Gone Beering, etc.

This weekend (tomorrow) is the Winter Beer Fest, which I won't hesitate to say I'm pretty stoked about. Gonna make a long day/weekend out of it - breakfast/lunch/brunch, then schlep out to Lansing, sample beer all afternoon, hang out with Georgina, Stacey, Andre, (Pete & Wendy?), goof around in town, then crash in Lansing, sleep in, and eventually come home sometime on Sunday. Not a bad plan, if I say so myself.

Finally am making "the switch"... I put my TV away in the basement storage locker some months ago, but somehow neglected to discontinue cable service because it's also my ISP. Well, I ordered up the DSL, the modem came in the mail yesterday, I'm waiting for it to get activated, and then I'll be free of the crappy Comcast service once and for all. I'll admit, I really don't miss TV. Sure, it's fun to watch the Toob and all, but I haven't had a speck of withdrawl.

I've been ignoring movies out there in the world for a couple weeks - I got the annual membership to Michigan Theater a while back, but haven't used it as much as I expected... I think I'll go see Sweet Land tonight (hopefully it's not playing in the cramped screening room). Either that, or Breach.

Oh yeah, and maybe later I'll tell the story about how one of my neighbors threatened to kill me yesterday. That one's pretty interesting...

a little book you should read...

A tiny little book, with so many good bits in it: Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris. Written as an open letter from a philosopher atheist to the religious fundamentalists of the USA, it's something that's really worth your time whether you're a Christian, Muslim, Jew, atheist, pagan, neo-spiritualist, or whatever. Essentially, in its 91 easy-reading pages it makes a good case about the former benefits and current detriments of religion in modern society, and how it is not tenable to be neutral about religion anymore. There were many notable points, and I'll try not to quote the whole book:

pg 27: "One of the most pernicious effects of religion is that it tends to divorce morality from the reality of human and animal suffering... religion allows people to imagine that their concerns are moral when they are highly immoral... expend[ing] more "moral" energy opposing abortion than fighting genocide... preaching against condom use in sub-Saharan Africa while millions die from AIDS there each year"

pg 44: "Other analyses paint the same picture: the United States is unique among wealthy democracies in its level of religious adherence' it is also uniquely beleaguered by high rates of homicide, abortion, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and infant mortality...[Harris goes on with comparisons of percent-believers and crime/social disfunction in areas of the world and USA]... Of course, correlational data of this sort do not resolve questions of causality... however, these statistics prove that atheism is compatible with the basic aspirations of a civil society; they also prove, conclusively, that widespread belief in God does not ensure a society's health."

pg 18: "In assessing the moral wisdom of the Bible, it is useful to consider moral questions that have been solved to everyone's satisfaction. Consider the question of slavery. The entire world now agrees that slavery is an abomination... Consult the Bible, and you will discover that the creator of the universe clearly expects us to keep slaves: 'As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you... and they may be your property...' Leviticus 25:44-46"

Heck, I could go on and on - he makes many good points.

I've leave you with this: have a look at this book. If you don't want to spend the cash, see if your library has it. If they don't have it, ask them to get it.

Big Boom Bond

Went out to Bastone and The Magic Bag last night with Matt for eat, drink, and Casino Royale. (a bite, a beer, and a Bond). Was hoping to meet the Mysterious Megan, but was late to Matt's and missed her by about 5 minutes.

Bastone was tasty - I got their sampler to start with, and settled on the Dubbel afterwards - Dubbel was sweeter than other Dubbels, thicker on the tongue, and very dark. Belgian purists might take issue with it's Dubbel-ness, but it was tasty regardless. Their Pilsner was nice because it had some hoppiness to it (remarkable that I liked it, I generally HATE pilsners). The Wit was fairly standard - decent, but unremarkable (where's that killer Wit that I'm constantly searching for?), the Brown was drinkable but boring, and the IPA tasted like so many IPAs that are on the market now. Heavy hop, dry, tangy, blah blah blah. You know the drill. Food was pretty good, but in my hunger I gorged myself by having the truffled mac-n-cheese "entree" as an appetizer (on what fucking planet is mac-n-cheese legitimately an entree?), and then the pork mediallions. The actual cut of pork was ridiculous. Thin, tasteless, pasty colored with thin beige pseudo-gravy. The only thin that saved it was everything else on the plate - this au gratin potato lasagna thing, the apple/nut stuff over the pork, and the pea pod/leafy greens on the side.

(hey Bastone! why the hell don't you have a website that's easy to find? And since you apparently own Grizzly Peak too, what's the deal with there not being a GP site either? Is it some sort of protest thing?)

Heading over to Magic Bag for their Brew-n-View night - was only $2.00 to get in, so that's a good movie deal, but the $6 for the 11 oz. bottle of Guiness was ridiculous. Did I tip the bartenders? You bet your ass I didn't. $6 bottle? Kiss my ass. I'll buy your rip-off because I want it, but don't think I care what you think about me personally because I didn't tip you. Next time I'm bringing my own drink in with me.

Reflections on The New Bond:
- Definitely a change from previous Bonds, and the discontinuity in the storyline from previous 007 movies apparently even has a name... they call it a reboot.
- I miss the more refined intellectual and suave Bonds of Connery, Brosnan, and Dalton. Craig is more of a brute - the shaved bulging pecs and knobby nose, jumping from one construction crane to the next, I was half-expecting John Woo to have directed it.
- The gunbarrel sequence at the opening was a bummer. Usually there's more sex and less violence. I guess it goes with the new BoomLand Bond. Blow things up instead of seducing them.
- The 20 minute Texas-holdem sequence I could have done without. What happened to Baccarat? We've all seen the "I can see his tell now, he's bluffing, I'm all-in" stare-down on TV. Don't need to see it in a movie, and it was a waste of screen time. Easy to write dialog for though...
- Some good sexual one-liners along the way that I'm sure will work their way into day-to-day life, including: "Don't worry, you're not my type." "What type is that?" "Single."
- It was disappointing that they really neglected the "ooh, James..." breathy declaration by the love-interest (as they fade off the screen into some sexual escapade) that is so iconic of Bond flicks. The interaction/role of the women in this one is definitely a shift as well. At least they didn't show any female nipple - as fond of on-screen fem-nipple as I am, it wouldn't have been out of character for a Bond movie.

And lastly, not exactly movie-related, but... as Bond is seducing/rolling around on the floor with the mega-millionaire evil villain's wife in order to get info out of her, it occurs to me: No matter how rich and exotic someone is, the sex they have doesn't scale with the "size" of their life. Bill Gates doesn't have $10 billion sex, and neither does Paris Hilton or Nicolas Cage or the late Anna Nicole Smith. They might squeak out 4-5 orgasms a night, but they're orgasms just like the ones you and I have. Grim-faced silence, soft fluffy clouds, or sweaty thrashing screamers, the accessibility of the spectrum of orgasmic capacity is, in our celebrity-worshipping society, a fairly humanizing and leveling notion.

your local adult literacy program

... something that I got involved in recently that I'm going to shamelessly put in a plug for: Adult Literacy. When you shop around for community organizations that in need of volunteers to make a difference in other people's lives, what you discover is that adult literacy programs are almost always in need of people to help out. In a county where 27,000 residents have low literacy skills, there's a lot of folks that might have trouble reading this. So if you're so inclined, think about helping someone out - imagine what it would be like without basic literacy (reading signs, filling out job applications, etc.). Even if you're not into tutoring, there's fundraising, advocacy, etc. etc.

If you're in Washtenaw County, there's Washtenaw Literacy, where they have both basic literacy and ESL programs. If you're somewhere else, call your local library - I'm sure they'll know how to get in touch with a program in your area that needs volunteers.

doom and gloom reminder

I was reminded of a friend's birthday today (reminded by someone else remembering it and me having forgotten it) when I wondered "why don't I have birthday reminders in my Treo? That would actually make sense, seeing as how it's a calendaring device..." So I set about figuring this out, and for some reason I have birthdays attached to he addresses of people, instead of attached to days. Weird, yes, but that's because as I migrate data around, I consider data about people sacred and data about days gone past expendable (if I'm going to save something, it's more likely to be addresses than calendars)

So the revelation in all of this is that I'm putting birthdays in the calendar as well, I set an alarm for two weeks before (to remember to get a gift/card), and then check the "repeat" box.

Repeat how often? Why... yearly, of course. Repeat until?

"no end date" doesn't seem right - no one is immortal. But if I pick a date, that suggests a time after which it won't matter - either the end of their life, my life, or my caring about their birthday. I realize that my Treo doesn't have The Power of Life and Death, but it was kind of a weird moment. How long does this matter? And if I choose No End Date, does that subconsciously affect how I perceive our friendship?

I used to say that I overthink things. But since I heard it said of me last night, I'm much more prefering "He's got quite the busy mind, eh??" [you have to say that while rolling your eyes (crazy-eyes) a little]

The Tin Man

If you're into the podcasts or other forms of interesting sounding radio/audio, you might want to check out The Tin Man story. (Heck, even if you're not into radio, you might find it fun. For other interesting stuff, be sure to check out lots of other stuff from our friends at the Third Coast International Audio Festival) Sure, the Tin Man story is a little heavy-handed with it's anti-corporation-we're-all-slaves-to-The-Man message, but along the way, the use/abuse of the Oz metaphor is hilarious, the voices are great, and the audio is entertaining. Think... StrongBad/HomeStarrRunner meets Wizard of Oz, meets Conspiracy Theorists, LLC.

rumors of ordinances

I heard a while back that Flint, MI tightened up their truancy laws in the city - that kids picked up by the police who were supposed to be in school (and presumably are making trouble) would have to be picked up by their parents within 3 hours of the parents being notified, and that not picking them up would be a misdemeanor/ticket/fine for the parents.

I don't presume to know how to deal with juvenile crime or issues of family law or custody or parenting or any of that whole thing, but I can't help think that this generally a good thing for the community.

It might be inconvenient to be pulled out of work, it might be a financial burden to have to pay a ticket, and it might be embarrassing. But the bigger question is: why is your child not in school? If they live in your home, should be in school, but are out getting arrested instead, you should be held accountable for their misbehavior. (runaways are a different issue, but that's not what I'm talking about here)

Mind your children, or don't have them.

tonguing the popcorn

A confession - I find huge pleasure tonguing dry popcorn. Say it loud, say it proud...

I tongue the popcorn.

When it's so fresh and dry that it squeaks, all you need to do is touch your tongue to it and leaps out of your hand. Like a frog grabbing a fly. Like Lucien's fondness for endives in Amelie, entertainment/joy had in the simplest of things.

thought from "A Closer Walk"

A while back, I caught a screening of a film called A Closer Walk (ACW). I was part of a year-long event called "Ann Arbor/Ypsi Reads" where a topic is chosen, and throughout the year, various events are planned around that book/theme. This movie goes around the world, showing how HIV/AIDS is affecting the world on different levels - the lives and various struggles and accomplishments of those living with the disease, the families/communities/orphans left behind by those that succumb, and those that are working to effect change.

So with that introduction, I bring you the reactions/responses I had during the movie. (Yes, I take notes sometimes while watching movies) To wit...

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Sorrow/sympathy for the children affected by the disease?

I don't particularly care about the children.

I DO feel sorrow/sympathy for anyone that suffers so. Their age is irrelevant.

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I despise people who use children as weapons and resent that one might think it an effective rhetorical tool.

Not talking about child soldiers here, or even loading up a catapult and using them as projectiles. Talking about the ubiquitous "it's for the children" pulling on the heart strings, as if that gives free reign to say/do whatever outrageous thing you want as long as it's "for the children". (increasing the nuclear stockpile to protect our children's freedom, for example)

On the TV news, you can hear it in the description of the escaped fugitive being brought in, and how he is cooperating with authorities now that he got caught again because "he just wants to see his children before going back to jail". Well, if his children are so important to him, maybe he should have avoided jail in the first place... and even if he was wrongfully convicted and is a victim of the system, maybe he should have thought of his children before his escape attempt guaranteed his ineligibility for early release.

In ACW we meet a woman living with HIV/AIDS, her husband having died a year ago, and along the way you hear about crushing poverty and famine on top of the disease, and how her story is especially tragic because she'll leave her 4 children orphaned. She has this symptom... she has that symptom... she has 4 children. Maybe along the way, in a perpetually drought/famine-ridden area, when you have 3 children, a 4th might be a BAD IDEA. Or when you have 2, a 3rd might be a bad idea. And for stupid honkies in rich countries... when you have 5 children, having a 6th or 7th is a bad idea too. Don't complain about being strapped for cash constantly when you had all the fun breeding but couldn't be bothered to use a condom.

Why do people just ignore this and fail to connect this notion of over-population with strain on resources to feed that population? There are 6 billion people in the world. If you can't feed your kids, STOP HAVING MORE OF THEM. Yes, this will interfere with your god-given right to breed like bunnies, but if you exercise that god-given right recklessly, then you are assured of the god-given privilege of watching them starve and die if a drought comes.

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I get choked up/teared up by the tragedy of suffering of so many who are often powerless to protect themselves. But what have I done about it? Did I just go to a movie, have a weepy moment, and that's it? What's the point if that's all...

What's the point of all the little red ribbons that are such fashionable accessories? "Oh, I think I'll put on my Compassion Accessory to go out to the club tonight..."

Awareness is a start. Knowledge is the next step. Talk follows. But it's Action that's the place where it becomes real instead of just a warm feeling. I'm not an HIV/AIDS activist and don't plan to become one just because I saw a movie, but I think the progression applies to anything that you think you care about.

What-you-do carries more weight than what-you-think.

inability to disengage

Friendships, complexity, and conversational moments out of their original context, along with my critical nature, tendency to over-analyze, and penchant for rage-filled fantasy have conspired to lock me in an uncontrolled self-sustaining slide down the mental highway of my Monday night.

Yes, I talk in metaphor. Yes, it's code. No, it's not for you necessarily to understand. Yes, I just need to get this out of my head somehow. Yes, I've tried other things that haven't worked. No, it's not about you. (well, not likely to be about you. And no, I won't confirm or deny whether it actually is you or not.)

I can't get my head disengaged from this irrational anger and rage-filled fantasy. I'm trying to find a solution to what would normally be "just" a disagreement, or a difference of opinion, or an incompatability of personalities. If I didn't have years invested in what I THOUGHT was an actual friendship, I'd find it much easier to just chalk it up to another waste of a human being and cut my losses and walk away (potentially after some sort of public spectacle or angry outburst involving the throwing of glassware, slamming of tables, or destruction of furniture).

The problem is that a simple straightforward conflict is a losing proposition here. Passive-aggressive manipulators thrive on that kind of shit (and that's at least 1/3 of the issue), so responding with honest thought/emotion is pointless. And passive-aggressive manipulators have always been the most despised people to me. Like salesmen and other frauds, they have only their own gain in mind, and don't seem to see or care about what they're doing/saying. I can only imagine that the best-intentioned of them (and potentially forgivable, given time) simply don't understand what they're saying/doing. The worst of them are cruel pricks who, if they aren't exceedingly careful, will one day make a mistake where someone with less self-restraint than I takes their bullshit very very personally.

Maybe I've been watching too much of The Sopranos the past couple of days... the notion of making problems simply... disappear... through physical action seems to be the fantasy trump card on mind games of betrayal. Nobody can play mind games on Tony Soprano after they've been introduced to the business end of a wood chipper, right? Yes, this is only fantasy. It's only TV. But when desire for solution meets intractable problem, that's when the weird spurs of thought start to draw in fantastical elements... what would happen if I actually started throwing glassware? How would that conversation end? What if instead I just walked out and severed that connection, never speaking or listening again, giving only silence forever after?

The problem is, that's not my style. Direct. Head-on. Right here, deal with this now, while I'm standing here. Not behind my back or with the cover of your friends in public. I'm standing here and can say what I think, even when there's no cheering section... where's YOUR backbone? You're just another mealy-mouthed pussy. Cajole someone in private, but mock them in public? Here's hoping your karma gets you gang-raped by roving bands of post-apocalyptic mutant lepers, you sick fuck.

cheese-rolling inuries

Who would have thought events involving cow's milk cheese could cause injury? Things like that never happen in the only other cheese-associated pastime I know of. I feel like I'm missing out.

"you gonna pull those pistols, or whistle dixie?"

I've found a new appreciation for the Western as movie... I'm not sayin' they're my new-found joy or anything, but there's some subtlety in places I didn't expect. Of course, I could be reading into the dialog and seeing something that's not there, but in most movies (and particularly in Westerns where the dialog is sparse), scenes don't happen by accident. They have to consciously be put there, like the scene in The Outlaw Josie Wales after Josie and Lone Watie are galloping out of a Texas town where they just shot down 4 men. They slow their horses, and a brief conversation follows:

- Lone Watie: I noticed when you get to disliking someone, they ain't around fer long neither. How did you know which one was going to shoot first?
- Josie Wales: Well, that one in the center, he had a flap holster and he was in no itchin' hurry. And that one second from the left - he had scared eyes, He wasn't gonna do nothin'. But that one on the far left, he had crazy eyes. Figured him to make the first move.
- LW: How 'bout the one on the right?
- JW: [thinks for a second, spits at a scorpion] Never paid him no mind. You were there.
- LW: [as they ride off into the landscape, after a pause] I could've missed.

And in that pause and those three words "you were there," he communicates a notion that seems to be conveyed best in a Western with sparse dialog and squinting towards a vast landscape: they only met weeks ago, but Josie trusts him with his life. He didn't even have to think about it at the time of gunplay - he just knew that Lone Watie had his back. So much so that he didn't have to think about it. At the time LW asked, he even had to think back about why he didn't have to worry about the man on the right. JW says this to LW, communicating his friendship and trust indirectly, as in all Westerns (and lots of other "guy movie" genres). That he already knew LW would be there, and that LW wouldn't have missed because JW is confident in LW's steady aim - showing his confidence and trust yet again. In Clint Eastwood's trademark squint, there's almost a smile there, and if it weren't a Western, the ol' "punch on the shoulder" among friends would fit right into the scene there.

Found... and constructed

"The Napkins" - now they live In The World. Just think of it as a little bit of urban anthropology... a one-time single episode of Found Magazine. Notes scrawled on napkins found in a bar, long after the band has packed up and the stale beer has been sloshed into the alley. Are they all the same conversation? Are they all the same people? We can see 5 different people by the handwriting. But who is it? And what are they talking about? It seems to have been important enough at the time, or are they just treasured because the voyeur in each of us wants to see, to snoop in the medicine cabinet, rifle through the dresser drawer without getting caught.

Why? Who? What?

Read what you want into it. Make your own story. Exercise your fanatasy muscles. Make them fit your need for art and ephemera.