March 31, 2003
Things to do in Vegas...
Yesterday Mary and I took the little girls for hike out in Red Rock Canyon (before it's turned into another crappy Las Vegas housing development). We ended up not going because we heard that there was an Old West show further up the road. We went to that instead. It was really fun, it was an old west mining town that's been there since the turn of the century. They had shows every half hour or so where the sheriff and his deputy would chase around a bad guy and shoot at each other and whatnot. They ended up hanging him at the end of the day. The girls got join the deputies' posse and chase him down. It was pretty cool.
If you can't do the time...
The night I came back from New York, Mary Belle and Erin left in cab to go catch a Greyhound back to Oklahoma (just before I got back from the airport). So basically it took them a week to get into a screwed up situation.
We got a call from Mary Belle this morning telling us that she went to jail last night and just got bailed out this morning. She didn't call us because we told her (I don't know how many times) that we wouldn't bail her out of jail. Mary and I never got caught doing anything too bad when we were young so we figured if you can't be a smart criminal, don't be a damn criminal. Uh duh...
Her and Erin and two of their friends were smoking pot up in the parking lot of a city park and two squads pulled up. Their (minor) friend said she was going to eat all the pot but apparently she only ate half of the half ounce she had on her. The cops searched the car and found paraphernalia. Then they found the pot. Which of course pissed them off to no end. The other guy with them was supposed to ship out to the Marine Corps in two weeks. He wasn't actually smoking pot but was arrested as an accessory. So he's no longer eligible for the Corps. Oddly enough the Marines don't really want any hopheads on the front-lines?
The cops put her and Erin next to cell that was covered in human feces, apparently the woman that was in the cell before them had Hepatitis C and no bowel control. I'm not sure how that works in Oklahoma but I know in MN that would be a huge lawsuit constituting cruel and unusual punishment.
It breaks my heart because Mary Belle has so much potential and she's just throwing it away. I guess we've done all we could with her.
March 30, 2003
March 29, 2003
Go Shorty - it's your Birthday...
It's Mary's Birthday today. I woke up in love with her like I usually do but she was spectacular this morning. Just glowing and beautiful - holding a cup of coffee for me and wearing her robe and glasses. I feel like I'm more in love with her every day I know her. If you must get married; I suggest marrying someone that makes you fall in love over and over.
The last year has definitely been our hardest thus far. (Both personally and professionally). Yet I feel a renewed sense of engagement. It’s like we’ve spent the last two years out here in the desert learning how to be married and still be in love.
"I may be love's bitch but at least I'm man enough to admit it."
- William The Bloody
So happy, happy day Mary. Many more. I love you madly.
March 27, 2003
Mallratzis
Given my earlier post about how the pinko "peace demonstrators" are becoming the new enemies of the republic (or is it just the Republicans?). I found this article interesting.
via The Smoking Gun
Then, just to be annoying, I think everybody should read this article about the War.
"The official U.S.U.N. language is English. The official religion is Christianity."
via The Onion
March 24, 2003
Oscar audio
I tried watching the Oscars last night. You know, 75th anniversary and all. Unfortunately I didn’t see most of the contenders this year so it really didn’t hold my interest very long.
I did happen to catch Michael Moore accepting his Oscar for Bowling for Columbine. Here is what I found fascinating. As we watched last night I was listening to the audience reaction. Mostly the elite of Hollywood were either clapping or cheering. In the background you could hear a few boo’s and hisses.
Being that I’m constantly working with audio in my animation job my ears have become very attuned to audio-specifically to audio manipulations. This morning I was watching CNN Headline News. They showed the same shot as the live Oscar telecast we watched last night but the audio had been altered and you could hear mostly booing. I find that a little disconcerting.
Poolside philosophy
Being that our pool is a pain in the ass to heat, we kept the keys from our old apartment and every so often we sneak up there and pretend that we still live there by interspersing our poolside conversation with complaints about the apartment complex and general disrepair of the area.
So anyway, we took the kids there yesterday and we ended up being there at the same time as a couple of (very obviously) military personnel were spending their Sunday poolside as well. This is a snippet of the conversation we overheard.
Airmen 1: “I’m so sick of these anti-war protestors. I think they should be arrested and killed.”
Airmen 2: “ I don’t know dude, I mean, kill them? They have a right to protest. I mean it is America you know.”
Airmen 1: “ Yeah but how did they get that freedom? I’ll tell you how; War, that’s how.”
Airmen 2: “That’s true, dawg.”
They went on to discuss putting together their power of attorney, wills, and assigning their death benefits to the appropriate family members. Making sure that they had gotten the correct amount of anthrax immunizations, etc.
For all of their 20-something bravado I could feel the fear coming off of them. They spoke of shooting at anything that didn’t have a stars and stripes logo on their sleeve. They spoke of a commanding officer that had opened up on a building in Kosovo and ending up killing 12 women and children in the resulting fire fight. It was unclear whether or not the women and children were shooting back or not. I'll go out a limb and here and say "no they probably were not."
I got the distinct impression that their view of what they were volunteering for was tainted with dreams of medals and bragging rights. That the actual act of being a soldier and what that required of them was lost somewhere in their training.
While Mary was chomping at the bit to explain to them that their worldview and perhaps their scrutiny of history was a little skewed she decided that it was not the best day to enter into that particular political discussion.
As we left the pool I wished them luck and told them to keep their heads down. They looked really scared for a heartbeat and thanked me. I felt like I was saying goodbye to my brother Bill again. It was a strange day.
March 23, 2003
Start spreading the news...
I flew in from New York last night. It was one of those flights you always hope for and never seem to get. Up at the front of the plane, the in-flight movie was Die Another Day (sans the gratuitous violence and anything with planes about to crash), very little turbulence. The plane left an hour late but still arrived at the gate within minutes of the stated arrival. Low head winds apparently.
New York was fantastic. I spent most of my time on the slow ass F train. As everybody knows; there is nothing I like better than bitching, so on those long rides into Manhattan it was a complete obsessive bitch fest for Shawn. The price of living in Brooklyn I guess.
We also spent a day walking across the Manhattan Bridge. Not a bad way to spend a day all in all.
Evidently we went to war while I was out there. I did notice that the police in Central Park were dressed in emergency gear on Thursday.
I watched a little bit of the war on TV last night. I thought the logo for the first war was better. I thought that the presentation was odd. A retired general was going on and on about the “shock and awe” that was being inspired by the brutal ass kicking that was going down in Iraq. On the bottom of the screen they kept running tags about the “peace demonstrations” taking place all over the world. A strange juxtaposing was going on and weirded me out a little.
I felt like every time a newscaster said something about the “peace demonstrations” that it was said in much the same way a 1950’s television commentator would say “communist sympathizer” or 'hop head". Sad to watch at any rate.
Everybody keeps saying, "Support our troops". It bothers me a lot and here’s why; Having a dead brother from the last war that wasn't "supported" at all upon his return and consequently died from what is loosely referred to as Gulf War Syndrome makes me think that "the support" needs to happen after this is over. Support the troops that come back with PTSD and wondering what to do. I know that's not as patriotic as some people would like but I've always been pragmatic that way.
I’m not sure if people realize that war isn’t something you do “one weekend a month and two weeks a year…”
March 11, 2003
No state tax rocks, dude!
Just a little taste of Vegas living. Why in Nevada the streets are lined with coal! Radioactive coal I'd wager....
March 09, 2003
All bets are off...
So we went over to check on Mary Belle and Erin (because their jobs kept calling and asking if we had heard from them). If Mary had convinced me to take the bets on what would happen I knew I would lose.
So now they have no jobs and have decided to go back to the "original plan". The original plan was a little skeezy so I'm not going to go into it here.
Their choices are unfortunate and hard to watch but I'm assuming that they will be all right in the end. I do remember being eighteen and not being able to comprehend the future. It's just hard to watch somebody else do it.
March 08, 2003
All growed up...
Mary Belle and Erin moved out yesterday (with a gentle push from Mary and I). They decided that they should move in with Jesse and Kiwi, a couple of guys they've met in their Las Vegas travels (nice guys really) for awhile. Apparently they are only going to charge them $100.00 a month as opposed to our outrageous demand of $200.00 a month and buying their own cigarettes.
Ah, to be 18 again. That first conscious realization that you have your own place. That "the man" isn't trying to keep you down any longer. That you can come and go as you please with no fear of reprisals. Of course after the initial high of sweet autonomy wears off and you realize that you really do have to buy your own food, cigarettes and (gasp) toilet paper there is the inevitable crash.
That’s good though. I mean we’ve all had to fall on our faces a few times. It builds character dude.
We were a little surprised at some of the items they took with them (considering that the items were ours) but I guess that is to be expected. We thought about starting a betting pool about how long they would they hold their jobs... unfortunately after the numerous calls from MB's job this morning wondering where she could possibly be as she was scheduled at five a.m. we decided that the window had passed on that line of betting.
March 07, 2003
More thought for food...
I just thought this one too funny. Is that wrong?
March 06, 2003
Propaganda Extravaganza
I haven’t been to Whitehouse.org for a while and I’m now regretting it. Dig all the patriotic posters they sell nowadays.
Axis of Just as Evil
"An Axis can't have more than three countries," explained Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "This is not my rule, it's tradition. In World War II you had Germany, Italy, and Japan in the evil Axis. So you can only have three. And a secret handshake. Ours is wicked cool."
From SatireWire
March 05, 2003
PMA 2003
So as an occasional employee of Aquent I sometimes do odd jobs for them much in the way a low end soldier in the cosa nostra may. For the past four days I've spent my waking hours at PMA 2003 demonstrating the Cintiq from Wacom. The Cintiq is a 1024 X 728 LCD monitor that comes in a 15 inch and 18 inch size. The thing is you can draw (or paint, work in Photoshop or download porn) right on the screen. True digital art really. The other side of that is that 15 inch costs $1899.00 and the 18 inch costs $3499.00. But after spending the last four days doing nothing but working with it I have to say I'm pretty impressed. I'll of course be more impressed when it ships standard with my computer at no additional cost to me.
I haven't really been at a computer show (or comic convention) for a few years now. I've found that basically the less I'm around people the better off it is for everybody. I'm really not much of salesman. I told somebody today the tablet will warm toast as well as allow you to draw on screen.
March 01, 2003
Las Vegas Mercury
Promoting his upcoming title bout with Saddam Hussein, President George Bush showed off his new tattoo at a press conference Friday. As part of the media event, he also ate an Iraqi baby and bitch-slapped Janeane Garofalo.
One of my favorite things about Las Vegas is the alternative newspaper The Las Vegas Mercury. Actually that may be the only thing I like about Las Vegas. Not that buffets and white trash are necessarily bad things mind you. I like that all Las Vegas kids can count to (at least) 21. I'm really enjoying the fact that in an effort to save money back when I was a corporate schill I declined the air conditioning option on my Saturn which makes the summer months here more like an episode of Fear factor than most states. I like the constant sense of danger in the air. More kids and people disappear from Southern Nevada than just about anywhere else in the country. So you see George you've really had a wonderful life after all.