Liberal Scandanavian Paradise
I have Swedish friends. And I am very afraid... thank god i am not a groom.
Have Ur People Call My People...
I am out for the day. My assistant, Ricky, will take your questions. No funny stuff, now - he's a vicious terrier.
Supersession
In the Guardian, Monbiot goes on about American identity and manifest destiny:
The American revolutionaries believed that the English, in turn, had broken their covenant: the Americans had now become the chosen people, with a divine duty to deliver the world to God's dominion. Six weeks ago, as if to show that this belief persists, George Bush recalled a remark of Woodrow Wilson's. "America," he quoted, "has a spiritual energy in her which no other nation can contribute to the liberation of mankind."
Warning: This article is at a 10.3 grade reading level on the Flesch-Kincaid scale. Someone should tell the British press that they need to aim for 6th-8th grade if they want American attention.
Serious Time Kill
Only click on this link if you are firmly dedicated to getting nothing done today. It's not a game so much, as a journey... So far, after much trial and error, I have made it through three different levels...
Friend and Fowl
Just wanted to let all our friends know - CFP#8 has circumnavigated the globe and is currently exchanging board (food and dish duties) for room (futon) here at Dry, Inc. His houseboy internship is great in terms of timing for yours truly, for, as explicated in the previous post, I have been redlining it budget-wise. Please add "I have wonderful friends" to the list of things I am thankful for on that previous post.. So, all in all, I am feeling real good lately.
And they say that when you feel good about yourself, others can tell, and you are more attractive in general... Well it must be true, cuz in the park today I had some studly pigeons checking me out. I have thus added a coupla new pics to the East Village Street Love photo album on the Sneakas. I am planning on getting the album feature here on LGP going, too, I am just lazy right and distracted by werk right now.
Giving Thanks
After a decent social break last nite (dancing at Guernica) - itz back now to the 7.5 day work week. With my prevalence for the 27 hour day I thought about entering the blogathon myself and next year I probably will do it to raise money for research to cure PPH - who we lost a good friend to last September. As for now, though, since I am online anyway, and likely will be all nite, I am definitely following it.
Jonas has some great posts and pics from his activities so far, and reading about DWOB, makes me realize how lucky I am. Lately I have even been feeling sorry for myself occasionally, working so hard and still struggling to budget and make ends meet. When I read about what DWOB does and meet people like Jonas who have done so much for others in circumstances that were far more dire than I have ever had to deal with (and i am even counting the war zone NYC became 2 Septembers ago)... I just have to sit back and give thanks and realize:
- I am not homeless - yet - and at any point I always could be.
- I am fairly healthy, even though I do not have medical insurance (my cobra ran out and working for myself isn't leaving enuf room yet for such luxuries). So I hope I don't have to go to the emergency room. But if I do, I am thankful there are 'Ninja Nurses' skilled both at helping and protecting me.
- I live in a country where I have freedom of movement - I don't have to dodge snipers, rocks, bombs, or (mostly) worry about who's shopping next to me at the market.
And should the werst happen - should terrorists succeed at blowing up parts of my city again, should our most excellent aid systems and services be stressed beyond the point of coping - I am grateful that there is an organization like DWOB - who would assist - regardless of who I am, my ethnicity, my rank, status, or the flag I fly.
And this is why, even though I am truly struggling to even feed myself lately, I sponsored Jonas. Think about it. Even if you can't pledge, at least be grateful.
What U Shld B Doing Saturday...
... is watching Jonas Luster's blogathon action. No, I am not going to let this go until all 3 of my regular readers have pledged. I am putting my foot down. As for my irregular readers.. :) heh... well, you could pledge, too. Because, as detailed in this article, the blog format offers the audience something beyond the pbs and jerry lewis MS pledge drives:
For Luster, the value of blogging for charity is that the format offers a more personal connection for donors. It was a lesson he learned when his blog entries during the Kosovo crisis turned into an impromptu blanket drive. “If you watch TV turn on the radio, its pretty sterile,” he says. “The blog — people actually talking to you with their opinions — that increases proximity to the event.”
SO: pledge! pledge! pledge! pledge! pledge!
Mental RAM Cache Dump
First order of business: If you haven't read what Jonas is doing for Blogathon yet, go check it out. When you look at all the things and places J-Lu is lining up to blog about and from, it certainly will be something to watch/read/check on. Then pledge to help out Doctors Without Borders. It so simple and easy to pledge - you can pledge something so small as a flat 5 bux. And if you think that a teeny pledge won't make a difference, check out Jonas' breakdown of just how far that money goes. Also, though - there are tons of other bloggers doing groovy stuff so just don't miss it, ya kno?
Other stuff: I feel another possible 27 hr shift coming on. This is a different sort of effort than the usual tho - itz not deadline oriented. Occasionally I have these periods where i have 4 day weeks just because my body doesn't remember when or how to sleep anymore, but I am not exhausted - just living on a different schedule. No client meetings this week so that helps. All in all too, i had a great day today:
Although I haven't been back to see the Sphere since Memorial Day, this morning I had coffee with another statue/sculpture i have started a relationship with. She's really cool and much older than the Sphere. Coooolest of coool tho - she's in Tompkins Square Park, which is right next to me pretty much, AND i have wireless access from the benches in her vicinity. This is fast becoming my favorite comfy spot - you kno - that place you can go where you can really think and understand things. Snapped a couple pics of her.
Oh yeah! Today I was over near Union Square and found a WHOLE buncha De La Vega action. Man, I simply love De La Vega. I can't explain, but when you look at the pics in the East Village Street Love 2K3 album on the Sneakas you'll understand. There's a lot of seriously dangerous shite that can happen to you on the street of any city, and NYC is no different, in fact maybe werse in some ways. Aside from all the moving parts - things that can slam into/f*ck you up from outa the blue (i have seen people get attacked, get run over, fall down, over, etc etc) - it is always safest to not engage anyone on the street too much, and be very wary of anyone who approaches you until you get your 'street sense'. So, if you have ever spent any time in NYC, you know that odd feeling of isolation you can get - actually, that isolation you have to cultivate to get by - you are surrounded by people, yet completely anonymous and very focused on what you have to do. De La Vega art always snaps me outa it. When I see his random work around the village, i always feel like someone just reached out and hugged me.
Writing @ a 6th Grade Level
In my mailbox this morning was an email from a client informing me that we were being asked to write all our content "at a 6-8th grade reading level".. heh. Well.. this is a sore spot for me - my weighty, verbose and hi-falutin writing style has long been a source of much jest between myself and former teammates. This is why i moved into management in the first place dammit. Let the underlings deal with the style shite in the docs. Alas - in today's current clime, you take what you can get jobwise and so, here i am, sucking it up and actually doing the development... SO...
I immediately forwarded the email to the former teammates who used to practice the verbal policing for me. One of the dears (THANX EGG!) forwarded me this INVALUABLE link. This tool - "Bullfighter" is frikkin cool - it basically adds a toolbar to your MS apps, like so:
To fight the 'bull' in your documents, all you have to do is hit the "Bull Index" button and a very nice analysis comes up for you:
This tool is so much fun, I have been fighting the bull in ALL my docs tonite, even the ones that aren't clientbound! I ran it on an RFP i submitted last week. The Bull Index was a 4 -- "VERY POOR":
Diagnosis: You like to hear yourself write. Despairing of the thought of bringing a sentence to a close with something as demeaningly ordinary as a simple period, you shower readers with gratuitous, interminable and often weighty if not impossibly labyrinthine prose. Meaning lingers, albeit awash in a thick tide of metaphor and exposition that threatens to drown the writer's message. Seek help.
Well? What do you expect? It was an RFP - I think a greater level of "BULL" is requisite for an RFP.. and I got the job, so it musta werked. Anyway - the tool is free and fun - gotta give props to the Deloitte crew for this one. I am off now, to both create and counter all my own bull :)
Tweakin Sneakers
Damn! Somehow i mismanaged my time again (or 'cleverly managed' - depends on how you look at it) and worked another 27 hr shift. Well at least it seems that everything on my desk that was on fire is out now, or at least reduced to mere smoldering. I have been bustin some boombastic beta edge blogistics on my Squeaky New Sneakers ... well, don't fall for the hype - itz actually seriously lo-fi html tagginess going on, but I am damn proud of it despite itz ungainliness. Also muy importanto fabuloso gnews - JMG, my Guru is finally putting a public index face on his domain - check the details on the sneakas. J-city is currently a WIP, but wild phatness is a'coming - i can feeeeel it in my ether nether regions ;)
Additional wacko neatness precipitating lately from my sitemeter account. Itz got this bug where itz pinging me with referrals that are actually not to my site. Very small number, and my initial annoyance has been mitigated because so far, I have found some pretty cool new surfs from it. Today, for instance, the Sitemeter BugGawd gifted me with a referral to YelloJeep Bloggin'. I don't know about you, but I was hooked as soon as I saw the Beaker gif. I have always had a thing for Beaker. Thanks Missy for the ride!
New Employment
Very recently I applied for a position with a new start-up Regime and am very excited to announce that I did indeed get the offer!! Of course, I am accepting this job straight-away. I just wanted my loyal readership to know that my new duties will in no way interfere with my blogging. I also promise it will not interfere with my current independently contracted flogging or flaying activities, either - although I have yet to sign the NDA, I have reason to believe it may in fact promote them.
Now some of you may argue that joining a start-up regime is dangerous - in today's current climate regimes tend to come and go quite quickly. But I think this one has staying power, and not just cuz we've a good product. So, get in now, on the ground floor... If you know whatz good for you, that is.
Oh No He Didn't!
Oh yes he did! He used the 'g-werd'. I would spell it out for you, but don't worry - you'll get to hear it repeatedly for the next long while, i betcha. Personally, if I hear it 5 more times, it goes on the meme-marquee, even though I have grown partial to Shiny Kevlar PJz. But we're providing a service here... What's that you say? "Meme-marquee?!? WTF is the meme-marquee!?!" Yeah... on second thought, we'll stick with the PJz.
01010100010010010100110100111010
HELL YEAH, I'm ready. Bring it on.
Predator- Prey Scenarios
Seems to be the weapon of choice lately: more despicable paintball action.
Stare Decisis
Just keeping you abreast of any cases currently being debated in our legal system that could impact your lifestyle. We personally are interested in how this one turns out. That's all we're gonna say.
Rock & Hard Place + Paint Ball
Speaking with a friend, I concluded once that were times hard enuf and were the potential recompense good enuf moneywise, I would indeed work for Satan, himself. Well, Michael Burdick is not Satan, but itz possible hez pretty damn close. Now I usually don't throw any stones around as far as adult entertainment goes... and I reserve my right to legal pornography. But this really, really bothers me.
Dharmic Repurcussions
The Jain monks chant prayers daily and take great care to avoid creating death or destruction of pretty much any kind:
This faith also enunciates complete non-violence and the Jain monks can be seen with their nose and mouth covered by a cloth mask to ensure that they do not kill any germs or insects while breathing.
And while I knew it was a completely selfish act when I did it, I am only now beginning to see the death/destruction I am perpetuating when I do things like buy plant seedlings and get too busy to really attend to them. The basil is limp and losing it, the "hot and spicy" oregano (a.k.a. 'jennifer lopez') is 3/4ths DOA - dead brown and dry, the lavender has pretty much fallen completely out of itz temporary plastic container, and the rosemary is black at the ends...
All this reinforces that I am not any longer allowed the "Three P's" - plants, pets, produce - until I either get a personal assistant, domestic partner or more time.
Take One for the Team
Well, it took a little while, but they finally got someone to take the hit. And it was just getting fun, too. Oh! Wait - I think there's still blood in the water... heh, yeah - and sharks are circling. Man, don't you just love election years?
When I Grow Up...
... I want to be Peter Drucker. Or at least have his continuous learning mindset, and focus on community. He is who you point to whenever anyone tries to tell you philosophy, sociology or systems theory is a waste of time.
Andragogy
I am an andragogist. A phenomenologically constructivist andragogist, in fact. All you prescriptive behaviorists have some fundamental elements down, but you're missing the richer experience. That's just my opinion.
Breasts, Bras and Blogging
I have some meetings at a client site today, so it's time to put on a business suit again. I am not complaining, necessarily - it's for a short time and this client is well worth getting gussied up for... But you kno, it means I have to put on a bra for more than a couple hours.... Don't get me wrong - the bra is appreciated in that it ensures the safety of myself and anyone near me... Of course, in order to have such security, I have to give up, for a short time, one of the primary points of liberation working virtually/from home affords me... Alas - the downside of client-facing situations.
Ok enough TMI - for your morning erudition and idle hands - go fondle my footwear: there's an investment opportunity described there that you don't wanna pass up!
Caught in the Gears of Industry
Ok. Itz 10:35pm EST. Tonite's agenda:
- Eat, Shower, Nap 30 - 45 minutes.
- Brew and chug 4 shots espresso.
- Get back to this computer and yet another redesign (this time on a different deliverable, thank g*d).
Aferwards, read this. Especially that fourth section about 'firing the client'...
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Street Cred
I can't tell you the specifics, but I got lucky and chosen to test drive some new sneakers. Who knows? Maybe it's something like this. All I am saying is that those first 10 buyers better watch their back. That's all.
Future So Brite
In case you missed the memo, we have been living large on solar power since the year 2000....
Macy's fireworx extravaganza last nite was indeed most cool... the best part was the sound - echoing thru the steel & glass canyons of midtown. Could even hear the windows rattle. Would have actually been scary if it weren't friendly fire.
Speaking of which - it was noted among the guests at last nite's festivities, that for we Americans there is some correlation between 'freedom' and blowing things up. Here's a starter kit, then, for the kids. Fire! Fire! Fire!
Nation Building
I don't remember the Mandubrii,
their homeland,
or their godz.
Therez no limit to what can be bought and sold
in bare and precious times.
But as of yet, civilization has always been just an uneasy truce.
Welcome New Words
Dry, Inc. would like to send out a hearty 'Congratulations!' to the new words Merriam-Webster has inducted into the English lexicon with its 11th edition.
As of now, we can officially say: "Oy! Don't bogart the brewski, compadre - since the phat tech bubble took a dead-cat bounce, the number of dead presidents we can lay out on longnecks is de minimis..." And so much more!!
Most importantly, and bearing special mention, it is now permissible to use the werd "Def" in all itz 1980z glory. This one has been a long time coming, as far as I am concerned, and although many may feel 'def' is so 'over', we plan to do our very best to bring it back.
Shout out to Egg for the heads up on the new vernacular!