April 2005 Archives
What surprises me is how many of these things I've actually written about. Not the world's freakiest eyeballs, though.
- eddie izzard quote poked badger
- ethical consumption
- contributing member to society
- fear change
- internal monologues
- paganini the 6 violin concertos
- matt lauer betrayal
- jeanne d'arc lefty interview
- what is vin diesel's sexual orientation as of 2005?
- chanson de coyotes ugly
- card from the dog
- is it offputting to mention an ex on a first date
- types of street harassment
- tomb raider feminist film criticism
- cruising george michael
- feel great babies everywhere
- pictures of the worlds freakiest eyeballs
- garden lizards in hawaii what they need to stay alive as your pet lizards! lizards i tell you!
- socializing through sewing
The Princess: Thanks for not being evil.
C-Man: I figure if it works for Google, it can work for me.
The Princess: Yeah, Google gets all the hot redhead chicks.
It's the very end of each of these pieces from Defective Yeti that made me laugh:
Two of my favorite passages from Bruce Schneier's Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World:
Several years ago Microsoft made a big deal about Windows NT getting a C2 security rating. They were much less forthcoming with the fact that this rating only applied if the computer was not attached to a network and had no network card, had its floppy drive epoxied shut, and was running on a Compaq 386.
Large gaping security holes are okay if the probability of attack is zero. (Tokyo is still vulnerable to attacks by giant fire-breathing lizards, for example.)
On January 30, 2003, I sent an email to several of my friends updating them on how to travel safely by air with their personal items. Since lighters have now been added to the prohibited list, I thought I'd update and post my travel safety tips.
The first thing that I discovered is that the URL for the PDF list of prohibited items still has the word "interweb" in it. That cracks me up.
I was disappointed to discover, and I know you all will be too, that ice axes and sabers are still NOT permitted in carry-on luggage. These items, as well as spear guns (which are considered sporting goods), cattle prods, throwing stars, and billy clubs, must be packed in checked luggage.
You can carry up to FOUR books of safety matches with you, in case you're worried that the airport you land at won't have a bar. However, hand grenades and realistic replicas of incendiaries are not acceptable in either carry-on or checked luggage.
Toy transformer robots and eyelash curlers are just fine.
Please make your travel plans accordingly.
p.s. Dear FBI, this message is intended to be humorous. We do not jeopardize others' lives by acting like fools and packing dangerous items when we fly. Thank you.
On Saturday, two of my neighbors received letters from our new property management company. The company had apparently noticed that my neighbors were living without leases and paying the same rent they were paying in summer 2003.
Since The Dog and I are living without a lease and paying the same rent as in 2003...wait, let's be clear. We are living without a lease, and the canine charitable foundation known as The Princess is paying the same rent as she was in 2003. So is The Dog, but her share is a big zero. Just to be clear.
We expect that it is only a matter of time before The Man catches up with us. We think The Man should be happy that we are quiet tenants who pay the rent and never get the cops called on us, unlike one of our former neighbors. But we suspect that the new property management company is going to feel that we should be paying more than $375 for a one bedroom apartment in north central Austin.
Any escape has been blocked by the fact that I am currently unemployed and therefore unlikely to secure lodging elsewhere. Also, we like living here. We pondered joining forces with our Libertarian neighbor to hold off the bill collectors at gunpoint, but then we remembered we don't like Libertarianism. Or guns. Or having a criminal record.
I think the only answer is for The Dog to get a job.
Don't watch Law and Order with a law student who hates television shows.
*I learned this yesterday, actually, but then the computer had frozen up by the time I went to blog and I was too tired to reboot, etc. I hope you understand.
I'm very disappointed.
- quonset caldera romulus
- ceremonious idaho afraid
- chamfer catechism acadia
These are the only interesting subject lines out of hundreds of spam emails. It's like they're not even trying! How am I going to get a low-rate mortgage if this is all the inspiration they can provide?
On April 14th, Democracy for America and True Majority had a National Day of Action opposing Social Security privatization. I heard about it at the Democracy for Texas meeting a week beforehand and decided to go on a Congressional office visit to Rep. Michael McCaul of District 10.
My friend C. has come up with a neat phrase: "Try to buy stuff from people who made it." I like it.
I've thought of one to add to the collection: "Try to buy stuff made without poisoning people." I know it's not as positive, but I'm in a feisty mood. For more on one way to do that, visit OrganicBouquet.com. Their prices seem fairly in line with normal floral delivery, and they're working with major growers to encourage them to start up organic production. All in all, a way to buy something you can feel good about.
I promise that these reports are not going to be the entirety of this blog from here on, but it gives me an excuse to try out the Textile formatting plugin that I installed last week.
From April 13th to April 19th, here are the best searches that led here:
- 67 year old woman who puts an ad in the personal column
- romance of the three kingdom in chinese
- mud puppy lizard
- lizard sunscreen found in michigan
- vin diesel's sexual orientation
- dielectric constant of canola
- how does the robin hood tax system decrease education at public schools?
- margaret atwood asparagus
- argue for and against women being appointed as partners in public accounting firms
- wasabi izzard fish
- got stupid vision
- onion's life cycle
- party darth maul head shave makeup
- when to plant okra in lousiana
Note to self.
- matt lauer shirtless
- street harassment
- optoutprescreen
- catholic boyfriend
- thunderbird don't run or won't run filters automatically [ed. note: I think it's important to specify that the behavior might be volitional, don't you?]
- all deadly diseases
- do fish think
- shopwise junk mail austin
- sociopath traits
- hellbender lizard
- basking lizard movie
- the paradox of real response to neo fiction sarah e worth
- antidote peptide testimony
- lizard fighting skills
- sexy red pants
- waterproof cd player ice chest
- pets flooded
- girl turns to lizard
- i can't believe its vegan
- what is snobbery
- 1960 ice cream packaging princesses
- eddie izzard venn diagram father
I saw Blue Car (2002) on DVD. The DVD box (left) pissed me off more and more as I watched it, since the main character, 18 year old Meg, NEVER wears an outfit like this - and the only sexual encounter shown in the film is extremely difficult to watch because it's such a betrayal.
Check out the original movie poster (right), from the Miramax website for the film. Apparently it wasn't thought sexy enough to coerce people to rent DVDs.
It's an interesting film, though, and despite some of the more harrowing moments I did enjoy it. I'm enjoying small films more lately - films that follow a small number of characters and no buildings blow up.
Casa de los Babys (2003) fits that bill. It's a drama about American women waiting to adopt babies in a Latin American country. In contrast to the comment at IMDB, the actor interviews in the extra features on the DVD contend that director John Sayles isn't trying to preach any particular viewpoint on international adoption, childbearing, etc. He just follows the lives of a group of women in this situation and several people who actually live in the country, for contrast. You're allowed to draw your own conclusions.
Sayles's comments about casting in the DVD extras really struck me. He said that since the majority of female actors in Hollywood over 30 are unemployed, he knew he could find a great cast. Bonus for him, I'm sure, and for me since I enjoyed their performances, but a sad statement. Lili Taylor, Mary Steenburgen, and Marcia Gay Harden should be difficult to book.
Steamboy (2004) had only one major female character, who was irredeemably annoying. It was also a bad movie. The End.
Me Elsewhere
