Archive for July, 2006

2006.07.21

Privacy Versus Security

I am a big advocate of privacy and security, and I don’t see why we can’t have both at the same time. However, this picture (found buried on Confined Space) seems to be the way much of the feudal lords in the federal government see things.

2006.07.19

Pictures from the Party

I got scans of the poloroid pictures from Amy and posted the pictures. It’s really a shame the camera had a minimum focal length that I apparently violated on several occassions. Also, I may get more pictures from others tonight. If so they might get posted, too.

Contrats to Courtney and Amy for throwing such a great party!

2006.07.18

The Best Deodorant

You want to know what the best deodorant for your stinky pits? It isn’t Arrid Extra Dry or Old Spice or Axe or Adidas Sport stuff… Nope, the best deodorant you can buy is Neosporin antibiotic ointment. Don’t believe me? Give it a try sometime. After all, the stink isn’t from the sweat but from the bacteria, and Neosporin kills that stuff. I’m half surprised the deodorant companies don’t start adding antibiotics to their products. I mean, it probably isn’t good for you in the long run but then again, everything kills you anyways so you might as well not stink.

The best deodorant is Neosporin. You heard it here first.

2006.07.18

Given Up

I’ve been stewing on some music for a really long time with only bits and fragments of lyrics coming to me. After some recent experiences and some unwitting help from Mookee I finally finished it. It’s called Given Up and I hope to spend some time recording it this weekend. Disclaimer: this is not about any recent relationship, just in case she’s reading. This isn’t even about me. Mostly.

The hardest thing
About being alive is living
It’s twice as hard as dying
And dying isn’t easy
   Deciding where to go
   What to do who to see
You’re overwhelmed by living
So you’re drowning in a cup
What do you say to
Someone who’s given up?

I’m tired of being nice
I don’t want to be mean
I just have to say
What I’m seeing
   hundred thousand years
   Is a long time to cry
You say you’re moving on now
And you’ll break out of this rut
But I’ve watched you for a year now
And it seems you’ve given up

Love cannot be
Tied up in a box
With a red ribbon on it
A container for your soul
   Romance is fine
   But maybe you lost control
I can’t believe you’ll always be
So emotionally stuck
So look me up and find me
When you’ve finally given up

2006.07.17

Doing Something Stupid

You know when you decide to do something and then start into it but suddenly realize it’s a really stupid thing to do? But it’s too late because you’re committed? Yeah, that’s me. Call me stupid. Except Mookee who has to call me a genius because I’ll know what he means. A super freaking genius.

Fuck.

2006.07.16

Apologist for San Francisco

Ah yes, I see someone else has to sometimes be an apologist to others around the nation for San Francisco.

-It is NOT unlawful to vote Republican in San Francisco;

-Bay Area newspapers are NOT edited & published in Moscow;

-Law enforcement job applicants are NOT required to prove they are transvestite, gay, handicapped or a racial minority in order to qualify;

-Exhaling second-hand smoke is NOT a special circumstance crime that makes one eligible for the death penalty if convicted;

-Displaying the logo of the US Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines does NOT violate city or county ordinances, and is NOT necessarily an arrestable offense;

-Being a straight, white, employed, Christian male does NOT require one to notify the police before moving into a new neighborhood

He’s got many many other examples at the link. Go read them!

San Francisco definitely has a reputation around the country for some weird sort of freaky liberalism. Living here I don’t understand it. At least not entirely. Afterall, isn’t this the home of Charles Schwab and Bechtel? Aren’t some of the largest banks in America headquartered here? Even those Levi’s jeans that so many conservatives wear to seem more rural (and less rich) come out of San Francisco.

It’s true we’re a little more liberal than many other cities I’ve lived in, but then most cities are more liberal than, say, rural Idaho. Maybe it’s because people in cities have a bigger perspective of the world, or maybe because there are so many people in a small area that they figure out that we *do* have to learn to get along with each other. Whatever the reason, San Francisco definitely has one of the worst (best?) reputations for being a liberal hotbed.

It’s a great place to live. Sometimes a great place to visit.

2006.07.13

Communist Humor

I found this joke (and many others) while reading a very intersting article about humor in the communist world during the Cold War.

A man dies and goes to hell. There he discovers that he has a choice: he can go to capitalist hell or to communist hell. Naturally, he wants to compare the two, so he goes over to capitalist hell. There outside the door is the devil, who looks a bit like Ronald Reagan. “What’s it like in there?” asks the visitor. “Well,” the devil replies, “in capitalist hell, they flay you alive, then they boil you in oil and then they cut you up into small pieces with sharp knives.”

“Well,” sighs Marx, “Sometimes we’re out of oil, sometimes we don’t have knives, sometimes no hot water…”

This joke and many more in the article reminded me of the dry, self deprecating humor of my Czech friends. Despite the article claiming that the jokes have dried up in the old Eastern Block, I’m sure they are still around. :)

2006.07.12

Zidane Speaks

At long last Zinédine Zidane speaks about the incident that caused him to be tossed out of the World Cup.

It is very offensive, very personal. It affects my mother, my sister. These are very hard words. So you hear it once and then you try to walk away, and I do walk away. Then he repeats that for a second time. And the third time, well, I’m a human being.

He also apologizes to the millions of children in the world who view him as a hero.

I don’t blame him. Especially after reading this article. In essence it says that every human has a limit, and past that limit we say, “No more.”

In every act of rebellion, the rebel feels heartbreak at the infringement of his rights. Zidane knew what would happen once his head crashed into Materazzi’s sternum. But he also felt the complete and spontaneous loyalty to certain aspects of himself. And this is what has given the ‘disgraced’ 34-year-old from Marseilles the sheen of the anti-hero.

You will always be one of my favorite anti-heroes, Zizou. I admire that when the moment came you chose to defend that core of yourself above love of soccer, love of country, or worry about image and reputation. Marco Materazzi got exactly what he deserved. Maybe he deserved more.

In the meantime I’m learning to appreciate the humor in France where they’ve already released a song called Coup de Boule (Headbutt) just in time for the warm summer months. If anyone translates the song please post them in the comments!

Viva Zizou!

2006.07.11

Zidane Headbutt Game

Too bad there’s not a way to play and not get a red card. A nice detail for this would be if Materazzi fell on the ground and cried. An even better adaption would be if it had all of the Italian players walking by and if Zidane headbutts them all he gets the World Cup!

2006.07.10

End of the World Cup

In case you missed it, Italy beat France in overtime penalty kicks. Damn, I hate that Italian team. But that’s neither here nor there. The big news that people will be talking about for a long time (except perhaps in Italy and North Beach) is Zinedine Zidane headbutting an Italian player, Marco Materazzi. Watch the video and tell me what you think.

What happened? It seems almost entirely unprovoked. Yet I watch the video and I see where Materazzi might have pinch Zidane, and I see him saying something in his ear. There is very strong speculation that Materazzi said some very rude, racist and provocative things to Zidane. If true, he deserves a red card of his own.

Supposedly Zidane himself will speak in a few days time. In the meantime, my opinion was that while headbutting another player was wrong and he deserved to be carded, I admire the balls and gusto. Wow. Materazzi is lucky he didn’t get that full in the face.

Regardless of anything, congratulations to Zidane on a brilliant career despite the ending. I hope he eventually decides to coach as did Jurgen Klinsmann for Germany this year. Maybe then he will find a way to redeem himself to France and himself.