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Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
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9:19 am - A rare example...
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Okay, I have to say this: Donte Stallworth has managed to impress me.
Not with the DUI that led to this whole mess - never that. But in the actions he's taken since that horribly immature, tragic and idiotic decision... as his attorney said, he's acted as a man, as opposed to the spoiled little entitlement-whore boy that all too many of today's celebrities are. He stopped at the scene, he called 911 - despite the fact that he had to know what it would mean for him - he cooperated fully with the authorities when they tested him for intoxication. Despite the poor decision which led to this situation, he behaved with dignity and maturity ever since, and he's said that he's going to abide by all the provisions of the court decision.
In the society of today's celebrity culture, this is a nearly aberrant display of adulthood and responsibility. I would be much happier with Mr. Stallworth being held up as an example to emulate for today's youth than, well, fill in the blank with most of the celebrated icons out there right now...
current mood:  impressed
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(comment on this)
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| Sunday, June 14th, 2009
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3:53 pm - Obamanomics in action
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| Monday, December 22nd, 2008
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6:30 am - Okay, slow day at the headlines desk...
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"Officials recover black boxes from charred Denver jet"
Ain't it cute when they try to be cute?
current mood:  amused
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, December 14th, 2008
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12:00 pm - To all my Portland area friends...
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It's snowing out there, starting to stick even on the paved areas, and the temperature is pretty much as high as it's going to be for the next 36 hours. So be careful if you absolutely must go out, and don't go out if you don't have to. If you're going to drive - which I heartily recommend against - go slow and allow more time than you think you need.
Me, I'm currently at work and giving serious consideration to leaving. As a matter of fact, I've already told my manager that, if it's still coming down like this on my next break, I'm taking off. And the weather report is already saying that's likely.
Take care, all. I'll catch you on the flipside. (Hopefully, I won't be the one flipping!)
current mood:  cold
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(comment on this)
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| Saturday, November 8th, 2008
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1:33 pm - A line out of context...
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| Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
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3:22 pm - From today's headlines - Fed chairman: Approve bailout plan or risk recession
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| Thursday, September 11th, 2008
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9:53 am - Another side...
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Okay, I just got done reading Lyndsey Parker's take on the Kaitlyn Maher phenomenon (see here: new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/realityrocks/98433/kaitlyn-maher-the-kids-not-all-right). And I have to say: I agree with her. Kaitlyn's parents need to be slapped with a wet halibut until they WAKE UP. They're setting their daughter up for one of two paths - either she's going to learn the hard way about losing in the big, high-stakes world of the grown-ups, or (and possibly worse) she'll win - and land in a million-dollar-a-year contract to perform, for an hour and a half a night, every night, in Vegas. The girl's a four-year-old, people. Who in their right mind could consider this a good thing? (Come to think of it, what venue in Vegas is going to be willing to host such a blatently child-exploitative act? If I was on the controlling committee of such a business, I'd certainly be telling anyone who brought me this idea that, one, they were nuts, and two, if they ever brought me something of that nature again they would be fired in the most public and messy way possible, with all the reasons published. To me, this is not much removed from, and is morally/ethically identical to, child prostitution.)
But getting away from that, I feel the need to comment on another side of the video linked in that blog entry. While Kaitlyn is not yet ready for this sort of prime-time exposure, there was another person there who clearly is ready, and is a class act (in terms of manners, at least - I haven't seen his act) on top of that. When Flambeaux was called forward with Kaitlyn, he already knew his fate - you could read it in his expression. He knew he hadn't made the cut, which was why he'd been paired opposite the cute little girl that no one would dare vote against... and yet he gave almost no indication of that realization, he went up in front of the crowd with her, and he smiled doing it. He knew he had lost, and he still went out graciously and did his job with class and style. And when the verdict was announced against him, he gave Kaitlyn an honest smile and a hug, and he said something to her - I couldn't tell what, because his mouth was concealed by her head - that helped boost her flagging confidence and made her smile a little less of an effort. And let me say this loud and clear: To lose to someone else, and then have the character to honestly and genuinely congratulate them and give them a bit of support to go on beyond you, is a rare bit of character these days. Flambeaux demonstrated that, and I sincerely hope that any and all professional talent scouts who may have been watching have taken note - I know nothing about his talent, but talent can be learned. That sort of personality and attitude is a much rarer thing, and much more valuable in any sort of cooperative undertaking. Regardless of what I was doing, that is the sort of person I'd want by my side, watching my back and helping do the job. The man's a class act, and deserves respect and success wherever he chooses to take that act.
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| Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
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5:00 pm - This is a warning!
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I just received an e-mail purporting to be from the IRS, regarding my Economic Stimulus Rebate payment. The sender wanted me to click on a link in the message, ostensibly to go to an information verification form so the payment would be sped up. I'm passing this message along, specifically meant for all US citizens and residents who read my journal.
THE IRS DOES NOT COMMUNICATE VIA E-MAIL!
If you receive such an e-mail, do NOT click on any links it may contain. Either delete said message unopened, or forward it to phishing@irs.gov so that their fraud department can deal with the perpetrators.
"Verifying" the sort of information such forms request can allow the perpetrators access to your funds and your financial information. With that information, these people can not only drain your bank account(s), they can also open fraudulent account in your name, running up debts which you will then have to contest or otherwise legally handle. This can range from an annoying hassle to a (potentially very) expensive legal undertaking. Do not be taken in by such scams!
If you've already been fooled by such a tactic, I would advise you to contact the IRS (if their name was used), and possibly your local District Attorney's office and/or your local FBI office (as such schemes are legally classified as wire fraud and thus fall, at least partially, into the FBI's jurisdiction). Any of these offices should be able to help you, and such services are part of what you pay taxes for.
current mood:  angry
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(comment on this)
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| Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
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6:30 am - The weather
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Galadrion here, reporting from work.
I just got here, walking in as opposed to biking, and boy am I glad I opted that way. Not only is it rather chilly out there (below freezing), but the humidity is rediculously high for the temperature... which adds up to one thing: icy patches everywhere. Slid several times on the way, but I was taking it easy so I never actually fell. (Kestrel, be careful out there today - and at all costs avoid those stairs at Streets of Tannasborne: they're gonna be deathtraps today!) Here's how bad it was: I saw two seperate accidents on a two-mile walk, at five freakin' AM! On a road which is nearly deserted at that hour, yet.
Right, enough of that.
Do you people who drive realize just how much you miss that way? Okay, so it was cold, and I was out in it for... well, forty-five minutes this morning; it's usually a half-hour walk, but as I said I was taking it slow. But the cold isn't really too bad out there, and with a little planning, you can dress for it pretty easily. But as I was walking in, it started snowing - little tiny flakes just drifting down, pretty and gentle. I'm willing to bet that the people whipping past me (at way too high a speed for these conditions, incidentally - as two people illustrated quite pointedly) either didn't see it at all, or only saw it as yet another annoyance. It seems a shame, really. There's so much out there that you really ought to take the time to look at, but nearly no one does any more.
Case in point: as I was crossing Rock Creek, I heard an owl hoot - very clearly. Too clearly: normally, they're fairly far back into the trees, but this one wasn't. I stopped and took a look in that direction, and there was this simply huge owl sitting on a tree limb not more than twenty feet from me, just watching. He (?) met my eyes, blinked a couple of times, and then stretched out his wings and took off, circling behind me and winging off across the road into the trees. Beautiful. And nothing I'd have ever seen in a car.
No real point to this, but it was a nice experience. Get out there, folks. There's a whole world to see, and it won't wait for you...
current mood:  contemplative
current music: "Sneg Idot", Glukoza
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(7 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, January 11th, 2008
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7:29 pm - *Snicker!* How did they know?
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| Saturday, October 13th, 2007
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11:52 am - Just a quick announcement...
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| Monday, September 17th, 2007
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5:41 pm - And another one has answered the Last Casting Call...
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Brett Somers has died.
I really liked her, especially for her appearances (and interaction with Charles Nelson Reilly) on The Match Game. God rest you, dear lady, and thank you for all the laughs.
current mood:  sad
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| Friday, August 3rd, 2007
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8:02 pm - *Scha-WING!*
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Well, today ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) kestrelcat and I did what we've been planning on doing sometime this summer - we just weren't certain when we were going to go through with it.
We went into town today, to Bike 'N' Hike, and bought new bicycles. Nice ones, too - disc brakes, rapid-fire shifters, cargo racks on the backs... but most of all, the SHINY!
Seriously, any of my friends in the Portland area, I can make this recommendation to you with no problems - the Beaverton area Bike 'N' Hike is probably the best place in this area I could send you if you're interested in getting a bicycle. Friendly, knowledgeable sales folks, who aren't pushy but also aren't afraid to speak up and let you know if they think they see you about to make a mistake. (I probably would have walked out with a bike with too short a frame, but the guy said, "Hey, wait a minute - I'd like to see you on this one before I'd be happy about selling it to you." Turns out the frame was two inches too short for me - easy enough to ride out of the store on, but it'd raise merry hell with my knees over the long run.) They also didn't have the bikes we wanted in the sizes we needed in the store... so they had them brought over from one of the other Portland area stores, free of charge. Didn't charge us for installing the cargo racks, either, and it involved actual parts modification, carried out in-store while we waited.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting use out of the new shiny. This is our major mode of transportation, and having bikes that have a full range of gears, that don't jump teeth, that brake safely in all weathers... this is going to make our lives much easier and more pleasant.
current mood:  bouncy
current music: Mika, "Lollipop"
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, April 26th, 2007
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5:50 pm - A question for the ages...
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So, I was cleaning out my spam box, and an odd thought occurred to me, so I'm sharing it with all of you.
Does anyone else find the concept of "soft Viagra" as discordant as I do?
current mood: amused
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, July 11th, 2006
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1:28 pm - I'm not sure what I should feel.
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Syd Barret is dead.
current mood:  numb
current music: The Wall
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(comment on this)
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| Saturday, July 1st, 2006
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6:02 pm - Hmm...
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| Thursday, January 12th, 2006
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10:13 pm - Oh, my. This is WONDERFUL!
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| Sunday, January 1st, 2006
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8:31 pm - I'm hoping some of you who read this can help me...
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I'm asking for help from the people who read my Livejournal because I've managed to formulate a question which I cannot answer. I'm hoping one (or more) of you will have better success.
While at work today, I found myself tossing around various concepts, free-associating a bit, and eventually the process turned to analogies. I'm sure most of you understand the concept: A is to B as C is to D. Well, I managed to come up with one to which I either don't have the answer, or I can't bring it to mind.
? is to hedonist as sadist is to masochist.
For the life of me, I simply can't come up with a word that fits under that question mark. The closest I come is Heinlein's "water-brother", from Stranger in a Strange Land, but that concept is far too loose for what I have in mind.
By preference, I'd prefer to have the word in English; failing that, in some human language - non-fictional. Is this truly such a rare concept among human beings that a species which cannot help verbalizing any idea it can conceive doesn't have a word for it? Or have I simply not encountered such a word?
current mood: contemplative
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(5 comments | comment on this)
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| Saturday, December 10th, 2005
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1:44 am - Just got back in, and...
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I just got back in from seeing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with Beau Wolff, and I find I need to say this:
GO SEE THIS MOVIE! IF YOU ONLY SEE ONE MOVIE THIS YEAR, THIS NEEDS TO BE THE ONE!
*Ahem* Thank you all for excusing me for that outburst.
( Read more... )
current mood:  ecstatic
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(5 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, November 18th, 2005
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7:53 pm - Now, THIS is a good remake.
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Hey, does anyone remember that "All Your Base" movie that used to be so big? *Quickly ducks thrown objects* HEY! Some of those were squishy!
No, I'm not going to dredge up the original. But this is a very good remake of the concept, and well worth watching. (Even if it is somewhat long. Make sure you have about ten minutes free before starting it. It's not quite that long, but almost.)
The real beauty of it is that it appears to be almost completely redone: it looks like they did all-original animation work, and I'm certain they did at least the vocals. I'm reasonably sure they actually redid the music itself, too - at least, it sounds enough unlike the original that I don't think they did a kareoke remix. And I'm usually pretty good about stuff like that.
current mood: amused
current music: Click on the link - that's it...
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giggly
aggravated
