:: Life of Dave ::

General updates in the life of....
:: welcome to Life of Dave :: home | wiki | contact | xml ::
[::..recently..::]
[::..recommended..::]
: Search:
:: Google [>]
:: AltaVista [>]
: News:
:: BBC News [>]
:: Al Jazeera [>]
:: France 24 [>]
:: The Economist [>]
:: The Guardian [>]
:: A&L Daily [>]
:: AlterNet [>]
:: The Agonist [>]
: Tech News:
:: Wired [>]
:: The Register [>]
:: TechNewsWorld [>]
:: The Inquirer [>]
:: Slashdot [>]
:: TechNewsWorld [>]
:: SciAm [>]
:: Tech Crunch [>]
: Translate:
:: Babelfish [>]
: Blogs:
:: Rebecca Blood [>]
:: Wil Wheaton [>]
(in exile)
:: Neil Gaiman [>]
:: Infocult [>]
:: Bitch PhD [>]
:: Irascible Prof [>]
:: Juan Cole [>]
:: Clotilde [>]
:: King Negrito [>]
: Blogs I've Met:
:: Shelby [>]
:: Nikki [>]
:: Jill [>]
:: Lindsay [>]
:: Heidi [>]
:: Amy [>]
:: Masked Owl [>]
:: Misty [>]
:: Blue Duck [>]
:: Rickmond [>]
:: VicarDoodle [>]
:: Wisp [>]
:: Hospoda [>]
:: Bad Faggot [>]
:: Rodney Evil [>]
:: Issa [>]
: Ann Arbor Blogs:
:: A^2: overrated [>]
:: Anchored Nomad [>]
:: Arbor Update [>]
: Paris Blogs:
:: Tex [>]
:: Derek [>]
: Random Reads:
:: MegaTokyo [>]
:: Doonesbury [>]
[::..archive..::]
Parisblog

Site au hasard
Voir la liste
Listed on BlogShares


:: Monday, April 30 2007 ::

Hernando De Soto has a book out called The Other Path: The Economic Answer to Terrorism which caught my eye today on Amazon. It caught my eye not because of the author, whom I have enjoyed in the past, and not because of the title. Rather, it caught my eye because of my misreading of the title - I got the key words mixed up, and thought it was "a terrorist's answer to economics", which I thought would have been a much more interesting book.
:: David (22:38 in Michigan, 4:38 in Paris) - Comment

---

I'm not sure how I missed this, but former US president Bill Clinton was in town yesterday to deliver the commencement address. Since I didn't leave the house (I barely left the big cozy chair!), it was up to Heidi to give a play-by-play of his speech, complete with photo, no less!
:: David (7:31 in Michigan, 13:31 in Paris) - Comment

---

:: Sunday, April 29 2007 ::

So in addition to such lame pastimes as 'napping' and 'laying around', I also spent the weekend playing World of Warcraft. For your amusement: a screenshot.
:: David (16:44 in Michigan, 22:44 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[4]

---

Fully a week in to my little jaunt down virus lane, and my head's still all full of goo. It's been interesting having no sense of smell - a learning experience. The days spent with no hearing in my left ear were also a learning experience - did you know your brain does advanced noise cancellation based on what comes in the right and left side? It means when you only get the one side, all the noise has the same priority. Which makes it really tough to have a conversation.
:: David (12:17 in Michigan, 18:17 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[2]

---

By now I'm sure you've all heard about the dean at MIT who resigned after 28 years for falsifying her academic record. I read about it a couple days ago in the New York Times. I'm really up in the air as to whether these cases are fair: on the one hand, she lied to get the job. On the other hand, she did the job, and a tougher job after that and a tougher job after that (if one assumes that being a dean is tougher than being an entry-level admissions officer). If the point of the hiring process is to get someone who can do the job, she obviously passed with flying colors. And it's pretty understandable why she didn't volunteer the information before this point, because the reaction, I think, would have been the same at any point in the career track - you lied, now leave.
:: David (11:16 in Michigan, 17:16 in Paris) - Comment

---

:: Friday, April 27 2007 ::

Apparently the gods of blogging are also rather fed up with me. Apparently I should never use the 'back' button when I post to the blog from my phone. Good to know.

The flight was even more bizarre than my initial post indicated, as the stewardesses got into a disagreement with catering about how the plane should be supplied, which led to a delay, and then a further delay when we lost our slot due to the initial delay (one of the stewardesses was quite vocally unimpressed when the pilot called back to complain). So we finally got in the air, and all was well. The woman on the phone was one of those people who start lots of really crazy businesses, and the guy who sat next to her (between her and I) was someone who wanted to start a really crazy business, so they got on like a house on fire, and I got two hours of really bizarre snippets. Our landing was nutso, but we finally put down about an hour late, and I stumbled/staggered to the car, drove home, and collapsed. Now I'm planning on a long weekend of bedrest, to apologize to my body for being so darned stupid.
:: David (11:05 in Michigan, 17:05 in Paris) - Comment

---

:: Thursday, April 26 2007 ::

Well, the gods of travel either love me, or hate me, as neither my flight out to Minneapolis nor my flight back were the flight I paid for. On the other hand, I got bumped to a direct flight both ways. On the other hand, the woman on my right can't stop complaining about the smell, and the woman on my left indicated she gets flight sick. We'll see. I'll be home in two or so hours, and that will be very nice.
:: David (19:34 in Michigan, 1:34 in Paris) - Comment

---

Well, the gods of travel either love me, or hate me, as neither my flight out to Minneapolis nor my flight back were the flight I paid for. On the other hand, I got bumped to a direct flight both ways. On the other hand, the woman on my right can't stop complaining about the smell, and the woman on my left indicated she gets flight sick. We'll see. I'll be home in two or so hours, and that will be very nice.
:: David (19:30 in Michigan, 1:30 in Paris) - Comment

---

:: Tuesday, April 24 2007 ::

I headed over to the doctor's office today, as I was feeling (quite) under the weather. It was a reminder of how problematic the American system of health care is. My 'primary care physician', i.e. the doctor I'm supposed to go see, was closed, for some reason. Knowing that this meant I couldn't see anyone else, I called my insurance company for guidance. I was directed to 'urgent care', which sounded to me like way more care than I needed (and it was more expensive), but whatever. So I go to urgent care, and after filling in some paperwork, sit and wait. Then I am taken to a checkup room, my blood pressure checked, and then I... sit and wait. Finally a doctor comes to see me. She listens to my symptoms, looks in my ears and nose, and takes a swab from my throat to check for strep throat, which was what I was afraid I had, as my throat was sore and I had a fever. And I wait (admittedly, for the test results). She writes me a prescription for a couple of things, and sends me on my way. Cost (to me) so far: one and a half hours and 25 dollars.

Then I go to the pharmacy, where they fill the prescription. This takes an additional half hour, and 10 more dollars.

Now, I'm not saying I had any reason to expect faster service, but it seems to me that in my adventure a lot of resources were mis-used. I don't think I needed to be entered into a computer (again), and I'm fairly certain I could have seen someone less qualified than the doctor I saw. And by extension, I imagine that would take less time, since the only logical wait is for the professional.
:: David (20:06 in Michigan, 2:06 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[4]

---

:: Monday, April 23 2007 ::

An interesting article in the New York Times, all about farm subsidies:

A few years ago, an obesity researcher at the University of Washington named Adam Drewnowski ventured into the supermarket to solve a mystery... how is it that today the people with the least amount of money to spend on food are the ones most likely to be overweight?

Drewnowski gave himself a hypothetical dollar to spend, using it to purchase as many calories as he possibly could.... Drewnowski found that a dollar could buy 1,200 calories of cookies or potato chips but only 250 calories of carrots. Looking for something to wash down those chips, he discovered that his dollar bought 875 calories of soda but only 170 calories of orange juice.

... Drewnowski concluded that the rules of the food game in America are organized in such a way that if you are eating on a budget, the most rational economic strategy is to eat badly — and get fat.

The cause of all this, asserts the author, is the massive subsidies the US pays to farmers to grow, for example, corn and soy. This leads us to "A food system awash in added sugars (derived from corn) and added fats (derived mainly from soy), as well as dirt-cheap meat and milk (derived from both). By comparison, the farm bill does almost nothing to support farmers growing fresh produce."

It's an excellent article, well worth a read. I found it via Megnut, also worth a read.
:: David (10:40 in Michigan, 16:40 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[5]

---

:: Sunday, April 22 2007 ::

Same results, different numbers - a Swiss newspaper has come out with election results for the French presidency: 30, 26, 19, 11 for Sarko, Sego, Bayrou, Le Pen.
:: David (13:23 in Michigan, 19:23 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

---

Well, the elections in France are going along smoothly, with extremely high turnout (75 percent or higher). Early results suggest a second round with Sarkozy (27 percent) and Royal (26 percent). Bayrou was surprisingly ineffective, coming in behind Le Pen according to the results I've seen. Official results are due in an hour or so.
:: David (13:05 in Michigan, 19:05 in Paris) - Comment

---

:: Saturday, April 21 2007 ::

It was a lovely day here in Michigan, and as such we took the opportunity to plant some of our summer crop. Tomato plants are new for this year, and we expanded significantly our lettuce selection. The house we live in at one time had a very large garden, which has been left fallow the past year or so, so I decided to clear a part of it and see how it goes - there's a good chance rabbits will eat anything that makes it past the crazy Michigan springtime weather.
:: David (17:32 in Michigan, 23:32 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[3]

---

The economist pulls no punches in its evaluation of America's gun laws:

Few urban Americans swallow [the NRA's] twaddle, which is why many cities have stiff anti-gun laws. But some rural people do, and plenty more love hunting and think anti-gun Democrats are wusses. To counter this image and court rural votes, the Democratic Party has largely abandoned its gun-control crusade. Its presidential candidates now play up their love of hunting, real or otherwise. In several states, the party has recruited serious gun enthusiasts as candidates. The Democratic governor of Montana boasts that he has more guns than he needs, but not as many as he would like. And the Democrats won control of the Senate last year by fielding a pro-gun war hero to snatch a pro-gun state from a pro-gun Republican incumbent. That state was Virginia.
One wonders if they're still as pro-gun as they were during the election. One also wonders if this intense scrutiny will make the Democrats re-take their gun control stance.
:: David (13:18 in Michigan, 19:18 in Paris) - Comment

---

:: Friday, April 20 2007 ::

Today is the last day the French media can get crazy with the election, before the blackout goes into effect, and they are making the most of it, putting every piece of non-information they can find out there for mass consumption. How else to explain the headline "Pascal Perrineau : 'Surprises in the presidential election are almost a rule!'" quoting the head of political studies at one of the big universities. I think Liberation says it best, with their "Ultime coup de rein pour convaincre les indécis", which I don't think I can do justice in English.
:: David (13:06 in Michigan, 19:06 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

---

:: Thursday, April 19 2007 ::

We were discussing yesterday the VA Tech killer, and how the analysis always goes to 'crazy'. It's interesting that we have moved so far away from the much simpler solution: 'evil'. We tend not to hesitate to use this label in other situations: corporate or political misbehaviour, for example (Axis of Misguided, anyone?), but when someone does something that really very easily fits the traditional definition of true evil, we shy away from the term.
:: David (10:38 in Michigan, 16:38 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[6]

---

:: Wednesday, April 18 2007 ::

A couple of thoughts on gun control and the Virginia Tech massacre, as seen from abroad. First, the BBC:

Despite this week's bloodbath there will be no overwhelming demand for gun control in this country. Like evangelical Christianity, baseball and a love of Pumpkin Pie it is just one of those things that separates Europeans from Americans.
Next, Le Monde:
Après la tragédie, des voix se sont élevées pour déplorer que les professeurs et les étudiants ne soient pas autorisés à s'armer, car l'un d'entre eux aurait pu neutraliser le tueur. Avec de tels raisonnements, l'Amérique n'est pas près de maîtriser sa violence.
"After the tragedy, voices were raised deploring the fact that the professors and students weren't allowed to be armed, so one of them could have neutralized the killer. With this reasoning, the US is not ready to take control of its violence."
:: David (9:49 in Michigan, 15:49 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[5]

---

I know it goes without saying that the US is a little behind on its train technology, but I will still point out that China launched its high-speed train network today.
:: David (9:34 in Michigan, 15:34 in Paris) - Comment

---

Oh boy! They redesigned the US passport again, and now it is world class ugly. Have a look over at the consumerist
:: David (5:28 in Michigan, 11:28 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

---

:: Tuesday, April 17 2007 ::

Speaking of bacon, thanks to the magic of youtube, you can now all understand why I say 'What's in the bag?! I can't read!!!' whenever I talk about bacon.
:: David (11:50 in Michigan, 17:50 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[2]

---

The BBC broke my heart this morning, reporting that too much bacon is bad for you. Those darned scientists at Columbia University need to find other things to study, and leave the rest of us to get 'chronic obstructive pulmonary disease' in peace.
:: David (11:45 in Michigan, 17:45 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[4]

---

We watched Buffy the Musical again this evening. Sasha takes particular delight in introducing new people to the wonders of this particular episode. And upon viewing it for the 15th time I have to admit - it's pretty good.
:: David (0:00 in Michigan, 6:00 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[3]

---

:: Monday, April 16 2007 ::

Bonus points to The Economist for their cover image this week of Sarkozy looking suspiciously Napoleonic. In the issue, they back him as their choice for French president, though as they did in the American elections they hedge their bets by pointing out he's the 'best of a bad lot'.
:: David (22:57 in Michigan, 4:57 in Paris) - Comment

---

The front page of the Virginia Tech website:

University Advisory:
Shootings close campus; gunman deceased

04/16/2007, Updated 12:40 p.m.

Two shootings on campus today have left 22 confirmed dead, including students.

Families wishing to reunite with students are suggested to meet at the Inn at Virginia Tech. The university is planning a convocation for tomorrow at noon at Cassell Coliseum for the university community to come together to begin to deal with the tragedy.

Counseling is available in the Bowman Room in the Merriman Center (part of the athletic complex) for employees who seek assistance following today’s events.

All faculty and staff have been released and asked to go home effective immediately.

The university will open tomorrow at 8 a.m. but classes are cancelled.


:: David (13:36 in Michigan, 19:36 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[2]

---

The author Diane Duane has a blog, which I periodically read. Recently, she linked to a YouTube animation of the Bayeux tapestry, which I thought was somewhat amusing. (Disclaimer - gratuitous amazon ad link earns me money if you use it)
:: David (10:17 in Michigan, 16:17 in Paris) - Comment

---

:: Sunday, April 15 2007 ::

It's coming down to the wire in France, and according to Le Monde, things are still as clear as mud. For those without French, it's Sarko at 26, Royal at 23 (down 2), Bayrou at 21 (up 2) and Le Pen stable at 15. If Sarko's people vote Le Pen (possible, in my mind), the whole thing is tied up, and the final competition comes down to anybody's guess. I'm expecting Sarko v. somebody, but only time will tell.
:: David (1:23 in Michigan, 7:23 in Paris) - Comment

---

Driving back from a trip down to see my nephew in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sasha and I got into a discussion on class in American society, and how we both felt it was much more important than race, but much less discussed. I asserted this was possibly due to the Red Scare, and the fact that descriptions of society which were based on class were still thrown into the Marxist=communist=wrong bin. Sasha asserted the difficulty was that America from the start has considered itself a 'classless' society, and hence departing from that view is difficult. Any thoughts out there, on any of these ideas?
:: David (0:44 in Michigan, 6:44 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

---

:: Friday, April 13 2007 ::

The New York Times has a pathetic article on which car is the most 'gay' (and bonus points to them for putting it in the 'fashion' rather than 'auto' section). I wouldn't abuse you all with it if it weren't for the last paragraph:

On Gaywheels.com, one indicator of actual gay buying trends is the list of vehicles most frequently researched. As of last October, the Toyota Yaris... led that list, followed by the Toyota Camry...
Proof of my metrosexuality!
:: David (12:37 in Michigan, 18:37 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

---

Rebecca Blood pointed me to an article (via the BBC) which says that goths are strictly middle class:

"They won't like me saying it, but their lifestyle, unlike the punk scene, is a middle-class sub culture," says Dunja Brill, who carried out the study.
The article on the BBC notes that goths tend to become "doctors, lawyers or architects".
:: David (10:01 in Michigan, 16:01 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[2]

---

Is there anything Australian Prime Minister John Howard won't say? Sometimes I actually think he's worse than Bush. His latest, according to the BBC, is to state that "Australia should refuse to allow migrants or refugees with HIV to enter the country".
:: David (8:00 in Michigan, 14:00 in Paris) - Comment

---

:: Thursday, April 12 2007 ::

Did everyone except me know that Stephen Colbert has an ice cream?
:: David (11:53 in Michigan, 17:53 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[4]

---

Another straw on the back of the camel that is the US military: it was recently announced that "most active duty Army units now in Iraq and Afghanistan and those sent in the future would serve 15-month tours, three months longer than the standard one-year tour." The article offers an interesting perspective on the 'best laid plans', noting the original plan had been 'one year on, two years off'. Now it's 'one and a quarter on, one off'.
:: David (9:48 in Michigan, 15:48 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[2]

---

If you've ever thought 'I wish I knew something about wine', and wondered what you could do about it, the New York Times has a nice article offering some tips. One is obvious - drink wine, see what you like. The other is less so - go to a wine shop, admit you know nothing, and ask them to make you a sampler. Then take notes.
:: David (9:39 in Michigan, 15:39 in Paris) - Comment

---

The BBC is reporting that Kurt Vonnegut has passed away. I'm not going to write a big eulogy that someone else will surely do better. I'll just note that I'm really glad I had the chance to see him speak, and that I'm sad he's gone.
:: David (7:57 in Michigan, 13:57 in Paris) - Comment

---

:: Wednesday, April 11 2007 ::

One of the Mac news sites has an article about the woman who is number one on the UK iTunes charts. The interesting thing about this individual, one Kate Walsh, is that she was unsigned, and recorded the album in a friend's basement. You can find out more about her on her myspace page.
:: David (15:55 in Michigan, 21:55 in Paris) - Comment

---

It's a stunt, but an interesting one - take a famous violinist, place him in a public transportation hub, see if anyone notices:

A onetime child prodigy, at 39 Joshua Bell has arrived as an internationally acclaimed virtuoso. Three days before he appeared at the Metro station, Bell had filled the house at Boston's stately Symphony Hall, where merely pretty good seats went for $100.
It goes without saying that the haul from the metro stint was less than that. How much less was interesting, and the explanation offered by a senior curator at the National Gallery was instructive:
"Let's say I took one of our more abstract masterpieces, say an Ellsworth Kelly, and removed it from its frame... and brought it into a restaurant. It's a $5 million painting. And it's one of those restaurants where there are pieces of original art for sale... and I hang that Kelly on the wall with a price tag of $150. No one is going to notice it. An art curator might look up and say: 'Hey, that looks a little like an Ellsworth Kelly. Please pass the salt.'"
While the full article is a bit hammy, it's definitely worth a look.
:: David (8:09 in Michigan, 14:09 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[3]

---

:: Tuesday, April 10 2007 ::

A random interesting piece of information found its way to me via the consumerist. It seems the credit card companies, Visa and MC, want to settle a massive lawsuit over concealed fees on foreign exchange transactions. So if you ever bought anything anywhere in the last decade in a currency other than dollars, you can get some cash back. Now all I have to do is go through ten years of credit card bills to figure out how much I spent....
:: David (12:16 in Michigan, 18:16 in Paris) - Comment

---

:: Monday, April 9 2007 ::

This is sad, but at the same time probably how he would have wanted it: Johnny Hart, who drew BC and The Wizard of Id, has passed away, reportedly while drawing at his storyboard.
:: David (11:14 in Michigan, 17:14 in Paris) - Comment

---

Sasha acquired a copy of The Sims 2 for her birthday yesterday, and boy, is it a timewaster. I now understand why she said if she had the game she would never finish her PhD!
:: David (7:42 in Michigan, 13:42 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[2]

---

It's funny, the vocabulary one truly needs to understand another language, especially in specialized subjects. This video shows a spokeswoman for the French presidential candidate at a dinner, where she says if Sarko wins, she will be made 'minister of urban renewal' with the help of a Kärcher. The trick is that a Kärcher is a brand name of high-powered water hose, which Sarko said should be used (if I recall correctly) to 'clean the ghetto' after the riots broke out in the suburbs of Paris.
:: David (7:40 in Michigan, 13:40 in Paris) - Comment

---

:: Friday, April 6 2007 ::

Last night I went to the store, seeking various this-n-thats, including toothpicks in the shape of swords. When I got to that point on my list, I turned to the stock boy standing near me and said 'I have a strange question for you'. He turned and looked at me with a somewhat fearful look on his face. I said 'do you know if you have any of those toothpicks that are shaped like swords?' He immediately responded 'aisle 14'. No pause, no hesitation. I made surprised noises about his knowledge and speed on such an odd topic, and he replied 'I saw them the other day, and thought about buying them just to play with!' Overall it was a good 'random males bonding' moment.
:: David (20:24 in Michigan, 2:24 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

---

I always forget the one perk of waking up at an absurd hour - the sunrise is beautiful.
:: David (7:32 in Michigan, 13:32 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

---

We had a little accident with gravity yesterday, which resulted in the cat food cam showing way more excitement than is normal. Strangely, Mina seems not to have been impressed at the way we chose to share our Easter candy.
:: David (5:36 in Michigan, 11:36 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[4]

---

:: Thursday, April 5 2007 ::

After spending some time with Sasha's family in Frankfurt, and friends in Paris, we rented a car and headed down to Limoges so Sasha could access a document she needed for her PhD. Getting out of Paris (or more accurately, out of its suburbs) was much more challenging that you might expect. We rented the car at the airport, and the idea was that we would take the highway all the way down, going around Paris entirely. It was a nice idea.

To begin with, the highways in France aren't always that well marked. The road name is printed at the top of the signs, in relatively small print, and at first we didn't quite have the knack of spotting the road names, so we missed a turn or two. Even after we worked that out, rather than say for example, 'A10 North', it would say 'A10 to Lille'. So then you break out the map, figure out whether Lille is North or South, and act accordingly. Another error was made in this way. So it took us about an hour longer than expected to get out of Paris. After that, though, it was smooth sailing down to the hills of Limousine.
:: David (11:22 in Michigan, 17:22 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[4]

---

:: Wednesday, April 4 2007 ::

Another story from the trip:

I have a French driver's license, but I got it by conversion - my US license served as proof of having driving experience, and they just gave me one. So I don't really know any of the rules, and most of the signs are different.

One of the biggest problems I have is the speed limit question - speed limits seem to be an understood thing, outside of cities. Understood by others - not by me. So I was driving along this road, and I'm doing about 100 (kph - about 60 mph), and I look behind me and there's a motorcycle. He's gaining, so I speed up. And up. Finally, we get to a place where the road goes to two lanes, and he passes me, and sure enough, he's a police officer. Specifically, a gendarme, which opens another area I don't understand very well - as there are different police forces with different areas of competance, I wasn't clear if it was his job to bust me. I'm fairly certain he could, but not sure if he ever would. Either way, it provided several moments of good solid adrenaline.
:: David (11:08 in Michigan, 17:08 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

---

:: Tuesday, April 3 2007 ::

If you ever do things with HTML then you should know about this site, which is about the coolest thing I've seen in a while.
:: David (16:42 in Michigan, 22:42 in Paris) - Comment

---

The TGV (high speed train) in France set a speed record yesterday, reaching 574 km per hour or 356 mph (read in French, in English). I have to assume the person this morning was actually on the train when it broke its record, because he was so excited he was stammering, and he literally ran out of superlatives and had to start repeating. It was kind of funny.
:: David (13:51 in Michigan, 19:51 in Paris) - Comment

---

OK - first 'trip to Europe' story. We bought five bottles of wine while we were in France, and brought them back. This is well over the 'one-per-person' limit the US has. We wrote them on our form like good citizens and headed for the customs official. He looked at our form, stamped it, and waved us through. So I started to walk toward the inspectors, to show them our contrband and pay the duties. He stops me and tells me to go to the exit door. Well, if you insist.... So out we went.

This is the second time I've tried to pay duty on wine. The first time was when we moved back to the US, but the moving company was apparently unable to figure out their own paperwork enough to send us the bill, despite my requesting it. So again, I didn't argue.
:: David (12:12 in Michigan, 18:12 in Paris) - Comment

---

The SLB (because I can't be bothered to type out the full name, but can be bothered to type a lot of explanatory text about why the name has been abbreviated) has a post pointing out that Alanis has done a cover of 'my humps'. It's done slowly, in a minor key. With a piano. Sound familiar? The only thing I felt could have saved it was if the minor key was intended to make it seem sad, to point out the poignancy of the objectification of women's bodies or somesuch, but the video seems to go towards parody, which impresses me much less.
:: David (9:29 in Michigan, 15:29 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

---

:: Monday, April 2 2007 ::

Last night was absolutely freaking insane. We made it with plenty of time to spare to wander around, buy fries and a t-shirt (but not a beer - eight bucks is a bit steep for a bottle of Bud, especially if you happen to think Bud tastes like booty sweat), and scope out the space. Then my nephew, myself, and 80,101 (according to the news this morning) of our closest friends settled in to watch an amazing display of pageantry, gymnastics, and pyrotechnics. The music was loud enough to stun my ears, and the light shows were stunning as well, in a different way. Flames, fireworks, spotlights, you name it.

It was also fun to see some of the names from my childhood, some of whom, heaven help them, are still wrestling. And to see some new folks, who have their own excellent personas. An example, pictured here holding aloft his new championship belt, is the undertaker, who has a truly entertaining entrance show involving dozens of acolytes carrying giant flaming braziers to the sound of Gregorian chanting. As you do.
:: David (8:49 in Michigan, 14:49 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

---

:: Sunday, April 1 2007 ::

My nephew made it in on the evening train last night, and since then we've been putzing about Ann Arbor, seeing the ninjas on the quad and the cool new game store. We'll leave in a little while to head to Blond Energy's house, where rides to Wrestlemania will be provided (apologies to BE if she was keeping the whole trip to Detroit a secret - in her defense, she's not going, just providing a ride).
:: David (15:08 in Michigan, 21:08 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[3]

---

This page was powered by Blogger but isn't anymore.