Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Sad...

James Doohan was given a star on Hollywood's walk of fame today--evidently just in time. His family announced that he has the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. He attended his final Star Trek convention last weekend at which the keynote speaker was Neil Armstrong. According to the NY Times:

Ending a talk full of "Star Trek" references, including a wish for a Federation starship for his next command, Mr. Armstrong addressed Mr. Doohan: "From one old engineer to another: thanks, mate."

Friday, August 27, 2004

It's Started...

The conventioneers start arriving today. The imported protestors have already arrived and have started to get busy. Me, well, I'm preparing my defensive plan.

Traffic started getting really nasty about Wednesday, everyone is tense because the news media (a.k.a. the rumor-mongering bastards at CNN) keeping saying that somebody's gonna blow something up...so no matter what side you're on politically, you're constantly looking for trouble, and if you're looking, you'll find it.

This is wearing on the nerves, but what's really becoming difficult in my office is the pressure to protest. I mean seriously, when I say I'm not planning to attend any rallies, I completely get the cold shoulder.

I disagree with 99% of the current administration's policies. (I couldn't tell you what the 1% would be, but you all know how much I hate absolutes.) I write hate-email to the Whitehouse on a regular basis. But I just can't agree with the majority of protestors either. (By the way, the rallies are all anti-war, they don't have time for gay or reproductive rights...if they did, I'd be there.) And it's not only anti-war, but that with a freakishly simplistic and irrational point of view: All troops should come home, from EVERYWHERE, right now.

It must make life really easy to see unique and incredibly complex situations in the same entirely black and white manner. (And that applies to both sides.) I sometimes wish I had that ability.

Oh, and listening to professional protestors/NYU students on the street talking about how they intend to taunt cops in hopes of the clubs coming out so they can sue, is NOT making me want to join in. Of course, since the big Sunday rally now loops around my entire neighborhood, I may not have a choice. Right now I pretty much hate them all, Republicans and radicals.

Greg and I have tickets to see a Fringe-festival play on Sunday afternoon. It's called "Golden Prospects" and is a comedy in the style of a turn of the century melodrama. The audience is encouraged to boo and hiss at the characters. We should have lots of practice by then.

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Idiocy...patriotic and otherwise

So, yesterday, I was invited to go with Greg and Eric out to Joe's in Jersey City or perhaps Hoboken for the "lamest one-block Italian street fair ever". I decided to pass and let it be boys' night. Mistake.

Greg came home at 12:30, at first very quietly, and then, once he established I was awake, yelling at the top of his lungs, "I love you and the Constitution of the United States of America!" "It's you, Baby and Thomas Payne!" That's Jefferson. "Him too!!!!"

This was all well good and cute. I forced him into the shower 'cause he was soaking wet and freezing. He continued his protestations of love for me and of course, the Constitution, John Adams and the Thomases as I poured him into bed. He was absolutely adorable...up until the vomiting session that went on for several hours. There's no escaping the sound in our apartment. Once again, I've had about 3 hours of sleep.

I'm soooo not happy. But on the bright side, at least no one is in the office this morning.

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

My landlord is grateful too...

A guy in the office just told me that Laura Bush and daughters are in town. Mrs. Bush was interviewed, during which she said she was "grateful that New Yorkers had come in to work despite the orange alert". Ummmm...yes, 'cause who was gonna pay us for the last THREE YEARS if we didn't?

Plus, "grateful"? Why would she be grateful? 'Cause the stores are open?

I know she meant well, and I don't expect everyone to know our "terror alert" state, but you'd think she might have a little bit of information the rest of the country doesn't.

You know, I think I may have posted almost this exact text before. If only because it seems like this is the second time I've edited a post to NOT be titled "ignorant slut".

P.S. What makes this even more interesting? I mentioned it to Greg and he said that he'd seen it online at both the NYTimes and Yahoo News. The story is nowhere to be found any more. Completely gone and not even in the archives. If Hugh didn't have the printed story in the Post (it's not in their online archives anymore either) I wouldn't believe that it existed. So who do you think made THAT phone call.

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Shyamalamadingdong...

Greg and I went to see The Village last night. It was odd...we saw many of the flaws that the critics talked about, yet at the same time we were indeed tense and frightened by the build up--the cinematography is incredible and the music really heightens the mood. We knew there was a twist and looked hard for it. To some extent I suspected, but I never suspected the full thing--once it was revealed in its entirety, everything that had gone before made sense. Every perceived flaw of the film or the acting had a purpose and made total sense.

I really think that had the critics stayed to watch the very end, they wouldn't have panned it so badly. Or maybe if they'd ever been in a situation that would make one consider it, they wouldn't find it so far-fetched either.

Monday, August 02, 2004

Much Better Now

Sunday was...well, you know how they say there are the "stages of grief" and sometimes it takes a while to get through them all? Well, with a little push from the latest terror alert, I hit anger with a vengence yesterday.

Let's just say that we now know that if you throw a bottle of Sam Adams hard enough, glass shards will stick in the door frame. I'm just relieved I chose the bottle over the baseball bat--washing everything that was splattered is one thing, replacing smashed stuff is another.

Then we went to dinner--it was very nice to get out, plus I owed Greg a beer--and watched The Mask of Zorro, ever a fine flick.