update

My grandmother got the name wrong. It isn't Cheney she finds likable, as I discovered over dinner. It's John McCain. This I can understand.

it's... so... outrageous...

Step by step:

1. Executive Order gives the House Oversight Committee power to collect certain sensitive information, including from the Executive Branch.

2. Committee requests info from the Office of the Vice President.

3. Cheney's office denies this request. Why? Because the office of the vice president is not an "entity within the executive branch."

...

...

...

The Vice President is not a part of the executive branch? I mean, really? That's the excuse? Now the original letter has not been published, to my knowledge. Surely this was taken out of context, and Senator Waxman misunderstood or misquoted Cheney.

I can't believe that I live in a universe where this kind of crap is possible.

in which my head freakin' explodes

Bush to black jazz band:

Proud you're here. Thanks for coming. You all enjoy yourself. Make sure you pick up all the trash after it's over. (Laughter.)

RAAAHHH!

conversations with my grandmother part 2

grandmother: The thing about Kennedy is that he was a great speaker, and that made him a great president. "Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather, what you can do for your country." He had a great sense of humor.

me: ...I love you.

holy crap, I lost my lake!

Natural phenomena have been catching my eye lately.

conversations with my grandmother

Grandmother: You know, you should really try to date a girl.

Me: No thanks.

Grandmother: But you should at least try to date a girl and see what it's like.

Me: Have you ever tried dating a girl to see what it's like?

Grandmother: No. But I'm attracted to the right gender.

Me: (sigh) I am too.

the small stuff

I love it when Wikipedia mentions something nerdy that I know about. It's the small pleasures. Recently it was the Excel Saga. Now it is my favorite video game (maybe number two), Final Fantasy 6.

offensiveness

The caption on this ad reads, "Forget about it. Men's preference will never change. Fit Light Yogurt."
Is it offensive?

I thought it was kind of funny. (I also thought that the women were pretty attractive). But then again, I thought this was kind of funny too:

The cover of the card featured a photo of an idyllic, upscale picnic spread: plaid blanket, wicker basket, a bottle of wine and two glasses, a round of bread, a fruit plate. Above the photo, the card read, "Dad, how about a Father's Day picnic?" The punch line inside: "Too queer? Yeah, I thought so too."

(I totally would have gotten it for my dad.)

Which makes me wonder if I am being insensitive. One thing I have been wondering about lately was the Futurama character Zoidberg, which seems wildly anti-Semitic to me. I haven't heard any complaints, though.

incredibly cool ways to die

Did you know that a tsunami created by a massive landslide can reach up to a thousand feet in height, or possibly higher? That's bigger than a skyscraper.

Did you also know there is a "supervolcano" under yellowstone that, if it erupted suddenly, could kill millions on impact?

And of course we all know what a meteorite could do.

Ah, fleeting mortal coil.

final "nice guy" installment

A little perspective.

politics at breakfast

I was sitting with my grandmother at breakfast this morning, and we were talking politics. She reiterated what my grandfather had said before, namely, that she finds Dick Cheney likeable and would strongly consider voting for him if only her were younger and running. (eh, sigh of relief).
Then she said that she couldn't bring herself to vote for Obama, partly because of his experience and partly because of his name. Because in a time of war, we can't be voting for someone with an Arabic name.
I didn't know how to respond.

feminism and the nice guy

So I was reading a feminist blog yesterday. Generally speaking I agree with the things on the blog, and most of the feminists I read on blogs (at least when it comes to feminism itself). She was listing things that anti-feminists say that piss her off, like:
-Women have men by the dick.
-Women are just better at some things, and men are better at others.
-You're just silly and over-emotional.
-Why don't you smile, lady?
-Feminists hate men.
-I'm a nice guy, why can't I get laid?

Now most of these things I would agree are pretty laughable. And it has taken me some time to really come to understand some of it. I might even have said a few anti-feminist things in my own time, without meaning to be an ass, but not realizing my own assumptions. But the last one I am still having some trouble with, and I don't know if that is me or if maybe it is an exception.

The feminist issue with a "nice guy" bitching about not getting laid is that it assumes that women owe him sex. He does the right things, after all, why aren't women paying him his dues? It is an entitlement issue, in other words.

At the same time, I agree with Rosemary. If someone isn't getting laid, they do have the right to bitch about it in general. And if someone isn't getting laid because they aren't willing to fuck women over, while other men fuck women over and do get laid, then that would definitely be frustrating.

So I guess my question is, does a nice guy bitching about not getting laid reflect a sense of entitlement, or is it just legitimate frustration? I guess it could be either. I can only think of one person off the top of my head from high school who started thinking like that, and I don't know what it was with him. This is a tough one for me.

nice guys

Do nice guys get laid? And is it OK for "nice guys" to bitch about not getting laid?

Internet!

My current excuse for posts being slow is the fact that I am at home and the only internet I seem to get is my grandmother's dial-up. Then I discovered that in the living room in just the right area I seem to be able to pirate one of her neighbor's wireless on my laptop.

Good me: This is unethical!

Evil me: Didn't I lock you in a chest and drop you in the Pacific?

Good me: I pick locks!

Evil me: That doesn't seem that good...

Good me: Fuck off.

Evil me: I'm perplexed.

Good me: Do the right thing!

Me: ...nah, evil still wins on this one.

Internet... entertainment...

I'd rank this one as...

above average enjoyable.

bloody hell!

Hmmm... After my long absence, what to blog, what to blog...

Oh, I know!

Check out the faq for women; its a real gem.

Now I have nothing wrong with a little bondage in a relationship; role-playing and fantasy are totally cool with me. This isn't that.

I mean, who would have expected that being spanked to tears over your husband's lap would bring so much fulfillment? Who would have expected that standing in the corner of the room, with your bare bottom burning and your hands on your head would lead to such a loving reconciliation, and that this reconciliation could lead to so much harmony and intimacy in your relationship? But it does, against all 'logic'. How can a woman not like feeling more love, more intimacy, more security, more protection and more fulfilment?

Logic be damned, eh? And it rather leads to the question, why wouldn't that bring more fulfillment in men as well? Ah, right, because it isn't in their
nature. This is pretty much why I hate all arguments from nature, along the lines of "It's only natural that the strong take advantage of the weak" or "God intended for men to rule over women." It's just so damn easy to give up responsibility for your actions and play out what you think some higher force wants or demands. Especially when that higher force demands that them uppity womenfolk stop talking back and start making you dinner.

And how does one argue with that? The premises between that and what I would call ethics are so different that there isn't any room for real argument, let alone agreement.

Then again...

It is said that one of the signs of wisdom is an ability to hold two contradictory thoughts in your head at the same time. Loving Domestic Discipline is one such contradiction.

It is a contradiction! We do agree!