Interesting column by David Broder at WashingtonPost.com.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/29/AR2005062902587.html


THE PRICE OF PUBLIC TV'S WIN
The victory that public television won last week when the House restored the committee-mandated 25 percent cut in its funds came at a price. That price will be paid, as is so often the case in today's Washington, by the people who depend on government help for essential health care and education and job-training services.

Walked 11,332 steps/ 8.49 kilometers.

Brenna is doing well. I will be taking her to work on Friday. She shows very little interest in Salvador. She tries to interact with Gigi, my father-in-law's blind and deaf 18 year old toy poodle, with little success.

I need to take some pictures. I need to get her a toy.

Where does the time go?

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
Linda bebop
hebe Linda Causey clergymen
Pancras Bellamy
into some clever
But drive it exalt boo

Walked 8,383 steps/ 6.28 kilometers.

My father-in-law arrived safely.

The foster dog is a female French Bulldog named Brenna. She is real sweet and is laying under my desk at the moment.

I'll post pictures soon.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
Have leave my repository frivolity
bruegel Linda Causey corrugate
on see at spartan
connect with and
controllable mind
you put to uncolored racket
Causey consanguine
My stand he cowling
Platen B. Saroyan

Walked 12,432 steps/ 9.32 kilometers.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
My stand he cowling
Platen B. Saroyan
Absolutely nothing to regret

My father-in-law is coming to live with us for a while.

Tommorrow I pick up my first foster dog.

This week's book:


The Superhero Handbook

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
It sing or launch
He hear be shot
Amado H. Lifetime
My eat he multitudinous
It write of rushlight diminutive

I did a bad thing today.

I bought some sushi from the grocery store. I went home and put the sushi on a plate, along with the ginger, soy sauce and wasabi. Before preparing lunch I let Salvador out of his cage. He flew to the counter and started chatting to his true love, the toaster. Sal did not appreciate me preparing my lunch on the same counter. He was curious and sniffed my lunch but then went back to the toaster.

I got a bit of wasabi on my finger so I put that finger toward Salvador. He bit it and got a taste of wasabi. He shook his head several times, then rubbed his tongue on the counter and huddled by the toaster.

That was mean but I did it two more times. Now Sal won't let me pet him. After the third time I gave him a taste of wasabi, he ran away when I offered to pet him. Hopefully, he will have forgiven me by tomorrow.

I know it was mean but it was still funny.

Right now Salvador is playing around in a cubby hole.

This week I ran 17.21 miles, burned 2,085.5 calories and weigh 159 pounds.

Yesterday I walked 13,167 steps/ 9.87 kilometers.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
Great Sex Pills cutoff
curia consternate
kuhn aural
so fly by stoppage sake
so type as czech spotter
it have no comeback mildly
A cancel so macadam
Is clean on rumpus buttonhook
And run or gigantic kuomintang
being
ahmadinejad
Disguise F. What
He buy be love
A shut he unity

I like the rush I get when eating wasabi. Yow!

Cox sucks. Cox internet. The damn high speed connection has been crawling at night or only one of us can get online.

Time to call Cox and remind them that we are paying for two IPs. Periodically, Cox forgets and only allots one IP and we call tech support and they look at our account and discover, "wow, you are paying for two IPs".

Yes, yes we are. So why can't both of us get online.

Because, we at Cox internet are absolute morons and as stupid people it is our duty to inconvenience the customers from time to time. Especially loyal customers who have been paying for two IPs for over six years. Actually, the truth is we at Cox internet are terribly lonely and from time to time screw things up just so that you will call and we gain the privilege of hearing your lovely voice. The slight southern drawl is a real turn on. Anyhow, since you have graced our lives with your voice, your second IP is now up and as an apology for our screw up we will alter your bill to reflect the days that you only had one IP. Oh and please come by our offices between 8:00 am and 10:00 pm and give each of us the bitch slapping we so richly deserve.

[REALITY!]

Sorry, I drifted off to fantasy land.

Actually what happens is that one of us calls. Tech support discovers that we are paying for two IPs and does whatever is necessary to get the second IP back. The tech is informed that both of our computers now have access. He is thanked and the call is ended. Repeat every 9 - 12 months.

Our bill is never altered to reflect the lack of service but as middle class Americans we have been conditioned to accept regular [insert vulgar and violent sexual imagery here] from corporations and government. It is the price we pay for the privilege of living in the United States. It is reflection of God's blessings that me and family do not get ass-raped as often and as hard as other people whom God, for whatever reason, does not seem care about as much.

---------------------------

My god, it is amazing what not being able to access the internet inspires. Irritation at a slow/ non-existent internet connection to cynicism about a fundamental belief held by many Americans.

This thing has taken a good portion of my life. Not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.

The boring bit: walked 7,903 steps/ 5.92 kilometers.

Walked 10,200 steps/ 7.65 kilometers.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
And clean at recognition harassment
know what kind
Of fill is noteriety
stingy goddess
bittersweet Causey chili
Tinkered O. Grubbiest

Walked 8,867 steps/ 6.65 kilometers.

Damn, my FTP connection is running slow. I've made tea, talked to my father-in-law, took out my contacts and the darn thing is still uploading. All connections have been slow tonight. High speed, indeed.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
alison Linda
Agar Hashemi ra be Ahmadinejad tarjih midahid:
That reply do effendi grandfather
by know so formica
Confidential fashion store nautilus

I received this e-mail from a clueless person:
I have a Lady Kenmore Heavy Duty Dryer and the plastic vent that stores the lint is broken. Can I order a replacement part?

I only have a website mocking the 1971 Sears Catalog. I know it is number 2 on Google but upon visiting the website it should be very clear that I do not sell Sears products.

My damn file still isn't finished uploading!

Walked 10,345 steps/ 7.75 kilometers.

More from Salvador:
.322222222222222222222222222222
222222222222222222222222222222
222222222222222222222222222222
222222222222222222222222222222
22222222222222222222222w3a3333
333333333333333333333333333333
333333333333333333-
1333333333333333334333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333334qew433
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
333333333333333333333wss3333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333
333333333333333333333w333333333
33333333334eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee35rrrr
ttvc.k.jjjjjjjhggggggggggggggggggggggggg
ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
gggggggggggggggggggggggggggg6

He also opened the help file and search and replace.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
his study a future
overwhelmingly important statement
Have need so powerful yam
his draw do fitting cramp
an take of dude

This week's book:

Patrick the Wolf Boy, Volume 3

This is what happens when a cockatiel runs amok on your keyboard, with a word document open, while you are away:

.m;6444422222222222222222222222222222222222222
2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222
2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222
2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222
2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222
2222222222222222222222222222222` mmfx dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd22
222222223`5555555555555455FD66Y733333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333RBKILL

Walter added the KILL to mess with me. The rest was typed by Salvador. Sal managed to engage the Caps Lock.

Salvador likes the number 3.

3 is the magic number.

This week I ran 9.35 miles, burned 1,156.3 calories and weigh 157.8 pounds.

I did not run today because I was visiting my father for Father's Day. He informed me that he came across my blog while doing a Google search on my great(2) grandfather. It is number two after MSN movies: biographies of George Custer and Richard Simmons. I was surprised but not too distressed since I try to keep the promise of this blog's second tagline (The world's most boring blog) and avoid writing negative things about my family. I really don't have anything negative to write about my family even if I was inclined to do so. Compared to the trainwrecks I have read about on the internet - they are great. Actually, they are great without the comparison.

If I wanted to write a blog griping about my family I would do it over at My Space or Xanga and pretend to be 16 years old. I would also make up another family.

I couldn't pull off the act because I've replaced most of my memories of 16 with useless pop culture trivia and keyboard shortcuts. All that is left is embarrassment about my younger self.

I love my family, especially my sister Sheeniqua.

A couple of nights ago, I was checking where my visitors were coming from and who is using my clip art and cartoons and found that My Space is being invaded by "old people". Or at least old by My Space standards. 28 is quite elderly over at My Space.

Actually, I think it would be more fun writing a blog at My Space posing as an 80 year old woman. Have Glen Miller as my background music and pictures of Cary Grant, Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart decorating my blog. Write a few rants to rattle the kids.

I do have plenty of better things to do in my real life than to set up a pretend life.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
Confidence is back (2)
Be moeen ray bedah...
Not allow be wifely mineral
capetown Causey
civil Linda Causey eyed
Linda, Stop Working So Hard (4)
As open be cardsharp phallic
As need do operate

I'm going to take the advice of my spam and go relax on the couch.

Walked 12,615 steps/ 9.46 kilometers.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
Make this email make a difference for you boat
Suprise for your woman...
kay Linda pow
visceral
Linda penultimate
Odis F. Khan - detach Linda dnieper
Linda Causey corcoran
Linda Causey episodic
glean
Drily P. Bifocals
on borrow it court spent
With have a western
textron Linda
Great Sex Pills archangel
look through the letter - more pleasure
Great Sex Pills poach
bohr
Intimacy is a vital part of any union.
My cancel in commonplace herbaceous
Be smoke an hove
He learn a hasty
infancy Causey boyar
Is worry to attune salacity
Of comb in spasm
it live so dutiful
United lac States
was work in convalescent

My deleted items folder is empty.

Walked 5,617 steps/ 4.21 kilometers.

Went to a very enjoyable and productive meeting. I hope the rest of my meetings are like this.

Walked 11,226 steps/ 8.41 kilometers.

People from Woodstock visited the house. We signed the paperwork and now we wait for a foster dog. This should be exciting.

Got most of my information transfered from the IIIe to the Zire. I haven't installed the software for the Zire yet. I hope to be able to simply transfer the rest of the information electronically.

I like the Zire.

Now I have to get something for Walter for Father's Day. The gift will be from Salvador.

Walked 7,109 steps/ 5.33 kilometers.

The church board meeting went well. A lot was accomplished and there was cheesecake.

Walter bought me a new Palm Zire. I can draw. Now I just have to transfer the information from my IIIe to the Zire. This should be interesting.

Walked 9,941 steps/ 7.45 kilometers.

I am attempting to cut out caffeine after 6:00 pm. Hopefully, this will help me sleep better. It has been two days since I decided to do this.

Goofy spam names and Zen koans:
rectangular Linda Causey shipyard
so bring my suicide labor
A Moral Jones - Citizens declare WAR on Porn being delivered to children, and were going to WIN
everyday Causey
pay attention to the message - longer longer longer
her try by thermosetting
Veronica said leave tomorrow
Linda Causey taxiway
Or tell the bass

*YAWN*

This week's book:


Gutsman

Spam Zen koans:
As swim no cardsharp secondary
hop California born and raised, Cami is an excellent pole smoker.
analytic Linda Causey armpit

This week I ran 16.38 miles, burned 2,020.2 calories and weigh 157.8 pounds.

Salvador has been in an exceptionally bitchy mood today. He has done nothing but scream. He screams in his cage. He screams outside of his cage. He screams on his box. He preens a little then he screams some more. Look at him and he screams. Ignore him and he screams.

Walter has come home. Sal has stopped screaming. He is now exploring a shelf where is not suppossed to be. At least he is quiet.

Spam Zen koans:
No start so showpiece
As in use verisimilitude bamboozle

Now I will get my freak on.

Walked 12,785 steps/ 9.58 kilometers.

Goofy spam names:
Collied M. Mismanage
Malaysians P. Seraphim
Disenfranchised H. Markups
Geranium U. Reykjavik

I'm tired.

*YAWN*

Scored 51 points on this 80's music quiz.

Walked 8,454 steps/ 6.34 kilometers.

I successfully fried fish for dinner tonight. This was my first attempt. I used Zatarain's Southern Style Fish Fry as a breading.

There is still plenty of fish in the freezer. At least 5 more meals worth.

Glub glub.

Walked 9,798 steps/ 7.34 kilometers yesterday.

Watched "Big Fish" last night. It was a good movie. It is amazing that Englishmen, Albert Finney and Ewan MacGregor can do good southern accents but American Danny DeVito could not. Steve Buscemi was able to pull off a decent Alabama drawl.

I'll have to check the IMDB to find out more about the actress that looked like a young Jessica Lange and the actor that played Carl the giant.

Walter and I both noticed that Albert Finney, in this movie, looks a lot like William Shatner.

Before watching Big Fish, we were watching a special on Animal Planet about cartoon animals. Like every special about American animation this special went on and on about the cleverness and wit of the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.

News Flash: The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show is not that clever or witty. Maybe it was clever and witty compared to Hanna-Barbara's TV toons but that is not saying much.

It was poorly drawn. Why there are people still lifting up this waste of celluloid, I do not understand. Rocky and Bullwinkle does not reverberate through mass consciousness like the Looney Tunes or even Scooby Doo.

Who can sit through a Wagnerian opera or the Barber of Seville without suppressing the urge to sing along using the Bugs Bunny lyrics? Or watch Star Trek VI on TV and wonder if they are going to use the Scooby Doo ending?

It is not for lack of trying that I do not understand why Rocky and Bullwinkle is uplifted by certain people. I've made attempts to appreciate this cartoon at various stages in my life. Every time I come away thinking, "This is crap. What is the big deal?" It has nothing to do with dated references - I get the dated humor in Laugh In and Get Smart and still find it funny. I can get some of the even older references in WWII Looney Tunes and still find them amusing.

Maybe Rocky and Bullwinkle was something great in its period but unlike other cartoons cannot transcend it. Rocky and Bullwinkle must be one of those "you had to be there" cartoons. Unfortunately, a lot of people were there and they are making the rest of us suffer by going on and on about the so-called genius of this cartoon and failing to realize that while it was an enjoyable part of their childhood, it was a cheaply drawn diversion between commercials - hell - it had commercials right in the cartoon. Not everything from the Baby Boom childhood was great. Most of it was a crass attempt to sell things. Nothing magical. Just Madison Avenue.

Hong Kong Phooey was one of my favorite cartoons as a kid. Had a cool theme song, Scatman Crothers, a striped cat named Spot and some funny gags. It was a great part of my childhood and others my age enjoyed too. But it was also cheaply drawn and through an adult's eyes the gags are stupid. The show evokes happy memories and feelings and Sublime's version of the theme song is great but I have no illusions about Hong Kong Phooey. It was cheaply drawn diversion between commercials. Nothing more. I do not attempt convince others outside my age group and culture otherwise.

That trick never works.

Walked 7,071 steps/ 5.30 kilometers.

A shout out to Bozeman, Montana for having the most amusing police reports I've ever read.

http://www.math.montana.edu/~jobo/police/index.html

Cows at large. Scary stuff.

Walked 11,176 steps/ 8.38 kilometers.


The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

The Unitarian Jihad

On the way to church, yesterday, Walter and I listened to a preacher on the radio. The preacher bellowed that in his life he found that the good things that happened to him are because God is in his life and that the bad things that happened to him are because he was in his life. The preacher demanded an amen but did not receive one. I suppose even the excitement of the moment could not cloud the thinking of the congregation.

What kind of screwed up theology was the preacher preaching? Let God control your life and good things will happen - take control of your life and bad things will happen. Did this man stop and think just how fucked up that is before writing the sermon? In the preacher's defense, he did qualify that by referring to his own life. The preacher has had a truly blessed life so far if he is able to give credit to God for the good and blame himself for the bad. Maybe this man has not experienced anything truly horrible.

I pray that this preacher does not experience anything truly horrible. It might shake his faith or perhaps on the other side of the suffering he becomes a better minister but I do not want to wish suffering on anyone. That would be a bit presumptuous on my part anyway. The preacher might call the suffering part of God's plan (even though it is your fault for attempting to control your life). I suppose that is one way to avoid despair. Not too comforting.

What truly amazes me is that churches with preachers that preach the sort of theology that gives glory to God for the good and places blame for individual suffering on the individual are growing. Perhaps the whole thing is a bit more nuanced once one gets past the bellowing, charismatic preacher.

Church is about personal growth and community. Church should be the last place to find condemnation. There is no condemnation in the Unitarian - Universalist faith but yet it is not growing as fast as the religions that are more strident about the cause of personal suffering. I guess it is part of human nature to be challenged to face whatever demands life throws in our way. Even the artificial demands of dogma.

Contrary to popular belief, the creedless faith of Unitarian - Universalism does make demands of its adherents. Other religions have the advantage of clear, but sometimes confusing and contradictory, instructions in meeting the demands of faith and facing the questions of existence. Contradictions and confusion can be cleared through more prayer, more faith or just simply trusting God and stop thinking and asking questions. Unitarian - Universalism refuses to accept those prescriptions or the assumption that those prescriptions will work for everyone. The demanding part of Unitarian - Universalism is being able to accept the idea that your truth and spiritual path may not work for someone else and still be able to live in community with that person whose truth is quite different from your own. It is not as easy as it sounds given humanity's demand for conformity.

Here is the evangelism bit: visit http://www.uua.org to learn more about Unitarian - Universalism and why our faith's name is so damn long.

Yesterday walked 12,703 steps/ 9.52 kilometers.

This week ran 14.75 miles, burned 1,799.8 calories and weigh 159.5 pounds. So far this year have ran 309.8 miles.

I received my book and DVD from the Dallas White Rock Marathon. I flipped through the book but have not watched the DVD.

Walked 10,600 steps/ 7.95 kilometers.

About the mime cartoons: I don't know, I thought of several mime gags and decided to draw them all. Actually, there are only 4 mime gags for now.

When I was 9 years old, I wanted to be a mime when I grew up. It was the 1970's and mimes had their own TV show. The whole thing looked cool to me. That phase lasted 3 months.

What ever happened to Shields and Yarnell?

Walked 11,824 steps/ 8.86 kilometers.

I had a bit of free floating frustration today. It was stimulated by the revelation about Deep Throat and the Watergate flashbacks. I found it annoying that Watergate is revisited while greater crimes go virtually unreported. Crimes that do not require a Deep Throat to guide reporters.

I will be posting multi-panel comics as I finish them. I'm behind schedule on those. I've got one on the scanner and have started drawing another one.

I got a conversation started which lead to narrowing things down so that a decision can be made sooner.

Deep Throat has been revealed and the news is all about Watergate. The media wonders if another scandal on the magnitude of Watergate could happen again.

I had to laugh when that question came up. 1,600 and counting dead Americans and several thousand Iraqis killed based on lies. The justification for invading Iraq was based on lies. The US media does not question anything the administration says and when the falsehoods are exposed only offer weak apologies and empty promises to do better next time.

This is bigger than Watergate. Although, it is not quite as important as the results of the Michael Jackson trial.

The media will relive the glory of exposing Nixon's crimes 30 years ago while ignoring the greater crimes of the current president and his men.

This Watergate thing reminds me of the Unitarian - Universalist movement. Every Sunday near Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday UU ministers and publications talk about the participation of UUs in marches and those who have died for the cause in the 1960's. We celebrate the lives and sacrifices of those brave UUs. I am struck by their bravery but leave the service wondering what have we done since. Nobody talks about that. I'm afraid of the answer I might find.

Even my local church celebrates the brave acts of its members performed during the Vietnam War. I'm left to wonder about the relevance of our religious movement as a force for societal change when all we do is look at our past. I enjoy history as much as anyone but it is time to leave the battles of 1960's and 1970's.

I don't know. It just seems to me that our UU movement is being led by a bunch of fogeys that only want to relive the past and bore to tears a growing segment of our denomination with their stories of past glory.

I'm having trouble articulating my frustration. I don't know if the frustration is with society at large, the UUA, my local church or with myself at my own indifference. At least the fogeys have stories to tell.

I'm sure someone will correct me in regards to the actions of UUs beyond the 1960's. I should look for myself without fear of the answers and whether those answers will only fuel my frustration.

This is not as easy at it looks.