Mess. It will give you context, information, and more than a few laughs. And it beats actually doing work at your desk, so go, and then come back.

(I'm really enjoying this whole conversation-via-blog) thing. Far more fun than posting boards and javascripted comment features. :)

Terry writes: "Well, it depends. If the universe is amde from the parts of previously deceased universes, it is definatly a zombie. If it is formed from non-universal parts, then it would be a robot.

"Though one way to be sure would be to see if the universe prefers brains or motor oil."

How wonderfully non-commital. Personally, the more I think about it, the more I'm certain the universe eatsd brains. It makes the most sense.

COME ON, PEOPLE! TAKE A STAND AND ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!!!!

Play the game.

Smashing Pumpkins, Counting Crows and Sheryl Crow all had their debut singles in the Fall of 1993. Melissa Etheridge's breakout single would first chart in late '93. Radiohead's breakout single would chart just a few months prior. "Heart Shaped Box" by Nirvana would also be chart-climbing by Christmas '93.

Yes, I've been listening to old mix tapes again. I'm reliving my freshmen year of college. Currently on volume 49, and it was on this day, ten years ago, that I taped "Today" by Smashing Pumpkins. I think the song still holds up. If I ever made a show about my life in college (and yes I thought about these things; so have you, admit it) then I think 'Today" would be the theme song of the first season. Not the premiere episode, though, because the premiere episode would be full of uncertainty and fear as I take the momentous leap into going away to college. But it would appear at the end of that premiere episode and be featured during the opening credits for the rest of the season. I think it would work quite well.

Perhaps it's too nostalgic to think so, but is it possible to have ten years of the greatest days you've ever known?

OK folks: yet another test to see who's reading this damn thing (and apologies to Mitch for not making it easy and allowing feedback.)

On the V there's a recent thread where they discuss whether Frankenstein's Monster was a Robot or a Zombie. Towards the end of the thread, a member posted the following part of Copernicus's preface to his De Revolutionibus Caelistium (On The Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres)

"Moreover, they have not been able to discover or to infer the chief point of all, ie., the form of the world and the certain commesurability of its parts. But they are exactly in the same fix as someone taking from different places hands, feet, head, and the other limbs -- shaped very beautifully but without reference to one body and without correspondence to one another -- so that such parts make up a monster rather than a man. And so, in the process of demonstration which they call "method", they are found either to have omitted something necessary or to have admitted something foreign which by no means pertains to the matter; and they would by no means have been in this fix, if they had followed sure principles."

Therefore: if likening a proper description of the universe is akin to creating a new body out of other body parts, then the universe itself is just another monster. And if Frankenstein's monster was either a robot or a zombie, then the universe must be one as well.

So go ahead, pick an answer, support your answer, and e-mail it to me. All answers will be posted.

Personally, I'm not sure which yet. It's a quarter to one in the morning so I'm crazy enough to post this, but not conscious enough to think about it. I'd say it's a robot, but there's something appealing about the sound heard during the Big Bang actually being: "BRRRRRAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNNSSSSS!!!!!!!"