Dance Dance Revolution and weight loss. RedOctane also has a website on the phenomenon. My DDR pad has been gathering dust for some time. Mainly because it's just not the same with the plastic pads. Not as responsive. I was at Fry's Electronics yesterday, and admiring their metal DDR platforms, but for $200, I think I'll pass.

I went to Fry's because they had the new special edition of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly on sale, but they were out of stock. I did get The Great Escape on sale, though. And then, in the clearance rack, I found a series of DVDs of Once Upon a Hamster, which I used to watch on Animal Planet at 3 AM, while Cecily's cat would go crazy watching her woodland friends frolick on the T.V. I used to wonder what sort of person watched this show at 3 in the morning, but I guess the answer is people like me. At $5 a pop, I was tempted to buy them all, but eventually just bought two. I regret not getting them all, but I am not going back to buy the rest, because that would be pathetic.

A Takeshi Kitano interview.

Apparently, Takeshi Kitano remade Zatoichi at the request of a septuagenarian stripper named Mama.

I finally saw Shaolin Soccer, now that it finally got a theatrical release. Edited extensively, from what I understand, but subtitled (I believe it is being released dubbed in most markets). Not as much fun as God of Cookery, but worth seeing. I'll have to get ahold of the DVD (my sister has the import), though I understand the good people at Disney/Miramax are being a bunch of doushebags about keeping the DVDs unavailable. I had a nice article on the struggles Shaolin Soccer faced in getting released, but now I can't find it (didn't save the e-mail, this is the sort of situation when gmail would come in handy).

More exciting then the film itself, though, was one of the trailers beforehand (I guess when you show 15 minutes of trailers, you're bound to hit the mark at least once). Coming soon, Takeshi Kitano's Zaitochi, the Blind Swordsman. A change of pace for him, a bit, at least as a director (it doesn't look from the trailer that he's become particularly verbose, though, since it is a subtitled movie, they don't depict any dialogue in the trailer). A shame Dolls isn't being released as well (at least as far as I know). Though hopefully I'll be able to pick up a regionless DVD at Comic-Con this year.

Got Loretta Lynn's new CD. Not bad, but a bit of a disappointment. Tries a little too hard, has Jack White's fingerprints on it a bit thick at times. But some great songs. "Miss Being Mrs." is probably my favorite.

So it wasn't my imagination, this guy is in a ton of commercials.

Good commentary on the fallout of the Iraqi prisoner scandal.

Gabriel Yared recounts his firing by Wolfgang Petersen on his web site (click on "news", then "the score for Troy"). Of course, this puts him in the same category as Randy Newman (fired by Petersen from Air Force One.

Salon has an interview with Billy Joe Shaver, and discussion of a new documentary on his life. A perusal of the film's web site shows it will be part of the CineVegas Film Festival, and I see I will be arriving in Las Vegas on the last day of the festival. They don't have the schedule up yet, but if it plays the final night, I will definately see it, or perhaps if it plays a day or two earlier, I can arrange to arrive earlier than I had planned.

The New Yorker details how Rumsfeld authorized the torture of Iraqi prisioners.

The mindset of the class of 1918.

Did you catch San Diego's own Randy "Duke" Cunningham grilling Donald Rumsfeld during his testimony before the House? Duke used the opportunity to lament the good men brought down by the disgraceful scapegoating of the Tailhook Scandal, and tell rambling stories about his days of command in the Navy. It gave me real pride to know that Duke has such high standing, he got to make his comments as soon as the representative from Guam finished (I didn't even know Guamians could vote).

Celebrated Mother's Day on Saturday, since I had to work Sunday. Went to Barona, where I had a coupon for two free buffets, thanks to my subscription to Las Vegas Advisor. It's an okay magazine, but you'd be crazy to pay $50 for a subscription, if it weren't for the great coupons you get. Easily pays for itself on one trip to Vegas (if you don't leave it at home, like I did last time). But two buffets, no strings attached, goes a long way towards paying for the subscription. The buffet was as good as ever, the desserts being the best part. Bananas Foster and cannoli abound. I managed to smuggle a few cannoli out in my mom's purse (just mini-cannoli, not full-size ones). Fun tid-bit, I just looked up cannoli in the OED, to see what the plural is, and cannoli is plural. A singular cannoli is actually a cannolo. Ain't that something.

So anyway, we were at Barona, and so Mom wanted to gamble, and it was her day, after all. Since I'm not really welcome at the blackjack tables, and poker was full up, I played a video poker machine. Won $50, lost it all and quite a bit more, and was bitter about losing money here, when I'm planning to hit Vegas next month, when I get dealt three deuces, draw and hit the fourth deuce, and win $1000. Left with $850, a nice boost to my bankroll for Vegas. Just got an invite yesterday to a free blackjack tourney at my favorite casino, along with a free room for the weekend, so figure I'll take advantage of that. I have a standing offer at one casino, which I stayed at and found pretty nice, for up to three free nights, $100 in gambling chips, and $100 in food vouchers, so that is what I'd planned on taking advantage of, but I figure I'll save that, and get in at least two vegas trips this summer. I had been thinking of a big non-gambling vacation this summer as well, but I'm beginning to think I'd rather just take short trips around Southern California, or maybe up to my sisters, and just keep it simple.

On the way home, we drove by the neighborhood Yum Yum Donuts, which was wrapped in police tape, as was the parking lot. I assumed it was just another robbery, but the paper reports that a worker, apparently, committed suicide. Very odd and disturbing.

Alan King, dead at 76.

Micah Ian Wright, author of You Back the Attack, We'll Bomb Who We Want, lied about his military experience. He has an apology on his web page. It seems that those on the right who would argue that those who complain about Bush and Co.'s lies, should denounce Wright as well, have a point. I must admit, I didn't care for the book as much as I thought it would, the posters are very hit and miss, shrill and repetitive. I thought Bill Maher's use of the posters in his book (at least the two I've seen) were more effective and in keeping with the original posters. Good God, have I resorted to praising Bill Maher? I feel dirty. Thanks a lot, Micah Wright.

Howard Stern/Jimmy Kimmell fans swamp FCC with Oprah complaints. I share this because it's marginally interesting, but mainly because it turns out "have your salad tossed" does not mean what I always thought it meant (oral sex performed on a woman). How naive I am.

It's cooler today then the last few days, thank God. I went to the Adams Avenue Roots Festival on Sunday, but only stayed about an hour, because it was just too hot. My car thermometer said it was 110 degrees, but I think it's not particularly reliable. But over 100, I'm sure.

On Saturday night, I went up to Orange County to see Urinetown. Orange County always gives me the heebie-jeebies, so I was relieved to take my seat in the dark theater and forget where I was. I was not too familiar with Urinetown, knew the general premise, and had heard "Don't Be the Bunny," but that was about it. It was refreshing to come into a musical as a blank slate, and I enjoyed the experience very much. At first, I was a bit concerned that it was too clever for its own good, with the self-referential narration and self-mockery. But it was really great, adroit enough musically that it earned the right to add the post-modern bells and whistles. Best musical I've seen since Sweeny Todd, and Sondheim-esque in its own right, I would say. And on the way out, the actors were hawking Urinetown toilet paper, to raise money for charity, so I bought myself a roll. I hope it comes to San Diego sometime, so I can see it again.

School is in full swing now. Fallen a bit behind in Anna Karinina, and it's going to be hard to get caught up, because I have to present an outline of my presentation for the same class this week. But my midterm went okay, and my papers aren't due until tenth week, and then I have a whole summer to relax. So I can't complain.

In addition to friendster, I am now on orkut, so any of you on that social networking service who wish to pad their accounts, feel free to invite me. It's fun!

Article on the plight of Bonobos in the Congo. Nice to see a bit of discussion of the bush meat crisis in the paper of record.

I should mention, vis-a-vis the mention of song-poems, that I saw the term in a review of NRBQ's new album, where they cover the song-poem "Little Rug Bug."

American Song-Poem Music Archives. For those, like myself, who are unfamiliar, the term "song-poem" refers to the DIY records that are churned out in response to ads in cheap magazines, which request "song-poems" because they assume the mark is too stupid to understand the word "lyrics."

Listen to clips from Loretta Lynn's new album.

Midterms went well, I think, though only time will tell. Actually, I only had one midterm, on Tolstoy. Now I can direct my efforts at Anna Karenina. It's actually not that long, 850 pages or so, and with 2 1/2 weeks left to read it, I don't anticipate it being an issue. And it's a good book, so that's a plus.

Saw Blind Shaft yesterday at the Ken. Overall I found it interesting, but felt the film tried to distance itself a bit from the bleak view that opened the film. What's so different about the kid they set out to kill from the man they killed the first time around (and presumably the other people they have killed in the past) that they suddenly have flashes of compassion? Not to mention a billion-to-one coincidence thrown in for good measure. But I enjoyed the grittiness of the plot, if I wouldn't go as far as the New York Times, comparing it to the work of Cornell Woolrich.

There were six trailers before the film, not including promos for a film festival and a contest. Thanks, Landmark Theatres. I thought the five they showed when I worked there was one too many. At least their pre-show advertisements are more civilized than those shown by their competition. I get particularly annoyed by the anti-piracy spots at AMC and others. Thanks for showing your appreciation that I paid to see your movie with a lecture about how it's wrong not to pay for movies. What annoyed me the last time I saw the stuntman trailer, it had multiple emulsion scratches, and an awkward splice half-way through it. Why watch a high-quality digital product at home, when you can come to AMC Theaters, where they don't give a damn about the product we put on our screens. Grrr...

The Adams Avenue Roots Festival is this weekend, May 1st and 2nd. I'll be out of town Saturday night, but hopefully will see some of it, Saturday morning or Sunday.

Mary Chapin Carpenter will be on Letterman tonight. Haven't heard much about the new album, read a review in No Depression that sounded like damning with faint praise. Looking forward to hearing her perform something from the new album.

Jane Goodall will be here at the Birch Aquarium Friday night, 7:15, accepting the Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest. I'm off Friday, but might come in to hear her speak.

CHP hit with $4.5 million judgement for malicious ticketing.

My, how time does fly. The academic quarter is already reaching the half-way point, mid-term week and all that fun stuff. School is going okay. I'm finding that Tolstoy is an amazing writer. And with our occupation of Iraq, quite timely to read about the analogous situation in Chechnya in the 1860s. That Chechyn situation was wrapped up pretty quickly, wasn't it?

I've spent the last week or so mired in self-pity, which is probably no news. Feeling like I've lost control of my destiny. And deciding that maybe I had my one chance at happiness about 5 years ago, and that was it, and now it's all over. Which is ridiculous, but at least I've found a new moment from my past to dwell on, most of the others were becoming worn out, like Rosaries I'd worried away. But hey, why look to the future, that's more depressing.

Though I suppose I have been looking a bit to the future, trying to figure out some summer trips. Vegas, of course, but I'd like to take a non-gambling vacation as well. I've never been to the south, was thinking Tennessee, or Kentucky, hear the Blue Ridge Mountains are beautiful. But having given it some thought, I'm thinking the South might be more of a spring break thing, might be a bit too hot and humid to hike around in the summer. So the two choices I'm giving the most serious consideration to is Colorado, the Rockies, which I haven't seen in at least a decade, or the Pacific Northwest. Once I get Anna Karenina read for class, I plan to research the matter a bit and try to make a decision.

Got The Complete Peanuts in the mail on Wednesday. It is, of course, awesome. All the reviews emphasize how different the strip was in its infancy, but I was surprised more by what was there from the beginning, especially with Charlie Brown. He doesn't take life's slings and arrows with quite the awkward grace (if that isn't a oxymoron) in later strips, getting angry more often then usual, but the pathos of the character is there from early on. In one strip, Patty is fighting with Shermy, and calls him a Charlie Brown, to which he replies that she has gone too far, while Charlie Brown just watches the conversation despondently. But the strips are quite a bit different, especially in visual style, with a lot of pac-manesque profiles. And a lot of the humor early on depends on the children's playing with adult roles and failing to recognize their youthfulness. In an early strip, some of the kids stand below a sign, "Look Out For Children." In the last panel, they decide the children aren't coming, and leave. (Later on, they realize a similar sign refers to them, and are delighted that they are famous). The books will get even better once Shultz hits his stride, but even this first volume had me laughing, a lot, and feeling touched as well. The book itself is well-designed, incidentally, with decent supplemental material, including a great interview with Shultz from the 1980s, and a helpful (and sometimes amusing) index.

Keep watching the Freaks and Geeks DVD, and loving every moment of it. Only two episodes remain, after which I will be very sad. Saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, after several false starts (turns out the stomach upset that prevented me from seeing it two weeks ago was a lingering illness, which was probably partly to blame for my recent depression). I really didn't care for it, felt the whole film was hollow, but can't really put my finger on it. I can say I did not share the critic's rapture with Kate Winslet's performance.

I should mention that Mary Chapin Carpenter and Nellie McKay will both be on tv this week, Carpenter on Letterman Tuesday, McKay on The View on Thursday. I've been listening to a lot of good stuff lately, which I always mean to mention here but only do sometimes. I see where some people preface their posts with what they're currently reading and listening to, maybe I should do that. Today I was listening to Magnetic Stripes' 69 Love Songs, disc 2, which seems to be the only one I ever listen to. That replaced The Pine Valley Cosmonauts Salute the Majesty of Bob Wills, a truly amazing piece of Western Swing. God, have I started listening to a lot of country lately. But good stuff. But Nellie McKay has spent the most time in my CD player since I got my copy, though I'm making a point of giving it a bit of a rest. Shakira and Lyle Lovett round out what I've been listening to the most. Because I'm sure you cared to know.

Museum of Bad Art.

McDonald's Healthier Image: What the man on the street thinks.

Vanunu to be released today. You can also read about the honeytrap that brought him down.

Debate over the Children's Pool continues.

The tears of a laid-off clown.

I just took a nice walk down memory lane with this review of issue #1 of Nintendo Power. I had forgotten about the old Nintendo Fun Club. Nintendo folk really are good folk.

Hero monkey gets royal funeral.

What kind of quiz taker are you?

You are an quiz-taker Find out what kind of quiz-taker you are

Another accurate illustration of beagle ownership thanks to the late Charles Shultz. My copy of Vol. 1 of The Complete Peanuts should have shipped Thursday, so that is very exciting.

I have been enjoying the new Freaks and Geeks DVD very much since that glorious day it came in the mail. Trying to pace myself, since once I watch these episodes, there will be no more to watch. But after watching Mr. Grosso tell Lindsay he has herpes, I did a search for Dave 'Gruber' Allen, and found The Naked Trucker Show. Awesome. Vaguely recall seeing him on Conan some time back, but thought it was a one-off thing, didn't realize it was a Los Angeles tradition.

Had dinner at Mandarin Dynasty. My mom was visibly shaken by her fortune cookie, which confused me, when I read it: "You will witness a miracle." Apparently, she didn't bother to finish the last word (busy busy), and concluded her fortune was, "You will witness a murder." That's a fortune cookie I'd like to see. It reminded me of this fortune I received the other day, at the China King Buffet in Lemon Grove:

Which wouldn't have been an awful fortune; bland as it is, at least it's a fortune. But when I opened the cookie, this is the side I saw first:

Pretty weak. Of course, it's not the worst "fortune" I've got. That would have to be this one, received some time back from a chinese restaurant in La Jolla, the name of which escapes me:

Now that's a new low.

Pictures from and the trailer for Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. Can't say it looks all that promising, but the news that Billy Connelly will be Uncle Monty is exciting.

I've been so tired lately. Slept in to 10 on Monday, but still lagging from Sunday, I guess. And yesterday I wasn't feeling good. Was going to go see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind yesterday, but thought better of it after throwing up in the mall's parking lot. But instead of going home, I just drove around for an hour or so. Not sure why, and it was sort of stupid considering gas is close to $2.20/gallon. I was listening to the Nellie McKay CD that everyone is talking about, which came in the mail yesterday. I must say I just love it, at least judging from the first disc, haven't listened to the second yet. But really amazing stuff. It first caught my attention because I have a Google News alert set up to search for Randy Newman, and it kept e-mailing me about reviews of the album, because Randy Newman was mentioned in a lot of them. Seems a little bit of a stretch, but I guess there is a similar mix of cynicism and hope, biting lyrics with melodies that hearken back to an earlier time. And I suppose it's just as enlightening a comparison as the one on the sticker on the CD, that proclaimed her a combination of Doris Day and Eminem. Perhaps I'll say more after I've listened to the whole thing, but since the critics seem to be falling over themselves praising her, what could I add, really?

I was reading an article about William Hung's recording success. It followed a predictable enough path, talking about the bafflement of music insiders as to his unlikely success, until late in the article, the author apparently felt the need to put the phenomenon into its proper historical context. A music insider is quoted as observing "that Hung isn't the first bad singer to sell albums." Hard to argue with that. "A housewife who went by the name Mrs. Miller scored a #15 hit in the mid-1960s with a collection of off-key covers that included the smash 'Downtown.'" This is a matter of opinion, but I don't really think it is fair to describe Mrs. Miller as an off-key warbler. She may not have the kind of voice I like to listen to, but she was mechanically rather proficient. The humor in Mrs. Miller was more the juxtaposition of this matronly housewife singing pop songs in a classical style (and later recording a pathetic attempt at a drug-themed album). But what really got my goat is this: "And Tiny Tim was a smash a few years later, despite having a horrible voice." Tiny Tim, a horrible singer?! You might not care to listen to a falsetto crooner rehashing the hits of yesteryear, but how can you justify this claim? It's bad enough when he's dismissed as a novelty act, a tenuous position to hold, but we're all entitled to our opinions. But to equate Tiny Tim with William Hung? Unforgivable.

I was watching a bit of a Phil Hartman documentary on A&E, and got to wondering why the DVD of NewsRadio hasn't come out yet (it was originally set for February). Decided to do a quick search on the web, and found this: NewsRadio - Delay Explained. Glad to know...I was concerned that maybe the studio had cold feet and it wasn't going to come out at all.

But I must keep this short. Freaks and Geeks arrived in the mail, and I want to watch a few more episodes before bed.

Got up at 5:45 to go to sunrise service with my mom at El Camino Memorial Park. Put on by a Baptist church; you would think a Baptist service would have good music, but its that same old praise music Creed-without-soul crap. Swung by the various family members that reside there afterwards, then went to D.Z. Akin's for breakfast.

Got home around 9, and then was on the computer off and on until noon, trying to remove a trojan horse that somehow got on my computer. Reset the home page (and kept resetting it back when I would change it), and kept redirecting me from any web site to some lame search-engine-cum-viagra-ad. Renewed Norton Anti-Virus, which didn't help at all, and ad-aware failed me (which is unusual, as it's usually a fine program). Fortunately, even though I couldn't get to google, the google toolbar (god bless it) worked, so I found a website that said it would remove the offending spyware. Did some more google searches to make sure this page was legit, and after finding some media mention of the site, downloaded CWshredder, which found the offending code and removed it from my computer. So huzzah and kudos to Merijn.org for saving my ass this Easter morning. Not sure how I got infected, Mom said the computer was working fine when she got on it, but it was all funky when I got on it, so at least it appears to be her fault.

Texas Tornados will be performing at 4th and B on May 4th. $20 general admission if purchased in advance. Nothing on the web site that I could find about the line-up (I was unaware they still performed after Doug Sahm's death), but regardless, it should be a good show.

Weird Al's parents killed in fire.

Just watched Arnold Palmer play his last hole of golf at the Masters. I'm sure my father would have liked to have seen that.

Sweeney Todd is coming to DVD. I taped this off TV years ago, but my copy has seen better days, so this is really exciting. I also see there is a concert version of Sweeney Todd from 2001, also with George Hearn in the title role (but no Angela Landsbury). Can't vouch for that version, though.

San Diego Opera had a promotion with the Sledgehammer that enabled me to get 1/2 price tickets to last night's production of Don Carlo. I hadn't been to the opera in three or four years (Falstaff being the last one I attended), and enjoyed myself very much. The Union-Tribune mentioned the length of the opera, but the four hours went by remarkably fast. The King's aria in Act III was especially beautiful, if a bit out of place (Act II ends with his son pulling a sword on him, and so in Act III he worries that his wife doesn't love him). Too bad the guy behind me sounded like a foghorn, coughing through the entire performance. But I had a good time.

My calves were killing me yesterday. I went running in the morning, and after about a mile I had to stop and stretch, they were so tight. Stretching seemed to help, but I decided to cut my run short anyway, given that I knew I had a fair amount of walking to do at school. Now my feet are bothering me from the uncomfortable shoes I wore to the opera. But I shouldn't complain.

Where are the 'cuter' Iraqi war photos?

Boondocks on The Passion.

So it turns out I loved The Ladykillers. As you may know, I was very apprehensive going in, being so fond of the original. But it turns out, while it may be a matter of comparing apples and orangutan, the Coen Brothers' version surpasses the original in some ways. The different members of the gang are more developed as individuals (if still caricatures), and most notably, the old woman is a far more interesting woman in the remake. There are deficiencies as well, mainly in the remake's tendency to paint everything in broad strokes. For instance, the notion that the sheriff must suspect the old lady of being a raving loon if the ending is to be believed, so that we get a grating scene of Tom Hanks hiding under the bed while Irma Hall laughs and pratters on. But as I say, you're better off not comparing the two films; the first was full of dry and urbane British humor (I don't know if Alec Guiness could have played off "You brought your bitch to the Waffle Hut?!" as well as Hanks), and the last, well, was directed by the Coen Brothers. I laughed more than I have at any movie in some time. Great soundtrack as well. One of the year's best, no doubt.

Never did get around to posting about anything this week. To start with, it was the first week of school. First day was a tad unpleasant. I have class MWF at 11:00 and 12:00, with a Monday class in the evenings. Since I wouldn't have time to run that evening, and since Sunday indicated it would be a hot day, I got up a bit early to run before school. Unfortunately, by the time I got to Lake Murray around 9, it was already a scorcher (it got to be about 100 that afternoon). I was going to run a half-hour, but after about ten minutes I was feeling like crap. I ended up running about fifteen minutes, walking five, and then running the last five minutes or so back to my car. I took a shower, and found I didn't have time to grab lunch somewhere like I'd planned, so I went straight to school, and bought a smoothie on my way to class. I made it to where I thought my class was right on time, but the room I was looking for, U413, was not, as I assumed, next to U412. I started searching for U413, making concentric circles around U412, but found nothing. Finally, I overheard someone else getting directions to the room, so I headed in the general direction indicated, passing the 400s, the 500s, 600s and 700s. I assumed the directions were bunk and made a detour, then decided to just keep going in the direction indicated come hell or high water. Finally, I find the room, sitting on a corner all alone, with no possible logical explanation why this is numbered 413. I was about 15 minutes late, but so were a lot of people, so I didn't feel too bad. Class on late Victorian literature, Stevenson, Conan Doyle, Kipling and the like. The reading seems light, and the lectures, a bit dull, but straightforward. Then I hiked to my Tolstoy class, where the reading load seems a bit heavier (though not as bad as I feared, we have three weeks to read Anna Karinnina, and we aren't reading War and Peace), but a more enriching experience. I went home, my knees hurting quite a bit, and then came back for my evening class. A film professor who doesn't know how to use a DVD player is a tad pathetic. We stared at the menu screen for Nosferatu while the professor waited for it to start, then the professor hit the fast-forward button, so that we could watch the menu animation in double-time. Finally, someone helped him start the film, but since he apparently is unaware of the chapter feature, we only watched some expository opening scenes, and barely saw the meat of the film. It seems like a frightfully dull class to spend three hours in every Monday.

Thursday I spent the day in Los Angeles, where I saw "Let's Eat: Feasting on the Firesign Theater." I went up early and explored the neighborhood, so I wouldn't have to worry about traffic. Went to Griffith Park, until the rain forced me to my car. Did some shopping, bought a book and a magazine at Book Soup, and some touristy crap at Farmer's Market, where I had dinner. Also bought Tanner some gourmet dog treats from the bakery there.

Then it was on to Royce Hall at UCLA, for the Firesign Theater tribute. I'd been looking forward to this for some time, and about five minutes into it, I had to wonder, why? I mean, should it have really been a surprise that the evening was, for the most part, terrible? The skits of the Firesign Theater, performed by people other than Firesign Theater, hastily assembled, with little if any rehersal time, why is this necessary? It wasn't that their wasn't a lot of talent on-stage, or that the acting was horrendous, it was just a matter of the timing always being a little off, just enough to make it truly painful to watch, probably more painful then if it truly had been spectacularly bad. Howard Hessman was okay, but most of the people on-stage just didn't quite have the Firesign Theater style, which isn't a put-down, just a fact. One exception was Bob Odenkirk, who limited his involvement to a few brief appearances as Ralph Spoilsport, a character very much in spirit with the fake ads on Mr. Show (i.e. Cock Ring Warehouse). But once he'd done his bit, he had the sense to get off the stage. Todd Rundgren and Stan Ridgeway (the latter being a saving grace of Hal Wilner's last such show, the Randy Newman tribute) both proved themselves adept at comedy, outshining the established comedians like John Goodman. I stuck it out through intermission, and the second half was better, probably because it was more plot-driven material, like "High School Madness," where the off timing wasn't as damaging. But I left early, in order to get home at a decent hour (about 1:30). So if they did "The Further Adventures of Nick Danger," probably my favorite routine, I missed it. All in all, it made for a disappointing evening. Though it served as an excuse to sleep in 'til noon and miss both my classes Friday (we were just watching a documentary on Tolstoy in one, so I can make that up on my own).

Rear Window was on TCM yesterday, so I watched that for the two-hundredth time. The Trouble With Harry was on after that, but I figured I should do some reading for school, so I passed on that. Read some Tolstoy, and played some video games; Target had a good sale on video games, so I bought several, and got a Target credit card, so I got an extra 10% off my purchases that day. Bought Super Mario Bros. 3 (using the original nomenclencure), Yoshi's Island, and Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (I believe called Paper Mario in the original release). Nintendo has a real racket going re-releasing old games, but at least it's win-win. I remember badly wanting Super Mario Bros. 3 as a kid, but not getting it, for whatever reason. Now I can fill that void that has haunted me my whole life. Thank you, Nintendo, thank you.

Nice to see Randy Newman get a plug in the funny pages.

Memento mori: This Sunday's Pickles cartoon was rather dark. And Family Circus touched on a similar theme; the Sunday strip is apparently not available on-line, so I'll summarize: Who's one day closer to death? "Not me!"

The good news is David Byrne will be in San Diego, August 29th. The bad news is he will be at Humphrey's, so you know the ticket price will be atrocious. But I'll be there (even if the new album sounds an awful lot like the last one).

Financial Accounting Standards Board releases proposal requiring stock option expensing. Wonder how long it will take Congress to threaten to revoke their authority this time around? My Senators, owned by Silicon Valley, will be leading the charge, no doubt. I wrote a letter to them on this issue a bit back, got some very condescending replies. If control of the Senate wasn't so important this year, I'd really have to consider voting for Bill Simon over Boxer.

Speaking of running trails, I was inspired to check the Mission Trails Regional Park website, and it turns out the remaining closed trails will be reopening next weekend. I'll have to take Tanner to survey the terrain.

A nice collection of maps of running routes in San Diego. I've been running at Lake Murray almost every run since I got back in the habit, mostly because I've been running late afternoons and been fearful of the traffic if I venture too far from home. But I'll be sure to check out this website to find some new ideas.

Sometimes I think Calvin is a young George W. Bush. Then I remember his innocent charm and relative skill with language.

Ashcroft wants "Under God" added to the "On Top of Spaghetti" song.

Last day of spring break today, for me. Didn't really get as much done as I'd hoped, but at least I didn't completely waste the week away. Read about a third of Atonement by Ian McEwan, can't really say I cared for what I've read so far, but I'll reserve my judgement. Started playing Final Fantasy X-2, starting over from the beginning, and am now over half-way through. Become a real pro at Sphere Break. Taking the time the second time through to develop more dressspheres. Ran a fair amount, though I put off my Saturday long run to Monday, because the torta I had for lunch wasn't agreeing with me, and I need to buy books after work today, so don't have time for a run. My first class isn't until 11, so I figure I can sleep in until 8, and still have time to run and shower and have breakfast before school. Never made it to the movies, was going to see Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind on Thursday, but was too tired.

I went to put a few things into storage, and pay the rent. When I got there, my padlock was gone, and the entire deadbolt face-plate of the unit had been replaced. I was concerned, until I realized all the units had the same new locks. I went to the office and got a new key, and paid my rent. Turns out they replaced all the locks, and apparently sent out letters after the fact that this was being done. My lock, still locked, was in my unit. As I don't believe I gave them a key, I figure they most have dismantled the entire faceplate and then removed my lock from it. I don't believe my lease gives them access to my unit, so I am a bit alarmed by this action, but I figure I will wait for the letter to arrive explaining the action before I pitch a fit. Not like it really matters, it just seems like a very odd thing to do. In fairness, I should say the new locks look a lot more secure than the padlock I was using. A locked bolt sits recessed in the lock, so there is nothing to cut to break in.

As if an unfortunate incident in which one of Lemon Grove's finest suspected I was on meth hadn't tarnished my view of this podunk sheriff's department enough, I now have observed Lemon Grove Sheriff's vehicles parked in handicapped spaces twice. Now, obviously, no one is going to tow a cop car away, and I'm not sure if this is illegal or not. The first time, there were two cars, and the officers weren't around, so I figured they might be responding to a call, and if time was of the essence, they could park there. But more recently, I saw the officer at the car, and found out the urgent business at hand was picking up his dry-cleaning. Unbelievable.

Possibly rhymes by ice cube after being knighted by the Queen.

Random phrases culled from novels I edited while working at a vanity press.

Movies directed by Mel Gibson's father.

Richard Simmons cited for assult.

The Coen Brothers directed The Ladykillers?! I just learned this, and must say this is the most shocking news I have gotten in a long time. What the hell? I mean, this movie has been a target for my mockery since it started advertizing. I mean, what the hell is Tom Hanks doing, exactly? Is that supposed to be a Southern version of Alec Guinness' Profesor Marcus? I've cited this film as proof of Hollywood's creative bankruptcy, and now I guess I have to see it, and I guess I'm supposed to be excited about it. I'm trying to see the up side now, that the gospel music will be put to good use, rather than just being background music. I'm just in shock right now. Stunned.

Terror on Little People Main Street available for purchase on eBay.

I should mention this murder-suicide at the Boardwalk in El Cajon. Rather disturbing, though I thought it odd that all the accounts mention what a busy place it is; there's hardly anyone there when I go. Not to be insensitive, but maybe this means they will have a more generous token promotion to win back business.

I intended to write a bit at work today, report on how my sprint break has gone so far (half-over already?), but got busy with other projects, and actually had to do some work, since we were busy and I was alone in the ticket booth most of the day, so that didn't happen. But I'll take a moment now to share my exciting life with you all.

Basically, I've just been taking the time to relax a little bit, read a bit, and do some errands that have needed doing. Watched a bit of daytime T.V. I don't usually see. Caught a very special Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood. The episode ostensibly was about how they make harmonicas, but when Mr. Rodgers put the video in, it was about how they make hoes. Mr. McPheeley came in, all apologetic (and visibly shaken), to exchange the video with the right one. Turns out the people who needed the Hoe tape were not as understanding as Mr. Rodgers, and had been verbally hostile towards our favorite Speedy Deliveryman, and Mr. McPheeley explained how they made him feel very small, and Mr. Rodgers reminded him that maybe they were just having a bad day and venting at his expense. It made me very happy that they were teaching children not to be mean to service workers, lest you make them feel as low as Mr. McPheeley did that day. They reinforced the moral in the Land of Make-Believe, too. And the best part is, I eventually got to see how they make harmonicas, after all (as well as how they make hoes, for what it's worth).

I've gotten in a fair amount of running in the last week and a half or so. Slowly getting back to where I was. My legs still need some time to get their strength back, but my cardiovascular capacity is returning to its peak conditioning rapidly. I figure I'll find a race three or four weeks down the line to keep me motivated, but I think I'm back in the habit. I certainly feel better now that I'm running again, and sleeping better (though it's a double-edged sword, in that I remember my dreams again, and sometimes I wish I didn't). So, hurrah for Mr. Rodgers, hurrah for running.

I'm sure there was something else exciting this week I could share here, but I'm exhausted, I've felt zonked all day, so I think I'll just go lay down now.

North Park Vaudeville and Candy. I've never heard of this place, but a friend called it to my attention today, and it looks pretty cool. And while I'm at it, I'll link to the Kristy McNichol blog, just because I don't have time to look at it right now, and it seems to be running a little funky in Safari.

School is done. I'll just say I enjoyed school this quarter, but am very glad the quarter is completed. I was feeling rather frazzled by the time of my last final.

Went to Viejas tonight. I lost quite a bit, so did Mom. I just wasn't in the mood to gamble, but Mom wanted to go. When I went to look for Mom to leave, I came across two apparent heart attack victims (I later heard an employee saying there were three medical emergencies). One guy was laying completely still on the ground, half-in the elevator. Not moving, and the medics didn't seem in a big hurry to get him in their gurney. Didn't look good. Given the average age of their clientele, I'm surprised you don't see more of that kind of thing.

Tammy Faye Messner has inoperable lung cancer. I just watched a repeat of Larry King Live, with Tammy discussing her new diagnosis. She can't sing anymore, and has back pain. I got a little teary-eyed when she discussed a recent conversation with Ron Jeremy, when Ron said he didn't know how far his prayers went, but he was praying for her, and she said that meant a lot to her. I thought it was a bit tacky that they allowed several callers to plug the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, which turns out to be a sponser. Good luck, Tammy.

I went ahead and scanned a new picture and added it to the gallery from Tammy Faye's book signing last November.

The K Chronicles: Keith trips an eighty-year-old blind lady.

I just discovered that Tom "Billy Jack" Laughlin is running for president.

I enjoyed this Sunday's Peanuts cartoon.

It must be a sad reflection on my physical state that I am feeling physical pain after a day of playing shuffleboard. I suppose it's more of a repetitive-movement injury than a sports injury, but still. At least I won three games out of four.

It's been an uneventful week for the most part. I haven't had much motivation to do much of anything. I had hoped to get back to a vigilant running program, but with the unseasonal heat, managed to put that off another week (this weekend, I swear!). But I haven't really done anything this week. I did do a little cleaning yesterday, and went to the grocery store for the first time post-strike. I had a three-dollar-off coupon for a pound of Starbucks coffee, so I bought that and another loss-leader, cheap cheese. I forgot my list, though, so I need to go back today and get the rest of what I needed. For all the talk about the big sales that the grocery stores were going to have, I didn't see all that many great deals in the paper. A few bargains out there, though.

But yeah, hard to get myself motivated to do anything these days. I think it's a vicious circle, if I ran, I'd have more energy, but I don't have enough energy to run. But maybe over spring break, and then with a better school schedule next quarter, I can start getting back into my old routine.

Dear Abby fooled by Simpsons-inspired letter.

An Ode to Those Four Letter Words. This was quoted in an article I was assigned for a class, and found it amusing. I also found interesting an illustration of how "fuck" is generally used in a form detatched from its literal meaning, quoting a sailor describing his leave: "I had a fucking great time. First I went to a fucking bar where I had a few fucking drinks, but it was filled with de-fucking-generates. So I went down the fucking street to another fucking bar and there I met this incredibly fucking good-looking broad and after awhile we went to a fucking hotel where we rented a fucking room and had sex."

Just got home from Viejas. Won $32 playing poker. Nice to keep my winning streak going, but the poker room felt pretty dead, despite having every table going. First I played 3-6 Stud, which used to be my favorite game, but the table was flat, tiny pots, no action, not much fun. And I just picked up a bad vibe from the game. I ended up playing 2-4 Omaha, at a table in the corner, where it smelled inexplicably of garbage. That table was better, thanks to a drunk fellow sitting next to me. But still, the table was pretty dead compared to some of the previous games I've played in lately. But I won, that's what's important. And had a nice carrot cake for dessert.

Too bad I didn't win $40, that would have covered my parking ticket. My administrative review came back today, they say I have to pay the fine. Which is fair, I suppose (I forgot to put the permit on the dash...for the second time). I've been parking up the hill and hiking in lately, and it's not that bad. I'll probably buy another occasional use permit, for days when I'm running late, but I'd rather park on La Jolla Scenic Drive and save my money, especially seeing that every dollar I don't spend on a permit is one dollar UCSD parking doesn't get.

SCO lawsuit document reveals their original target was Bank of America. Apparently Microsoft Office includes "invisible ink" notes of what changes were made to a document, and their lawyers didn't realize this would be visible by the media. Good to know, for future reference.

A study on the link between marijuana use and crime. Apparently, marijuana doesn't make you more likely to commit a crime, just more likely to be caught.

I had been using Providian as my credit card provider of choice, because of their generous rewards program. Basically worked out to getting 2% back in the form of gift certificates, figuring in the double-points promo they offered for the first twelve months. However, after only having the card about six months, they appear to have cancelled their rewards program. They sent me a change of terms a few months back, which after reading once, I thought said they were cancelling the program, but after reading the legal mumbo-jumbo, decided I had mis-read it and they were merely changing how points expire or something like that (I unfortunately can't find the notice). But my latest statement has no mention of my points earned, and all references to the program have disappeared from their web site. Bastards.

Unfortunately, I recently maxed out my other primary credit card, because they offered me 0% APR until November. So how could I turn down free money? So now I have to decide what credit card to use. My Amazon-branded card seems the most obvious choice, except that I only have a $500 limit. When you figure rent on my storage unit, my cell phone bill, and gas commuting to La Jolla on a daily basis, plus meals and other incidentals, it's not that hard to hit the limit in a month. So I'll have to use my REI-branded card as a back-up, but I'm a bit leery of them, as it is now March and I have not received my dividend for purchases made in REI in 2003 (which should be sizable, I bought a new backpack and hiking boots, and a pocket knife and other smaller purchases, plus a $10 bonus for signing up for their credit card). But hopefully I'll get another 0% balance transfer offer in the mail, so I can unload the balance on my Chase card, which pays 1% cash back on all purchases, and 3% on gas purchases (with gas at about $2.20 in San Diego, that could add up).

Of course, if my luck holds, who cares about 1% here and there. Won $100 at Viejas on Wednesday. Insane how some people play Omaha. I probably could have won a lot more if I stayed, but I had played about 5 hours, and felt ready to leave.

Interesting article on the designer of the Southern Cross and why he'd be opposed to efforts to revive the Confederate Flag today.

Other unfortunate uses of Johnny Cash songs.

A New Yorker profile on Lyle Lovett. I liked his comment about not pursuing a career in journalism, because when he was ready to ask a question, it would occur to him, "That's none of my business." A journalism publication also liked Lyle's quotes on journalism.

Down with libraries!

I voted this morning. Ended up voting for John Kerry, because Edwards said a few too many things which irritated me in the last week or two. I voted no on Arnold's two propositions, yes on every other proposition, though I was still a bit on the fence about Prop A, but I figure if the Democratic party, Sierra Club and Surfrider Foundation back it, I'll go for it. I also voted to re-elect Judge Enright, mainly because the wacko on El Cajon Blvd. who always has such delightful signs on his truck had a sign reading, "Judge Enright Protects Child Molestors," so I figure if he's for the other guy, I'm for Enright. I think this is the most ambivalent I've been about an election, usually, even if I know my side is going down to crushing defeat, at least I know what side I'm on. Especially the No vote for the bond to get us out of our fiscal mess. I would've voted for it, if not for the stupid "Balanced Budget Amendment" that had to pass with it, that basically says, "we have no choice but to do this, but we will forbid any future governor from doing the same thing."

I saw Broken Lizard's Club Dread this weekend. I sort of enjoyed Super Troopers, so I figured I'd give it a try. It had its moments, but I don't think I'd recommend it. Bill Paxton was funny, though, as the Jimmy Buffett-esque resort owner and author of such hit songs as "Pina Coladaburg," written 8 years before "Margaritaville." But it is hard to forgive the film for only playing the song once (I assumed they would reprise it over the credits). It was nice to see a comedy based on horror film conventions that doesn't take itself too seriously, but as I'm not a big fan of horror films, it wasn't really for me.

I went to Viejas on Saturday and won about $230. Great luck at Omaha, at a really lose table. I flopped aces-full one hand, and still people were betting into me like crazy. I hadn't played Omaha in awhile, except for a brief period earlier last week, and I forgot what a great game it can be. People play really loose, and small errors can cost you a lot, making it a pretty lucrative game. I intend to play it more regularly in the future, see how that goes.

Chairman of the Board of Smith and Wesson resigns due to extensive criminal history of armed robbery. He will remain on the board, however, which is good, you have to know your customers.

Tentative agreement reached in supermarket strike. The union apparently gave in to the demand for a two-tiered pay structure, as well as paying for more health benefits. Too bad.

David Byrne has a new CD coming out for Nonesuch Records. Look Into the Eyeball was amazing, and so I'm very excited to hear this. I hope he tours the states again to promote it.

While at the Nonesuch site, I noticed a link to Randy Newman's NPR broadcast for the Creators at Carnegie series. I haven't listened to it yet, but I'm sure it's worth it. The whole series sounds promising; Bill Frisell will be on the next installment, March 5th, and the site says the Kronos Quartet is upcoming.

Just the other day, I was lamenting the loss of my Master Shake air freshener, which I neglected to remove when I traded in my old car. I'm hoping maybe I can get a new one if I attend this Adult Swim screening at SDSU next month. Could be lame, but even that would be fun in a way. Odd to have this in San Diego a few months before Comic-Con. I remember attending a screening of Mystery Science Theater 3000 at the Science Theater in Balboa Park. I believe there were about 6 people in attendance, including my group. And the other people seemed to have no idea what the hell they were watching. But still it was a fun time.

I skipped out of my last class yesterday (how uncharacteristic of me) and went to Viejas. Won $60. Had a nice run at Omaha, I forgot just how badly people play that game at the low limits. They can find a reason to play just about any hand. One embarassing hand, I bet the set I flopped, then bet into a raiser when I made a full house on the turn. I show my hand at the showdown, turns out I had a pair of 7s, not the pair of 8s I thought I had. Luckily a 7 came on the river, so I ended up making a full house after all, and still won the pot. But I looked like a jackass, betting strongly with two pair. I left soon after that. But I did alright, and got a nice refresher about Omaha. Unlike stud, they usually have a good selection of Omaha games going, and its easier to make money at the low limits because people make more, and more costly, mistakes. Though I can't really talk, with my forgetting if I had 7s or 8s. I went on Wednesday because of a promotion they have every Wednesday at Viejas, where if anytime during the 24-hour period a jackpot is hit in the poker room (stud low and Omaha mini-jackpot not included), everyone playing poker receives $100. I thought the poker room would be busy because of this, but I was wrong. When I got there around noon, there were a fair number of tables going, about 10 or 12, due to players staying after the morning tournament, but not long after I took my seat, there were only 6 tables going. Which means the odds of hitting a jackpot somewhere weren't that much better than being involved in it myself, and considering I haven't seen a poker jackpot in probably over two years, its hard to get too excited over the promotion. But it's better than a kick in the head, I suppose.

Ralph Nader is running for president. I voted for him last time around (in 1996, too), but this time, there's no way. Nader ran in 2000 to prove that he couldn't be taken for granted, and his pathetic showing only proved that he can be. I doubt he'll get even 1% this time through, and all he's doing is tarnishing his reputation even more, and hurting the image of his worthwhile public interest organizations in the process. I guess he really is just an egotist. What a disappointment.

Besides, I can't vote for the same loser three elections running. If I'm going that route, might as well sign up with Larouche.

Tonight was the final episode of The Surreal Life 2. I've watched and enjoyed the series, but I must say it failed to live up to my high expectations. The friendship that blossomed between Ron Jeremy and Tammy Faye was fun to watch, as were Vanilla Ice's frequent meltdowns. And even Trishelle from The Real World: Las Vegas grew on me, or at least was entertaining to watch. But it just didn't quite click. And Tracy Bingham never stopped being annoying, from coming in like a prima donna, to her constant hypocrisy in dealing with Ron Jeremy, to her arguing her position for animal rights while wearing a leather cowboy hat. My Sunday nights will be a bit more empty now that the show is over, but at least I can watch Arrested Development when it airs, instead of taping it for the next day. AI, as the young people have taken to calling it, wasn't on tonight, incidentally. I hope Fox doesn't plan to treat it like they treat just about every other quality show they air, and do whatever they can to make sure it's cancelled.

I saw Touching the Void on Thursday. I was unsure what I would think, afraid the reenactments might be tacky, but hopeful that the cinematography would be impressive. As it turns out, the reenactments were quite well done, but the cinematography didn't stand out too much from previous mountain documentaries I have seen. Which is a good thing, it turns out. While I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to shoot, for the most part, the terrain doesn't overcome the story of these two men struggling for their lives. There were some quite impressive shots, but ultimately it wasn't what the movie was about. I must add, the most disturbing thing about that evening was seeing that Landmark is now showing 6 trailers before their film. Good God.

Friday I saw Macbeth at the Sledgehammer Theatre. Macbeth isn't one of my favorites, but I thought it was a good performance, if not outstanding in any respect. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were mediocre, and only the actor who played Duncan (among other parts) really stood out, as did the actress playing Banquo, I suppose. But like everything I've seen at the Sledgehammer, the staging and direction were strong, and I enjoyed myself.

Last night, I went to Viejas. Lost $85 playing Hold 'em (I'm learning the game...thanks to the World Poker Tour, it's now more popular than ever, and the wait for a higher-limit stud game gets longer and longer, it seems, so I need something to do while I wait) and broke even at Stud. I played Stud with what I think I can honestly say is the most repulsive man I've ever seen. For a little while, I thought it was the ugliest woman I'd ever seen, but eventually I figured it out. Really just disturbing to be sitting anywhere near him, as he sat in his shorty-shorts with a huge paunch threatening to cause an obscene avalanche. A porter asked a question, whether he was done with his drink or something, and he got offended, said he thought the guy was queer. As if any human being could desire to touch him. And he was just a crude, nasty person, and drank about $40 worth of liquor while I was at the table. I would have liked to play longer as he got drunker, but my mother invited herself along with me and wanted to go home. I was one card away from winning about $6500, when I had an A-2-3-4 of diamonds, and T.K. made a higher straight flush. But no 5 of diamonds on the river. So I left that table even. But I did have a nice meal, got some practice at Hold 'em (I lost almost all of the $85 on one hand, two top pair against a set, in a kill pot) and cashed in a $10 in players club credits coupon they had sent me. Had an okay time, considering I lost.

I'll Tell You What I'd Do If I Was Gay.

A nice, frank interview with Randy Newman.

I enrolled in classes for the next quarter today. Post-Victorian Literature (Stevenson to Kipling), Tolstoy, and Vampire Chic Cinema (no course description provided). A decent schedule, and unlike this quarter, the classes offered will help me advance towards graduation at least a little. Though the vampire class is a night class (but only meets once a week) and doesn't really help me out, so we'll see if I stick with that.

Played hookey from my science class yesterday, went to the zoo and watched the otters and the arctic diving ducks. Until the rain drove me out.

Dean withdraws. Oh, well. Guess I'll have to toss my support behind Edwards.

Arnold speaks out on gay marriage licences. Seems pretty open and shut that the marriages are illegal, but it is fun to watch conservatives freak out. Maybe it'll be a wake-up call to the next conservative Southern judge who decides to put the Ten Commandments in his court and refuse to listen to the courts that tell him he can't. If the Right-Wing Christians seem to think the pagan culture is so stacked against him, you'd think they'd want to be sure that the pagans aren't encouraged to flaunt the law.

I watched Castle in the Sky last night. Let me just say James Van Der Beek should not be dubbing Japanese animation. Fortunately, the DVD has the original soundtrack as well, so I could listen to that. Of course, nothing could be as bad as Billy Bob Thornton in Princess Mononoke, whom actually made me think Minnie Driver wasn't that bad. Anyway, I didn't really think Castle in the Sky was as good as most Miyazaki films, but still enjoyable. The characters just didn't have much depth, girl falls from sky, runs away from bad guys, boy helps. The lone robot tending to the garden was pretty cool, though.

Been reading a bit of Krazy Kat lately. Funny stuff.

So anyway, Vegas was fun. I had to attend a midterm Monday morning (I ended up with a B), and then pack (I forgot to get my luggage out of storage until after it was locked down Sunday night), and hit the bank, so I didn't hit the road until close to 11:30. The drive wasn't too bad, traffic was light, but the wind around the pass was real bad, to the point that it was difficult to control the car. Stopped in Torrance for lunch, and could barely open the car door into the wind. It was cold in the desert, mid 50s, and when I stopped for gas (Barstow, if memory serves), I went for my jacket, and realized I forgot it (I was wearing it when I packed, so somehow in the two minutes before I left the house, I took off my jacket and forgot it). Knowing it would be cold in Vegas, that was disappointing. But I made good time, was in my room by 4:30. I took a shower and a nap, and then went down and lost a fair amount of cash playing blackjack at Bally's, where I was staying. Had their buffet, which was disappointing, except for some excellent ribs, and decent bananas foster (probably would've been better, except that I got there right before closing, and all they had left was sugar-free vanilla ice cream). Played at the tables with some german woman; the dealer and I entertained her with stories of cheating dealers. And I, fatigued, hit a hard 17 on accident. But I won a little bit back at the end, so I suppose staying up gambling to 4 AM was a good plan.

Tuesday I played a bit at Paris, ended up down a little, then walked all the way to the Stardust, checking out the construction on Wynn's new casino along the way (coming right along). Played at the Stardust about three hours, won a small amount. The place was uncharacteristically jumping, because of a blackjack tournament, apparently. Ate their buffet, which I've never had before. It was actually very good for the price (it was comped for me, but if you're paying, its not a bad deal). Played at the Flamingo on my way back, lost a ton, then won it all back, with a small profit. Then I had Paris' buffet for dinner. Second time I'd eaten there, not as amazing as I remembered, but still quite good. Made-to-order crepes and seafood buillabaise were the best things. One disappointing change since I last dined there, the bananas foster was no longer made to order, and instead of the premium ice cream one would expect from a $30 buffet, they only had frozen yogurt. I still ate it and enjoyed it very much, but still it's sad that the desserts at Paris' buffet pale in comparison to those at my local home-town casino, at only about 2/3 the price (I think Barona's might be the best buffet I've ever had). I still think Paris is one of the better buffets in Vegas, but it still is debatable whether rich French food is the best thing for an all-you-can-eat restaurant. But again, it was free for me, and having a comp, I was allowed to cut to the front of the line, which gives one a feeling of power.

I gambled a bit after dinner, lost a bit, and then took my seat for Jubilee, Bally's showgirl spectacular. I'd never seen a real Las Vegas showgirl show, so it was quite a treat. I had a great seat, first row in the theatre seating, behind the dinner tables in the front. Level with the stage. Unfortunately, there were occasional things above the audience, and I had a bad vantage point for that. The show opened with a woman directly above me, and from my perspective, her nipples looked like lug nuts, and it was comfortably warm in the theater. The show was quite a spectacle, lots of topless women, some not topless, dancing, men singing. I enjoyed picking out the women who were actually pretending to sing, rather than just half-assedly flapping their gums in rhythm to the music. I puzzled a bit over why the tons of naked women were not slightly erotic. I had some theories, the most likely that the women, with their feathered outfits and huge headdresses, resemble the women in '50s stag films too much, and so its like being aroused by women long dead, even though, it being live entertainment, one knows by definition they are not dead old women. I still haven't puzzled out why they felt the need to use topless showgirls to tell bible stories, but nevertheless they did, the tale of Samson and Delilah being the first big production number in the show. Samson didn't have much hair, which was puzzling. Later, they told the story of the Titanic, but now the showgirls had tops on, out of respect for the dead. (Apparently the philistines were crushed long enough ago that their story could be told with nudity). On deck, however, the guests were dressed more like they were on a showboat on the Mississip' than on an atlantic ocean liner. I also didn't understand why the drunken floozy from the Captain's ball was later wandering the boiler room, and yet still found her way to a lifeboat. In addition to these big set pieces, there were other numbers, a nice medley of Cole Porter tunes (a favorite of mine), as well as Gershwin, and some other variety acts, the contortionists being the only act I really enjoyed. It was a long two hours at times, but I was glad I went. Sort of thing I could never sit through outside of Vegas, but it really puts one's Vegas vacation into the proper perspective. And I was impressed by the spectacle of it all, a huge cast, elaborate sets and all. And a showgirl fell down (I was looking the other way, but turned my head when I saw people pointing, and just caught her pulling herself back up). So a fun time was had by all.

Gambling late into the night at Bally's again, ended up a little bit, but still down a lot for the trip. But I felt like I was slowly pulling myself up by my bootstraps (which, in retrospect, was probably setting myself up for trouble on Wednesday). I got up around 9:45 and took care of my bill. I can take some consolation, thinking about my losses, that my room and all my expenses were taken care of, I never had to spend money on anything while I was in Vegas. Meals, show tickets, room, incidentals, all taken care off. And I still have a $30 balance in my comp account, apparently. Before leaving, I had the breakfast buffet at Paris (the line pass was a real godsend, as it looked like the wait for a table was close to thirty minutes). I'd never had the buffet there for breakfast, and it was quite good. The highlight was the fresh waffles, which I topped with berries and a very gently-whipped cream. They had made-to-order seafood omlettes, a wide selection of smoked fishes, lots of pasteries, and some other, richer, food, which I avoided (cheese blintzes, for instance). I'm not a big breakfast person, and much of the food was a bit too heavy, but I'd say the waffles and berries alone were well worth it.

On my way out of town, I hit Green Valley Ranch. Not a good idea. Blackjack went well for about an hour, then it got ugly, fast. I played with a blind woman who is going to be on the World Blackjack Tour. Premieres in March on the Game Show Network, which I don't get, but I have a friend who does. Rumor had it they were going to film it at Barona, but apparently this round was at Mohegan Sun. Perhaps a future episode will be at Barona. She was contractually forbidden from saying how she did. Later, two seperate women would both get very annoyed at me for hitting a soft 18 against a 10. In case you're interested, that is the correct play, and most people play it correctly. Yet the first woman was incredibly annoyed with me, and was downright hostile, which is fine by me, because it gives me some consolation when the dealer makes a hand, knowing she loses money, too. One can't control one's feelings, but you can at least make an effort not to take out your frustration at losing on others; no one put a gun to your head and made you gamble. So she annoyed me. The other woman wasn't as bad, it was just somewhat funny, the way she asked me, "Do you realize you hit an 18?" as though it was the most shocking thing she'd ever seen. Apparently, she wasn't at Bally's when I saw the guy take insurance, then surrender his bet (for those not up on blackjack, this means the 2/3 of the time when the dealer didn't have a natural 21, he would be guaranteed to lose his entire bet). But she wasn't actually hostile to me for hitting it, seemed more to pity me than anything. To cut to the chase, blackjack at the Ranch wasn't friendly, and I realized I had to hit the road soon, so I decided to move to video poker, try to hit a quick royal flush and get out of the hole. Turned out to be a bad idea. Earned enough on my players card to get some pizza comped for an early dinner before leaving vegas, but ended up deep, deep in the hole. But I figure my comps were worth about $500-700, depending on the going rate for hotel rooms that week. And I had fun, so I got a good vacation at a decent rate, all things considered.

I joined Friendster. Feel like a heel, but that's okay. If you wanna be my buddy, just let me know.

Some nice songs by the Tiger Lillies to download. I have a bit of a headache, so I'll wait to write about Vegas; hopefully, I'll get something up this weekend. Let's just say it wasn't pretty.

Check out Randy Newman's reports from his European tour, here and here.

Probably won't post again until I get back from Vegas, so wish me luck!

Freaks and Geeks is coming out on DVD. If you're made of money, you can buy the deluxe edition from the Freaks and Geeks website for $120. Unless I win it really big in Vegas, though, I think I'll stick to the standard edition.

Looking for something else, I just happened to stumble upon this web site for Kaser software, the maker of Sherlock, a shareware game I've been playing for probably at least 10 years. Never did register it, since I had no way of knowing if the contact info in the game was still valid (this was before web pages), but maybe I'll buy the new version or one of his other games and show my financial support.

I've fallen behind in posting to this blog, I'm afraid, so I'll just do a quick catch-up post and then move on. Since I last wrote, I attended two concerts at UCLA, Randy Newman on Friday and Shock and Awe, a loving tribute to Randy Newman, the next night. Randy Newman was in fine form, and for an encore performed "Laugh and Be Happy," which he has never performed in public before. I met him after the show, which is always exciting, but I never have anything to say, so I wonder what the point is sometimes. The next night, Shock and All, was inferior to the real thing, as I knew it would be. But I enjoyed it. Rip Torn was just awful, forgetting the words to "Political Science," and there were quite a few other low moments, but it was a different take on his music. Vic Chesnutt, Jimmy Fallon, Stan Ridgeway, Van Dyke Parks, and Jack Shit had some of the better moments of the night. And it was much more efficient than similar events in the past, such as the Harry Smith Project I saw at the same theater, Royce Hall, a few years back. So I must say I enjoyed my Randy Newman weekend.

I've seen two movies recently, Big Fish and The Fog of War. I enjoyed The Fog of War, though I understand some of the criticism. What surprised me is how much, in a film that consists to a very large degree of nothing but close-ups of McNamara's face, how much the film becomes a documentary detached from his baggage. Occasionally he'll say something, like when he compares himself to a Quaker who immolated himself in front of his office, or when he explains how shocked Kennedy and McNamara were when Diem was assasinated, and like a slap in the face you remember who you're watching. But I thought it made an interesting case, and if McNamara in the end is perhaps more sympathetic than he should be, what does it matter? There are larger issues to fret over than, "Is McNamara a good man or a bad man?"

On the other hand, I did not enjoy Big Fish very much. It was nice to look at from time to time, but felt hollow from the start. I felt my time would have been better served if I watched that Twilight Zone where the town's biggest liar gets abducted by aliens, and no one believes him, but no one cares because true or not, its a great yarn. Big Fish is basically the same thing, but with a manipulative tear-jerker ending.

So I've seen a few things in the last two weeks or whatever its been, but mostly my time has been devoted to school or wasting time. Oh, and playing Final Fantasy X-2 a bit, but I think I've already mentioned that. I'm ditching school next Wednesday, so I can go to Vegas. This quarter is proving to be unremarkable. I was fretting the schedule, which has me stuck on campus with a lot of time between classes. I mentioned that one upside of a five-hour break is, if I need to do something, I can always leave campus and go do it. So that's what I end up doing about every day. I was here Wednesday because I had a mid-term to prepare for, and I'm here today because I'm trying to get in the habit and there's nothing I really need to do, but it seems like I can always find some nitpicky thing I need to do, so I end up doubling the amount of gas I use up, or end up ditching my afternoon class. But so far, the quarter is going well. And two nights in Vegas should help me unwind a bit, I've been a bit nervous and anxious lately, for undefined reasons. Just think I need to get away. Should be fun.

Grocery chains being sued over revenue sharing pact.