armlessbear.com

To Madison and back, a Bloy's tale

Travel pointer #1: Temporarily losing your wallet before check-in is a baaaaad idea.
I had to go through the “special screening” at the Dane County airport. I was wanded and patted down, and had all my electronics swabbed for explosives/drugs/cooties. The security guard was very nice and I didn’t particularly feel like a criminal. You almost feel like you should be guilty of something just to spice up their day, though.

Travel pointer #2: When traveling on someone else’s dime, do NOT schedule yourself for the 6am flight out. I am sooooooooo tired.

It was a good trip overall. It was like 2.5 days of vacation interspersed with 2 days of tedious work. I hung out with Luke and Amy, who very graciously bought me dinner at Bandung, a delicious Indonesian restaurant. My only “complaint” is that their notion of spicy is decidedly Midwestern. I ordered something called Holy Saint Basil which was purportedly very spicy — uh, no… my Noodles & Co. Indonesian dish was much spicier. The Bloys took me out to another restaurant called Hubbard Avenue Diner in Middleton which was also quite delicious.
I also greatly enjoyed sleeping in til almost 7, getting ready for work AND getting Starbucks and still making it to work by 8:15am. How brilliant is that? I can’t imagine what it would be like to be able to sleep in every day and still make it to work by 8am. (I want NO comments from Ryan Donnelly)
I didn’t get to go to the Terrace, which was disappointing, but I did get to State Street for an hour or so. The weather was mostly beautiful and had that crisp Autumn feel to it. I’m sad that the next time we’re back it will be December and ridiculously cold.

Also, I must add this comment. For some reason I find the VA/MD redneck accent hilarious (Do whut?), but I was feeling positively irritated by the oooooh yah, dooooontcha know accent. Its not everywhere, but it’s annoying enough when you hear it.

Happy Birthday Adam

Adam turns 2 today.
Wow.
About 2 years ago around this time I believe I was on the road to epidural land, where are women in labor are pain-free and happy.
Here are 2 pics for your viewing pleasure:

Mike has just informed me that the birthday pictures are up on the Gallery site.

This includes the fabulously sweet Semi-truck birthday cake that Mom & Gene made for Adam.

Addictions

I’m currently addicted to:
Battlestar Galactica … TV SHOULD NOT BE THIS GOOD. It’s like crack.
Lost … Even the Spoilers make me nuts.

Everything else … meh… some good, some bad.
Scary parenting moment… At the beginning of the “My Name is Earl” pilot, the family in the car is playing The WIGGLES.
That was a very disorienting moment.

Does Any of This Sound Familiar?

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:
(read HERE at this fiscally conservative online magazine for full, unexcerpted details)
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism – …make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights …people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause – The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe 4. Supremacy of the Military…the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected.
5. Rampant Sexism…traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is (portrayed as) ultimate guardian of the family institution.
6. Controlled Mass Media – Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, (or) the media is indirectly controlled by regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives.
7. Obsession with National Security – Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are intertwined – Governments… tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies.
9. Corporate Power is protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is suppressed – Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts…tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. ..not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment…the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption…almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability.
14. Fraudulent ElectionsSometimes elections are a complete sham. Other times manipulated by smear campaigns against opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media.

Shop Kitties!

For those of you who don’t read Fark.com, here is a lovely link to a website featuring kitties who live and work in shops. It makes me want to have my own store with a resident kitty.

Not a Nazi

Somehow I think people are lying when they take this test. Lately, I feel surrounded by the new American “brownshirts”. We’ve gone a little nutty in this country.

The Expatriate
Achtung! You are 23% brainwashworthy, 13% antitolerant, and 19% blindly patriotic Congratulations! You are not susceptible to brainwashing, your values and cares extend beyond the borders of your own country, and your Blind Patriotism does not reach unhealthy levels.
If you had been German in the 30s, you would’ve left the country.

One bad scenario — as I hypothetically project you back in time — is that you just wouldn’t have cared one way or the other about Nazism. Maybe politics don’t interest you enough. But the fact that you took this test means they probably do. I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt.
Did you know that many of the smartest Germans departed prior to the beginning of World War II, because they knew some evil shit was brewing? Brain Drain. Many of them were scientists. It is very possible you could have been one of them. Conclusion: born and raised in Germany in the early 1930’s, you would not have been a Nazi.

The Would You Have Been A Nazi? Test
– it rules – My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 16% on brainwashworthyYou scored higher than 6% on antitolerantYou scored higher than 13% on patriotic

Link: The Would You Have Been a Nazi Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid

So What Else is New?

You are a
Social Liberal
(70% permissive)

and an…
Economic Liberal
(20% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Socialist



Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

Mood Killers

OK, I was going to blog about things that kill the “mood,” but Mike protested on the grounds that people, like family, may occassionally read this and be horrified. True enough, I suppose. It did, however, make me think that a website where people could post real-life mood killing circumstances could be funny. And the book to follow would be funny and make me a mint.
Thhen I thought about all the situations I’d heard of from other people, or might have even been involved in. (moi?) And I tried to write them down. Suddenly a story that had a group of people in tears laughing wasn’t very funny in print. In fact, the only sure-fire funny thing I can write is something a friend once said to another friend — “ha-ha, you saw your dad’s O-face”. Its about 10x funnier when you know who father and son are.
And how did I get on this thread today anyway?
Suffice it to say, having The Wiggles song “Henry the Octopus (he’s a friend to you and me)“ stuck in your head is a mood killer.

Hey, Madisonians, Help Me Out!

Ok, so when I come to town I’ll be staying at the Rodeway Inn over by the Dutch Mill Park and Ride, and I’ll have to most likely walk myself over to 2850 Dairy Drive. Here is a nice Google pictorial of my journey.
If you should find yourself out in this area of Madison, could you swing by and tell me if its pedestrian safe and if I can cut across the green bits. The satellite/hybrid photo doesn’t tell me what I want to walk across.
I have been offered the use of a vehicle by my lovely in-laws, but it seems silly to drive 1.5 miles if there is a nice path getting there. Of course, I may want the car so I’m not trapped in South East Madison when there is soooooo much I could be doing downtown.

All Better

Yay. I’m back at work and feeling better!!!
Adam has a sinus infection and is on yummy, tasty Omnicef. At least he likes to take this antibiotic. On the bright side, by tomorrow we won’t even have to worry about the green goo in his nose anymore. Hooray for antibiotics!

Will have to wait a couple weeks to go to the Renaissance Festival. :(
I hope we don’t miss it this year.
stupid cold.

Onion Archives are da Bomb

Someone on Fark posted a link to this! I totally forgot about this, but it is hilarious.
When did they stop doing Point/CounterPoint? Or do they still do it and I haven’t seen it in years because I’m too busy trying to get to the newest edition of Savage Love?
Here’s the old “What do you think” people that they replaced quite a few years ago now. I had almost forgotten what they looked like.
I still remember my freshman year at UW-Madison reading the Onion and not having a clue what I was reading. Boy! College is really neat, they have satire and everything. Then I clipped a coupon out for Rose Records and brought it in asking if it was real.
I gotta get my hands on a real copy of the Onion when I’m back in Madison. It’s great to have it online, but I love reading the print edition. It’s very Madison to me, even if they did go to NY.

HATE BEING SICK

Can’t shake this damned cold.
Hate it.
Want to be well.

Booksigning with Pratchett

Tuesday night Mike and I spent two and a half hours at the Olsson’s on Wilson Blvd at a Terry Pratchett book signing. There were quite a lot of people there, and I can safely say nearly every single archetype of geek and nerd was in attendance. Some of the people, I swear I’ve met before. You could probably attend anyone of these book signings and see almost exactly the same people.
A few comments about Mr. Pratchett. He’s quite a bit shorter than I expected, and the voice doesn’t fit the image (at least in my mind.) The line to get your books signed was quite long and Mike and I were numbers 113 and 117. Fortunately the people in line with us were pretty normal people who could carry on decent conversations — including another Wisconsin transplant from Milwaukee. We didn’t actually get out of there until nearly 9:30pm, which doesn’t sound late unless you’re sick and only slept 4.5 hours the night before.
We had “Good Omens” signed by Mr. Pratchett and guess what? Neil Gaiman will be in town in 2 weeks on a book tour for The Anansi Boys, yet another book I have to buy. Actually, Neil Gaiman is in town for the 2005 Library of Congress Bookfest. Can’t wait — should be interesting. I can’t believe I’ve lived here 6 years and have never gone to this before.

Huge Nostalgic Time Sink

This is fun for the whole family.
This Website features both TV and Cartoon theme songs from the 1930s through the 90s. Have a burning need to listen to the Wonder Woman theme song, or maybe you forgot about Godzilla (and godzookie). Click here and cancel all your appointments.

Help!

Could somebody, anybody, PLEAAAAASE invent a way to clear out sinuses immediately? A sinus vacuum, perhaps?
Maybe I just need a good vindaloo for lunch.

Favorite Time of Year

Here I sit with a horrible cold, missing work and hoping this is not a harbinger of winter colds to come. Perhaps this one is shoring up my immunity for the winter.
Ignoring that for a moment, lets step outside.
Take a deep breath.
Do you smell that?
Can you feel that?
My calendar says Autum is 9 days away, but I can feel it coming. I think autumn is something primal we can feel deep down inside us. Soon the lush greens of summer will give way to brilliant oranges, purples, reds, yellows and golds. Crisp, cool nights; warm, sunny days.
Apple cider is back in the stores and I enjoy the taste of apples again.
Here in Northern Virginia, there isn’t even a hint of the oranges, golds and maroons to come. I hear from my parents that up north in Wisconsin the leaves have started to change. I can’t see it here, but at night when its crisp and cool I can smell it and I can feel it. I may be sick, but I can feel the energy that autumn brings to me. I even found this lovely photo to share with you of Picnic Point in Madison. (photo credit to UW-Madison Communications Department.)

So here’s to Autumn, Harvest Festivals, Apple Cider, Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes, Hay Rides, Oktoberfest, Halloween, Bonfires, and Thanksgiving.
May our fall be long and our winter short.

Daily Show week of 9/12/05

Be sure to watch The Daily Show’s “Evolution, Schmevolution” this week. I’m sure it will be hilariously insightful.
I Looooooves me some John Stewart.

I'm Coming to Madison!!

So I found out yesteday I’ll be in Madison from the 27th-29th and flying out at 6am on Friday the 30th. Woooo!
Just me, no Mike or Adam. I’m back in town doing a job for a client on the south/east side. I’ll be staying at a hotel on Broadway & Stoughton. My 2 working days will be filled with tedium, so please, offer to buy me a drink at night, or at least drive me to a bar! Take me down to State Street where I can have delicious Kabul Cafe. A trip to Memorial Union? OOOH! A trip the the UBS — I love looking at text books and thinking of all the cool classes I could be taking.
Yep, here’s me geeking out over Madison and missing it just a little bit more.

Schadenfreude on the Metro

Mike and I have been trying the Bus/Metro thing since gas prices have gone up so high. I could lie and say I enjoy it, but I don’t. It takes longer and I don’t normally enjoy sitting/standing amongst all the sour faced commuters every morning. I want to feel better about saving gas and putting less miles on the Honda, but I’m selfish and I don’t. Also, its still marginally cheaper to drive, unless you start to figure in the cost of car maintenance. Either way, its a lose-lose situation out here with the commute. Doctors are right, the entire DC/MD/VA area is toxic to the soul, but thats a rant for another day.
Anyhooo, so Mike and I are on the metro heading to WFC when Mike decides to sit next to a woman who could best be described as Cruella DeVille with blonde, stringy, thinning hair, early 60’s, face pinched and wrinkled by apparently a life spent disapproving of other people.
A stop after we got on, a mother and her little daughter in a stroller boarded the metro. The girl was about Adam’s age and quite cute and perhaps a bit exuberant. Occassionally she would babble something out that was audible above the rumbling noise of the train. Honestly, after such a sh*tty day of feeling horrible and having horrendously uncomfortable PMS symptoms, watching a happy exchange was spirit lightening. Really. Even before we had Adam we both used to smile at toddlers with their parents after a long flight running “free” around the baggage claim areas. Ok, back to Cruella — and the book she was reading about little girls, which now that I look it up, makes this even funnier to me. Everytime little girl would make a noise that would pierce the noise of the train, Ms. DeVille would poke her rodent-like nose out of the book and squint evilly at the little girl and her mother. Every little noise would earn another equally vicious glare. Every glare sent me giggling hysterically. Mike kept looking at me like I’d lost my mind, but I was really too polite to say out loud that he was sitting next to Time’s Bitch of the Year Award recipient. At least until we were out of ear-shot of Ms. DeVille.
Why, oh why was she sooo hilarious to me? Why? WHY?! It is because, I finally concluded that one could only laugh at such a miserable old woman. How can you have such disdain and open malice for a kid who will very likely grow up to pay taxes to subsidize her miserable retirement?
Like I started out saying, Northern Virginia is a toxic environment. If the occassional noise of one tiny toddler on the metro turns your crows feet into black ugly lines, and you store such malice for someone who interrupts your reading, then you have lost what was left of your twisted, blackened, wizened soul. And I enjoyed every minute of her discomfort because it was completely unnecessary.
Before you all jump on me and say “but…but tourists from the lily-white flyover states and children and religious proselytizers are annoying, and public transit should be quiet and well ordered and strollers take up space and I hate tourists and kids suck and the world is over-populated and I’m going to hate everything that isn’t me and mine and STAND RIGHT WALK LEFT”
Uh-huh.
Toxic.
Except for that stand right, walk left thing. People really oughtta get a clue.

Silly Quiz Department

You are Coraline! You are quirky, strange, and
charming. Some people may find you a little
alarming and not always get you… But they can
piss off, right? You are the kind of person who
always needs to be entertained, otherwise you
get uncomfortable. You probably still enjoy
everything you did when you were little, such
as childrens books and Disney movies. Youre fun
to be around and are usually the life of the
party.


_{Which Neil Gaiman book are you?}
brought to you by Quizilla

Utah Rejects "Intelligent Design"

Is it the apocalypse? The most RED state in the nation who overwhelmingly voted for Bush has just had its Board of Education reject creationism and Intelligent Design.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
Not that I’m complaining. There may be hope for this nation yet.

Ray Nagin tells it like it is

Damn.
This guy is awesome. Here is an MP3 of a radio-call in the Mayor of New Orleans did.
http://www.atypical.net/mm/nagin.mp3