Month: March 2006

Wake up at 3:21 AM from bizarre dream where Im shaking hands with Gerald Ford for some reason to discover it’s freezing. Check thermostat to discover the temperature has dropped to fifty nine. Go downstairs; same thing. Go to furnace, discover it’s nonoperational. Hit the reset; fires for about five seconds and then goes out again. Call heating company, told service man will be in touch within half an hour. Strip heavy blankets off own bed, go put them on Ariel and Caroline, both of whom are still sleeping, to give them additional warmth. Pull on heavy sweats and sweat shirt, go downstairs to work and wait for repairman to call.

PAD

Kath and I went to a wholly unadavertised 10 PM showing of “V for Vendetta” last night that we stumbled over looking for an early morning showing on Moviefone.com. Maybe 20 people there. Comments with some spoiler aspects follow:

Continue Reading ““V” Shift” →

Chris Ryall at IDW has informed me that issues 1, 2 and 3 of “Fallen Angel” are all sold out both from IDW and from Diamond. They are looking into going back to press with issue #1.

PAD

On another thread, a poster said that Iraq was “on the brink of a bloody civil war,” and I realized that I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. “On the brink of civil war.” “On the edge of civil war.” Lots of commentators have been saying that.

And it made me wonder: Is there a tipping point of some sort? Are we waiting for some type of official declaration? Because people of the same nationality are busy aggressively killing each other. What makes them NOT at civil war already? Do they need uniforms, flags, and a catchy anthem or something? Putting aside the notion that “civil war” is right up there with “jumbo shrimp” as an oxymoron (or “President Bush,” which is a plain old moron), at what point amidst the rapidly ascending body count, explosions, beheadings and murders, does someone say, “Okay, that’s it, they’ve jumped over the brink and it’s civil war.”

PAD

Every so often I read a headline, and my first impulse is to laugh. And I do, and then I feel incredibly guilty and like slime because it really isn’t funny, it’s terrible and tragic, but it still seemed like horrifically sick irony. Such was my reaction to the following headline off AOL:

“Miss Deaf Texas Killed by Train”

And it’s exactly what you’d think: The poor woman was walking along the tracks and didn’t hear the whistle blowing. How she didn’t feel the vibrations, I can’t even begin to comprehend. But she didn’t, and she got killed, and I feel badly for her even though I didn’t know her, but…sheesh. What a headline.

PAD

So Bush’s numbers are dropping and dropping and dropping and are now around…what? Thirty percent approval? Something like that?

Here’s what I don’t get: Two years ago, when people voted for him…

WHAT THE HÊLL DID YOU THINK HE WAS GOING TO DO IF NOT CONTINUE TO SCREW THINGS UP?!?

I mean, honest to God. NOW nearly four out of five people are expressing disapproval? NOW?! What the bleeding hëll were you expecting two years ago when you pulled the lever or filled out the ballot for him? Did you think he was suddenly going to get smart? Did you think he was going to stop screwing the country up?

For crying out loud, I’m not the brightest penny in the box, and *I* knew things were just going to get worse. Anyone with a brain should have figured it out at the time. It took TWO MORE FRICKING YEARS for people to realize that, in the words of John Cleese as spoken by Jamie Lee Curtis, there are sheep that could outwit him? That there are dresses with higher IQs?

Jeez, people. A little forethought next time, okay? That’s all I’m asking.

PAD