Once I started seeing a few of the same people on flights, and once the grill guy at the campus cafeteria started asking me if I wanted "the usual" I began to think I might be traveling too much. While I am certainly happy to be two-thirds of the way to gold status after a scant three months, I honestly have no idea how people who travel constantly keep sane. Airports and airplanes are wretched places. Thankfully I should be done for a little while at least.

I ran across this gem while I was navigating the UT website today:

The BB&T Chair for the Study of Objectivism, held by Dr. Tara Smith in the Philosophy Department, is sponsoring an essay contest on Ayn Rand's novel, "Atlas Shrugged."

The "BB&T Chair for the Study of Objectivism"? Seriously? Unless this chair is a toilet in the basement of Wagner Hall, I've never been more ashamed of my alma mater. And as for Dr. Tara... I never thought it was possible to get an actual Ph.D in Bullshit.

I almost feel like registering for a classes, just so I can submit my own entry: "Ayn Rand was a vapid, manipulative cunt (Shrugged)."

So, for the fourth time since 1993, I have had my car broken into. I know many people who have never in their life had a car broken into, so I am not quite sure what I did to deserve all this special attention. I'm also not sure what sort of mouth-breathing retard it takes to pop the window on an unlocked Daewoo (a fucking Daewoo!) in order to steal $2 in change. I mean seriously, get some standards. I thought the last time was already pathetic, when thieves broke into my shitbox Civic and only got a broken stereo that eats CDs for their trouble. But this shit is just downright embarrassing. No joke, I am embarrassed for you, Mr. Thief.

I have to say I think the quality of todays' thieves is not what it once was. *shakes fist* The first time my car was broken into, the thieves jimmied the lock. Quick. Clean. Professional. Truly by comparison, every subsequent break-in has only been a disappointment.

Incidentally, the main problem with having to replace a window on a Daewoo is that Daewoo only makes televisions these days. I had to drive 30 miles to the nearest salvage yard that had passenger door window!

Well if anything could rouse me from my LJ slumber it would have to be this little video, found on Language Log:

Merry Newton-mas, to one and to all!

Evidently since I was a customer in the past, I have receive the following offers. From Jos. A. Banks: Four "Save $25 on any $100 purchase" physical coupons. From Dell, various coupon codes: $350 off latitude and vostro laptops, $350 on select desktops, 30% off select servers, 30% off most Dell color laser printers, 20% off most monitors, TV's and laptop/desktop accessories.

I have no plans to make any such purchases, but I thought they might possibly be useful to somebody. They are only good for a few more days, so let me know if any of them would be useful to you.

Dare I say, Fuckin' B.

That was a great speech. For the first time in a long time, I am proud to be an American.

Dolemite was his name, and fuckin' up motherfuckers was his game." :(

...was the CNN headline just now.


Indeed, there's still shit yet left to break.

"My 401k is about to become a 200.5k!"

Just for frowns I decided to log onto ING and check my own 200.5k. Not a pretty sight.

The US national debt should hit that mark, sometime today.

Just thought I'd mark the date. I mean, how often do you get a whole new digit?

http://calculatedrisk.blogspot.com/2008/09/national-debt-to-exceed-10-trillion.html

Edit: and we made it! That's $10,024,724,896,912.49, folks! Talk about some good ole American can-do spirit. Break out the confetti!

FYI in case you or anyone you know needs an ACL wristband, I need to sell mine. Asking $170.

Edit: Sold, huzzah!

One of the amusing things about moving in with someone you have known for 18 years is that they can probably dig up really old pictures of you.

I forgot how positively anemic I was:



( More Ancient History )

...I realized, after my shiny new copy of We <3 Katamari arrived at the door, that it was the first video game I have ever personally bought for myself. I managed to roll up the sun over the weekend, but there's still levels to unlock, if I can only track down all the cousins.

That's how long it took me to run 6 miles earlier today. Run 6 miles, for the first time in my life, I should say. I suppose that's worth breaking a month or two LJ hiatus for, Thank you elovlance for inspiring me to this feat.

A terribly interesting New Yorker article about itching. Just hope you never have some of the afflictions described therein.

Go ahead, try not to scratch at all while you read it.

I suppose it is no surprise that there is a non-vanishing market for selling blatantly fraudulent products to people with more money than sense. Still, every time I read about something like the exorbitantly expensive Monster audio cables that sound as good as wire coat hanger. Or recently the buzz over the Denon digital audio cables which are—no joke—$500 segments of ordinary Cat-5 cable. (Seriously, read the Amazon reviews, some of them are hysterical!) But recently lexicalunit pointed me at the HIS iClear Card which purports to improve the signal to noise ratio of your video card signal. That's right, your digital video card signal. It makes all those ones that much one-ier and all those zeros that much zero-ier.

I am reminded of a former coworker who half-jokingly wanted to market "starlight water" which would be water "infused" with the light of different constellations. The idea would be more funny if not for the fact that there would almost certainly be some takers.

If only I could get rid of my scruples maybe I could cash in. Wait.. maybe I could sell my scruples. How about it: For the low-low price of $1000, you get to give me $1000 for the privilege of having me taking $1000 from you. It's perfect!

I guess lots of people like Gnarls Barkley's Crazy. If you're one of those people, you've probably already seen this neat theremin jam version. But maybe you haven't yet seen this awesome cover by the Violent Femmes.

And who even knew the Violent Femmes were still around. I so used to have the hots for Gordan Gano.

I guess I am late to the party, and lots of people already knew about this guy Matt and his jaunts, but it was all new to me. Anyway here is his new video, which I find to be completely and unreservedly brilliant. I am supremely envious of this lucky young man.


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008)
from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

I just discovered about 30 photos and 4 movies that somehow never got downloaded from my camera after returning from Brasil. In particular, I thought I would share this short clip of tender turtle fucking.

It seems that their delightful, tender turtle fucking noises are not very audible on this video, alas.