Art

I've been busy at the Day Job and also a couple of Projects.

One of which is being driver, factotum, logistical, moral and immoral support for the Girlfriend's new CD. We spent the recent long weekend recording the remaining vocals, which are now done.

I wrote one of the songs on this album, which was recorded this weekend. I'm a wicked funny lyricist, an okay composer and, well, my friends listen to me play and sing and they're polite. So while I do in fact appear on the recording of this song, it is in a minor role.

I listened to a cut of my song, which at this stage is nearly final.

It is one of life's great pleasures to see one's work performed by the talented. This is gonna be a good CD.

Details when available.

Sorry, I'm tied up

Everything you ever needed to know about shoelaces.

Ten

I drove over to the State Capitol yesterday to renew my business name. I've been selling buttons and trinkets off and on since 1987, but I've officially had the name Finger Rock Publishing for ten years now. Time to renew.

When I first moved to Phoenix, I worked across the street from the Captiol at the Department of Health Services. I used to have lunch in the little cafeteria in the Capitol basement at least three times a week. So yesterday I thought I'd try to eat there, for old times sake.

I knew that security was different nowadays. You can't just drive up to the building any more. I had to park a block away. No big deal. I expected metal detectors and badges. I was pleasantly surprised. Except for minor remodeling, it was just the same as it was ten years ago. The cafeteria was the same. The food hadn't changed much. And security was about the same, too.

The same. It was nice.

The name is Parr. Bob Parr.

Of course I loved The Incredibles.

What's not to love? Superheroes, a James Bond villain, lots and lots of homage to genre movies from 1960s James Bond right through to the most recent Star Wars. I could swear I heard a lightsaber sound effect in there somewhere.

And it's by Brad Bird, whose Iron Giant is the only cartoon I own on DVD.

Mmmm. I've seen it twice already, and I'm gonna sneak off and catch it again on the big screen sometime soon.

Now I'd like to see Bad Bird and Kerry Conran work together on something. Yeah.

Attention, Arizona Residents

There is no such thing as a "quick trip to Ikea".
Consider a visit to the new Ikea to be an expedition; you'll have more fun.

That is all.

Rest In Peace, John Ashcroft

No, he's not dead. I just hope he takes a nice long vacation once he finally leaves office.

He's gonna stick around until a successor is named, and then what?

Possibilities that have already been mentioned:

• Join the Supreme Court? I doubt he'd get past the Senate. The filibuster could be spectacular, but I expect the cloture rules to be gutted early in January.
• Run for President? Dear God, I hope not. But let's assume for a moment he would run. He's not moderate enough for me, obviously, but given the way the vote went this time, he'd be a viable Republican candidate. He might not make it through the primaries, but since they've been taken over by the radical Christians, the Repubs have a command-and-control structure second to none. If they do the smart thing - put forward a single candidate in '08, effectively bypassing the primary system, Ashcroft could be their man.
• Go into business? That would be best for the country as a whole.
• Go fishing? As long as he doesn't use dynamite...
  

Quote of the Day

I am not ready to be awake; I am not in favour of being awake; I am, in fact, entirely and one hundred percent anti-being awake.

- Seanan McGuire, in her Live Journal.

Take Back Your Government: The Manual

(Or: Paging Jim Baen)

Robert A. Heinlein was a politician as well as a science fiction writer.

Based upon his experiences, he wrote Take Back Your Government: A practical handbook for the private citizen who wants democracy to work back in 1947. Baen published it in 1992. I have a copy. Admittedly, a lot of it is based on how politics worked in 1947 - but much of it still applies today - or can be adapted to meet today's politics.

So I looked it up on Amazon. I have my copy; I want to recommend it to those who want to Do Something Before It's Too Late. It's out of print; Amazon has it at collector's prices.

Heinlein is dead. His wife is dead. I don't know who controls the rights or how to get this book distributed. It's published by Baen. Baen Books tries interesting things online, and does them well.

I don't know what obstacles exist, but I for one would buy another copy or the equivalent if this were to be published online.

Suck it up, soldier!

Despite the fact that I still fear Bush's keepers - not so much Bush himself, but the powers behind the throne - my friend Nancy Freeman is right:

So you worked hard, and your candidate lost. No US president has ever been unseated in wartime. Coming within a 3% margin of the popular vote, with a candidate whose primary appeal was not being the incumbant, is pretty damn good.

I still have a job, a mortgage, a lover, freedom of speech, love of country and a healthy mistrust of government and those who seek power.

It's time to go back to low comedy.

And to stay vigilant, which I do no matter who's in power.

Thank God We Still Have Dave

Dave Barry sums up the election - on a really tight deadline.

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O My Country

Clearly there is no common sense left in the United States.

Clearly, the terrorists have won.

Now, we shall be ruled by fear and fascism.

O my country.

Generic Pre-Election Snark

• I don't wanna hear anything else about the election. Everybody go and vote. Use a paper ballot if you have a choice. Do not let anybody tell you that you can't vote.
  
• The person behind the Electoral Vote Predictor has come forward. It's Andrew Tannenbaum. For you non computer-geeks: I have respected him for years. You can trust him.
  
• Tomorrow night, that is, Election Night, good friends and Chris and I will meet someplace, hopefully without a television set, to compare notes on our various Hawaii trips. Maybe we'll even decide to go together sometime. Rent a big condo and a couple of cars for a week or so. Mmmmm.
• Haloween party was good, though smaller than last year. I was the burger chef, and am now completely hooked on outdoor grilling on a good gas grill. Now I want some recipes.
• That is all till Wednesday. Tonight I will practice my ukulele. Aloha!
• Frances: Where the hell is the Renaissance shirt you owe me? Thank you.