The Long Highway

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Hey all . . .

Just a quick update. This blog has turned into almost an afterthought and a quick spot for me to throw a bucnh of links to things I am currrently enraged or happy about, like Intelligent Design or Scientology or Steve Coogan ("Knowing Me, Knowing You" is just out on DVD, I believe, and BBC America are re-running "I'm Alan Partridge" from the beginning this week).

Now it's back to school this week, which means less time to spend blogging. Truth be told, I spend most of my blogging time on Jack's blog, which takes quite some time, converting picture files to smaller sizes, resaving them, etc. I might try using my iBook with Tiger and see if I can use the new Automator functions to make it a no-brainer to batch the photos as I load them.

Been riding the train into LA. It's OK except it means I have to leave the house two hours before class, which for a 9:00 am class is very rough indeed. But I can sip my coffee, read a book (or assignment) and get my daily exercise in to boot, as in toto I walk about half an hour all said, and a lot of that up a very, very steep hill. We editors start school a week early so we can learn about cutting film dailies on actual, well, film, synching sound, all cool stuff that I only know about from reading books. Kind of rapidly antiquating technology but it is really great foundational material to know.

Tomorrow is my turn to drop Jack off at daycare, about which more will be written here. In the meantime, I am going to watch a movie.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Flying Spaghetti Monster is gaining ground

"Henderson did not return a telephone call for comment. He says in his letter that it is disrespectful to teach about the FSM without wearing '“full pirate regalia.'”
Evolution debate creates monster | LJWorld.com

Monday, August 22, 2005

Alan Partridge

Just about the funniest thing I have seen in years, seen in the US on BBC America. "Knowing Me, Knowing You," Alan's talks show (before it bombed and we pick him up years later as a rural radio host, is currently airing, then BBC Ameica is picking up with the first season of "I'm Alan Partridge" in a few weeks.

BBC - Comedy - Alan Partridge

Sunday, August 21, 2005

The Globe and Mail: Thompson goes out with a bang

The Globe and Mail: Thompson goes out with a bang

Thursday, August 18, 2005

The Onion | What Has Our Society Come To When March Of The Penguins Is The Blockbuster Hit Of The Summer?

The Onion | What Has Our Society Come To When March Of The Penguins Is The Blockbuster Hit Of The Summer?

I Have Converted

Read this Open Letter to find out what I have converted to.

This week's animal scrotum report

Coming Soon! DVD Reviews: "Because Pom Poko is bizarre, generally slow, and features a baffling number of raccoon scrotums, I can’t recommend it to general audiences or kids. This one is for animation fans only."

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Someone Tell the President the War Is Over - New York Times

Someone Tell the President the War Is Over - New York Times

AfterDowningStreet.org | For a Resolution of Inquiry

AfterDowningStreet.org | For a Resolution of Inquiry

Friday, August 12, 2005

Cash for Rapture Victims

Cash for Rapture Victims

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Bud Selig's Fault

Here's a poem I wrote a couple of years ago. Was clearing out some hard drive folders and found some old writing. This is actually pretty good, I think. I added a verse. Guess which one.

Bud Selig's Fault
(c) 2005 by Michael Sheehan

When my kids ask me why
Only big-market teams
Ever reach the postseason
And win by default?
I'll patiently sigh
With a tear in my eye
And explain, "It is Bud Selig's fault."

When games run past midnight
In World Series play
And a tied All-Star game
Is brought to a halt
While the cashboxes jingle
With billions to spare
I know that it's Bud Selig's fault.

With liver spots glowing,
Like a nuclear toad
He sits on his throne,
The despotic old dolt
And bleeds our old pastime
Of much of its joy.
Oh yes, it is Bud Selig's fault.

And now they've computers
Outguessing the umps
Can we take too much more
Before open revolt?
If we vote with our purses
And just stay away
It's no one but Bud Selig's fault.

The needles, the steroids
Earn slaps on the wrist
Don't tell me this all
Can't be brought to a halt
They've done it in football,
But baseball? No way!
I swear, it is Bud Selig's fault.

I'd rather have Costas,
Giuliani, or Faye
Or some kind of committee
That rules by gestalt
'Cause the state of the game
Is a damned crying shame
And folks, it's all Bud Selig's fault.

The Misunderestimated Man - How Bush chose stupidity

The Misunderestimated Man - How Bush chose stupidity. By Jacob Weisberg

The Complete Bushisms - Updated frequently

The Complete Bushisms - Updated frequently. By Jacob Weisberg

President moron

Well this is getting some ink in the international press, too. Incredible that the country the world has long looked to for scientific innovation is staring into the abyss like this.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Bush weighs into evolution debate

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Blah.

A day which started out very sleepy and woozy then got better as Jack and I had a lot of cuddle time. Then, it suddenly turned into a very very crappy and upsetting day, but thank God for Jack, he really brought so many smiles to a not-very-smiley face today.

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Making an effort

Trying to make more of an effort to be organized and get things done. I used to be really good at it. Still not used to the routine of being a stay-at-home-Dad, I guess, though in truth the "routine" as such has only been established kind of recently. Jack's schedule has become more regular and his needs more predictable, and so there's more of a timetable now for me to get stuff done. In the mornings almost every day Jack wakes up between 7 and 8 for a feeding, which he devours and goes back to sleep until 10 or 11. In that time I can usually make breakfast, check email, update blogs. Then Jack's up again and fed again and usually he is awake until his next feeding time mid-afternoon, which curtails my activities somewhat. I am usually able to get a couple of things done but I do spend a lot of time holding him and playing with him. The sometimes it's a mid-afternoon nap, and sometimes not, and Mommy is usually home either around 3, 4 or 5 depending on how harrowing her work schedule has been.

Sometimes instead of afternoon nap -- or if I'm lucky in tandem with it -- is errand-running, taking a walk and going to the store or what have you. Sometimes, the day has just gotten away from me.

Evolution & Creationism: Terminology in Conflict

Evolution & Creationism: Terminology in Conflict

Just in case you need to debunk a stupid person's ID/Creationism argument . . .

Getting the Monkey off Darwin's Back (Skeptical Inquirer June/July 2005)

Here we go, folks

It's only a matter of time, folks, before this ridiculous superstitious anti-science makes its way onto the national stage. And with the shamelesss bastards we currently have in office I have little doubt they will ram through whatever their so-called "mandate" (of 3%) justifies, in their pitifully narrow-minded worldview:

Bush: Intelligent Design Should Be Taught

I'm really so, so disgusted, almost depressed really, about the state of this country. Our leadership -- and I use that term advisedly -- seems to have no trouble at all executing even the most outrageous policy, or even breaking its own rules. I have been a pretty politically aware person even when I was a little kid -- I read the Watergate transcripts when the hearings were going on -- and I have never seen the kind of revolting behavior that I have seen with Bush & Co. And worse than their behavior is the fact that the American people -- even most, it seems, of the almost half of them who didn't vote for this bumbling moron of a sock-puppet stooge we've got in the Oval Office -- just sort of give these cretins a free [pass to do as they damn well please. Karl Rove is a fat traitorous lying bastard? The president says anyone involved in leaking Plame's name will be fired? Ooops, sorry, folks, I mean anyone convicted of a crime would be fired -- I guess that's the ethical standard for White House employment. Oh, OK, President Dipshit. That's fine. Tell you what, Georgem we'll just not even think about it anymore. What's the next outrageous stupidity you want to ram down our throats? Ah, a recess appointment of another Plame-related lying bastard whose blunt, moronic abrasiveness will play well to the xenophobic dimwit Americans among us but do nothing to repair oour almost irreparably damaged image abroad? That's fine, sir. Oh, over 40,000 wouded and close to 2,000 dead American soldiers and over a 100,000 Iraqi civilians are dead and more are dying every day so we could get rid of Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction and now there aren't any? No problem, sir. And by the way, could you give me a reach-around? No? Oh, well, that's OK.

Every time some new outrage hits the papers for all of about 12 hours I think, finally, the American people, the good ol' horse-sense American people will rise up in anger against these pimps and swine. And then, nothing happens. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Not a damn thing. Oh, the Rove thing had some Washington reporters sniffing blood in the water and they rose from whatever comatose state they have been in since 9/11, but that all disappeared. The inquiry into John Roberts' background has similarly vanished frm the pages of the newspaper. What the hell is going on? Why the hell are people not angry about the arrogance, the presumption, the sheer balls of these assholes?

Mark my words -- this Intelligent Design rubbish is gathering steam and it is only a matter of time until it breaks on the national legislative stage. And when that happens . . . please, don't roll over, people.

And now your surprise quote of the day.

"On religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly.

The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' and 'D.'

Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of 'conservatism.'"

-- Sen. Barry Goldwater (R)

Monday, August 01, 2005

Buffoon

Tom Cruise is an idiot