ultimatesean

11:15 am: All hail Emperor Spider-man!
I've always said that responsibility and authority must go hand in hand.  If given responsibility over something you must be given due authority to oversee it properly.  But when I cross reference that philosophy with Stan Lee's famous statement "with great power comes great responsibility", then the commutative property of math tells me that "with great power comes great authority.  "

That's....a little scary.  Uh...someone please tell me that DOESN'T equal "might makes right"?  How can Stan Lee be wrong?!?!

12:46 pm: Autobots! Let's RooohhhmyGooooood!
No shit, there I was on the Woodhaven road exit of 95N with Suzanne. Driving around a bend on a ramp about 30something feet above the ground we saw some emergency vehicles on the shoulder up ahead. No big deal, a fairly common sight nowadays, until we saw the source of the disturbance.

There was a full sized big-rig, tractor trailer truck flipped over, lying on it's back on the shoulder. But the topper - ONLY THE CAB WAS ON THE SHOULDER, THE TRAILER WAS HANGING DOWN OFF THE SIDE!!!!!

I kid you not, it looked like Optimus Prime got body slammed by Voltron.

I though for a moment that Michael Bey was shooting a sequel, but then I noticed that the truck wasn't actually on fire and there weren't Dawson's Creek refugees running around taking all the attention away from the giant talking robots.

10:53 am: Feet of clay!
John Stewart said this on his show, but he didn't say it on my LJ so I will. Why is it that when Reverend Hagee and a dozen other religious-right nuts go on about how New Orleans was punished by God for being sinful and 911 was punishment to America for being sinful, that we somehow DESERVED this, politicians still line up for their endorsements and their money. But Reverend Wright unleashes his particular brand of koo-koo-loony and Obama will never live it down.

Shenanigans!

03:40 pm: Is it me?
When I hear that a police officer has been killed, it doesn't bother me any more than when I hear ANYBODY has gotten killed. It's not based in any particular attitude toward law enforcement, I've just always been that way.

Am I missing something? Is there a certain point of view I haven't seen in this issue?

Interesting fact - Officer Daniel Faulkner, the cop allegedly killed by Mumia Abu-Jamal, lived in my neighborhood when I was a kid. I went to school with his kids. I was about 7 when it happened, I remember people talking about it, but it was many years before I remember hearing Mumia's name all over the news. No opinion on the case, just remembering....

11:43 am: Happy Uno de Mayo!

From Jonathan Coulton and Robin Red-Breast.

Ooooh, child........

04:05 pm: Patriotic peer pressure
I recently attended a high school drumline exhibition for Suzanne's cousin Josh.  It was crazy awesome, people were twirling sabers and rifles and flags, there were xylophones, dozens of drummers with their drums strapped to their bodies and the show closed with a guy and his drumset fixed into a gyroscope thingy and he played while spinning in three directions!  Much more impressive than I could have expected.

Anyway, just before the first team went on, the whole crowd did the "stand up, hand on heart, face the flag" thing while the national anthem was played.  Now, I never go to any kind of sports events or things like that so I haven't been in that position in many years.  Hard to believe, yes, it took me by surprise too.

But what really hit me was how uncomfortable I felt with the whole thing.  The bottom line was I just didn't want to do it.  I ended up standing withOUT my hand on my heart and sort of mumbling through the words, (though I do in fact know the words) and even that felt a little silly.  

I'm a big fan of my country, wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but that kind of display just feels so false and drone-like.  Do I dare just sit quietly while hundreds of people around me sing the anthem or recite the pledge of allegiance?  Is it better to honestly make the choice not to join in or to falsely recite out of obligation and the fear of the crowd's evil eye?  It bothers me that children are forced to say the pledge of allegiance every morning, if you need to sell your country to it's citizens by sheer brain-washed indoctrination it doesn't show much faith in your product.  

Much like prayer, I get the distinct impression that so many people use these old familiar recitations to convince others that they are patriotic and pious rather than out of a sincere desire to express true patriotism and piety.

It just bugs me.

12:05 pm: The race card....?
So....I like Barack Obama.  Don't know if he'll have my vote yet, but I like what I've seen so far.  But he reminds of something that has bugged me for a long time.

Why is it that someone who is half white (some kind of european presumably) and half something else (insert race with typically darker skin color) that person is considered to be a member of the non-white race?  When I want a black & white milkshake I don't ask for a "light-toned chocolate" shake.  My sister's half poodle, half cocker spaniel dog isn't a "slightly more curly" spaniel.  It's a cockapoo.  Yeah, I like using that word, but that's not the point.  What if he were Black-hispanic, would people just pick one and call him that?  I'm not a "slightly more alcohol prone" italian, I'm irish italian.  Geez.

So unless somebody can give me a useful reason to classify people that way, I think we should call Obama white from now on just to piss people off.  It's just as valid as calling him black. 

12:10 pm: Hybrids are cool

Through the Philly Car Share program I drove a Toyota Prius last night.  It was totally futuristic.  There is an "ignition" key, but nowhere to put it.  It fits inside the "boop-boop" unlocking button control thingy, which you then insert into a slot beside the steering wheel.  Then you press the brake pedal all the way down and hit the Power button.  Yup, you turn the car on with a power button.  It has the circle/line icon and everything.  Madness.

All the controls for climate and radio and stuff are accessed with a touch screen on the dash.  When you're not using any of those controls it defaults to a diagnostic screen that shows like power distribution to the wheels and changing MPG and stuff.  There's a dinky little gearshift joystick on the dash too, which was a bit tricky to manipulate.  Insert size joke here if you must.

I was tempted to say "computer?" more than once while driving.

Pretty sweet car overall.  But still, I want my jetpack.

11:53 am: Why is it that when it comes to the reason for fighting a particular war, soldiers are supposed to just shut their mouths and do as they're told.  But tell a guy to fight next to a homosexual and suddenly he's Rosa Parks!  What happened to "ours is not to reason why"?  Either you follow orders or you don't.  

On a different topic, what do I do if I get addicted to cold turkey?  Should I ween myself off it slowly, or just go "crack pipe" and stop altogether?

10:46 am: We can dream, can't we?
 So I'm looking at http://www.howstuffworks.com/, which is one of my favorite websites, and I see this article about the idea of a five day weekend.   http://money.howstuffworks.com/five-day-weekend.htm

Very interesting, no doubt it could prompt endless online debate, blah blah blah.  And maybe it wouldn't work, but if only for the sake of open-mindedness couldn't we at least get our feet wet with say.....a three day weekend.  A pilot program, if you will.  We owe it to the children.  THE CHILDREN!!!

12:45 pm: Oy, with the politics already
Can I buy crime offsets?

Seriously, can I run some jackass off the road for cutting me off if I then donate money to my local police precinct to hire more officers?

Or maybe I could kill somebody if I then fund a private sting operation to take down a major crack supplier.  It all comes out about even, right?

By the way, check out if you can (on "the youtube") the spot on the daily show  with the democratic candidates in an interview on the Logo channel.  Some of John Stewart's best work I think.

11:50 am: But......the shin?!??!

I understand why it hurts REALLY bad to hit certain parts of the body, like your eye or throat, or groin for the guys.  Even stubbing a toe should be painful because toes are kinda fragile.  They are all extremely important so the mind needs an instinctual incentive to protect them.  I get it. 

But......the shin?!?!  It's not a particualary weak bone compared to others in the body.  It's doesn't serve a function in procreation or cognitive processes.  But damn, it hurts like a bitch when you so much as tap it against a table edge!  Maybe because it's exposed, not protected by muscle.  I don't know.  Ouch.

04:36 pm: Royal Decree
 Quantum physics is the new magic.  It's ridiculous.  It uses Occam's razor to slice away any semblance of the scientific method and common sense, leaving only pseudo-scientific mystery bordering on sheer faith.  

And shame.

Stop it already.  And that goes for you too, time travel.

Utter nonsense.  

That's it, scientists are not allowed to watch Star Trek anymore!  Do your experiments, draw your conclusions and theories based on observable data AND good old a priori common sense, then when you retire you can pick up every season of Star Trek and Quantum Leap on DVD or itunes or whatever.  Now go to bed before I take away your Mountain Dew and Twinkies!

02:19 pm: While we're on the subject of justice.....
In a casual discussion on capital punishment, I commented to my fiance that I don't support state-approved vengeance.  To this she replied "so you want to privatize vengeance?"  After laughing hysterically I realized...


YES I DO!!!  THAT'S IT!!!


That's the key.  Vengeance isn't wrong, it's just not something the government should be directly involved in.  People need vengeance, but vengenace is personal and the state would just screw it up.  Qualified, modestly regulated retribution specialists would give people the emotional satisfaction they need at a price they can afford.  Operators are standing by.  

Do you really want the scumbag that killed your family to go to jail, eating and sleeping on your tax dollars?  Of course not, you want to exact righteous revenge in a creatively painful manner to restore the balance.  A retribution specialist could work with you on your mission of vengeance, ensuring that your honor is satisfied with no harm to the "innocent".  

How do we make this legal?  The criminal code and the courts need to embrace the idea of personal vengeance.  Claims of vengeance would be handled in court just like criminal charges.  A judge could decide that the state has not made a reasonable case against a defendant to justify a jail sentence, but then declare that there is sufficient evidence for a legal blood debt by one or more plaintiffs.  Sort of like how a civil charge doesn't need to meet the reasonable doubt standard, simply a preponderance of evidence.  

I think revenge is often served cold simply because it's so hard to accomplish.  I'll take mine hot and steamy, fresh from the bowels of my hatred.

Disclaimer:  I don't buy any of this crap.  For the most part.  But it's fun to talk about.

02:08 pm: What about the children?!?!

Why are people only fired up about knowing where former sex offenders live?  I think I'd like to know where convicted murderers live, wouldn't you?  Crimes like armed assault, arson, B&E and possession of controlled substances all sound like pretty scary things that communities should be able to look out for.  But who has time for all that internet research after reading the LJ of everyone you know and WOWing up to level 70?

Maybe some sort of proactive system of identification, say a ... mark or ... brand of some sort, so that parents could see these people coming.  I mean, is it really enough to just keep my kids away from their houses?  These monsters are walking around like regular people, how else will our children know at whom to point and scream?

01:26 pm: Ya know, as a rule I can't stand people who stay long past the time when they are supposed to leave work on a regular basis.  There's nothing in particular going on, no fires or floods in my case, it's just that ridiculous concept of a "strong work ethic".  

Go the *&^% home!

Especially when that person is my boss.  My god, the office closed early, AN HOUR AND A HALF AGO!!!  Why, for the love of the gods are you still here?  Nobody is impressed!  I'm here because I have to be here, you're here to feel useful.  Go home to your family and build an addition to your house if you want to be useful!

so annoying.............

07:35 pm: What a weekend!
Friday, 2PM - Left for a 90 minute drive to Manhattan that actually took 3 hours. Oh well, I love Manhattan, totally worth it. Went to my friend Carmine's place, hung out with him and my friend Melissa from Pittsburgh, aka Istanburgh. Did some jamming on the saz, learned some new songs. Awesome. Went to an Afghani restaurant, great food, slow service, extremely hot dippy stuff for the bread. Painful.

Friday, 10PM - Went to Lafayette Grill to see some bellydancing and this incredible band. Oud, clarinet, doumbek, bozouki and keyboard. Ok, the keyboard was cheesy and sounded really out of place but the rest was unbelievable. The clarinet player has a bionic right pinky, there's just no other explanation. Got to bed around 2AM....

Saturday, 6AM - Yep, that's what time we got up to get on the road to go to Jalsah Boston, the latest in Melissa's line of Middle Eastern music and dance events. (jalsah.org) Arrived around Noon, hung out, helped with some set-up. Carmine taught two workshops for well over a dozen drummers. Melissa then taught a workshop on learning middle eastern songs. There was a Cumbus saz (me), a Cumbus oud, a 4-string banjo & 2 violin players. It was a great workshop, everybody was picking up the songs pretty well by the end.

Saturday, 8:30PM - Jalsah begins. Musicians lined up in the front of the room, which was a nice community center acquired by Erzulie. Thanks, Erzulie, and hi Dwayne! In addition to the instruments listed from the workshop, we had a saxa-ma-phone player and a guy playing what he called a dobro (looked like a guitar) lap-style with a slider and stuff. It was crazy, he did some really cool taksims for a guy unfamiliar with ME music. I had my carcabas (man-zills) with me of course.

Saturday, 11:30PM - Jalsah ends. A bunch of us go to Lakshmi (Beth)'s house to hang out and jam some more. 16 people drumming and strumming in a 10'x10' room. Sounds like a scene from a wierd D&D game, which is suitable since we discovered that Lakshmi is a crazy gamer-geek! Pump fist! She had a bunch of White Wolf books on a shelf along with a 2nd edition D&D players' handbook, and NOT a 3rd edition which made me very happy. BETH SMASH!

Sunday, 10AM - Departed for NYC, stopping at a diner along the way where I learned the following: some remote sub-Bostonians refer to a drinking fountain as a "bubbla", and coffee-creamer flipping is a bi-coastal sport with surprisingly complex rules.

Sunday, approx. 3PM - arrived back at Carmine's place, took much-needed nap.

Sunday, approx. 6PM - got up to go to the Figaro Cafe. Raquy Danziger plays a regular gig there with Scott Wilson, but she's been away recently. So Carmine has been filling in on doumbek and said "hey, why don't you sit in with me on bass doumbek?" WHAT!? Umm, ok, sure. And in between I'll play clave on this gold brick I just dropped. We got a ride from Umut, who plays amazing kanun at this gig and grabbed some food beforehand. So...no shit, there I was. Me, Carmine, Scott Wilson on his guitar-oud-saz thingy, Umut Yasmut, and Danny Elias on clarinet. Two hour show, no breaks. Not for me anyway. Amir Naoub, the doumbek player from Friday night, was in the audience so Scott Wilson asked him to come up and play for a bit. So he took Carmine's spot and I naturally figured Carmine would take mine. Not so much. Carmine walked away to get a drink as I shifted my grip to "here ya go" mode. Amir sits down, turns to me and says "so what are we doing?" My reply was of course "you're asking me?!" He was joking of course and proceeded to rock the casbah like Melissa's phone. Before that, Scott spotted Jeffrey and Casey in the audience and Casey came up and played bass doumbek for her birthday. She did a great job.

Sunday, 11PM - Umut drives us, along with Tayyar Akdeniz (folktours.com) to a place that has "pizza & kebabs" for some sutlatch(sp.) with lots of tarcin(sp.)which is rice pudding with lots of cinnamon. It was really good. Carmine paid, which made him the sheker-baba, or sugar-daddy.

Sunday(technically monday), 1AM - got home, unloaded car, crawled into bed, kissed fiance and told her as much as her sleepy brain could handle before going to sleep.

My repetoire of ME songs is up to about 10 or 11. Sweet. I had my first paying gig in Manhattan. Super sweet. I spent an entire weekend with great people playing music. Priceless.

01:25 pm: Let there be STARS!
There's a celebrity-voiced bible coming out

Stacy Keach as Paul
Richard Dreyfuss as Moses
Like Perry as Jesus and......

Terrance Stamp as God!

I can't fight the urge any longer, I have to say it.....

Moses, son of Amram, KNEEL BEFORE GOD!!!!!!!

Seriously, I'm not making this up. Except for the following:

Gilbert Godfrey as the Serpent in the Garden of Eden
Faruza Balk as the Virgin Mary
Christopher Walken as Cain

11:26 am: Now there's a new one
I just heard the word "sunset" used as a verb. The quote was something like "Congress would like to sunset those policies."

What a shame, sunsets were beautiful once.

01:49 am: Another day...
Ok, so is it just me or does working for a living suck? Seriously, it takes up well over half of our waking hours with travelling time, at least 5 days out of the week.

Who's with me? Let's get rich!