Happy feet

This past Thursday was the beginning of my birthday weekend, or more specifically, the celebration time of my Bodaciously Binary Birthday (#100000).



It began with a birthday jam for me (and other b-day boys and girls) at the 9:20 Special, a very popular weekly local swing dance event.



In this fun photo -- taken by Darren Holloway -- I'm dancing with the amazing Sharon Ashe, of the highly respected swing dance instructor couple Paul and Sharon. These two have done quite a bit to spread Lindy Hop skillz and love around the world. As you can imagine, it's a bit intimidating, but a thrill nonetheless to dance with her :-D



As if dancing with Sharon was not enough, as part of my birthday jam I had the distinct pleasure of dancing with nearly a dozen other talented and attractive women over the course of a song... as well as the opportunity to dance with a couple of very talented guys who braved following with me :-D



I still have two more jams to go this weekend, along with a couple of birthday meals and an ice skating outing. Yeah, yeah, I know, it may seem a little obnoxious to extend my birthday out like this, but hey, I'm still a kid at heart. Sometimes more really is better. :-D

What is the Matrix? A really crappy over-hyped special effects vehicle.

Hey there,



With all the hoopla surrounding the upcoming Matrix Reloaded movie, I was reminded about my sadness regarding its predecessor.



Why sadness? Well, everyone RAVED about the movie, and I thought it was, well, one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen, to put it bluntly. I WANTED to love it, but I just couldn't. And as a geek / sci-fi lover, I was so disappointed in what I feel was the squandered potential.

Special effects? Great! Carrie Ann Moss in tight pants? Delicious! New opportunities to make fun of Keanu? Priceless.



But the movie overall? Um, I just don't get the hype.



First of all, I simply couldn't buy into the central theme. Megacomputer decides humans are a pox upon the universe (gee, never seen THAT before, eh?!). But megacomputer still needs energy (I guess geothermal power wouldn't cut it), so it decides to use humans' brain waves or whatnot for energy.



Of course, in order to keep the humans alive, it's gotta put 'em in pods of some sort and feed them.



And what's the creating-alternate-reality thing for? I mean, if Megacomputer needs to keep the humans alive to tap their energy, why not just put 'em into a coma vegetative state without any significant dreams or alternate reality? Why the elaborate deception? (I know, I know, "There wouldn't be a movie otherwise!"... but that's not exactly a sound foundation for a plot now, is it?)



All of this pales in comparison, however, to my befuddlement as to the whole mess behind the Megacomputer's lack of omniscience and power. Why do the rules of physics even remotely apply to Agent Smith and his compu-constructed crowd? Why don't they know exactly what and where Neo and his gang are up to? And what's with all the kung fu? Once again, sure, it makes for great eye-candy, but plot-wise, wtf?



Don't get me wrong. I'm not such a geek that I can't enjoyably suspend disbelief in my entertainment. Hell, I loved over-the-top insanity in Total Recall, I bought into talking animals in Babe, my BS detector didn't go into overdrive when E.T. or Superman took to the sky, and I even like musicals where people break into song for no real reason, logical or otherwise.



But The Matrix just struck me as all symbolism and flash and little if any depth. Aside from the fact that it was nearly all derivative (and from cyberpunk stuff that was more logical and plot-driven, like the book "Neuromancer"), the whole movie just seemed like all "Whoah! Deeeeep!" from a premise with more holes than swiss cheese.



Okay, thank you, thank you. I just needed to get all of that off my chest.

If you're Happy and you know it...

If I were named Dr. Happy Craven Fernandez:

- I'd change my name OR

- I'd get a job working for a comedy troupe or circus

I am a Bad American, too

I am a Bad American

By Adam Lasnik -- http://www.bladam.com/

A response to the reactionary essay cited at http://www.snopes.com/language/document/carlin.htm



I look forward to the day when the Peace Corp offers pay and benefits equal to the military.



I have a problem with our government arresting people and detaining them without charges for months on end. Isn't that what countries like, oh, Iraq have been known for?



I believe that teachers or others performing society-enhancing work should make more than the arrogant and ineffectual CEO's who plunder and then bankrupt their companies.



I think people like Senator Rick "Man on dog" Santorum and Anne "Kill all non-Christians" Coulter are, or at least SHOULD be an embarrassment to the Republican party. Er, make that an embarrassment to humanity.



I think sexual behavior that goes on between ANY consenting adults is nobody's business besides those directly involved.

I think that folks who make millions and corporations who make billions of dollars should actually pay some taxes instead of savoring every loophole they can find.



The great thing about whatever diety you worship is that he/she/it is (probably) available outside of business hours. In other words, don't use resources funded by my tax dollars to facilitate your prayerful objectives in schools, courthouses, and so on.



I think there's something screwy when we American taxpayers spend $100 billion dollars to wage a pre-emptive war for our "security" when millions in the U.S. lack jobs, basic medical care, or even a roof over their heads.



I believe that any politician who utters the despicable words, "If you're not with us, you're against us" or anything similar ought to be immediately banished to a land in which there are no civil liberties whatsoever.



I feel there should be more Arts education in schools. Stuff like marching band not only instills discipline and teamwork, but leaves kids with much less time to get into trouble.



I think colors are for coloring books, not for asinine "terror codes" that do nothing to help anyone. Someone should duct tape Tom Ridge's mouth.



I am disgusted by our country's ridiculous "War on Drugs." How about a War on Pandering Politicians instead?



I believe that any President of a large country should have actually spent some quality time outside of his or her homeland. Putting together a coherent sentence off the cuff would be nice, too, especially without relying on the word "Evil."



Condoms break, birth control sometimes fails. If you don't like abortions, don't have one.



I'm confident that the real problems facing our society are not caused by celebrities or violent videogames or "those godless homosexuals."



I think proclaiming a "War on Terrorism" is ridiculous. Usually wars have a beginning and an end. Does anyone forsee one of our leaders bragging, "Okay, folks, we just won the war! No more terrorism!"?



So, of course, we're going to be "at War!" for at least the duration of Bush's tenure. No wonder why Republicans so steadfastly oppose criticizing our President during war time. How conveeeeenient.



I think that when a national tragedy strikes, there are far more noble calls to action than "Go Shopping!"



I believe that "Liberal" is not a dirty word, and I wish more of our spineless Democrats would pick up the clue phone and care about something other than their re-election.