NaNoWriMo

Just over 13 hours to go and only a hair over 3/4 done. Doesn't look like I'll make it this year. But I have a good excuse. Still sucks. And I'm still tryin'.

I had no idea we were doing this

Good God, is there anything we (the U.S.) can touch without turning it to shit? I'm with Sir Edmund; this pisses me off.

Yes, we are all individuals! (I'm not!)

OK, I'll join the club. Eerily accurate, really.

From http://hokev.brinkster.net/quiz/default.asp :

eXpressive: 5/10
Practical: 5/10
Physical: 7/10
Giver: 4/10

You are a RPYT--Reserved Practical Physical Taker. This makes you a Stoic.

You are intelligent, rugged, disciplined and profound. Even if you're saddled with a desk job, you are starving for the outdoors. You are very slow to warm up to people, and people are slow to warm up to you, but once they know you they never forget you.

You do not get much attention from your target sex, and this means you can feel unloved or unwanted. This is not the case! You are just a hard nut to crack, and your social anxiety leaves you overlooked or outside the frame altogether. What is good for you is increments of low-interaction group activity, like sports or outdoor work. The person who can chop wood with you will melt your heart.

In a long term relationship, you are loving and devoted. You are calm in a conflict until your partner presses your buttons -- it's never the problem at hand that gets under your skin, but how your partner handles it. Don't take offense! Sometimes it's just the only way your partner knows how to express things.

You would never cheat, and your approach to sex is conventional and almost prudish. But sex for you is a release and a necessity of life, and you have a sense of entitlement about it that can be trouble. Make sure your partner is comfortable and satisfied -- by communicating both in and out of the bedroom -- and you will be more satisfied yourself.

You may take a lot of what your partner does for granted. Make a special effort to reward and validate him/her, and you will be repaid in spades.

You have nice legs.

Of the 158671 people who have taken this quiz, 4.1 % are this type.

Mandate, my ass

Random blog

Poking around blogshares, I happened across this blog. The right politics, generally pretty good taste in music and hot as all get out! I find it very readable, anyway. Your mileage may vary.

Revising history

My goodness, some people have poles up their butts. How exactly do you get standing to sue on behalf of Alexander the Great, anyway?

One thing I learned in PR is that when you have to deny something or refute allegations, you have to reject the original premise and recast the language. The reason for this? When you say "It's not about the money," or "It's not about the price of a gallon of gas," or "I did not have sexual relations with that woman ...", nobody hears the 'not', at least not in any lasting way. So what they're left with is "It's about the money," "It's about the price of a gallon of gas," and "I had sexual relations with that woman ..."

In that light then, ponder this quote from the lead lawyer in the case: " 'We are not saying that we are against gays,' Yannis Varnakos, the lawyer leading the campaign, is reported as saying. 'But we are saying that the production company should make it clear that the film is pure fiction and not a true depiction of the life of Alexander.'"

Um, is there anyone based in reality who can deny, with a straight face [pardon the pun] that Alexander had a thing for the boys? I mean, come on! It was a normal part of Greek society at that time. What's so fricking scandalous about complying with societal norms?

Macchiavelli would be proud.

So here's my take on this whole deal about the House spiking the adoption of the 9/11 Commission-recommended reforms.

The Republican Party owns everything. If there's something they want to do, they do it. Likewise, if the President (or, more properly, the administration) wants something done, it should be no difficult matter making it happen. Why, then, Bush's public handwringing over this issue. "But I wanted it! It was a good idea! Waaah!"

Quite simple.

He doesn't want it. Never did, never has, never will.

But this way, he can make it look to the public as if he was a good guy, because the public generally wants the reforms. And he can kill it.

Now that everyone reads from the same script, such things are easy. They can manufacture struggles, controversies, etc., to manipulate public opinion. It all goes back to 1984 ... not to mention Brazil.

What's the alternative? That the administration has no influence with the legislators from its own party? This is almost worse. It turns the stomach.

Another bipolar NaNoMoment

After all my whinging this morning, I made good progress today ...

Best. NaNoDay. Ever!

4,090 words, besting any previous day this month and, I believe, topping anything I did last year. That said, according to the original pace I should have hit 30,000 words today, and I'm only just over 26,000, but at least I passed the halfway point today! Henceforth it's a downhill slide. I hope. I doubt I can keep up quite that pace, especially with all the heavy-duty school stuff coming down on my now, but it does give me some hope that I won't quite embarrass myself with this.

Anyway, back to writing ...

A rare happy ending

As the fundies continue their all-out assault on difference of all kinds, it's nice to know that it's occasionally possible to stick it to the man, so to speak.

Case in point: This victory of an interracial gay couple in Florida over Jeb Bush's army of intolerance and Florida's bigoted law that forbids gay men and lesbians from adopting children.

The language of this story is a little churchy, but the story is inspiring.

Thanks to my sister for forwarding this on to me.

It sucks being sick

I did really well resisting Mason's cold for well over a week (yes, he was sick for a long while!), but it finally clubbed me over the head the other night and since then I've more or less been living on the couch, sucking down echinacea tea and orange juice and sleeping. Finally today I'm back at work, more out of necessity than anything else; I still feel like crap.

And I actually managed to stay 'with it' sufficiently to participate in a debate in class last night. I don't think I won, but that has more to do with my opponent's novel approach to the case than my inability to concentrate.

*cough cough sniffle sniffle*

So anyway, what's new with me?

School slackens not a whit. In fact, big group projects are just coming over the horizon, headed straight at me. Papers and individual projects likewise. My only solace: Three more weeks, give or take, and I'll be done with this. My whole attitude toward this last semester has pretty much been thus. On those rare occasions when I've tried to take a macro view and look at everything I'm trying to accomplish this fall, it's sent me into a fetal position crying for my mommy. Consequently, I've purposely kept my focus only on the step immediately ahead. But now I can start to look up a little. I mean, I've gotta buy a robe and hood for graduation, ferchrissakes!

I also feel like I'm slowly emerging from a very dark period of extreme fiscal scarcity. I celebrated the fact that I could actually afford a cup of coffee this morning by, predictably, buying a cup of coffee. Still not in the clear by any means, and I still owe money to almost more people that I can remember, but I should be able to start paying them back within a few weeks. Gonna be a skimpy Christmas, though.

My NaNo novel is weeping uncontrollably in the corner, crying out, "Don't you love me anymore? You never write, you never call!" I'm still working on it, but I'm badly behind, mostly because I've been too sick to focus on being awake, much less writing. Unless I can get some serious catchup time this weekend, I doubt I'll make it.

Observations on replacing Colin Powell

According to American media analysts, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice is likely to replace Powell. The name of John Danforth, the US Ambassador to the UN is also doing the rounds.

Talk about failing upward!

I'm sure she's a very nice woman, and I'm certain that her knowledge of Russian and Soviet affairs in nearly without parallel in the federal government. But let's face it, she's monumentally and tragically incompetent as a National Security Advisor in the face the absence of a Soviet threat.

But Secretary of State? Dear God.

IKEA is taunting me

*heavy sigh*

How hard I've tried not to go shopping at our new IKEA store. I'm trying not to go because I really, really, really want to go. But I have no money, and it's utterly impossible for me to walk into an IKEA and not spend money.

So far, I've had at least two encounters with a little vehicle they have wandering around Phoenix, a bit like a moving truck with a glassed-in furnished room.

Fate is taunting me.

But please feel free to toss any winning lottery tickets my way. Thank you in advance!

Nanowrimo update

I'm working away on my novel for NaNoWriMo novel and had something of a breakthrough today, so I had to celebrate. After spending nine days chugging away more or less aimlessly, it's finally a story!

It's been slow going so far, partly because I do after all work for a living, on top of everything else I'm trying to do with my life right now. But I've also had only the dimmest of ideas where I'm trying to take the story. But today I broke all previous records for words-per-day and found, much to my surprise, that I know for the first time, generally speaking, where I'm going with this.

I'm still behind pace (on average) to make it by the end of the month, but a couple more days like today (more than double the original daily pace!) and I'll be back on track to make it by Nov. 30 and what's more, I'll have a coherent story at the end of it!

Ding, dong, the witch is dead!

Don't let the door hit yer Ass-Croft ...

Not that I'm surprised. Someone's got to make way for Rudy. But the man is distilled evil, and we're well rid of him. Read his resignation, though. What a dumbass.

Coalition of the brain-dead

If you don't read Daily Kos or Atrios, you might've missed this gem, advocating expelling the 'blue states' from the union. As DK correctly points out, it's really unclear how exactly a new, purified USA would actually survive without New York, California or Illinois, but that's really only the beginning of the idiocy here. Really, just read it ... it goes without comment, but I can't resist commenting on a couple of things.

Anyone ever noticed how good Republican pundits are at creating false dichotomies (e.g., either you like Dr. Pepper or you hate children; either you support this war unquestioningly in every respect and detail or you're a faithless traitor to your nation)? To wit, this example: "Shall we remain the world's leader, or become an unprincipled chump for the cabal of globalist sybarites who play endless word-games inside the United Nations and European Union sanctuaries?" Hm, when you put it that way, you're absolutely right, we should continue to be the world's leader ... in wartime human rights abuses, production and possession of weapons of mass destruction, consumption of the world's resources and, most especially, imperialism. Friggin' yay.

"For many decades, conservative citizens and like-minded political leaders ... have been denigrated by ... hordes of liberals who now won't even admit that they are liberals--because the word connotes such moral stink and political silliness. As a class, liberals no longer are merely the vigorous opponents of the Right; they are spiteful enemies of civilization's core decency and traditions."

Hear me now. I'm a liberal. A liberal, you condescending twit. If the word has a 'moral' stink to it, it's only because you and your ilk have spent 30 years throwing shit at it. I'm washing it off and taking it back.

As for "spiteful enemies of civilization's core decency and traditions," which civilization? Which decency? Which traditions? Slavery? Medical experiments on the unknowing? Terrorism and guerrilla warfare?

I'm a veteran of the American armed forces and an Eagle Scout. I grew up attending church, singing and being involved in the youth group and traveling to conferences. I've probably visited the sites of more battles in America and the world than you know ever happened. I know more of the history, traditions, culture and heritage of my country and my forebears than most. I'm not an enemy of decency or tradition, I'm just smarter about which ones are worth defending and which we need to make amends for.

For mentioning slander and libel in the same breath as F911, I point to the strongest legal defense one can make when defending oneself against accusations that one has slandered or libeled another: Truth. You may not like it or its conclusions, but it's the truth.

Next, if it's anti-American or subversive to speak truth to power, then, brother, kick me out, 'cos I don't want to be part of that America. I believe in the Constitution. You need to sit down, Mr. Author, and actually read the thing. Sounds like you're getting a little rusty.

And finally, in the interesting little BushUSA/Gore-KerryUSA comparison thing, I actually laughed out loud at this: "... with a predilection for respectfully uttering 'yes, ma'am" and "yes, sir.'" I can honestly say that the rudest, most foul-mouthed people I know, the people without social graces, respect for authority or understanding of the most basic rules of decorum (with the exception of my brother-in-law who has a heart of pure gold but the manners of a distempered mule) are conservatives.

Put down your precious thesaurus, climb down from your garret and embrace the real world. Twit.

Elitism?

There was a front page news story in our local Republican Party mouthpiece, The Arizona Republic, this morning, blaming the recent election rout on the fact that the Democratic Party is seen as too elitist.

The party of the New Deal, the Civil Rights Act, the labor movement, populism ... They're the elitists? Certainly, an argument can be made (and indeed I've been known to make this argument myself) that they've lost touch with that part of themselves in recent years as part of their efforts to follow the 'Contract on America'-inspired Republican Party to the right.

Who's who in the Republican Party?

George W. Bush ... Well, we know all about his connections to Saudi and Texas oil and big business. Enron, anyone?

Dick Cheney ... No matter how he tries to insist he has no connections to Halliburton, hasn't he intervened to make sure they get their contracts? And he may not be getting a bi-weekly paycheck from them, but he's still collecting money from them and he'll get it sometime in the future. That may not be a de jure conflict of interest, but it certainly ain't ethical.

Bill Frist ... Involved in owning the largest chain of hospitals in the country, involved in writing and passing laws that directly benefit the family business.

Trent Lott ... Raises huge amounts of money from corporations to hand off to Congressional corporate puppets like John Shadegg. Immense ethical questions have arisen about him and his dealings.

Let's look at something I think is illustrative and compare George W. Bush and John Kerry. Of the two of them, which has most routinely associated with royalty outside his duties in government?

There's your elitist, you bastards.

Yay!

Yay! I confirmed yesterday, I actually will be attending graduation in December, marking the completion of my graduate program! Yay!

The light is indeed on at the end of the tunnel.

If you matter and you're in Arizona, expect some sort of more formal notification soon!

And I say again: Yay!

What a truly reprehensible human being

Alan Keyes: Christian, keeper of the faith and all-around good fricking sport.

You, Alan, are the weakest link. Or is that the missing link? Anyway, ...

Goodbye.

Gloatmail

Reproduced in its entirety.

Dear Chris,

We had a long night -- and we had a great night. The voters turned out in record numbers and delivered an historic victory.

I want to thank our supporters across this country. At every stop I asked you to make the calls, put up the signs, talk to your neighbors, and get out the vote. And because you did your part, we are celebrating today. Thanks to you, we received more votes than any presidential ticket in history.

America has spoken. And I am humbled by the trust and confidence of my fellow citizens. With that trust comes a duty: I will serve all Americans, so help me God. I am proud to lead such an amazing country -- and I am proud to lead it forward.

Reaching our goals will require the broad support of Americans. A new term is a new opportunity to reach out to the whole nation. We have one country, one Constitution, and one future that binds us all. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America.

A campaign has ended, and our cause is renewed. The United States of America goes forward with confidence and faith. I can see a new day coming, and I am eager for the work ahead. God bless you all, and God bless America.

George W. Bush

I can't even describe.

Listening to Fredo

I'm amazed at how good he is a gloating while trying to sound grave and serious.

How he sickens me.

At least he thanked his stenographers. That's nice.

What to do now

(in order, to make it clear I'm not just parroting crap I hear like a Bush supporter):

My friend Mike said it. I said it. Randi Rhodes and Greg Palast said it. Mike Malloy ranted forcefully about it for three hours last night.

Putting it simply, we have two years to save democracy in America. The electronic voting machines either need to go or need to be drastically revamped (I have a very detailed idea about this, but I'll not bore y'all now).

Rural precincts that recorded -25,000,000 votes for a ballot initiative ... Machines that crashed and lost all votes recorded up to that point ... known security problems with almost every brand of machine.

Then there's the county somewheres (sorry, details are slippery for me first thing in the morning like this) in which election facilities CALLED the polling places, instructing them to disconnect the modems and bring the memory cards from the machines in. I'm digging for more info on this, to see if there's a particular demographic to these precincts (you can see where I'm going with this).

Let's not kid ourselves -- Sure, it should've been a blowout, and clearly we haven't done a good job of reaching people in the heart of America. And if it had been a blowout, these under-the-radar levels of vote rigging would not have changed anything.

But this election was stolen, ladies and gentlemen, just as surely as was 2000. And more covertly.

Remember (as if you've forgotten), the Plumbers are back. And their unholy love child is Karl Rove.

Oh, and John Shadegg needs to go down. Anyone wanna help run a possible political campaign?

Yeah, I'm done crying in my beer. I'm f-ing pissed off, now.

Two things.

Well.

I almost don't know what to say. Arizona has now institutionalized racism, but at least we'll be able to get around better in Phoenix. Presumably, then, the INS paddy wagons parked at our hospitals and firehouses will be able to move our Spanish-speaking citizens who neglect to stop on the way out of their houses while bleeding to death to pick up their birth certificates out of the country that much more quickly.

With regard to the presidential race, I'm angry, but not for the obvious reason. I don't want to look at Ohio. Lots of people are doing that. Everyone is, in fact. Where will it go? I don't know yet.

But there are some things I'm thinking about. One, we know that the lost popular vote was something that weakened the Republican hand in 2000. Ultimately, they triumphed, but not for any reason we'd recognize as fair. So they knew they had to win the popular vote. That's the first thing.

Second, we know well the BushCo politics of distraction. They always counter stuff they don't want you to hear with some shiny object off to the side that everyone chases.

In other words, I don't think Ohio is the story. I think they pulled crap in other states, all across the country, in subtle ways that are harder to point to and, lacking the light of national and international scrutiny, we won't see it. I think they need to count and recount pretty much everywhere.

None of it makes sense. It's not just an upset; the whole thing, the whole country wide, smells to high heaven.

In any event, if BushCo does get another four years, I'm walking a delicate tightrope.

I plan to get married. I plan to adopt children. If this country turns, as I fear it may, into a fundamentalist theocracy over the next four years, I am out of here. To be fair, we've got a long way to go before that happens.

And until that happens, and until I haven't a shred of hope left, I will fight. The battle is just beginning, not ending.

Oh, and John Shadegg needs to go down. I have two years.

Quick public service message

Well, my friends, it's zero hour, T-P Day (Transfer-of-Power Day). Go vote. Now. Or by the end of the day.

Vote or shut up. Capisce?

Oh, and if you're in Phoenix and you don't already have plans for the evening (as I do, alas), go to Nixon's at the Camelback Esplanade for a KXXT election party!

And if you go, grab me a bumper sticker.

That is all.