How absurd can the world get? Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praising President George Bush for defending America with all his heart and soul is like Kid Rock complimenting Val Kilmer for inventing hip hop. No, it's like Madonna thanking Paris Hilton for protecting a women's right to choose. No actually it's just like a totally unqualified faker praising a guy who knows nothing for imitating something the knownothing saw in a movie.
It's not just that they lie; it's that they say stuff which doesn't MEAN ANYTHING!!!!
Also, Yahoo's front page newsblip at this moment says, "Bin Laden: Security key to peace for U.S." In what universe are peace tips from Osama Bin Laden even worth printing?
Please vote for Kerry.
I will give my parking space in West Hollywood on Halloween night to anyone who can explain to me what the heck happened in the movie "Primer."
....That is a valuable-ass parking space on that night, as Los Angeles residents should know.
....It was a great movie. I just didn't really follow what went on.
....That is a valuable-ass parking space on that night, as Los Angeles residents should know.
....It was a great movie. I just didn't really follow what went on.
Please vote for Kerry.
This it totally fascinating.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041027/ap_on_el_pr/redskins___politics_1
I've always liked the Packers, but this Sunday I will be rooting for them like never before.
It's very nervewracking this election thing. Honestly don't know what's going to happen. Since California is not a swing state and the Democratic win here is almost assured, it feels like discussing politics with the locals is not really to effect any poltical difference, but merely to articulate that we do, in fact, have different viewpoints. The closeness of the polls is amazing to me...as a leftie, of course, I'm inclined to think that the incumbent party is doing a really good job of getting a huge portion of the country to vote against its own self-interests, since, as we lefties like to stress, BUSH ONLY HELPS RICH PEOPLE, who are a tiny minority of our population. But as a leftie I also have to concede that it's more complicated than that, and that no matter who wins, after the election a lot of people will be wondering what the hell happened, and our vastly different paradoxical viewpoints will remain intact, probably strengthened by the whole experience of these campaigns. The fact that we co-exist nonetheless is heartening; the fact that we have our political discussions by repeating the talking points and soundbites of campaign managers, with all their cheap insults and idiotic simplifications, is not.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041027/ap_on_el_pr/redskins___politics_1
I've always liked the Packers, but this Sunday I will be rooting for them like never before.
It's very nervewracking this election thing. Honestly don't know what's going to happen. Since California is not a swing state and the Democratic win here is almost assured, it feels like discussing politics with the locals is not really to effect any poltical difference, but merely to articulate that we do, in fact, have different viewpoints. The closeness of the polls is amazing to me...as a leftie, of course, I'm inclined to think that the incumbent party is doing a really good job of getting a huge portion of the country to vote against its own self-interests, since, as we lefties like to stress, BUSH ONLY HELPS RICH PEOPLE, who are a tiny minority of our population. But as a leftie I also have to concede that it's more complicated than that, and that no matter who wins, after the election a lot of people will be wondering what the hell happened, and our vastly different paradoxical viewpoints will remain intact, probably strengthened by the whole experience of these campaigns. The fact that we co-exist nonetheless is heartening; the fact that we have our political discussions by repeating the talking points and soundbites of campaign managers, with all their cheap insults and idiotic simplifications, is not.
poker is not sexy pt.1
I like poker as much as the next 18-49 male demographic, but there's way too much poker posing going on these days. I get the appeal of doing little work with the potential for big money, but there's also the WPT-induced illusion that quitting your real job to become a pro poker player is glamorous or will somehow impress women. I suppose you could argue that it's Cool, but here are my arguments for why poker is not Sexy:
- It's time-consuming. On TV, they don't show the hours and hours of folding crap hands. There's no clocking in and clocking out. You just have to stay there till you make money or you've had enough, which could take days. The only way you can make money during that time is if you think about nothing at all but playing poker. You can't tune out, or surf the Internet, or make pleasant conversation in your downtime, as with other jobs. After enough time at the table you will forget what pleasant conversation is.
- It's boring to non-poker-addicts. As with real estate law, there are many fascinating intricacies. As with real estate law, you don't actually want to hear about the intricacies unless you are in the same field. After you are done boring people with stories about how you hit a set on the river and won blah blah amount of money, you will start boring people with your rationalization about why it's okay to gamble and why you are not an addict.
- It's smelly. People in casinos have terrible hygiene. Even if you are not personally dirty, there's an excellent chance that you're sitting next to someone who has been there for 4 straight days without eating sleeping or showering. Those pretty shiny chips you gamble with have been in the hands of someone with Lyme disease. Even if you are not a loser, in order to win you have to constantly surround yourself with losers who are swimming in their own filth.
- It's not really Shana Hiatt's favorite sport. (Even when watching the show I can kind of tell in her delivery that the back of her brain is going, "What is the Big Deal...?") I often see big gamblers bring their girlfriends into the casino, and the girlfriends inevitably get bored, while the boyfriends ignore them completely to fixate on the game. I'm guilty of this myself, and it's not "focusing on the game," it's more like temporary insanity. The only women who actually get interested in the table action to the obsessive degree that the pro poker player does, are, of course, female poker players, but they are using their feminine wiles to disrupt your game and get your money, not your phone number. At the risk of a sexist generalization, I'd bet that 50% of the women in the casino on a Friday night are waiting patiently to leave, and the other 50% are gamblers. On the table, you're better off being on your own anyway....at least, better off in the poker department.
- It's expensive. Without belaboring the obvious, it's not expensive in the sexy way that new cars or other shiny things are expensive. Besides money, it costs valuable years of your life, and brain cells.
....Maybe this is part of the new trend to emasculate the Asian male. Except in this case we're demasculating ourselves by giving into our historically horrendous gambling inclination, and thereby sacrificing not only money, but a huge amount of game.
- It's time-consuming. On TV, they don't show the hours and hours of folding crap hands. There's no clocking in and clocking out. You just have to stay there till you make money or you've had enough, which could take days. The only way you can make money during that time is if you think about nothing at all but playing poker. You can't tune out, or surf the Internet, or make pleasant conversation in your downtime, as with other jobs. After enough time at the table you will forget what pleasant conversation is.
- It's boring to non-poker-addicts. As with real estate law, there are many fascinating intricacies. As with real estate law, you don't actually want to hear about the intricacies unless you are in the same field. After you are done boring people with stories about how you hit a set on the river and won blah blah amount of money, you will start boring people with your rationalization about why it's okay to gamble and why you are not an addict.
- It's smelly. People in casinos have terrible hygiene. Even if you are not personally dirty, there's an excellent chance that you're sitting next to someone who has been there for 4 straight days without eating sleeping or showering. Those pretty shiny chips you gamble with have been in the hands of someone with Lyme disease. Even if you are not a loser, in order to win you have to constantly surround yourself with losers who are swimming in their own filth.
- It's not really Shana Hiatt's favorite sport. (Even when watching the show I can kind of tell in her delivery that the back of her brain is going, "What is the Big Deal...?") I often see big gamblers bring their girlfriends into the casino, and the girlfriends inevitably get bored, while the boyfriends ignore them completely to fixate on the game. I'm guilty of this myself, and it's not "focusing on the game," it's more like temporary insanity. The only women who actually get interested in the table action to the obsessive degree that the pro poker player does, are, of course, female poker players, but they are using their feminine wiles to disrupt your game and get your money, not your phone number. At the risk of a sexist generalization, I'd bet that 50% of the women in the casino on a Friday night are waiting patiently to leave, and the other 50% are gamblers. On the table, you're better off being on your own anyway....at least, better off in the poker department.
- It's expensive. Without belaboring the obvious, it's not expensive in the sexy way that new cars or other shiny things are expensive. Besides money, it costs valuable years of your life, and brain cells.
....Maybe this is part of the new trend to emasculate the Asian male. Except in this case we're demasculating ourselves by giving into our historically horrendous gambling inclination, and thereby sacrificing not only money, but a huge amount of game.
addendum to previous
...provided it is not a barbecue chicken salad at Norm's.
...this now is a test of how many people read this blog. Go
here and begin to explore...apparently they will welcome your feedback.
...this now is a test of how many people read this blog. Go
here and begin to explore...apparently they will welcome your feedback.
the secret
Have finally learned after over 29 years of life that all one has to do to cure momentary phases of depression is eat a salad.
it's raining in LA
I'm not voting against Bush on a bunch of wacky liberal principles. It's a very self-interested thing. The current administration helps rich people, and I am not rich. The rich people I see at the casino, pretty much the only help they need is counseling for their gambling addictions. They are not usefully pumping their money back into our sad economy. They just kind of waste it, because they're idiots. Was reminded of this, when, leaving work today, I saw this shoeshiner/hotshot gambler standing in the rain just outside the back entrance. Gazing out at the shining wet parking lot, smoking a cigarette, a classic casino "I just lost all" pose. I almost mustered up some pity for the guy in that picturesque moment, and then I was like, naaaaaah. Sit n' spin.
well that was strangely satisfying
Since finishing up the rough cut of the movie I've been in that Stuck place with writing, having all these different half-finished scripts. So today I took up the oldest project on the list, which was to revise the first play I ever wrote. Strangely it only took one night and I'm pleased with it now. I think I could show it to people now without fear that they'll immediately say, "hey you wrote that 12 years ago when the earth was still cooling and you thought playwriting was this new exciting thing, didn't you?" It's funny because in that first play I think I did some basic playwriting things well that over the past decade I've totally failed at on a regular basis. Fundamental stuff like characters having clear objectives, jokes that people understand, things like that. Having those elements in place definitely made it easy to revisit the story, and hopefully I haven't obscurified it too much with this version. Although in a way it feels like backtracking, it's kind of freeing, returning to where you started. It makes me feel like it really is possible to go back and correct your mistakes. Now if only I could've put a sign in that grip truck.
....On the bummer side, my websites are all in transition and my vanity email dom@ta91 is temporarily non-functioning. Ophelia where art thou? I am still totally incompetent at all web stuff.
...Now that the passive-aggressive personal message is out of the way, here's the link to the latest article about us in Asianweek.
On newstands now! I think.
....On the bummer side, my websites are all in transition and my vanity email dom@ta91 is temporarily non-functioning. Ophelia where art thou? I am still totally incompetent at all web stuff.
...Now that the passive-aggressive personal message is out of the way, here's the link to the latest article about us in Asianweek.
economic neccessity
Unfortunately, to pay for repairs to my car, I had to sell this domain name to some frickin' corporate marketing firm that wanted it. For a couple days this site will be out of wack and then it'll probably come back as a porn site or something. The blogging will continue at the orignal url, www.dommah.blogspot.com. It's the first time I ever had to sell off a domain name. I'll probably come back later too see what they turn it into.
If there is a later....
If there is a later....
"Passionate" and "emotional"
Sorry...two more words that go on the Hollywood hitlist today.
....Words that, like "edgy" and "gritty," are batted around a lot, but rarely mean anything.
....Sort of in the way that the Bushmachine misuses the word "leadership" to indicate heroic qualities when in his case it can only mean "that thing which Bush does because he is, for better or for worse, our leader."
...."Emotional" would like to be a word to describe Good Acting, but instead it is corrupted to mean "dramatic, with a lot of crying and throwing things." "Passionate" also should be a good thing, but it usually just means "given to speaking in long incoherent sentences about things you really liked when you were 3."
....And don't get me started on "arty."
....Words that, like "edgy" and "gritty," are batted around a lot, but rarely mean anything.
....Sort of in the way that the Bushmachine misuses the word "leadership" to indicate heroic qualities when in his case it can only mean "that thing which Bush does because he is, for better or for worse, our leader."
...."Emotional" would like to be a word to describe Good Acting, but instead it is corrupted to mean "dramatic, with a lot of crying and throwing things." "Passionate" also should be a good thing, but it usually just means "given to speaking in long incoherent sentences about things you really liked when you were 3."
....And don't get me started on "arty."
Staying on the Offensive
The public perception of Kerry isn't his fault. It's this real simple guy thing. Kerry has been in a war, so he doesn't feel the need to act like an ass-kicker. So he doesn't come off as one.
Bush hasn't been in a war, so he has something to prove. He feels he has to act manlier to compensate for the fact that he never knows what the hell he's talking about. He doesn't really know what staying on the offense means in human and global cost, so he can say it and sound like he has conviction. He isn't burdened with the thought in the back of his head that "some poor guy is gonna die because of my lies" because he clearly kind of enjoys that part, just as he clearly has no experience beyond being a whiny rich boy. He's the short upper-middle-class kid who plots to blow up the school.
He looks like he kinda wants to take a swing at Kerry, too, which I hope he does in the next debate, because Kerry would hand him his free-world-leading ass in about two seconds.
Bush hasn't been in a war, so he has something to prove. He feels he has to act manlier to compensate for the fact that he never knows what the hell he's talking about. He doesn't really know what staying on the offense means in human and global cost, so he can say it and sound like he has conviction. He isn't burdened with the thought in the back of his head that "some poor guy is gonna die because of my lies" because he clearly kind of enjoys that part, just as he clearly has no experience beyond being a whiny rich boy. He's the short upper-middle-class kid who plots to blow up the school.
He looks like he kinda wants to take a swing at Kerry, too, which I hope he does in the next debate, because Kerry would hand him his free-world-leading ass in about two seconds.
Robotech geeks will understand.
Driving to work during rush hour is special private time for me and the cheezy music I like to listen to. Today I have on this CD that's a mix of soundtrack classics from "Transformers: The Movie" and "St. Elmo's Fire," ad nauseum. During a particularly slow stretch of the 710 south I'm grooving along to "Look Up! The Sky Is Falling," a concert staple of that freedom-fighting transvestite pop star known to the initiated as Yellow Dancer. (There's no shame. I'm in my CAR.) A break in the traffic occurs and I get to surge along to my next stopping point. The car I pull up behind is a Dodge Lancer.
.... Special, synchronicitous, totally geeky serendipities like this are what fill me with the unjustified confidence that all my infantile preoccupation with comic books, alien invaders, and robots that transform into other things, these will somehow pay off and bring me as-yet-unexperienced artistic satisfaction and sense of well-being in my lifetime.
.... Special, synchronicitous, totally geeky serendipities like this are what fill me with the unjustified confidence that all my infantile preoccupation with comic books, alien invaders, and robots that transform into other things, these will somehow pay off and bring me as-yet-unexperienced artistic satisfaction and sense of well-being in my lifetime.
10 things you know Cheney is going, "I probably should have said that instead."
1. "No comment."
2. "I don't remember whether that was true or not."
3. "I couldn't tell you."
4. "Bleah."
5. "I'm sorry, Gwen."
6. "I like gay people."
7. "I have nothing to say about that."
8. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?"
9. "Uncle!"
10. "Look, I'm EVIL, OK? DEAL WITH IT!!!"
2. "I don't remember whether that was true or not."
3. "I couldn't tell you."
4. "Bleah."
5. "I'm sorry, Gwen."
6. "I like gay people."
7. "I have nothing to say about that."
8. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?"
9. "Uncle!"
10. "Look, I'm EVIL, OK? DEAL WITH IT!!!"
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