This TV writer strike...

OMG it's got to end soon. If I don't get a The Daily Show, The Colbert Report or Real Time with Bill Maher fix soon, I am going to have a grand mal knicker twist, subsequently complicated by random lashings-out.

I barely like TV, but damn, I miss shows that make me think, burning with satire that can be so ironic as to be disconcerting.

The complication of THE MAN needing to figure out what it owes TV writers for Internet download profits surely can't be that complex as to warrant the strike lingering for so long...can it? I mean, I'm not mathy and all...but still.

I fear more things lame and reality-driven, like, say, Are You Smarter Than Cheese? are going to be aired if this strike doesn't resolve soon.

The Beowulf movie is goood...

I freakin' loved Beowulf . Yeah, the story has been manipulated, but I don't know why people are hating on that. Robert Zemeckis made no secret of the screenwriters taking liberties with the original poem. Also, I once had a professor who told my class never to compare movies to the books upon which they are based. It will just frustrate the frick out of you since literature and cinema are two completely different mediums. Therefore, perceive the movie as simply based upon the book, and not necessarily an accurate telling of it.

That said, I could enjoy the movie in all its blasphemous-to-the-actual-story gloriousness. The action and suspense are fantastico and the cinematography blended with CGI keeps the viewer suspended in the freakish fantasy.

I heart the Irish!

So as an homage, I will share a method I learned about how to make your Irish name:

FIRST IRISH NAME = Last name (1st syllable) + "ers"

LAST IRISH NAME = "Mc" + First name + "Pants"

So with all the love for the Irish in the world... I am debuting my Irish self ...

I AM...Branners McJennyPants :-D

Thanksgiving gift from Joel Stein!

LA Times Op-Ed writer and funny liberal dude Joel Stein sent a "Liberals are Wusses" Mad Libs request to uber-conservative Ann Coulter. She emailed back the requested parts of speech, and now Stein has instant Coulter smack for the holidays. As outlandish and bizarre as her opinions usually sound (which Stein refers to as "Coultering" -- AWESOME!) -- at least she has a sense of humor about herself. See it here : Stein's Mad Lib to Coulter Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Not to be hatin' ...

I'm not really sure which one I'd actually be hatin' on by saying this, but...Posh Spice has been looking an awful lot like the "Leave Britney Alone" guy lately. See --

And may I bid you...GOOD DAY, SIR! :-P

I only have time to read before bed, and...

I am reading two most excellent books! May I recommend...

I Am America (And So Can You) by Stephen Colbert. No one can deadpan satire like Colbert. No one. It's so very campy in its right-wing earnestness -- much like his show, but with no pesky censorship. A wild ride on the pseudo-conservative side...

Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen
My first book by Hiaasen. He's like Chris Moore, but with the over-zealous, adventuresome backbone of Tim Sandlin. Simply blend the quirk of the two, shake, strain, add an olive, and enjoy... exquisitely funny and bizarre!

Make humanitarianism viral :-D

Humanitarianism is contagious...and it makes you feel healthy and happy! Have a simply smashing weekend, and see if you can do something snazzy -- no matter how small -- for someone!

Wired Mag's Saddest Cubes Link...

The world's most depressing workplaces...and comments on sidebar are GREAT!

Click Here For Saddest Cubes :-(

The Dandy Warhols
10/30/07Happy Add'l Hour Weekend (a.k.a. Daylight Savings)...

Besides gleefully running amok, what can one do with the extra hour?

The surprisingly awesome, yet decidedly nerdy, answer is to check out this interactive site on Nat'l Geographic. It is a 3-d tour-able brain which shows you how and where thought processes and memories are created and stored. You freaky brainiac, ya know ya wanna see...

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/2007-11/memory/brain-interactive.html

Dandys Rule: OK -- more than the name of a cd...

So I'm walking along thinking, "Hey man, nothing can make me dig The Dandy Warhols more than I already do, right?"

Then I see them tear up The House of Blues-Dallas live. They jammed so hard --bolts of white hot thermonuclear percussion, keyboard, and shreds exploded from the stage...

So, yeah, now I love them more :-)

OMG ...I'm going to see The Dandy Warhols!

Bouncing with hipsters...House of Blues...Halloween show! Trifecta of the mad-amazing! I have loved The Dandys forever...I am SO psyched :-D

I've updated my vid w/ one of my fave Dandy videos -- "We Used to be Friends"...FunFunFun!

Just when you think you are far, far, too much of a sophisticate and cosmopolite to dig muppets...

Updated vid ...beatnick muppets do hippie-rock

What bacteria can re-teach us...

Lots of staph infections in the news this week. The anti-biotic resistant strain is apparently invading with a vengeance. Rather uncomfortable news for those of us that work in schools, for sure.

Bill Maher made an astute point this week that was wry, ironic, and just, hmmm, well, pretty obvious when you think about the way things are rolling.

He mentioned that with all the news about staph infections, people should be thinking about what exactly makes the buggers anti-biotic resistant. Over-use of oral anti-biotics and anti-bacterial cleaners, yes, but also EVOLUTION.

This is proof that evolution exists and has been existing. This bacteria adapts in order to survive in its surroundings. A "theory" not even acknowledged by all candidates running for president in this country.

This idea is funny at first...but then...

(*Note of blah -- I have some bug of freakiosity which made me really sick to my stomach today...but I'm starting to feel better... which means I now have the strength and ability to get vertical and start typing...*)

Journey v. Destination -- and -- Why I think that Barack Obama's flag-pinless lapel is a non-issue...

There's a saying that proposes, "It's all about the journey, not the destination."

Concentrating too much on destination distracts from the journey; and as much as being goal-oriented is a very, very, good thing, not appreciating the path that gets you there makes you miss out on life's best lessons and epiphanies.

With candor, I must say that my friends are quite a diverse crew. If I look at my friendships throughout my life, I'd say my friendships are amongst exceptionally

diverse people. Interestingly enough, the differences end up underscoring the similarities -- such as how alike we are in our essential needs, wants, fears...

Therefore -- to my friends of different nations, backgrounds, cultures, beliefs... who are male, female, gay, straight, conservative, liberal -- I must say that it is amazing to be a part of the universal energy that connects us and allows us to see each other from the inside out.

And Barack -- you rock. If you feel that your patriotism is embedded in the person you are and your deeds and accomplishments, (as opposed to following sheeple who say you can only be a patriot by wearing a pin) then you SHOULD stand up for what you know is right. Now, whether or not people are insightful enough to understand and respect that...hmmm, will remain to be seen.

Updated vid -- ***FILE THIS UNDER "WHAT THE FRICK?" *** A bloke wearing this protective,"magical goo" called D-3-0 whilst getting smacked w/a shovel...

There is something about the combo of the D-3-0 helmet/kneepads, shovel smacks, and polite Brits that gives me the giggles. Carry on, then...

Vid Update -- Remy Zero's "Save Me"

Beautiful voice...kickass song :-)

I have a friend who says that life's fullness is measured by moments of connection, love, and joy.

And I got to share that idea with a different friend the other day. Cool.

I have always had a hard time being open with my emotions. I trust so few people. However, I do agree with my friend's statement.

And this song tears me up sometimes when I listen to it.

Vid updated..."The world would rather hug you than hurt you."

In honor of his grandpa, 2007 Webby Award winner John (Halcyon) takes HugNation on the road for a complete West Coast tour! :-D

Quirky or dorky???

Sometimes, you just feel like your watching the world from the outside -- scratching your head and mumbling, "Oops, I have socially blundered in regard to something people find relevant."

Many people have come up to me lately, all back-slappingly saying, "Yeah, Rutgers!"

Rutgers is my alma mater. So I'm like, "Woot?!?"

It's a football thing. Rutgers is doing well in an important football tournament or playoff or something, but I have complete ADD when it comes to watching/following sports. I like playing some sports; and if I know someone involved in a sport, I am happy for them when they are doing well. But I am so not vicarious when it comes to observing others play sports. I have a shorted-out brain fuse or something when it comes to watching sports.

This is considered weird because most people enjoy this type of activity when relaxing alone, or as a social bonding with others who enjoy watching sports. And it looks fun when they are doing it. Why doesn't this work for me? Frick!

So sports-related bonding entails a case of me feeling marginally socially unacceptable. I simply cannot talk about or follow sports. I suppose if I took a class in it I could do it in order to study for an exam, but I can't do it under my free will alone.

This lack of vicariousness also applies to me being utterly bored out of my skull when it comes to "reality" TV shows...they are too scripted to resemble anything real, but not scripted enough that I find them witty. However, people apparently love them -- new ones are constantly being created.

Sooo... adorably quirky or out-there dorky -- you decide ;-)

Two cool things to tell ya...

Vid Update -- Do it -- go ahead and bounce to Hellogoodbye -- "Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn"

I love this twice-weekly comic "Basic Instructions -- Your All-Inclusive Guide to a Life Well-Lived". It's beyond hilarious -- it's bloody brilliant...

Power-nerding, daydreams, and poetry...

Sometimes I power-nerd out, get lost in daydreaming about otherwordly types of things, and find that the only way to express myself is through the flow of poetry. Sooo...

Since Last Night

*************

I haven’t walked the stars since last night.

Right now I'm languishing in my own creation

Just reaching out to feel some sky.

Place myself in my place

You find and seek me

Right here in the middle of somewhere

Where everything has yet to be named.

Then I may wander

To the center of that dimension
Newly free of pretensions
In that pretty landscape of synchronicity and invention
Atmospheric apparition

languid starry-eyed vision.