...back to the Archive

Friday, December 20, 2002

Composing this entry whilst sitting in the American Airlines B13 gate area of the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, waiting to depart for Chicago, I have to wonder how I never finished the entry I started on Tuesday. It's not like I've been all that busy, spending my mornings sleeping in until 9 or 10am, surfing the web on my brother's wireless cable connection, catching up on my emails a bit, eating, shopping, and watching movies. I guess the week has been just lazy enough that even sitting down and concentrating on writing seemed like too much effort. The flavor of the week has definitely been one of "whatever, whenever I get around to it." But since I don't subscribe to the Puritan work ethic, I don't have to feel guilty. I think we work entirely too much in this country, mostly because of that darn capitalism-run-amock thing.

Speaking of capitalism run amock, I read and reread Michael Pollan's article in the New York Times this week about the modern American agribusiness of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO for short) and the philosophy and nature of meat production and consumption. Before you think me some lefty wacko jerkoff yammering about animal rights, let me assure you that as a dedicated carnivore I'm not -- but this was interesting and informative reading that definitely made me think. I would encourage you, if you read any one thing this week, that this be it. Highly worthwhile.

Linky, linky: After a week of web surfing, I've got some interesting nuggets for you, if you haven't already seen them... in the sheer amusement category, we have marauding Santas, GI Janes storming around in sports bras, more RIAA stupidity, and the 50 most loathsome people in America. Also, the NYT Magazine has published its second annual Year in Ideas ...definitely not to be missed. Finally, after going to see The Two Towers (the second installment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films by Peter Jackson, in case you've been calling the underside of a rock your domicile for the last year and a half) I found science fiction author David Brin's disection and condemnation of the series' current popularity fascinating.

Thursday, December 12, 2002

I love the holidays themselves, when they finally roll around. Yule (for my fiancée and myself) and Christmas (for the rest of my family) are just lovely and fun all the way around, even the huge family gatherings where I inevitably eat too much and wind up miserable afterwards. The preparation for it all, however, sucks the big slimy hippo schlong. If it's not all the work that goes into finding just the right gifts for people, then the dealing with the irritable retail automotons, the crowds at the mall, and the general feeling of not having enough time to get it all done definitely pushes the whole experience into the I'd really rather not category for me. Yeah, bah humbug, and all that. Egads, I can't wait for January and for this all to be over and for life to return to what passes for normal around here. Why do we do this to ourselves every year?

Oh, and this amused me greatly. Just desserts, and all. Now if only we could strap down the people responsible for the infinite loop of christmas music in all the stores and pour molten lead in their ears force them to listen to their own tripe for about 4 weeks straight with no respite...

for more...

...back to the archive.