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July 31, 2002; Wednesday Ruminating on The Runaways
Just over two months ago, Jeremy said, "If I'd been a teenager in L.A. the first time I heard Cherry Bomb by the Runaways, I'm pretty sure I would have become a bad girl. As it is, I'm considering it..." It was a little bit eerie because the night before, the very night before, I'd seen a promo on one of the local public TV stations (there's, like, several public TV stations around here) for a show called Independent Eye... hosted by Joan Jett. With short blonde hair. (Apropos of nothing in particular, it turns out that Joan is a native of Rockville, Maryland.) When Jeremy posted his comment back at the end of May, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I listened to my Best Of The Runaways CD again... and today was that time, while I was cleaning the bathroom. (Hey, somebody's gotta do it. Eventually.) There is very real and very actual and very dreadful over-the-top badness to every aspect of their song "Born To Be Bad" - which is more than answered for by the live takes of "Queens Of Noise" and "You Drive Me Wild" (from Live In Japan, unreleased in the USA), which are absolutely terrific. One morning, back when I had the delivery job (I used to drive a big black panel van, delivering Avon to Avon Ladies - golly, in the waning eighties), I popped in a Runaways tape while we were loading the trucks. One of the drivers - was his name Glen? - who I kind of had pegged as a "classic album rock" guy, gave out a whoop. Turns out he'd seen the Runaways. In Minnesota - at the State Fair... where he also saw the New York Dolls. When I was barely out of 8th grade. I was born too late for a lot of stuff. Responses - 5 (Commenting has been disabled.) Ha! You know I was thinking about that CD when I started listening to "Cherry Bomb." If Skeleton Ed was cooler, we would have learned that song...  Joan Jett at CBGB in the old days with the Runaways. From CBGB Photographic History.  Wendy O. Williams of the Plasmatics, also at CBGB. As it happens, I know Kaki Hunter, the woman who played the character named Wendy Williams in the Porky's movies. Does one Wendy have anything to do with the other? Probably not. The band started in '78, the first Porky's movie came out in '81. None of this has anything to do with Joan Jett or the Runaways. I was looking at the CBGB gallery because of a link at gmtPlus9, saw the Joan photo, then saw the Wendy O photo. And maybe I'll go see some others.   See joanjett.com July 30, 2002; Tuesday Foghat on the free stage
Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25, at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell at the Minnesota State Fair. Foghat. Responses - 8 (Commenting has been disabled.) Why can noone spell 'Led ZeppElin' correctly? They wouldn't play the free stage even if it was spelled right, I bet. And if they did, I'd stand in the back and yell, "Free Bird! Play Free Bird!" ...and if they were playing the free stage, they might try it... Jeremy, whose band learned 'Free Bird' to play it for people who requested it (they never did again...) Jul 31, '02 - 6:01 PM The Leeds played Freebird one night. Unsolicited. We also played Slow Ride. Honorable Host: I keep meaning to make a cd of Shamus. Unfortunately I've had a bit of bad luck lately and haven't had a chance. Next week for sure. I'm sorry to hear about the bad luck; I hope the tide has turned now. Not because I'm so anxious to get a CD out of you (I mean, I am), but because I'd rather my pals lives weren't ever tainted with bad luck. Even though they sometimes write terrific songs as a result of it. "Even though they sometimes write terrific songs as a result of it." And the wind cries, "Gail Wyant." Okay, I can't resist..."She's a tree" RV PV, RV fixin'
I've got a good selection of books on PV, but this one's just right at the moment:  Available from RV Solar Electric Systems The fifth-wheel is in the shop just now. The manufacturer, Northwood, is located in Oregon... but lately they opened a plant about a hundred miles from here. There had been a couple problems with the camper (which is out of warranty), the most recent of which was by far the most serious: what looked to me like a stress fracture in fiberglass shell. I called them to discuss things. Despite the warranty having run out, they're being extraordinarily accommodating - fixing the crack (which most likely wasn't a stress fracture at all, as it happens), and a number of other, smaller things as well. No charge. Gotta appreciate a place that stands by their product. Responses - 3 (Commenting has been disabled.) PV? Sorry - photovoltaic. Solar panels. Ah. Thanks. Maryland to Washington
 A likely route, no ETD yet. Ignore the purple flags, they mean nothing. It includes stops at Ithaca NY, Nigara Falls, Milwaukee WI, the Wisconsin Dells, Spring Green WI, St Paul MN (and environs), the Badlands SD, and Custer SD. (Yes, we do indeed drive straight through the middle of Lake Michigan.) Suggestions? Responses - 12 (Commenting has been disabled.) Yellowstone... I added Yellowstone. you guys camping or staying with folks? what mapping software do you use to do that nifty trip thing? I want it! jessamyn Jul 30, '02 - 1:35 PM Mostly camping, and hopefully mostly drydocking for free where it's allowed or we can get away with with it... but we're also open to do some staying with folks - probably in their driveways or lawns or streetfronts, since we have the camper and would have to park it somewhere anyway. Jeremy, of course, is really the only reason we're going to Milwaukee. And we have people in Minnesota and Washington. And a place to stay at in Custer SD. The mapping software is Rand McNally. It was part of a software bundle, and has some limitations. In my experience, the actual mileage and drive time are inevitably higher than the program suggests it will be. But on the whole it works pretty good. There's a place in Northern WI (by Ashland on Lake Superior if you wanna look at it on a map) you guys might wanna stop by and check out...
Jeremy, of course, is really the only reason we're going to Milwaukee. Oh. Never mind! My God it's been a while Mark....sorry for my recluseness. Suggestions? Well, yes....I have suggestions. One should take at least three days to truly EXPERIENCE Pike Place Market in Seattle, but the best memory I have is when I took a jaunt on the ferry to Winslow, Washington and hitched a ride to Poulsbo, Washington on Liberty Bay. Indescribably gorgeous when I was there, hopefully it has remained unspoiled. In addition, one of my favorite spots (and it looks like you might hit it) is Coeur d'Alene Lake in northern Idaho. I skipped a stone bearing my name and date on that lake back in 1977. -Jeeem- . . . er . . . I have travelled extensively in Concord . . . [clears throat nervously] . . . I . . . I dreamed I did . . . Concord... Concord north of a line from Rochester to Owatonna? Or one of the other 19 different Concords named by Rand McNally in the USA and southern Canada? AL, AR, CA, DE, FL, IL, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MS, NE, NH, NY, ON, OR, PA, VT, WI. Or do you mean the Concord of Thoreau? Ach. Of course you do. The "Ducks" will get you through Lake Michigan. Make sure they are the "original" Wi. Dell. Ducks, though, so you have an opportunity to purchase the greeting cards and a quacker toy. Original ducks. Copycat ducks. My apologies, it's the fakers. I remember now. I was pissed, because I wanted the original Ducks, but somehow ended up speeding into the fakers' parking lot. Some dad. But I also found Karah's totem sand blasted onto a small stone there, just like the one's you've seen EVERYPLACE; but the owl is hard to come by. The owl has been her totem from birth, since b4 we ever knew of the little wizard; don't be fooled by popular culture into thinking that we're followers--(did I sufficiently defend my creative autonomy?) There are spiders
Over the past couple days, one of the things I've been doing is giving the bed of the pickup a fresh coat of paint in preparation for leaving. (It's a diamondplate flatbed with fancy homemade wooden rails.) It hasn't been going well, mostly because the awful heat and humidity makes me stop often and long, but also because it turned out that everything needed two coats... and when the first can of paint (flat black Red Devil Pro, a year or more old) ran out, it didn't quite match the new, fresh can. This morning, standing in the middle of the in-law's driveway with the oppressive moist heat pushing against me, painting the flatbed, a spider ran up my leg onto my shin. Agh. It was a hairy thing, maybe two-and-a-half inches or more front to back, brown with black and white racing stripes. I stomped my foot to get it off - make a concussion, you know, so it loses its grip and falls - but it wasn't going anywhere. So I reached down with my left hand (my right hand holding a paintbrush) and flicked it away. It scuttled under the truck. Fast spider. My leg, where the spider was, felt like it had had a little pinch. Not a break-the-skin pinch, more gentle than that. Like maybe the spider, which obviously had some climbing abilities, had little spikes on its feet. I figured I ought to try to catch it, identify it. It was sitting still under the truck, so I went to get something to put it in. When I reach for it with the plastic bowl, the thing took off. It was jumping as it ran. Weird-ass spider. Responses - 2 (Commenting has been disabled.) Spider from Mars. Still chuckling a day later... July 27, 2002; Saturday Put on these sunglasses, he says
Responses - 0 (Commenting has been disabled.) So if it's not a giant suckhole, what is it?
 Apparently, the web, among many other things, is:
Responses - 0 (Commenting has been disabled.) July 25, 2002; Thursday I guess it's not, then
 Responses - 0 (Commenting has been disabled.) Untitled, and without direction
From Ftrain, 4 Days, 4 Police Officers: Under it all, an increasing understanding that my abilities and talents are being squandered, due to my own inability to pull together the 30,000 disparate threads of my interests. And then there's this Web site. Why couldn't I love a form of writing that wasn't considered the bastard child of the bucktoothed computer nerd and the self-published poetess? Why couldn't I be good at something reputable, like Defence Contract Proposals? "teeth rictus of suffering" Responses - 1 (Commenting has been disabled.) Timo said recently (20th of July, 2002 entry, Pellucidia™ weblog), "It's tough pretending you're cooler than everyone else." July 24, 2002; Wednesday Che cosa? Che cosa? Che cosa?
Non capisco nulla tranne l'inglese, ma Dave e Jeremy continuano a comunicare in linguette straniere. Responses - 3 (Commenting has been disabled.) Mi diverto con la lingua che conosco. Che cosa che cosa.... what about learning english then .... Aug 2, '02 - 8:09 AM *laughing*... Ooh! Mauled by a clueless, anonymous German insult comic! I feel so dirty, so demeaned. Ha! Your make me feel superior! I am the überhost! [shudder] Freaked Norma
Responses - 0 (Commenting has been disabled.) July 23, 2002; Tuesday Songs about and by cats
Responses - 5 (Commenting has been disabled.) Is "My Pal Foot-Foot" available anywhere? Here. ...and here. Geez, you're good. Is there a trick? How about "Cat" by the Sugarcubes, sung in Icelandic before they got big? (One time Laurie Anderson was doing an in-store promo at Northern Lights on University Ave in St Paul, for the record after Big Science - the one with William Burroughs on one of the tracks. A clerk asked if she wanted anything in particular played on the house system. Without even seeming to think about it, she said, "Something German and peppy.") (laughing...)Cubed. July 20, 2002; Saturday Happy Anniversary to Jeremy and Lynn
 What a great picture. (I stole it from Jeremy's site. His friend Lesley took it.) I was at their wedding, which was about the coolest, casualest wedding I've ever been to. It seems like longer ago than six years. I've still got the Dķa de los Muertos invitation, and the little battery-operated toy guitar I bought later that day. Jeremy and Lynn's wedding was the first time I ever had gazpacho. Responses - 1 (Commenting has been disabled.) If you look at the picture closely, you can see clumps of birdseed (used instead of rice, per PC objections) headed our way (it's up in the upper right corner). Japan Texture and Detail
 Pictures from "Japan Texture and Detail," 1998. Despite being unable to actually read it, this is an intense and impressive and revealing and illuminating book (for those with a leaning toward this sort of thing, anyway) - thanks a million, Salami! Responses - 0 (Commenting has been disabled.) July 19, 2002; Friday I'm always ready for people not to get it, but I've never gotten used to when they don't; it was nice to spend some time with people who understand
Yesterday the Dearest One and I went to supper with Jessamyn and Greg and a friend of theirs (I'm so horrible about names, and he was such a good guy) to a place they know near Dupont Circle. It was a last-minute affair. I knew they were in DC, but figured they had plenty to see and do, and didn't try to glom onto their schedule. Evidently, though, they were tromping across the national mall a couple days ago in the unrelenting heat and humidity when Greg remembered the photos I posted last week... which led to an email (my reply being the one with the Ten Commandos of Fun reference), which led to a phone call, which led to a place with eight thousand beers. "It has eight thousand beers," Jessamyn said on the phone. I hadn't actually met any of them before. I liked Jessamyn. She was talker: not a chatterer of disconnected words about nothing, but a sayer of whole sentences on real topics. A talker of substance, with healthy dollops of humor. And I liked Greg, who spoke when he had something to say, invariably well-phrased and judicious. He, too, had a witty streak, a bit more glancing and mischevious than his beloved's. Their friend (John? Doug?), who joined us later, seemed more overtly politically motivated (with good politics) than the other two - and it's not like the other two make any effort to hide theirs. Generally content to watch and listen when there's intelligent, interesting folks at hand, I'm certain that I came away better-entertained and -educated than the others. (The Dearest One may feel that she joins me in that sentiment, and she's welcome to.) One topic close to my life that I ought to have pursued with more vigor, however - and one that I don't think most people truly understand from my point of view - was how to survive and thrive on as little money as possible: their personal tips, experiences, strategies, thoughts. I know how not to make much money. I can do that, it's easy. And it has nothing whatsoever to do with being lazy. After I left Minnesota, in the first eight months I earned about $4000. The 12 months following, about double that. The following year (last year), I had a taxable income of $7000. This year's tally is the lowest yet. I never had a safety net: no savings, no trust fund, no retirement account, no stocks, nothing. With an average income of about $500 a month over the past three years, though, I'm fabulously wealthy according to most of the global population's standards. In New Mexico, I had incredibly low overhead, living in a 1955 Ford half-sized school bus without water or electricity. (I did eventually get a solar panel and a battery hooked up.) Getting by financially in that lifestyle wasn't hard. What I ended up hating about the situation was that the money I did make was the hardest, longest-houred money I'd ever earned... and just about the most tainted by inequity. It took me a couple years to realize that. Then I left. And now, out here again in the "real world," I'm floundering. Everything costs, and it costs so much! - and there doesn't seem to be any way to avoid most of it. Sure, there's deconsumerism: just don't buy stuff. For people who try to fill the holes in their lives by shopping, that can make a huge dent. But I'm talking about facing the basic requirements of living in "normal" American society: rent or mortgage, utilities, insurance, taxes, transportation, food... Most strategies are obvious: Save on rent/mortgage with roommates, by living small and downscale. Save on transportation by not having a car, or having a smaller and cheaper car, and by using public transportation or biking or walking whever possible. The preceding both help lower personal taxes. Save on utilities by using them less, and not at all if possible. Save on insurance by having high deductibles, or by not having it at all. Save on food (the hardest one for me) by buying bulk, by not going to restaurants, by not buying expensive snacks. (I didn't mention clothing because I didn't think of it. For me, clothing has always been pretty much a non-expense.) Despite everything I've written here, I know what I need to do within the balance of the combined set of wants and needs of the Dearest One and myself: I need to earn enough gas dollars to get us out to the west coast where we can find semi-rural land for a few thousand and start building a lifestyle which we both can thrive within on very little money. So, if I'm such a slacker, how does it happen that I always seem to be working at something? To most people, if a person isn't doing their work for a boss, or doesn't get paid enough money - or any money at all - for their work, then it isn't work. And to most people, that means it isn't important. Too bad for me, I guess. I toed the party line already. I've had the mortgage, I've had the 9-to-5, I've had the car payments, I've had the overextended credit, thank-you-very-much. I have a decent intellectual grasp of the concepts at work on both sides of the issue. I know where I'm trying to get. The means to the means to the end is the stickler at the moment. Responses - 24 (Commenting has been disabled.) FWIW, I didn't totally get it when I first met you, but it never really bothered me: it's a lifestyle choice, like dating within your gender, or outside your race or creed (heck, even outside your species). As long as it doesn't impede on my lifestyle choices, it's okay by me. I feel vaguely guilty that I like leading a capitalistic lifestyle (albeit one with definite anarchistic and libertarian modifications), but it's my lifestyle, isn't it? Anyway, my interaction with you back in the day probably made me a more accepting soul later, when I met people like Greg and Jessamyn. What I like is that my wildly distant pals are meeting up and not fighting in the sandbox. It makes me remember that I have the best pals in all of the world. I agree that people should be able to live how they want to live, as long as they don't stomp on the way other people want to conduct their lives. And I do believe in capitalism - capitalism within reason, capitalism which embraces humanity instead of being inhumane. I do think that hard work and cleverness (as distinct from cunning) should be rewarded. The following quote, resurrected from back-when, hits home for me: "Abbey... was an anarchist with the gallows humor of a revolutionary, not a bomb-thrower advocating bloodthirsty acts... To make his point, Abbey often quoted Thomas Jefferson, the last American president he respected: 'The tree of liberty is nourished by the blood of tyrants.' It was a figure of speech, because neither Jefferson nor Abbey truly believed that killing was required to mount a revolution. On Abbey's road, anarchism was a positive moral force, as it had been in Europe before events in nineteenth-century Russia gave it such a dark and bloody connotation. In this perspective, it meant following the path of the Jeffersonian dream through which the individual can be resurrected as the foundation of civil society; nothing more or less than 'democracy taken seriously,' as Abbey put it once, meaning 'no rulers,' not 'no rule.'" Oh, and I never got the feeling that you didn't get it. Hell, I still don't know if I really get it myself. Instead of the title I used, I should have found a way to say that I don't require people to get it, and it's OK if they don't - I don't think less of them because of it - as long as they don't try to stand in my way without just cause. I'm not doing anything to prevent anyone from doing anything that isn't causing harm, and I think it's fair to expect the same treatment in return. 'as long as they don't try to stand in my way without just cause' Oh, yeah. Thanks for bringing that up. I guess I forgot to mention it too. Sometimes I get to yappin' and I inadvertently leave out really important bits, sometimes the most important bits. S-s-s-subjective, though, folks. H-h-h-how do we overcome th-th-that problem? 1. Of course it's subjective. 2. What are you talking about? When can I go into the supermarket and buy what I need with my good looks? (Not saying that I agree with any or all of it. Just having fun.) >> 2. What are you talking about? Une douleur de l'homme est le plaisir d'un autre homme. Yes. One man's pleasure is another man's pain. And how are you applying that? What's your point? How does it relate to what's been said? Are you taking it out of the context of "democracy taken seriously?" Are you thinking of some specific situation? Or is it a vague generality that doesn't particularly mean anything? Well, let's see. What was the turn of conversation when I said (oooohhhhh. . . . TYPED) it? It seemed to me to be taking the form of, "Do as you will but harm no one." Okay, with that clear, my point is: "What is 'to harm one'?" It is subjective. Don't tread on me. Please tread on me. If I FEEL like I am not squelching your freedom, or reducing your enjoyment of life somehow, I should feel good about myself. Right? "Do unto others...", and all that. That don't fly. "I want to die. Kill me." "HELL NO! That would be the ultimate in extinguishing your freedom!" "You are wrong. Only in death will I truly be free." "In death, you are nothing." "Hit me, I like pain." "HELL NO! How more directly could I do you harm than by striking you with my own hand" "But I LIKE it." Might I ask, "What is YOUR point?" OK, there we go! That's debate, that's conversation - when the person whose position is being challenged is given some idea what the person opposing it is saying, instead of having to guess at their meanings. It's a mighty good way for the challenger to get his opponent to do his fighting for him. It's like the karate of discussion. Politicians do it whenever they can, both coming and going - but especially when they're campaigning or caught doing things they oughtn't. "Do as you will but harm none" is the Wiccan Rede, and is more often presented as "An it harm none, do as you will." It's a nice sentiment. It was similarly a nice sentiment when Crowley wrote "Love is the law, love under will." And "Love is the Law" was a nice song (actually it got annoying rather quickly now that I think about it) by the Suburbs. You say that you're not clear on what it is to "harm one." My basic operating definition is that one is harmed when something is foisted on them against their will. Pretty easy. "No" means "No." What goes on between consenting adults is their business. If somebody wants to get trod upon, and they find somebody who wants to tread on them, that's hunky-dory. If somebody wants to die, and they find a Kervorkian, that's fine. (Everything starts a difficult rippling, however, and some people - be they relatives, friends, strangers, survivors - may feel harmed in some way. There may be validity, there may not be.) (That can of worms was opened by me, for you.) And what's my point?, you ask. My point is that if I'm doing something that doesn't harm you, then you should butt out of it. By the same token, my right to swing my metaphorical arm ends at the tip of your metaphorical nose. It's a different situation entirely if you want to be punched on the nose and I agree to do it, than if I just walk up to you on the street and punch you on the nose. If I see you walking down the street and punching people on the nose, if I see people bleeding and clearly in agony because of you, I will try to stop you. "It is your concern when your neighbor's wall is on fire," Horace said. And on top of this all is "democracy taken seriously." There are social conventions at work in any society. Based on prevalent opinion, it might be OK to punch people on the nose in any cafe in France, but not in any malls in America. And so nose-punching support groups are formed by people who want to stop punching other people's noses, and private nose-punching clubs are started where people can go... and there will always be people who just plain break the rule of common law (written or not). Ahh. Okay then. No disagreement here. I'm glad I kind of met your criteria for communication; although, I did feel forced into meeting your requirements. "Karate of discussion"; I like that. I do not liken that style to politic-speak, though. Smart politicians lay traps with their half-thoughts. In karate, the opponent lays his own trap. Which is better, and for who: that you're forced to meet the criteria of communication understood by the person you're speaking to, or that the spoken-to is required to meet yours? Depends on who's need is greater: to understand, or be understood. If you prefer, I could just ignore anything you say that doesn't make sense to me. Your point about karate is taken; the way you're saying it, you're right. What I was noting is that a politician will say something nebulous enough that people can take it to mean whatever they want it to mean. In that way, the politician uses the strength and momentum of others for their personal advantage. Ink-a-bink, a bottle of ink. I guess I'll assume, then, for lack of anything concrete to work with, that your preference is for me to just ignore anything you say that doesn't make sense to me. It's only the river, it's only the river. Geez, I only get about half of what you guys write anyway, and it's all entertaining... jesus you people.... I go on vacation for 16 days... my pal's name was Chuck and he runs the really incomparable infoshop.org jessamyn the talker Jul 25, '02 - 5:26 PM See, when I say something that doesn't make sense, it's because there's nothing there. But when Dave says something that I don't get, it drives me nuts because I know there's something there. (And I usually get the impression that it's kinda snipey somehow and that I need to defend myself.) Remember that baby-silly-putty stuff? It totally went over my head. I totally missed it, didn't get it at all until you pointed out that there was something there. And damn, there really, really was something there. I thought it was just an inventive-but-not-particularly-funny knockoff, but in actuality it was this big statement. See what I'm saying? I work hard to keep up with the likes of you people, and as often as not I'm squeaking "Hey guys, wait up" to your backs as you're scurrying toward the horizon. Like that Captain America & Billy essay you wrote... (is that on your site somewhere? yes, OK, it is). I read it ages ago (in hard copy, as I recall), and was impressed with the words - but knew that I didn't get it. Maybe a sufficient number of years has passed so that I will now. I'll try it again after I get back from the grocery store, where I'll buy a little box of animal crackers and some grape pop. Mark knows better than anybody that anything coming out of my mouth (you know) is as hollow as a felled tree with a gnome asleep inside it. And the gnome was put there by someone else. And somebody else pushed the tree over. And another person pointed out that the tree was there on the ground so I wouldn't fall over it. And yet another suggested I go for a walk in the first place. Agh! See?! See?! See?! He uses cleverness to pretend a lack of cleverness! Outclassed, outclassed and outgunned am I! I hear Jeremy's voice saying, "...our combined neuroses... have held us captive in the car, unable to find America or ourselves (or maybe... too much of ourselves)..." Geez, man, I'm not sure I know what that essay means, or that it has any meaning at all... "If you see the point, will you tell it I'm looking for it? " I wrote by way of introduction, and I meant it, though now that I've heard such strong praise for it, I think I'll go read it again. Yeah, I just read it, and for the first time ever saw the point. It seems like someone sle musta wrote it, though. July 18, 2002; Thursday The Ten Commandos of Fun
In an email earlier today I made a remark about violating Pete Wagner's "Ten Commandos of Fun," which reminded me that I've been going to post those here for some time, and haven't - since August 17 of last year. "The Ten Commandos of Fun" are from a book called Buy This Book, a play on Abbie Hoffman's title Steal This Book (which, thanks to Timo, I learned last month is now online in its entirety - which is cool, but not quite as cool as the time Jeremy gave me a hard copy of the book itself). Wagner's book came out a decade after Hoffman's. I bought it brand new for $6.95 the year I graduated high school, at a book-signing in Har-Mar Mall that nobody except me seemed to know about. From the back cover: Pete Wagner has been variously described as: "flamboyant and flashy" (Madison Daily Cardinal), "a terrorist" (Isthmus magazine), "Great!" (GOP Feminist Caucus), "A Dangerous Enemy of Our Country" (Rev. Joseph Head, Sons of the American Revolution), "excellent... have a titter of wit" (Irish Northern Aid), "mindless... sophomoric... malicious... vicious... simple minded... poisonous..." (Catholic Bulletin), "a delightful anarchist" (People's Bicentennial Commission), "controversial" (United Press International), "controversial" (KSTP-TV), "controversial" (WCCO- TV), "controversial" (KMSP-TV) and "controversial" (WORT-FM). The Ten Commandos of Fun 1. Thou Shalt Make Fun to Have Fun. Go for active, rather than passive, ways of having fun. Make love, play games and sports, enter contests, explore, perform, sing, draw, etc. rather than just watching, listening to or reading about them. To a lot of people this sounds more like work than play. But it's like running. Ten years ago, people thought you were crazy if you ran a mile. Today, a lot of those people are avid marathoners. 2. Thou Shalt turn to Reality, not from Reality, for Thy Jollies. Don't limit fun to any particular "time and place." Instead of going to stadiums, bars, theaters, auditoriums, concert halls and other synthetic environments where you are "supposed" to have fun, find ways to have fun in your real environment. Like playing frisbee barefoot in a field of cowshit instead of wearing Nikes on an astro-turf field, or dressing up as your favorite sex organ for a wedding reception instead of a costume party, or throwing a pie at Anita Bryant while she testifies at a gay rights hearing rather than at a pro-decency fundraiser where she's sticking her face through the center of a target and they get 50 cents a try. 3. Thou Shalt Not Put a Price on Fun. Try to find ways of having fun without having to pay for it. Fun should be something you produce, not something you consume. When you reduce fun to a commodity, you tend to rate your enjoyment rather than enjoy it. In a state of permanent economic crisis, you're not going to have any money, anyway. Besides it's always a lot more fun to sneak into a movie or to try posing as a cop or a reporter to get into concerts and special events than it is to pay. 4. Thou Shalt Not Beat Thy Neighbor. Avoid keeping score, like in shooting buckets as opposed to basketball. The idea is to have free, playful relationships, not complicate and impose more rules than you already have to put up with in day-to-day living. If it's challenge that you want, remember it is MORE of a challenge, not less, to go beyond competition and create situations where everybody "wins." It takes more skill to volley a tennis ball to where your partner really has to chase it but will be able to hit it than it does to get him to miss. 5. If They Can't take a Joke, Fuck 'em. 6. Thou Shalt Try It, You'll Like It. Seek to have a good time in situations where fun is not guaranteed or even promised. Instead of falling back on the kinds of routine activities in which you are "supposed" to have fun and which are usually only moderately rewarding or downright disappointing, try lots of new and different activities in which you have no idea what they will deliver. It's more fun to have fun when you didn't expect to have fun. 7. Thou Shalt Expand Thy Head, not Shrink It. Don't confuse fun with therapy. Activities that you engage in to work off frustration, vent anger, escape problems, as an anaesthetic, etc. belong in a whole separate category from fun, which should be a POSITIVE thing that you do because you really LIKE doing it. Be creative as well as cognitive. 8. Thou Shalt Risk Thine Ass for a Good Cause. Danger and stupidity are two different things. If you're going to drive recklessly, do it chasing Nazis. If you like to break windows, don't bust up your friendly neighborhood tavern, bomb the headquarters of a multinational corporation. Make the stakes interesting when you gamble. But make them satisfying, too, by taking meaningful, as opposed to pointless, risks. 9. Thou Shalt Be Funny. Anything you don't HAVE to do can be fun if you do it with the right attitude. In real-life fun, as opposed to synthetic fun, you get rid of the old concepts of "work" and "rest" and instead let a sense of play pervade everything you do. If you're doing any kind of revolutionary art, for example posters or photos or drawings that would normally be considered "work," you don't have to take time out for a recreational "break." What you are doing already IS a recreational break. 10. Have Fun! Responses - 2 (Commenting has been disabled.) Fun is now mine for the taking. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Wagner. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. I think they were meant more as "affirmations" than permissions. But, whichever works for you... July 17, 2002; Wednesday I'm waiting to come across a logo with a boot stomping on a human face, he says
Earlier, they pointed out "this nifty animated logo on the US Patent and Trademark Office website": Earlier today, Jeremy said: Secret Police (caveat emptor): 1, 2, (link #3 has since died), 4, 5, 6, 7 Earlier today, Miriam said: Somebody from the State Department googled Dan's name just minutes after he looked at the snitch site that Bush is pimping. Responses - 0 (Commenting has been disabled.) July 16, 2002; Tuesday Something old, something new, something Irish, something-or-other
A couple days ago I put together a quick 17-page booklet of a few of our Ireland photos for my grandma, who will be 101 this Friday. She still lives up on the farm in northern Minnesota. Then I come to find that Miriam is getting married pursuant to a deal that was struck in Ireland, where the Dearest One and I lately honeymooned. Now, I don't actually know Miriam, but evidently we both have Uncles named Chuck (or woodchucks named Uncle), so we may be related - even though I'm pretty sure that my Uncle Chuck never had a tail to get bitten off. He worked for the railroad, though, and you never can tell about those people. Responses - 12 (Commenting has been disabled.) My Uncle Chuck is a woodchuck Chuck.... not to be confused with the legendary Chuck of Chuckfest fame... we do know the same Jeremy though. Ni-eeeee-ce. Want to go. Nobody knows the real me. First Uncles, and then Nieces, and now cheesey Prophecy Fulfillment. In the first entry here at potkettleblog, I wrote: If I do everything Jeremy does, eventually I'll become him, confounding my enemies and giving me access to all of his cool friends. And then he wouldn't be able to call me "mysterious" anymore.I am become Jeremy, and he me. THIRD UNCLE
There are scenes, Burn my fingers, I really liked the version of Third Uncle by what's-they're-names. What's they're names? Uh... Bauhaus, wasn't it? Oh, excuse me - whare are my manners? Yes, that was Bauhuas... Further: The True Wheel We are the 801
Well, Bela Lugosi's dead - but here come the Merkins! mer·kin Pronunciation Key (mūrkn) A pubic wig for women. *laughing*... I had no idea. I thought it was a word you made up. But a couple seconds' research later, and Cecil is telling me all about it. I also got through to the Chuckfest page that Miriam cited - couldn't this morning, kept getting a 404 variant - and there discovered that MapQuest has arial shots... way too cool. Be aware, the MapQuest satellite photos can be #at least# a year old. There were trees in my neighbor's yard the other week, on MapQuest, that hadn't been there for awhile. July 15, 2002; Monday My country is a great country, but its president is a damned idiot
[This page intentionally left blank.] Responses - 0 (Commenting has been disabled.) July 13, 2002; Saturday Hey - there's a groundhog lolling out on the front step
July 11, 2002; Thursday A comic
Responses - 0 (Commenting has been disabled.) July 8, 2002; Monday Playmates for kv: so far, failure
Five days ago, I made a couple relatively minor changes at Making Contexts to (hopefully) make the conventions of it more easily and immediately clear for new people, then I announced it to a highly-trafficked usenet newsgroup about writing in an effort to find some playmates for kv. (That is, I briefly became a troll, almost a spammer.) It's yielded nothing, not even a single page view. I did a brief search on "creative writing webrings" and "creative writing blogs" and the results moved me to various points on a curve between dismal and terrifying. I'll try both of those again, I imagine, and more. Responses - 0 (Commenting has been disabled.) July 7, 2002; Sunday When the economy collapses and the national mall is turned into a dusty, crowded open-air market
   Responses - 2 (Commenting has been disabled.) What's Dad doing there? Where the heck are ya? Lois Jul 8, '02 - 2:28 PM *laughing*... That does kinda look like him from the rear quarter, doesn't it? I hadn't noticed. I took those on Saturday at the Silk Road thing on the national mall, which had the potential to be very cool in a good way but was mostly very hot in a bad way. Which was the root of the throng thing. Gotta go fix the neighbor's kids. July 6, 2002; Saturday And I'm not really antisocial either
The distinction is by no means subtle, but it never occurred to me so plainly: It's not really people that I hate, it's throngs. I'm not a misanthrope after all. Stupid people bug me though, even one at a time. But being as how I often mistake people who are smarter than me for being stupider, I know that it's not safe for me to make assumptions even when I have pretty good evidence. Damn. Peoples is grief. Responses - 0 (Commenting has been disabled.) July 5, 2002; Friday More theft, more stupid
From a piece in the Washington Post by staff writer Dana Milbank; Tuesday, July 2, 2002; Page A13. The mystery of the missing trifecta has been solved. Sort of.(Found it at strentrugent, of course.) Responses - 3 (Commenting has been disabled.) Thanks for the cite, man. But, um, techniczlly, I spell it in the *Canadian* manner - 'Strenturgent', y'know? And, by the way, he's putting up a good facade (pronounced Fah-KADE for this joke) of being intelligent, isn't he? [joke lovingly borrowed from The Capitol Steps] Oops, I typed sterntugent worng... July 1, 2002; Monday Three very cool recent things, all from the same source
Responses - 1 (Commenting has been disabled.) Thanks, man. I'd like to warn everybody - there are probably more (songs) coming. |
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