9.30.2007

Newsclipping of the Day :: Hypocrisy in Action

This local news segment from Texas shows the trouble with the USA. Every single goddamned politician in this country needs to be fired, and barred from "public service." I think the French have got it right. They are on the Fifth Republic, which means they've burned the government down, and started over from scratch, 4 times so far. We need to burn down government, from the Federal to the States level, and start over. We need a clean slate. What will it take to get rid of these people in "public service?"

9.27.2007

Newsclipping of the Day :: More Bad News for FREE and FAIR Elections in the USA

Forget about the Holt Amendment, there's much bigger--and much more covert and insidious--doins with elections here in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

We're putting more foxes in charge of the henhouse folks. Our entire system is being destroyed from within. This guy Hans von Spakovsky seems like a real patriot, doesn't he? Why even bother with elections anymore?

9.24.2007

Wow.

M. at work just sent this to me. If only all animals were as kind and gentle. Amazing.

9.23.2007

Hard Work Today




Today we painted a gaggle of beadboard to apply to nude garage/greenhouse walls, installed a sliding glass door, and found a poster for a local circus in the attic (we think maybe Curtis may know something about this circus?). And JingXia even helped. I can't remember the last time I was so completely dirty (even removing plaster in the kitchen wasn't as dirty as removing collar beams in the garage).

Next workday: install a gaggle of R11 batt insulation in said nude walls, and hold it in with the beadboard. I'll be moving a lovely old window that the sliding door replaced to the gable above the door (sorry JingXia, no more basketball), and our friend Aaron will be installing a wall-mounted gas heater for us. Then Steven's greenhouse dream will be done, just in time for all the various plants to winter. Yay!

9.19.2007

Are We Becoming Hippies??

Who knows? I suppose it's really not possible. But we sure are trying. We went to the Annual Glasshouse Works Garden Party last weekend and had a GREAT time with HUNDREDS of hippies who are our new neighbors and friends. It was a blast, and Tom and Ken are the most fabulous hosts. It is always pretty darned elaborate, with a smorgasbord of dozens and dozens and dozens of items to eat, the gardens to tour, gallons and gallons of wine, the "desert house," and of course all the lovely gardens and nooks and crannies and outdoor rooms and worlds they contain. Last year was our first year, and to my surprize, I found 2 great pictures of me and Steven on the website! Well, if you ignore that GIANT zit on my forehead, they are great pictures:



9.17.2007

Your Homework

Should you choose to read it. Wow. I can't wait to read this book:



Who makes trailers for a book???

There's a really nifty website too.

9.15.2007

Another Wilde Beaste

wants breakfast. She's been dozing all over the Mister while we watch Real Time with Bill Maher. She loves to park it right on top of either of our chests, and ride the gentle wave while we breathe. "Bush read 87 books last year" inspires a little surge of laughter, making the gentle wave into a big squall. She digs in, hanging on, glares into his eyes. *Lick lick lick* Regains composure.

9.12.2007

Intellectual Dishonesty

Advocating a position known to be false and wrong. Manipulating ideas to frame an argument or story to advance an agenda or to reinforce one's beliefs--however utterly wrong--in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

A nice way to tell someone they are lying to you: "You're being intellectually dishonest, i'm afraid."

Ad (Wo)Men LOVE intellectual dishonesty.

"Fill your home with the fresh scent of sweet melon and tropical fruit. Hold can upright and spray."

I'm sorry, that is a lie.

Politicos LOVE intellectual dishonesty.

"The White House told Congress Friday that Iraqi leaders gained little new ground on key military and political goals, a discouraging assessment a day after President Bush said progress justifies keeping a large U.S. military presence there."

I'm sorry, you are lying.

Complete Assholes LOVE intellectual dishonesty.

"We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad. We know exactly where they are."

Sorry, you are a complete liar.

Even Apple engages in it:

"Early adopters always pay a premium"

Can't Steve Jobs be honest and say "You nerdjobs who stand in line for 6 hours for a damn phone" instead of "early adopters?" Come on.

i'm a designer, and while intellectual dishonesty coursing through life's veins all over the place is a depressing sight to see, observing it in the design world really kills me. Just as i'm sure it pains healthcare providers seeing it all over their worlds, quite egregiously, I notice it most deeply where it affects my chosen vocation. Apparently, we Americans have a REAL problem keeping anything real anymore.

Our cultural denial runs so deep we think we can just rename anything and everything's ok. In the design world, former building materials are now building products and polymers and a bunch of fake crap. Plastic stone, Hardiplank, and ductwork that resembles my sister's 1960's hairdryer hood and hose now replace once slightly more authentic materials. National defense is now hit men in service of private American corporations, which by the way, mostly move overseas to avoid paying for anything anymore. We once fought madmen who threatened to destroy the world; now we are madmen picking fights and threatening to destroy the world.

We just went to Shenandoah National Park very briefly and had a great time, but there were some nagging design dishonesties going on. Most of the park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 30s, and is wonderfully authentic in terms of it's rustic design, the countless quantities of hard work and love that went into the construction, and it's utter appropriateness to it's setting and context.

Oh my, though, what a difference 70 years can make. The place has been "updated" so many times that it is a train wreck expression of clashing ways of viewing the world, authenticity, and honesty. I am a design professional, so I would consider myself a bit picky about these things. But I must say it is a bit incongruous, that the beautifully constructed lodge and outbuildings are now filled with furniture and items one would find in a Motel 6. It's too bad really. As a place on the National Register of Historic Places, it seems warranted to have sensitive interior designers who could help with this. I found myself daydreaming about what my rooms must have been like originally, while looking at the intrusive dorm refrigerator (which we did not use in a 3 day stay i might add) next to the spectacular stone fireplace. Same for the bath: I found myself thinking, why oh why would someone have not updated these bathrooms in a way that is sensitive to the historic nature of the environment? Slipcovers--once a chintz daydream one wrapped on one's threadbare sofa--are to be found all over the bathtubs. Everytime i stepped in, i was painfully aware that the thin layer of polymer in the guise of a bathtub was not adhered properly, and moved around with each of my movements. In the lodge itself, a giant, spectacular living room with sweeping views, but uncomfortably and inappropriately outfitted with herculon lowest-common-denominator furniture.

But enough whining about the design world.

The thing that bugs me the most is how Bush and the Republicans have capitalized on this nasty cultural trend. They've taken lying from bad to acceptable to cool. They reinvent lying everyday.

I wish i were in Washington today protesting them and their intellectually dishonest war.

9.11.2007

Steven v. the Wilde Beastes

Steven: 1
Wilde Beastes: 0

He really should pick on someone his own size. My cave man slaughtered a squirrel today. He's been chowing down on Sunflower fruit JingXia has been trying to dry out--for weeks now--and generally creating all manner of mayhem in the garden. Lately, he'd taken to chewing through the screen to get on our screened porch, where Ma had safeguarded the Sunflower pods from the little bastard. Just this morning, Steven observed him molesting Mike and Jane's new bird feeder next door, and found that he'd attacked the Aloe plant again. Well, later Steven heard a crash, went to check, and le terrorsite had knocked a vase over and smashed it while practically foraging in our fridge (only a few more feet away). Now, Steven has known that the time for diplomacy and negotiation has passed. Carrots failing, it was now time for a stick. Taking advantage of the fact that the terrorist was at a dead end, trapped in a relatively confined space (our screened porch, not Tora Bora), Steven grabbed a handy stick (leftover 80 year old lath pieces in the corner from our recent plaster demolition careers), and proceeded to beat the living shit of the squirrel. He's in a Heavy-Duty Contractor Black bag now, awaiting his Thursday trip to final destination at the Athens-Hocking landfill. Let's hope the Reign of Terror is over (regardless of what Petraeus has to say about it).

9.06.2007

Love is a Losing Game

Really love this lady. First heard her on Crossing Boundaries months ago. And dig that hair would you. And the Cleopatra eyes.



Fight the H8 in Your State