The Computer Knows
Cheers to anyone able to get to the site today. Apparently the DNS is only propogating is you use the ending slash in the URL. I am working on having everything moved to a new server, with a new URL, so hopefully things will all be groovy soon. Till then...
Virtual 20 Questions: can the computer guess what you are thinking. It knew I thought "Chocolate bar," and even corrected some of my answers for me. Not quite AI, but still creepy (and fun).
Found via MetaFilter
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Losing Patience
Got this in my inbox this morning, credited to Terry Jones of Monty Python fame. I suspect, rather, that this Terry Jones works for the Observer, but the contents are funny (and politic) just the same.
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And, We're Back
Sorry for the time down folks. Should be back up and running smoothly....
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Crikey!
Just caught Steve Irwin on So Graham Norton. What a hoot! I wish I could re-create for you his story of meeting his wife!
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Don't Bother, They're Here...
It was around 11pm on Friday night, and after an evening of watching cartoons that made our cultural sensibilities cry, we made our way to a local bistro for dessert and conversation.
The bistro was dimly lit, but warmly so, and a large mahogany bar took up the entire wall opposite our table. The place had an art-deco class to it, complete with waiters who didn't quiet scowl at you, but their shirt creases were just a little too crisp, and their posture a bit too upright. But the dark chocolate souffle was magnificent, and I am led to understand that the creme brulee was to die for.
In this somewhat decadent, stylish atmosphere, what else would a table of young, intelligent, well-read individuals, (the strongest beverage among them being decaf cappuccino) discuss but porn. Not merely any porn, mind you. Clown Porn. (Obviously, if reading this at work, click links with extreme caution...or simply wait until you get home.) To be fair, we were originally discussing Pirate Porn, and somehow Clown Porn seemed a logical progression. Clown Porn is a topic that seems to come up between us quite a bit. I'm not sure why that is.
I am amazed we are not thrown out of more restaurants.
Having never seen Clown Porn, I can't help but wonder; are all the characters in them clowns, or do clowns perform sexual acts to/with non-clown people, or do non-clown people do things with clowns? Does Clown Porn involve other circus-related paraphernalia: balloons, a trapeze, and a ring master?
What really interests me about Clown Porn, however, is that someone in our party has repeatedly insisted that Philadelphia is the epicenter of the burgeoning Clown Porn industry, and that he has heard this information from various sources. However, although I can find a few scattered Clown Porn websites, I can find no evidence that it is even a growing industry, let alone one that is rooted in my home town. And yet...
Pop Culture Boy (who was unable to attend the late night dessert run due to work commitments) later relayed to me a story told to him by a mutual friend. Said friend was walking through Center City, when he was approached by a young man who was traveling with a young woman, and carrying a bag of clown regalia. (I imagine it as a backpack; the big floppy shoes hanging out, red curls from the wig just poking through.) "Excuse me," the young man said to our friend, "do you know where we could go to make some Clown Porn?" (You may scoff, but believe me, these kinds of things happen to this friend. Something in his DNA, I imagine.)
This makes me wonder...what if Philadelphia really is the epicenter of the burgeoning Clown Porn industry? What if it is so well-known for Clown Porn within Clown Porn circles that they simply assume that anyone who lives here must know about it (making it reasonable to ask a stranger on the street where to find the local Clown Porn studio/factory).
People I pass each day on the street, looking dull and lifeless as they get off of local transportation in their drab business suits and Keds, vanishing into non-descript buildings might then be clocking in, painting their faces for an 8 hour stint of hot clown love. Perhaps somewhere near-by, even now, behind the drawn blinds of a worn, historical, Old City building, or on the other side of the black glass of a corporate high-rise, armies of clowns could be making it on film.
Maybe one of these days I'll recognize one, looking tired and worn after the 5 o'clock whistle has blown, so anxious to get home that they missed a bit of white greasepaint behind their ear; or they'll be walking in their business suits, their floppy clown shoes still on. Then I would know.
Maybe I'll buy them a dark chocolate souffle. Maybe they'll give me a tour of the studio.
Don't worry. My next long post will be about the odd fascination PCB and I have for Saturday programming on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon's The N. Not only might reading about Disney make you feel less dirty after the Clown Porn, it will also confuse the heck out of people who come here by searching for Disney Porn.
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Some One Should Just Sell Bites
I was in my local shopping center yesterday to purchase mass transit tokens, and noticed that the candy shop in the mall was advertising Irish Potatos. I thought about getting some, but I realized I would only want one, maybe two, tops, and these things are always sold by weight. I couldn't very well go up and ask for 1/22 of a pound of Irish Potatos. But I also could never force myself to eat a whole quarter pound.
And I didn't think they would sell me just one potato.
This got me to thinking that there are some foods they should sell bite sized that they don't. Besides Irish Potatos, I think Cotton Candy and Funnel Cake should also be on that list. I always hate spending money on these items because I end up throwing most of the food away, which seems like a waste.
It occured to me that I could simply ask for a sample, thereby quieting my craving without actually spending any money, but Pop Culture Boy says that would be gaming the system.
Not sure if he thinks its a bad thing, or a good thing.
Ah well, off to work, no Irish Potatos in tow. I actually wanted to post about a recent conversation I had involving clowns, pirates, and porn, but it will have to wait until next time.
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Happy Monday
Ah, well, no snow days this week; back to proper grown-up life. So, as Monday morning is back full-force, thought I'd offer a few things for your Monday morning viewing pleasure:
- Monday Morning Quiz: It's up.
- Hulk Smash!: PCB and I were in the toy store this weekend. These were the coolest things we saw by far.
- Chuck Lorre Vanity Cards: I always tried to read these before they blinked on the screen after Dharma and Greg, but never got past the first few lines. Happily, this website allows me to read each at my leisure.
- Simpsons XXX: Ok, not really, but they have had they their share of sexy (and ribald) moments.
- Found on Fark.
That's all I can dig up before bed...if you have something that might entertain us all, please post it!
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Crap Superheros
The latest challenge from b3ta.com.
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My New Nemesis
As if I didn't have enough distractions, our friend Peccable (my Mephistopheles) surprised PCB and I with Nemesis Factor, an electronic puzzle game for up to four players.
Oh, sure, it looks innocuous enough; it's not very big, and it only has five buttons; how difficult could it be?
For starters, you are given no instructions for any of the puzzles other than "Press any button to begin." You press a button, "Begin." (Ah, yes, did I mention it talks? In a lovely, feminine computer voice? It's quite calming until she starts to drive you mad.) You try and figure out the proper sequence of button presses based on visual and aural feedback. I tore through the first 12 puzzles fairly quickly, but then puzzle 13 (unlucky 13)...the Nemesis Factor started spewing out number combinations, and I have yet to figure out what they have to do with which buttons I'm pressing. Very frustrating; very fun.
One of the most interesting things about Nemesis Factor is that it can keep track of the progress of up to 4 players. Next time I turn it on, I simply select my player color (I chose red), and it will start me at puzzle 13. When I'm done, PCB can select his color, and it will start him off at his last puzzle. It also keeps track of your score (and, apparently, the time it takes you to complete each puzzle). I am most frustrated because although I have completed 12 puzzles, the Nemesis Factor insists on telling my, very calmly, that my score is 10. It has been 10 since I solved puzzle 1. I fear it will be 10 when I solve puzzle 100. I am learning to hate the number 10.
I am utterly hooked. This is no surprise. I am addicted to puzzle games, and quite frankly any device that does neat things when you press its buttons can delight me for hours (it is no doubt telling that Peccable also purchased a copy of Nemesis Factor for an eight-year old when he purchased ours). I really wish it didn't talk so loudly, I want to play it on my way to work but I think I might scare the man who is always talking to himself on my bus.
I don't know what this will do to my plans to participate in National Novel Editing Month (because you know I haven't been editing my National Novel Writing Month entry.) So many lovely distractions!
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Something Frivolous and Silly, As Promised
Flash Mind Reader.
This one actually took me a few go's before I figured out the trick. Nicely done.
Found on Milk and Cookies.
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How Can There Be An Arch Nemesis, An Evil Enemy Organization, and Outrageous Scientific Claims Involved When This Isn't A Comic Book?
This weekend, I dreamed the war started. Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, the whole Axis of Evil; take your pick. The dreams were neither very long on very specific. In the first dream, I couldn't make my phone work, and missed an overseas family phone call; it portrayed the war as something very distant, and yet affecting my family directly (my brother-in-law and one of my uncles are in the armed forces). In the second, I looked out my bedroom window and saw that the hospital/parking lot across the street had been turned into some military lookout tower, and was literally crawling with men in fatigues. I could see missiles being launched from the tower, but also saw other ones streaking towards me, their trails leaving graceful arches across the sky, like fireworks preparing to explode. I laid my head down and tried to get PCB to wake me, finally woke both him and me with my strangled pleading.
Thankfully, I have yet to prove to be precognizant. However, this war business has clearly been laying heavy on my mind.
There are various factors, of course. I had some unreliable third-party information that inferred that maybe the war might start come President's Day. (Really - it was a friend of a friend story where someone's CIA boss said something that implied that maybe something could happen - or it might have merely meant "Have a good weekend.")
Secondly, the winter storm was in full force, and the window can howl down city street; certainly in a REM state it might suggest missile fire.
However, I think the real big factor here has been the recent readiness talk been spouted by the media and the Department of Homeland Security. It has done nothing but frustrate and anger me. Particularly this talk about duct tape and plastic sheeting. A woman I know was devastated when another parent told her she was a bad mother because she hadn't stocked up on duct tape and plastic.
Granted, I am not an expert in chemistry or biology, but I fail to see how plastic is going to save us all from germs, biological and chemical weapons. Certainly plastic is porous enough to carry these poisons in. They'll be airborne, after all; and certainly air can get in…otherwise the terrorists would win because we'd all suffocate to death. To me, this smacks of the same stuff that Duck and Cover preached to our parents, such as covering your head with your jacket to protect yourself from an atomic blast. The only real good I see this plastic/duct tape doing is insulating homes across America from bitter winter weather. (Although, if you can't trust the Duct Tape Guys in matters of Homeland Security, who can you trust?)
I understand that people feel the need to do something to protect themselves; I just wish we could funnel this energy into trying to find an alternative to nuclear warfare rather than using clever marketing techniques to keep the public at large nestled and warm in our false sense of security.
You'll quickly notice, of course, that I am a huge hypocrite, because other than trying to stay informed, particularly of the world view, I'm not doing a whole heck of a lot about it. Truth of the matter is that my activism days are long since past, and I feel that even if I did do something, it wouldn't amount to much. I did vote in the last presidential election, and I still don't feel good about how that played out. Furthermore, Bush has claimed not to be "dismayed" by anti-war protests the world over, by which I suppose he means we can all say whatever we want to, and he'll do whatever he wants to.
At least we still have the freedom to speech and lawful protest. I'm grateful for that.
I understand that we will go to war; and at this point, it is inevitable. We've been talking this fight up so loud and so long, that we have to show up or we'll somehow lose credibility in the locker room of World Leaders. I really don't see why Bush and Saddam can't simply have a duel or go and beat the crap out of each other in the boxing ring like civilized people. I fail to see why we all need to be involved in this.
Ostensibly, we're still going because of the bombs, right? The bombs that Iraq must exist because we can't find them, which clearly proves that they are hiding them; so he have to hit them before they hit us first. Or have we been given a more convincing reason? (I mean other than he is the arch nemesis of the Bush family). Don't let them fool you into thinking this has something to do with the World Trade Center tragedy; the terrorists weren't Iraqi, although some polls are apparently reporting many Americans now think they were.
What I really wish, is that if we can't have a peaceable outcome to this issue, that at the American government could be honest with the American public, and not treat us like children needing to be placated and coddled. I wish we could get that much.
Sigh. I've run out of ranty steam. I promise the next time I post it will be about something frivolous and silly.
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Stay Home, Play With Things
For the homebodies, some silly links:
- A Guy's Guide to Geek Girls:Pay attention boys, there's some good advice here.
- Sent in by my cousin Cheryl, a Girl Geek Extraordinaire! - My Current Desktop Wallpaper: from the surprisingly charming Exploding Dog.
- You Can Plant False Memories. This news article is particularly disturbing having just gotten through Serial Experiments Lain; however, I don't find it surprising. I've known people whose recollection of events have altered within minutes of the actual event; convincing someone that an event has happened years ago should be a piece of cake. Just be sure to think twice when it seems like your memory takes convincing.
- Discovered on Small.To, if memory serves. - Love Cubes. Putting these couples together may be harder than you think, although I'm convinced some of my matches are better suited.
- match made on B3ta. - Send A Dead Fish by Mail: Any questions? (Other than, Why?, I mean.)
- TRS-80 Level I BASIC Emulation: I got a real kick out of this find. Computer labs in schools were a new phenomenon when I was in middle school, and aside from typing tests and playing BASIC programming. The only thing I ever used this programming skill for was to write loop programs; my sisters and I used them to ask my parents trivia questions as part of elaborate treasure hunts we would send them on to find their anniversary, birthday, or other holiday gifts (we were, not surprisingly, very odd children.)
In college I took QBASIC to fulfill my quantitative reasoning requirement. I used that skill to make an ASCII Bart Simpson (no, seriously, that was an actual assignment).
Of course now that I am actually interested in learning how to program, I wish I paid better attention at these simpler levels. I can't even make a loop program work on the emulator. *Sigh*.
- found on Paramecium Parachute. - Do This Now: Wheee! Childish fun for grown-ups.
found on Metafilter. - Lonely Socks: Find a match for your matchless socks. Finally, community building for our feet.
- found on Memepool.
Posted by Sarcasmo on Tuesday, February 18, 2003
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Go Out, See Things
Just a few things I'm planning on seeing in the near (and somewhat distant) future:
- Secret Cinema presents Uncensored Cartoons, Part 3:
" A follow-up to one of the most popular Secret Cinema programs ever -- and featuring all new material -- Part 3 will once again focus on classic and not-so-classic cartoons from some of the greatest masters of the art form. What they share is that all of the cartoons have been suppressed from television and other outlets in recent years, because of their extremely politically incorrect content. And while our previous installments of Uncensored Cartoons focused almost exclusively on black racial stereotypes, we now welcome diversity into our program, by including cartoons that might offend many different ethnic groups."
Secret Cinema strikes again. They rarely disappoint, and the Uncensored Cartoons I've seen in the past have been crowded, fun events. These cartoons are a guilty pleasure, certainly, but I much prefer to view these cartoons and confront the insensitivity in our cultural past than deny it ever happened. - MacHomer :
"This one-man vocal spectacular features over 50 voices from TV's favourite dysfunctional family in a hilarious performance of Shakespeare's bloodiest tragedy! Starring 'Homer Simpson' as Macbeth and 'Marge' as Lady Macbeth (in a script which remains 85% Shakespeare), MacHomer is hysterically funny and amazing to watch."
Yes, yes, Macbeth again, but how can I turn down Shakespeare meets The Simpsons? I can't, that's how. (PCB have a theory that no one can be all that bad if they are a fan of The Simpsons; so far this has worked out to be true.) I hope to get tickets this weekend. - Secret Cinema presents Uncensored Cartoons, Part 3:
- A Shoggoth on the Roof: H.P Lovecraft meets Fiddler on the Roof (need I say more?). True, this show would involve a road trip...but then, what's wrong with a road trip? Does the Great Old One deserve any less?
- Friday, 2/14, Everybody Comes to Rick's: I took PCB to a local theater to see Casablanca on the big screen; which included a Morrocan-style dinner on stage before hand. Casablanca is one of my all-time favorite movies, and this was the 3rd time I've been lucky enough to see it on the big screen. Fantastic, romantic, thrilling fun.
- Saturday, 2/15: Throne of Blood (Spider's Web Castle): PCB and I went with some friends to see Throne of Blood, which was playing as part of the Kurosawa and Mifune Retrospective. Throne of Blood is, in essence, a retelling of MacBeth set in feudal Japan. Although an oddly paced film (it seemed to start very slowly, then end very quickly), there were some chilling performances, particularly Isuzu Yamada as Asaji, Washizu's power hungry wife. We were also meant to see Hidden Fortress directly after, but the four of us opted to go out for dessert instead.
- Sunday 2/16 & Monday, 2/17, Snow Days: The snow was falling as soon as I got up on Sunday, and didn't stop until late in they day on Monday, which was fantastic for me, as I (a) live in an apartment and (b) don't have a car, so I had no shoveling to do. As an added bonus, my office was closed on Monday, so I had no need to go out while the weather was unpleasant, and could instead admire the solitude of a city covered in snow from my window. As an added bonus, our friend Dan came over on Sunday and rode out the storm with us, so I spent much of Sunday-Monday doing the following:
- Watching Serial Experiments Lain: If you haven't checked out this 13 episode anime series, I recommend you do. Intriguing, dark, and thought provoking, Lain will both win your heart and make you wary of your forrays into cyberspace. I watched the entire series over 2 days, and still don't think I caught everything. I am also very distrusting of my computer.
- Playing Legends of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time: Dan brought this over, and we spent hours and hours playing. I've somehow missed all the Zelda titles to date (probably because it was a Nintendo title, and the last Nintendo I owned before the Gamecube was the original). This game is enormous, and has some challenging (not mind-bending, but thought is required) puzzles.
- Watching Joe Millionaire: I know, I know. I feel terribly for having watched it, but I bought into the the "twist" ending hype. I think it would have been an adequate twist if they hadn't hyped it quite so much; but for all marketing they were doing for the ending, I had expected the cash pay off to be a bit bigger.
I feel like I should send a women's activism group a cash donation to atone for watching; or maybe start a fund to by Evan some Lava Soap. No matter where they sent him or how they dressed him, he always seemed a bit...grimy.
- Snow Day, Part 2: My office offered employees the chance to take a personal/vacation day today rather than trying to manage the road/public transit nightmare that inevitably follows after a storm. I took advantage, as I take public transportation, and didn't want to end up stranded in a snow bank. Also, the city employed snow melters as a way to minize the plowing nightmare here in town. Sadly, the melters were (a) very loud and (b) parked beneath my window; so I spent the day rather drowsy, and uninspired to do anything of consequence. I did chill out on the sofa and watch two lovely old movies on AMC: State of the Union and Indiscreet. Generally speaking, though, I have a hard time enjoying myself when I'm playing hooky from work, even if it is sanctioned hooky. Stupid work ethic.
- It's SNOWING! YAY!! (It's easy to be excited when you're not the one who has to shovel the walk.)
- WHY in the WORLD am I up so early on a Sunday???
- Monday Morning Quiz: Now available for your quizzing pleasure.
- The Cow Says:: Onimonipea sounds from around the world. Mostly animals and vehicles. Must have Flash and Sound enabled.
- Found on Metafilter. - I Need Letters: The Letters Project invites you to type a text string in. The results are fun to watch.
- via MilkandCookies.com - Gridlock: Addictive puzzle game; free the blue block. (I'm currently stuck on level 12).
- Found via User Friendly. - All Hail Emperor Norton: What do you do when all your entire financial future sinks to the bottom of the ocean? Why, declare yourself Emperor of the United States of course. What else? Oh, yes, propose marriage to the widowed Queen Victoria. Emperor Joshua Norton is probably my favorite figure in American History. (Sure, you can laugh, but guess who inspiried the Bay Bridge?
- Reminded of this fine gent by way of BoingBoing. - Love Gone Wrong: In honor of the feast of St. Valentine, this week I will be re-reading The Letters of Abelard and Heloise. It is the classic story--boy tutors girl, boy seduces girl, girl has son out of wedlock, girl's guardian castrates boy, boy encourages girl to join convent while he takes monks vows. They each rise to the top posts in their new vocation, and maintain a epistolary relationship (although I always felt her letters were somewhat warmer than his). The best part...the story is true, the letters are real, and it all took place in the 12th century. I love history. Makes for excellent reading.
- The Monday Morning Quiz is up.
- Just saw an ad for a new PBS reality series, Manor House; a pseudo-real-life Upstairs, Downstairs. I enjoyed both 1900 House and Frontier House. I think I feel better about watching reality TV when I can pretend I am learning something, too.
- Having trouble finding supplies for your weekend World Domination project? Then run on over to your local Home Despot. Thanks, SarcasMom for the link.
- Lisa Crankypants. Smart, sarcastic wit. A woman after my own heart. Put her on your daily reading list.
- URouLette. Click the wheel for a random webpage. Found on Memepool.
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Hibernation
As most of you have no doubt heard by now, my home town was veritably blanketed by snow this weekend, leaving me with an unexpected 4-day weekend (hooray), in which I got precious little accomplished (boo!). The cold weather has left me with little desire to do much but sit cuddled up with some hot chocolate watching old movies on TV. Sadly, this means I've been neglecting you all for the past few days. Mea culpa, and all that. However, PCB has made me a lovely pot of Earl Grey with lavender tea, so I am ready to get back to work. Here's a quick re-cap of my winter weekend, then onto some additional posts of fun stuff for you to look at.
The city is once again its bustling self, so tomorrow I am off to battle the elements (which have calmed considerably).
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Two Points on a Snowy Sunday Morning
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Read Closely
News from the governmental Evil Eradication Office.
Found on Breakfast Tacos.
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Orange is Not the Only Alert
Some wartime fun from Wacky Neighbor:
I'll be adding this image permanently; it updates along with our nation's level of alert. Some one may yet set us up the bomb, but at least we can giggle a little on the way.
Found on BoingBoing.
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"Not everyone in New York would pay to see Andrew Llyod Weber"*
Ok, so I'm not a huge Andrew Lloyd Weber fan...but Jesus Christ Superstar is coming to town, with Skid Row's former front man Sebastian Bach as the eponymous lead.
I saw Skid Row open for Guns and Roses back in the day. When I saw Mr. Bach staring back at me from a promotional poster at the bus stop today (I loved the picture; I think he was supposed to look serious, but I got the feeling the photographer snapped the shot right before he burst out laughing; you can practically see the corners of his mouth twitching), I got a perverse thrill at the idea of seeing the former professional headbanger playing a religious icon. Granted, he was never really a heavy metal bad boy; when you see him in interviews he's kind of a geek, really.
But hey, I was never really a heavy metal bad girl, and I am a full-fledged geek, after all.
I wanna go I wanna go I wanna go!
from Chocolate Cake by Crowded House
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Kickin' It Old School
Web Zen presents retro geek zen:
Links to classic game emulators, old school tunes, retired GUIs and, for no good reason, Disco Squirrels (must be seen to be believed).
Be sure to check out the Web Zen archives as well. Time-destroying delights galore. (Yes, you'll even find links to the dreaded, hypnotic, All Your Base in the list of past zen).
Found on BoingBoing.
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I Knew There Was Something Fishy About Elmo
Find out why:
And I bet Praire Dawn is too.
This link brought to you by Small.To and the letter S.
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What Were You Looking For?
Some people get to weblogs with the strangest search string (like my recent influx of surfers looking for "Alyssa Milano +fishes tail", who would have had much more luck finding images of her as a mermaid on an episode of Charmed if they had simply searched for "Alyssa Milano mermaid").
Disturbing Search Requests keeps track of the strangest search strings out there. See what your office mates are really searching for instead of working.
Thanks to David of Small.tofor this link.
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Monday Morning Fun
Ah, Monday is coming around again. Here's a few (particularly mindless) things to get you through the day:
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For the Record
I choose to watch Inside the Actor's Studio. A little disappointing, really. Although it was very cool to see the faces behind the voices, I rather wish James Lipton had intereviewed the actors more and the characters less; or at the very least asked the characters questions that anyone who watches the show with any regularity would already know.
And, of course, James Lipton was sure to point out that he has been on the Simpsons.
Hopefully tonights Simpson's episode will be re-run soon.
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How Will I Ever Choose
Watch the new Simpson's Episode or the cast of the Simpsons on Inside the Actor's Studio.
Decisions, decisions...
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Bow Down to Me, My Little Sims
I've gone out and purchased SimCity 4. My city is thriving, books in the black. You may never see me again.
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Ok, I am not sure what story they were looking for...
but I am a little disturbed that Sarcasmo's Corner is the TOP Google listing for this query string:
"alyssa milano +a fishes tail"
I have no idea what it means...but it may just give me nightmares.
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I'm looking through you...
Invisibilty cloak prototype demonstrated.
Somewhere between cool and eh. I'm too tired and headachy to comment.
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Enter Freely and of Your Own Will, and Dance, Dance, Dance the Night Away*
This was well on its way to being a several hundred word post; but frankly I wasn't feeling it. Here, instead, is the Cliff Notes version
Pop Culture Boy and I went to a Goth/Deathrock/New Wave/Industrial/80s Night Saturday last. We're not particularly into any of those sub-cultures--we just thought the combination was so curious that it was an evening not to be missed.
We had a great time being silly together, and as an added bonus, my style of dance (self-absorbed, over exuberant, clumsy-flailing-coupled-with-the-inability-to-maintain-my-balance-despite-the-fact-I-was-only-drinking-bottled-water) seemed to fit right in with the sort of self-absorbed, wholly individual, skipping-without-really-moving-your-feet-while-ignoring-the-beat-entirely-and-waving-your-arms-about-in-a-pseudo-mystical-way style that was prevalent on the dance floor. Everyone seemed to be having a good (if somewhat solitary) time.
The nicest part was although we clearly aren't part of the local "scene" we weren't made to feel like trespassers. Everyone was just there to have a good time.
As PCB so succinctly put it:
""[The local Goth Scene] seems to have become less Tim Burton and more It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown."
Mind you, there were some of the more traditional Goth stereotypes present and accounted for (superfluous leatherette bustiers, an unfortunate pleather vest, some questionable eye-makeup techniques, and I swear the Velvets from Neverwhere were in attendance), but there were also people in flannel and blue jeans. Overall it was a very laid back gathering.
Well, with the possible exception of the Industrial/Deathrock blaring away in the background.
As it turns out, I quite like German industrial music. Although at some point, while careening dangerously on the dance floor, I realized that it didn't matter what the lyrics were; anything shouted in German sounds angry to the non-German speaker. PCB and I started making up English lyrics to the songs along the lines of:
clowns make me happy,
we're collecting for charity,
would you like to make a donation?"
I'm pleasantly surprised that that didn't get us thrown out; although who could hear us, really?
Overall, a pleasant foray into the unknown; although my neck still hurts.
From dancing. Honest.
Apologies to Bram Stoker, the Count, and Van Halen
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argh!
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Lysistrata
Lysistrata, now over 2400 years old, is still being used as a protest to war.
The Lysistrata Project is a peace-oriented theater event, happening world wide on March 03, 2003, to protest the possibly (impending?) war with Iraq.
If you're not familiar with the play, you can get some background here. Once you've read up, click here if you'd like to get involved in your community.
Name of the person who pointed me towards this still-subversive-after-all-these-millennia-link withheld, for reasons of national security.
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Argh
Sorry Monday morning posts are late---some blog tool issues. And yes, I know, my titles are all kaflooie.
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Monday Morning
Hello, all. A few giggles for your Monday morning:
Darn it. Not likely to get to sleep now...the first episode of The Prisoner is on. How can I be expected to go to bed now?
Be seeing you.
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Sigh
Monday morning...time to post some fun to start the week. Before doing that, though, I want to say a word or two about the Columbia tragedy. PCB and I woke up to the news on Saturday, and spent much of the day watching the news coverage. We finally gave up in the late afternoon, simply unable to watch the perpetual loop of the footage; I was 12 years old again watching the the Challenger explode over and over and over. It was too difficult to watch.
I think its important to remember that every man and woman who goes into space risks their lives in the name of science. It is my sincere hope that this tragedy brings the space program the renewed attention and funding that it needs to continue, rather than stalling it again.
My heart goes out to those who lost friends and family in the accident.
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