The house that Monterey Jack built?

Enquirer declares "world exclusive" on self.

Sigh.

Another day in the Land of the Unemployed. Where boredom and apathy lurk 'round every corner. As a diversionary tactic, I am heading out to run some errands; I'm tired of sitting around here, waiting for the phone to ring. It's only been four days since my last batch of resumes went out, but it seems like forever. If I haven't heard from them by now, I probably won't hear from that all.

On that happy note, I leave you. Have a good day - I hope to post some stuff later today.

Back in Business.

Apologies for the downtime, folks. I submitted a slew of posts yesterday only to discover that none of them FTP'd successfully. Apparently, my password was not being accepted by the FTP server. After contacting technical support earlier today via e-mail and telephone my password is now acceptable. Why? Couldn't tell ya. I never spoke to a tech support agent nor did I receive a reply to my e-mail. I did get results, and I suppose that's all that really matters.

Contacted tech support and I can FTP now from home. Let's see if I can blog...

I'm having publishing trouble again. Testing...

The Random Title and Name Generator.

I shall henceforth be addressed as Acting Queen of Silly Boys and Their Bad Musical Taste, Jedi Master Regina M Dardis III. So there.

[link courtesy silly cow]

Well-said, Elise.

Social Worker Goes on Trial for Raping the Father of Her Children. What a headline. And what a betrayal of trust.

Incensed fellow panelist Christopher Hitchens, a columnist for Vanity Fair and The Nation, responded, "Excuse me? Revolt? It was state-sponsored mass murder, using civilians as missiles." Later, Hitchens said, "To say that this attack in any way resembles the French Revolution means you are a moral idiot, as well as an intellectual idiot. The man has completely lost it."

The proverbial monkey on his back.

"The bottom line is we all need to take a breath and realize that there does not have to be a single illness from this point forward if we handle these situations calmly," said Dr. Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

Phew.

Just made it - 6 out of 8. One I had no idea (space suits with the green background) and I just took a wild guess at another. Click here for the answers to last week's Invisibles. I don't feel so bad about my pathetic score of 3 after looking at the answers - I've never seen 3 of the movies so I actually got a 3 out of 5. Right? I should have known "True Romance", though. Great movie.

Speaking of sci-fi movies, I had my very own Star Wars marathon on Sunday night, which included only the original trilogy. Good fun, as always. Sheila noticed something that I had never in all my viewings picked up before: at the end of "Star Wars", when Luke is about to drop the bomb that'll destroy the Death Star and there's a quick cut to Darth Vader in his sporty little fighter, when he says "I have you now," or something like that...anyone ever notice that you can see the eyes of the guy under the Vader mask? It was tres spooky, for some odd reason.

Ooo! Sci-Fidelity!

Invisibles #45 - Sci-Fidelity is up. I will be very ashamed if I don't get at least a 6 out of 8. Be right back...

Another way to help.

I received this in an e-mail from a friend:

Some people in New York and DC will be having to hit foodbanks hard this winter in addition to the thousands who already need help across the country . Below is an easy way to help....

Campbell's is donating a can of soup to area foodbanks just by clicking on a football helmet at their website. Now, I know there are some pretty diehard football fans out there. Let's see which team gets the most support and help some hungry people, too! It's quick, easy, and can be done once a day . Click here:

Click for Cans

then click on your favorite team's helmet and Campbell's will donate a
can of soup . That is it ! Please pass this to a friend or 2,3,4...

Total cans donated so far: 3,591,489! That's a lot of soup.

Peter, Peter...

World Class Giant Pumpkin Home Page. Come on, I know you're dying to know...

What's In Name?

These are probably old hat, but they're new to me so I'm going to link up to 'em.

Any fans of the HBO prison drama "Oz" out there? Well, you don't have to be a fan to get your very own Oz Prison Bitch Name. Mine? Wish Bone. Ouch. (site contains adult language, so watch it)

I've been toying lately with a change in career, so this particular name generator has been quite helpful. Christie Kramz, huh? My my.

And just for shits and giggles....the White Lesbian Name Generator. (as opposed to the Black Lesbian Name Generator??).

Invisibles!

Filmwise has this week's Invisibles quiz up - #44. God, only 3 correct out of 8. You can find the answers and top scores to last week's quiz here.

Some other Filmwise quizzes:

Stars and Stripes Forever - 9 out of 12.
Splish Splash - 6 out of 12.
Copter, My Copter - 4 out of 12 - yikes!

The Evil Bert poster.

Bio-Terror

We now have confirmation that a case of anthrax has been confirmed in New York City. There is so much information swirling around out there that I don't know what to believe or even what I should be feeling. Should I be terrified? Should I be non-chalant? Or should I walk around in a fog of vaguely-defined anxiety, which is what I've been doing? I think the best way to confront issues like these is to learn as much as I can about them. Here are some pertinent articles regarding the cases of anthrax in Florida and New York:

What is anthrax?
Commentary: Anthrax in Perspective.
CDC - Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response. [.pdf files]


In related news:

The FBI has issued an advisory regarding suspicious letters or packages. It is a .pdf file, so you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed in order to view it. If you can, I would recommend printing it out and posting it in your workplace.

During his speech and press conference last night, President Bush made reference to a warning from the FBI regarding possible imminent terrorist attacks. Here is the press release from the FBI website:

"Certain information, while not specific as to target, gives the government reason to believe that there may be additional terrorist attacks within the United States and against U.S. interests overseas over the next several days. The FBI has again alerted all local law enforcement to be on the highest alert and we call on all people to immediately notify the FBI and local law enforcement of any unusual or suspicious activity. "

Here I am again.

No time to post right now. Lots has happened since I left and it's going to take me a bit to process it all. I'll be back probably a bit later today.

Have a good afternoon!

Off I go again.

Well, you certainly can't accuse me of not taking advantage of my "time off". I'll be heading up to Massachusetts today to visit with friends Krys and Holly, then swinging by my sister Mary's in Rhode Island on the way home on Tuesday. I'm not sure yet, but I'll probably stay the night there and come home on Wednesday.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

A Find in the Ruins.

Picture 1.

Picture 2.

My God. How much misery can these people take?

"Over two decades, U2's leader has evolved from heart-on-his-sleeve idealist to irony-drenched rock 'n' roll Liberace to hopeful pragmatist."

As it happened...

"The web has no memory - unless it is created. This collection of screen shots from over 140 news sites (as of october 4th) around the world was taken on Sep 11 and 12."

[link via textism]

To boldly go where man has gone a few times before...


image courtesy trekweb.com

I'm not a die-hard Star Trek fan, but I do consider myself a fan of the entire franchise. I starting watching the original Star Trek series in reruns in the early '70s with my father as a little girl. Of the subsequent series, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was the only one I really got into. Don't ask me to name episode titles or secondary characters or to debate the merits of the various technologies; I did however love the stories and the characters, and I believe I have seen all ST:TNG episodes.

Now we have a new series, "Enterprise", which debuted 2 weeks ago and had its first new episode of the regular season last night. I have to say I quite like it. The show takes place 150 years from now with the first mission of a deep-space, warp-capable ship (the first Enterprise, NX-01). The cast is well-chosen, I think, and although it's less gritty and psychologically whacked as my favorite sci-fi show, "Farscape" (Sci-Fi Channel, Fridays, 9:00 PM EST), it is so far less antiseptic than the other Star Trek spin-offs. The ship is much less high-tech, its interior reminiscent of current-day naval vessels, all metal and hollow-sounding. The panels on the warp drive even have those funky swirling panel lights we used to see all the time in the original series. Maybe because the humans in "Enterprise" are supposed to be less evolved than in previous STs, they seem much more like us, much more fallible and accessible. The crew is centered around a triumvirate similar to that of the original series - the Captain (Archer), a Vulcan science officer (T'Pol) and a laid-back southern chief engineer (Tucker). The chemistry between these three is good, and I hope their weekly dinner scenes continue.

If you get a chance, check it out. "Enterprise" airs on UPN on Wendesdays at 8:00 PM EST.

Chubby Chucklehead.

What an ego-twist.

Otherworldly and devastating.

Salon.com Will Charge

NYTimes item regarding Salon's move to charge readers.

Letter from Salon's editor, David Talbot.

I have no qualms with the decision to start charging Salon readers - I'm willing to pay for their quality coverage. I just don't have the money right now. Shoot.

Invisibles!

And finally for today, or at least for the next few hours, Filmwise has put up Invisibles #43. You can find the solutions to last week's quiz here.

Laughter is the Best Medicine, Right?



If you have not reached the point where you can laugh at circumstances surrounding the events of the past few weeks, then do not go to The Onion. The folks there have published what amounts to what is probably one of their finest issues. Maybe I'm just so tired of being so sad, serious and politically correct that I found myself laughing out loud. Or maybe it's just funny. If you feel ready, go read the front page. If you're not ready, don't worry - there are always archives.

Some good stuff from this issue:

President Urges Calm, Restraint Among Nation's Ballad Singers

WASHINGTON, DC— In the wake of the recent national tragedy, President Bush is urging Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, and other singers to resist the urge to record mawkish, insipid all-star tribute ballads. "To America's recording artists, I just want to say, please, there has already been enough suffering," Bush said. "The last thing we need right now is a soaring Barbra Streisand-Brian McKnight duet titled 'One For All.'" Reports that the FBI had confiscated several notebooks and audio tapes from Diane Warren's home could not be confirmed as of press time.

:::



:::

Best Headline Ever: Jerry Falwell: Is That Guy A Dick Or What?

:::

"I don't care how holy somebody claims to be," God said. "If a person tells you it's My will that they kill someone, they're wrong. Got it? I don't care what religion you are, or who you think your enemy is, here it is one more time: No killing, in My name or anyone else's, ever again."

"Even as the White House preaches tolerance toward Muslims and Sikhs, it is practicing intolerance, signaling that anyone who challenges the leaders of an embattled America is cynical, political and — isn't this the subtext? — unpatriotic. "

NYTimes - Maureen Dowd's Op-Ed Column

"It's only fair to him to put the blame on all of us, including myself. The worst offenders are the networks because they are really a crucial part of the circulatory system of democracy. There was a time in the '60s and the '70s when the networks' reporters were an extension of the very media of which I was a part: the New York Times, the Washington Post, the L.A. Times and the Wall Street Journal. That's changed radically. With the exception of "Nightline," they've gotten out of the serious news business. In the last 10 years, the people who have been rewarded with the highest salaries have been awarded for doing the most trivial work: the male and female divas, the people who are so good at artificial empathy. And when you start doing celebrity and scandal and sex, not only is it bad of itself, it affects the larger populace."

Salon interview with David Halberstam - Why America Napped.

You Call Yourself a Pimp? Then Get Your Pimp Gear Here!

[link via textism]

*GAG*

I don't think Juan will ever be the same again. Come to think of it, I may never be the same again. How does something like that happen?? Wasn't there someone walking around missing something?

Homo Answerus

I can't believe the crap I had in my office. While cleaning out my desk on Saturday, I found an article that I had ripped out of a magazine years ago. It's from the September 1991 issue of Details magazine, a riot of a column by Jane Campbell entitled, "Male Answer Syndrome". Since I have a lot of free time on my hands, I've transcribed it for you. This is for you, girlfriend:

Why do men talk about things they know absolutely nothing about? Because they can...

In the animal kingdom males tend to exhibit what is known as "display behavior" in order to attract females and to ward off rival members. They thrust out their chests, ruffle their plumage, and generally try to appear more impressive than they really are. On nature shows, this is comic; it appears comic, too, when it shows up in its more obvious forms among humans: the guy in the Camaro with all the gold chains, say, or Vanilla Ice's haircut. Lately, however, it has been discovered that display behavior is much more common among humans than had been previously believed.

Have you ever wondered why:

Men who have never been west of Kentucky can tell you about the mentality of the Japanese?

Men who can't pay their credit card bills have a plan for dealing with the national debt?

Men who aren't on speaking terms with their families know how to acheive peace in the Middle East? [ed. note - apparently they don't]

Men who flunked high school physics can explain what went wrong at NASA?

Men who haven't had a date in six months know what women really want?

Try an experiment: Ask my friend Jeff, who spends his weekends fixing up his Harley and watching female mud wrestling, how he thinks political autonomy will affect the economies of the Baltic states.

His brow will furrow; he will purse his lips thoughtfully. "It's interesting that you mention that...," he will begin, and then he will come up with something - probably nothing remotely feasible, but something.

This behavior - the chronic answering of questions regardless of actual knowledge - is known as Male Answer Syndrome. The compulsion to answer varies from person to person, but few men are happy saying "I don't know." They prefer "That's not what's important here." [ed. note - particularly popular in the "Attorney" sub-species]

They try not to get bogged down by petty considerations, such as "Do I know anything about this subject?" or "Is what I have to say interesting?" They take a broad view of questions, treating them less as requests for specific pieces of information than as invitations to expand on some theories, air a few prejudices, and tell a couple of jokes. Some men seem to regard life as a talk show on which they are the star guest. If you ask, "What is the capital of Venezuela?" they hear, "So tell us a bit about your early years, Bob."

Sometimes this expansiveness is appealing. If you ask a woman, "Why does Mary Hart wear those sweaters?" she will shrug helplessly, acknowledging that some things are simply unknowable. A man, on the other hand, will come up with a few theories (she's related to the designer? color blind?). Men have the courage and inventiveness to try to explain the inexplicable.

But Male Answer Syndrome is by no means harmless, as my friend Pauline discovered when she was eight. She had found that eating ice cream made her teeth hurt and asked her father whether Eskimos had the same problem. "No," he said. "They have rubber teeth." Pauline repeated this information in a geography lesson and found herself the laughing-stock of the class. That was how she learned that a man, even if he is your own father, would rather make up an answer that admit his ignorance.

Later in life women run into the same problem: men can speak with such conviction that women may be fooled into thinking that they actually know what they are talking about.

A woman who finds herself in the midst of an impassioned argument about glasnost may suffer from and eerie sense of displacement. Has a weird time-space warp landed her in the Kremlin? No, she's in the mailroom with Dave and Bob, who she knows for a fact read only the sports pages.

My friend Jeff (he of the Harley) is full of expertise on subjects as diverse as global warming and Elvis's current whereabouts. In reality, however, he is an expert at only one thing: making very little knowledge go a very long way. For him answering is a game, and not knowing what he is talking about just adds to the thrill.

Expressing skepticism can be highly inflammatory. Even mild-mannered Abe Lincoln types may react to "Are you sure about that?" as a vicious slur on their manhood and find themselves backing up a ludicrous assertion with spurious facts.

It is important that not all answering is symptomatic of Male Answer Syndrome. If a womas asks, "What's for dinner?" or "Where is the bathroom?" then "Spaghetti" or "To the left" is a perfectly acceptable reply. In such circumstances anyone who screams "Men! You think you know everything!" is completely out of line.

Strangely, however, many women actively encourage male answering behavior. There is in the female a correlative condition known as the Say Wha'? Complex. Women who behind closed doors expound eloquently on particle physics may be found, in male company, gaping at the news that the world is round. [ed. note - a skill I have yet to master, hence my love life] Savvy brunettes with IQs of 190 do convincing imitations of Marylin Monroe in Some Like It Hot; they giggle breathlessly and suck on a little finger if asked so taxing a question as "What do you want to drink?"

MAS tends to be mild until puberty; boys begin to speak with authority on matters of foreign policy at the same time as they start to grow facial hair. And there is a growing consensus amongh scientists as to how MAS developed: since killing woolly mammoths and attacking enemies with rocks are now frowned upon, and since shirts open to the navel are not appropriate in every social situation, men prove their masculinity by concocting elaborate theories about football.

Growing awareness of MAS has led some to call for a moratorium on all male-female conversation. This is alarmist. But care should be taken. Women must remind themselves that if a man tells them something there is a good chance that it is particularly untrue.

~Jane Campbell, Details, September 1991

On the Dole.

Well not quite yet, but soon. I officially join the ranks of the unemployed today. I suppose now I really will have no excuse if this site isn't updated every day, huh?

My final week at the Firm was strange. I was insanely busy. So busy that I didn't have the time to properly say goodbye to many people there. Then again, I wonder if there is a proper way to say goodbye after 15 years. A bunch of us went and got drunk on Friday night. I suppose that was as proper a goodbye as any. I went back into the office on Saturday for 4 or 5 hours, to clean up, pack, organize and finally have a good cry.

The new job search has stalled. I've sent out just under twenty resumes and have only heard back from four. I really only have one lead and it's an iffy one. Of course, the timing couldn't be much worse - the economy is in the toilet, companies are in a holding pattern and we're on the verge of war. It may be time to polish up those waitressing skills.

Spacey Kevin

Okay, awesome game -- Spaced Penguin. It's a totally addictive shockwave game, wherein you shoot Kevin the Penguin from a highly sophisticated GPS system (Giant Penguin Slingshot) in an attempt to get him back into his spaceship. I just love watching Kevin when he floats around in space. There are 25 levels and the object is to not only get Kevin back in his ship but to use the gravity of the planets to accumulate as much distance as possible. I was quite pleased with my score of 272,445, until I looked at the all-time top score, which was over 2 billion. Ah well, something to aspire to, right?

Whoa - I'm playing my second game right now, and Kevin is in a loop, floating endlessly in circles around a planet, his trails making Spirograph art before my very eyes. Cool! I'm racking up the miles, which means more points, but do I stop it? Poor guy must be dizzy and there's no way he's getting into his ship this way. I better go try to reel Kevin in. (Ya know, I bet this is how that guy got over 2 billion points).

[link courtesy usr/bin/girl]

9.11 Stories

Mystory.net is a perfect example of what I think is the true value of the Internet as a tool of communication. The site is an archive of stories from The Day, submitted by those who experienced it first hand, as well as "Where were you when..."-type essays. It's an opportunity to see events through the eyes of those that lived through it, not filtered through the prism of the media, and to share your story through the site's submission form.

Damn.

I wish I knew about this yesterday!

Jon Stewart


courtesy comedycentral.com

I was talking to my sister on the phone last week, while I was at the cabin, and she sounded distracted, wasn't really paying any attention to me. I could hear the television on in the background so I asked her what she was watching. It was The Daily Show on Comedy Central, and Jon Stewart was speaking about the attack. She turned it up a bit so I could hear. I couldn't make out everything he was saying, but I could hear the emotion in his voice and Sheila told me that he was crying. I was sorry I missed it, but I've been lucky enough to find his monologue online. Please take the time to read it.

[link courtesy silly cow, formerly swallowingtacks - welcome back, elise]

The post below, the NY Times article, was actually posted accidentally as I search for a more efficient way of bringing the latest news to you. But you're more than welcome to read it ;).

Bush Says Fight Is With Taliban, Not Afghan People

Virus/Worm Alert

Heads-up, folks - some twisted little geek has created a virus that preys upon our anxiety over the terrorist attack. If you receive an e-mail with the attachment "WTC.EXE", delete the e-mail immediately and do not open the attachment. For a detailed description of the contents of the e-mail and the virus' payload, read this.

For anti-virus software information:

Symantec's Norton Anti-Virus
McAfee VirusScan

Images

With the sun setting in the west, floodlights illuminate the smoke rising from the wreckage o the World Trade Center as work continues at the site Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2001, two weeks after the terrorist attack.

Who would think something so ugly could be so beautiful?

And...a quiet moment.

Invisibles!

I think it's time to get back to my regularly scheduled programming and provide you with some much needed distraction.

There is a backlog of Invisibles quizzes at Filmwise - why don't you head over there and have some fun:

Invisibles #40 - 4 out of 8, eesh.
Invisibles #41 - 5 out of 8, better.
Invisibles #42: Livin' Large - 5 out of 8.

They've added something new this week - User-Created Invisibles - "the first Invisibles puzzle created entirely by our FilmWise fans!" Nice job, users.

I lied.

I wasn't back in a little while, was I? Oops.

As I said, my vacation was just what the doctor ordered - a week of solitary relaxation, without the personal and public distractions of real life. I suppose I was running away, from facing my impending unemployment as well as from the devastating current events. I didn't shirk reality completely, though. I stayed abreast of unfolding developments by listening to the radio and catching the evening news. I even managed to remember to watch the President's Address to the Nation.

I have my aprehensions about President Bush and I was anxious about his speech. We so desperately need a leader right now, and I didn't think Mr. Bush was capable of displaying the those qualities that are demanded of a leader in times such as these. I was wrong. The speech was powerful, its message was clear and specific. Most importantly, the President's delivery was passionate, yet even-handed. As frightening as the prospect of a war is, I came away from the speech with the confidence one feels when they know they are fighting for a just cause. I would most certainly prefer a non-violent resolution to this conflict, but I think we are past that now, unfortunately. I just pray that as few lives as possible are lost, on all sides.

So, vacation...I didn't do much of anything, really, and it was glorious. The weather was perfect all week so I was able to get in a couple of hikes. I read three books: The Empty Chair, by Jeffrey Deaver; Wild Justice, by Philip Margolin; and A Place of Execution, by Val McDermid. All good crime thrillers, the best being A Place of Execution and The Empty Chair. I also rented a few movies: The Dish, You Can Count On Me, and Memento. I recommend them all. The nice thing about renting Memento is that I could just rewind and watch it again immediately after it ended. What a great movie. On Wednesday I took a roadtrip down to Bar Harbor and Schoodic Point, did a little shopping and took some pictures. I scanned a bunch in tonight at the office and I'll be posting them soon.

Most importantly I was able to decompress a bit while I was there. I was drowning in news and video about the attacks prior to leaving and my anxiety level was through the roof. As much as I didn't want to leave the cabin, it is good to be back. And the perspective I gained while away has helped me regain my footing on a slippery slope.

I'm back!

Just peeking in to say I'm back from vacation. I'm really disorganized right now, so I won't be posting until I can get things sorted. Short and sweet: I had a very relaxing vacation and real life sucks.

I hope you all had a good week. I'll be back in a little while...

Saturday, Day 5

I've stayed away from the television today, for the most part. I watched a portion of the ABCNews special with Peter Jennings and kids from New York this morning, as well as the eulogy for Father Mychal Judge, the NY Fire Department Chaplain who died while providing last rites to a fallen fireman. Both were moving, inspiring, and terribly sad. Maybe I am deficient in some way, but I needed to back away, to re-enter my own life to some extent. So I turned the television off and spent some time with my mother and sister. We talked about the tragedy, and found that we were focusing on the 'good' stories surrounding it - the stories of bravery, selflessness and, at the risk of sounding corny, brotherhood. It is not fair that I can turn the TV off and walk away for a few hours when so many are in such pain. But I can, and I do, because that is the only way that I can deal with it. I still teeter on the edge of an emotional abyss, ready to cry with only the slightest provocation, but I need some normalcy in my life. Some room to breathe.

I nearly cancelled it, but I've decided to go ahead with my trip tomorrow to Maine. I will be driving up and staying there alone, for the first time. I am hoping that the peace and quiet will do me some good, help to restore some inner balance. On the other hand, it is just as likely that I will become bored by Wednesday and return home still off-balance, but that's a chance I'm willing to take ;-).

I'm leaving in the morning, so there won't be any posts after this one until at least mid-week, probably later. Have a good week, everyone, and as my Grammy used to say, "Peace be to ya."

TIME.com Photoessays - the one entitled "Shattered" is especially powerful.
New York Times Slideshows
New York Times - The Heroes

Help.

"I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way — all of them who have tried to secularize America — I point the finger in their face and say, ‘You helped this happen,’" Falwell said on the program, which was broadcast nationally.

Mr. Falwell seems to think that the terrorists have acted on behalf of his God. He had better hope that my God has mercy on his soul.

Keep stoking those fires of hatred, Jerry.

[source: brainsluice]

Let's Debunk

I'm sure we have all seen the Nostradamus predictions, mathematical date puzzles and the like that have been making the e-mail rounds since Tuesday's attack. Here's a link to a site that debunks most of these rumors, and very credibly.

[source: usr/bin/girl]

I, too, wish that President Bush would stop using the word "war" so much.

National Day of Prayer and Remembrance



President Bush has declared today to be a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance in acknowledgment of Tuesday's tragedy. If you can, please try to make your way to your nearest house of worship to participate in the observance. The President asks that we do this at lunchtime, around 12:00 Noon. The Immaculate Conception is just across the town green here, and I am hoping to be able to make it to the lunchtime mass.

From the White House website:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Friday, September 14, 2001, as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001. I ask that the people of the United States and places of worship mark this National Day of Prayer and Remembrance with noontime memorial services, the ringing of bells at that hour, and evening candlelight remembrance vigils. I encourage employers to permit their workers time off during the lunch hour to attend the noontime services to pray for our land. I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in these solemn observances.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Reeling

I wasn't up to posting today, for obvious reasons. I will hopefully be able to resume that task tomorrow.

Take care, and God bless.

BTW, my regular nonsensical posts will resume tomorrow. In the meantime, you might want to check salon.com's coverage.

I hope you're all hangin' in there.

CNN's coverage of the latest developments.

Yahoo! images relating to yesterday's terrorism.

The Day After

I am slowly emerging from the shock of yesterday and now the tears are starting to come as I read the stories of those at ground zero. For those who would like to provide assistance to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, you can do so through the following links:

Via Amazon.com
Via PayPal

I also thought I'd point you in the direction of some of this morning's news items:

Salon.com: Flying with Phantoms
NYTimes: The Response
NYTimes Editorial: An Unfathomable Attack
NPR's All Things Considered: Entire Program for September 11, 2001
ABCNews: How to Help.

The American psyche has been irreparably damaged by this attack, and I believe this marks a defining moment for my generation. I want to say more, but I'm running out of words.

Initial Aftermath

I stopped at a Wal Mart on the way home from work today. As I pushed my cart through the aisles, I witnessed something that I could only assume was a result of today's tragic events. There were parents with children everywhere, and instead of scolding their misbehaving children, mothers and fathers were caressing their heads, holding their hands and kissing their cheeks. We have had the rug of security ripped out from under us and in our shock we must embrace those close to us as we try to regain our footing.

World Trade Center Images

Here is a link to some truly amazing images of the devastation wrought on the World Trade Center towers in New York City, including some images of the buildings collapsing. (just click on the filename)

These are really the only images I have seen of the destruction, since I have been at work all day. I sit here in my office with my ear pressed to NPR, listening as events unfold. As heart-rending as today's events have been, things can only get worse as rescue workers begin to retrieve the victims and the death toll begins to climb. I say a prayer for all of those who were lost and the families who lost them.

I have not been able to concentrate today. My heart is buried under a heavy weight of sadness and it feels almost difficult to breathe. I have all of the same unanswered questions as you - how could something like this happen? how is one supposed to react to such a potentially devastating loss of life? We are all affected by this; whoever carried out these despicable acts has perpetrated what basically amounts to an act of war against the United States. My twisted gut wants retribution, swift and brutal.

Red Cross Appeal

The Red Cross has issued an appeal for much-needed blood donors in the wake of today's shocking events. You can contact the American Red Cross at 1.800.448.3543 for more information.

Under Attack

This morning's terrorist attacks have sent me reeling. I need something to hold on to.

Many of the NYC casualties are being sent to hospitals here in Connecticut. A co-worker's sister is a nurse here in town, and she was told that the situation may require her to be at the hospital for a couple of days. The number of casualties has been estimated in the thousands.

Reports are still sketchy, but from what I've heard there is at least one more hijacked plane still in the air at this time.

I hope that you and all of your loved ones are safe. God bless.

everybody! everybody!

Run to Homestar Runner right now. I'm not sure what it's about and I can't explain it, but this flash site is LOL funny. All I've done so far is drag my mouse over the homepage icons and the hover animation is killing me. 'Toons! Hint: click down into 'toons or characters and then click "back" to return to the homepage. The animation will be different.

This site embodies the term "timewaster". What a hoot.

Once upon a time, there were three beautiful girls...

The mystery surrounding the fate of Mulder on The X-Files has been solved. He will exist only off-camera and his presence on the series will be ongoing but will consist only of pre-recorded audio that will be played back over a speaker-phone during conference calls with these three characters. They work for Mulder - Hi, Mulder!

Sort of looks like the lovechild of Margaret Thatcher and Martina Navratilova, huh?

(I do like his new song, though).

What is it with California and spree killers lately?? It really confounds me - first Soltys, then the security guard this weekend (both in Sacramento), and now this. And then there's the guy out in Iowa who killed his girlfriend, her kids and at least one other person. Since when has killing everyone you know become a solution?

I wonder if this poor man ever got his fried chicken?

Reblogger

My comments script, Reblogger, and its host were indeed undergoing some server pangs. But all seems to be well now - Jesse has moved to a new host and the script is smokin'. Thanks, Jesse!

Another Pointless Personality Test

What kind of shoes are you? My result:

Warm Fuzzy Slipper

Start squeezing the fresh OJ and fetch the paper from the porch. You're as cozy as a Warm Fuzzy Slipper. That's right. Given the choice, you'd take hanging at home with a friend over hitting a rave party any night. But that doesn't mean you're complacent. It's just that you might have gotten the crazy partier out of your system and are more content to be home, shopping from catalogs and being comfortable with who you are. Homespun gatherings are more your style—unless, of course, the annual art fair lures you out to mingle with friends in the neighborhood.

Not very sexy, but pretty much on target.

How about another? What's your movie mood? According to Emode, I'm in the mood for a

Suspense movie

Your edgy mood is setting you up for a Suspense movie. Get ready to prime that adrenaline pump with the unbearable tension and uneasy mystery that only a trip to life's seedy underworld can offer. Spies and double-crossings are standard fare. But you need to ask yourself, what's your taste in villains? There's the otherworldly evil of What Lies Beneath or The Sixth Sense. But if you prefer more earthbound bad guys, try thrillers like Psycho or Silence of the Lambs. For a sure thing, you can always count on Hitchcock for a nail-biting flick. Best of all, if you've got someone special nearby, suspense makes for a great date movie: held in each other's arms, you can wonder if everything will work out ok on that silver screen. Now, dim the lights and get ready for a great evening's entertainment.

2 for 2, I'd say. Suspense flicks are pretty much my favorite kind of movie, or at least the kind of movie I'm usually in the mood for.

What were your results?

Where the hell is this girl's mother??

I think I'm done playing with the layout for now. My comments script isn't loading, but I'm going to assume for now that's because her server is unavailable. How does it look on your end? Any errors?

Now I need to trickle the changes down to the other pages and the rest of the site. I'll get right on that, yeah...

Windows XP

The October 25 release of Microsoft's Windows XP is fast approaching, and you may be wondering what the fuss is about and if this is a move you want to make. This c|net article breaks it down pretty well and will hopefully answer some of the questions you may have.

"Losing your job may not be the end of the world, but getting laid off can have the same psychological impact on you as losing someone close to you. Many employment consultants say those who have lost their jobs experience stages of grieving similar to the ones people go through after a loved one has died."

The job hunt is churning along. I had a telephone interview yesterday that I think went pretty well. The ball's been left in my court - I'm going to take the weekend to think about whether or not I want to pursue this opportunity. I'm just so bad at making decisions. Other than, I have no really solid leads. I sent my resume out to five different people today - 2 came back saying that the position was no longer available. Damn. But the search continues...

Hello, piglet!

Still tinkering with this page.

Site Updates

Well, sort of...I added links and graphics to this page. Hope you like it.

More to come!

Bastards.

Be careful of the crown jewels, Charles!

Filmwise gets EW Nod



The Boyz at Filmwise are beaming with pride - they have been featured in this week's double-issue of Entertainment Weekly, page 167:

"This clever site, founded by two college buddies, will challenge anyone who claims to be a cinema master. Here's the setup: Actors are digitally erased from a movie scene, leaving only their hollowed-out clothes. Your mission: name the film. While there are some gimmes (what other film but The Mask has a character in a yellow zoot suit?), you'll be surprised at how few movies you can name without seeing the stars...Grade: A"

Well done, guys!

I hope you're all finished with yesterday's visual quizzes because Invisibles #39: The Underwear Edition is out. And I deserve a wicked wedgie for my score - 3 out of 8. The answers to last week's quiz, #38, are here.

Oh..oh...oh GOD.

God, that previous post just cleared away some cobwebs...I am embarrassed to recall an evening in college when my friend Sue and I scraped together what was left of our meager work-study pay and got ourselves tickets to go see Huey Lewis & The News at a club in downtown New Haven. Neither of us had a car, so we walked a couple of miles into town. Those were the days, huh? Anyway, this took place some time in 1983 (maybe '84?) - I Want a New Drug and Heart of Rock and Roll were already big hits and I just thought he was the cutest thing. Since they were playing in a club, we were able to get up right next to the stage. There he was, sweating in his tight black shirt, tight black pants and skinny belt, right in front of me. I was young and didn't know better and yes, I screamed out to Huey to "Take it off!!"

Sorry, Russell. I'm older and wiser now and would never insult your band or your musical prowess (did somebody say prowess?) by saying such a thing and thereby reducing you to a mere sex object. While we're talking, I was wondering...that skirt you wore in Gladiator wouldn't happen to be a part of your stage wardrobe, would it?

"This is a band. It's not Chippendales. Get the f*ck out of here."

-- Russell Crowe, deflecting female fans' demands that he take off his shirt as his band, Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts, made its New York debut last week.

My appreciation for remarks like these is just another indicator of my bad taste in men.

[source: salon's Nothing Personal]

The Mathematical Brain

"In particular, Butterworth contrasts the virtuous circle of encouragement, enjoyment, understanding, and good performance leading to more encouragement with the vicious circle of discouragement, anxiety, avoidance, and poor performance leading to more discouragement."

Jesus Christ. When will it ever stop?

Quiz Time!

Here's a timewaster for you. Filmwise has a bunch of Visual quizzes that have been piling up on me since my last visit to that section. Try 'em for yourself and let me know how you do:

Cutout #2 - 7 out of 8!
Send in the Clowns - 6 out of 12 - I hate clowns.
Comp Time - 5 out of 12 - Ouch!
Holy Cow - 5 out of 12 - not up on my moo-vie cows, apparently.
Damaged Goods - 8 outta 8! - she finishes big!

Random Chicken. Just because.

[link courtesy swallowingtacks.com]

Blah Blah Blah

I've been neglecting you all. To be honest, I've been just plain neglectful of everything this weekend. My health, my apartment, my social life. My health because instead of getting outside to enjoy this beautiful holiday weekend by engaging in actual physical activity, I've spent my days lounging around the house, watching video rentals, devouring everything in sight and napping when I can. That's because my nights have either been spent drinking and smoking too much or staying up until 3 in the morning just for the hell of it. I am living in virtual squalor (well, not really, but the place could use a good sweep and vacuum), but I can't quite muster up the energy to clean it. And my social life took a couple of hits this weekend - just flesh wounds (picnics at friends' yesterday and today) that shouldn't leave a mark, but still. I get like this every once in a while. I do not multi-task well, and when life starts piling up on me, I need to shut down for a little while. So I needed this weekend. I was a lazy, disgusting, negligent slob, and it was great.

So now I'm psyching myself up for the weeks ahead. On Friday I applied online to a few jobs and sent 4 resumes out. I'll pick up the search again tomorrow and hopefully be able to send a few more out. The interview process is what scares me the most. I haven't been on a job interview in over 15 years. Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, I don't like to talk about myself, to really talk about myself. And what the heck am I going to wear? I have a closet full of work clothes, but I've always dressed pretty casually at work. Maybe I could pick up a black suit jacket that I could use to dress things up a bit. Or I could raid my sister's closet. Just kidding, Sheila.

Okay, now I'm just rambling.

The resume is done! Now I have to find someone to send it to.

Thank God for small favors, I suppose.

Arrghh!!

I H A T E writing a resume. Time for a lunchbreak.

Never Steal An Action Hero's Truck

FARWELL, Texas — Jarrod Franse didn't run for help when he saw two men stealing his pickup truck; he jumped in.

The 23-year-old college student had just returned to his home after a round of golf when he saw two men next two his 1991 Dodge Durango. They jumped in and started the engine when he approached, but the Farwell resident wasn't ready to say farewell to his truck just yet.

"His reaction was just to jump in the back," said Parmer County Sheriff Randy Geries, who was quick to add that he didn't recommend the risky stunt.

The two thieves then raced off onto a local highway, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph, Geries said.

"They're swerving slamming on the breaks, trying to throw this guy out," Geries said. Franse held on and shouted to other drivers for help. Eventually he broke the window into the passenger cab and started wrestling with the men.

After almost an hour, the thieves had enough, Geries said. They pulled over and ran off on foot, abandoning Franse and his truck. After he drove to a nearby farmhouse to call for help, police arrived and hunted for the hapless car thieves in the thick rows of corn.

"It belonged to this young man and he wasn't about to let it go," Geries remarked. With the help of a K-9 unit, they apprehended Joe Angel Roldan, 18, but the other suspect — a juvenile — managed to hide in the field overnight. He turned himself in the following morning, covered with more than 300 mosquito bites, police said.

They were charged with aggravated kidnapping and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

[source abcnews.com crimeblotter]

Some clarification on the Seattle jumper story

Jill, a friend of mine who lives and works in Seattle, was kind enough to send along a clarification of the Yahoo story:

Now, the Yahoo! story isn't quite right--the jumper didn't jump because commuters were yelling at her to do so simply because there weren't any cars going by her at the time. Starting at about 7:00 this morning, she had been sitting on the bridge railing on the Southbound side of I-5. So they closed the southbound lanes as police tried to talk her down. But northbound lanes slowed to take a look at it was northbound commuters that were yelling at her to jump. So they closed the Northbound lanes, too. At the time she jumped, there were no cars on I-5. But still, as I said before, it's disgusting.

I agree. You can read the local news story here.

The phrase, "You hit the nail on the head" comes to mind...

Frustrated Seattle commuters remove the cause of a traffic jam.

I've started to take down and put away those things that identify this office as mine. As I was cleaning off the corkboard, I found these two images. The one on the left was taken from the front porch of our cabin in Maine. The other was taken from the same shore, just a little further out towards the point, at sunset, while walking back for dinner.

IE 6.0 is out. Make sure you read the fine print.

Men, Avert Your Eyes

Sweet Jesus.