. . . Sunday March 26, 2006

The Ugly Forecast

We can debate about civil liberties, wrong-headed post war planning, the role of religion in politics, the threat of terrorism and many other issues. But if the vast majority of scientists are even in the neighborhood of being right, the decision by this administration (without much countering from the opposing party or even the media for that matter) to aggressively deny the clear threat of climate change could be the issue that dwarfs all others when this era is viewed in a historical context.

And that shift in perception could be coming sooner rather than later.

I Take My Crude with Cream and Sugar

Looking to cut down on your fossil fuel consumption? You might want to start with those cups of joe you sip throughout the day. Oil use is a factor beyond your car. Just take a walk up and down the aisles of your local supermarket and you’ll see why some folks are wondering if they can order their oatmeal unleaded.

. . . Thursday March 23, 2006

Waiting for Herschel, Part 3

Being down to a couple months to go before the H-Bomb drops, I’ve heard all the warnings and words of wisdom about having a kid.

Get ready to be really tired!
Oh really, I never heard such a thing, thanks

It’s really, really hard, but it’s worth it.
Great. Making a note of that.

You’ll never be able to go out again.
Not true probably, but I hate going out. Not a concern.

It’ll change your life…
Getting a cat changed my life. A plasma TV changed my life. Fresh Choice changed my life. I had the feeling that having a kid would be up there, but thanks for the confirmation.

Terrible warning. Awful story. Horrific tales. Followed by the line, “But really, I gotta tell you, this is the best thing that will ever happen to you.”
Me: “No offense. But we can never hang out again.”

Has anyone warned you about cracked nipples?
Who are you and why is your hand on my wife’s stomach?

I need some advice I can use. Actionable stuff. I know I will be tired. I expect it to be a lot of work. And I’m pretty darn sure bringing another life into my world will be life-changing. I am an American, Jewish male. Trying to put together the friggin crib changed my life, made me tired and took me to a level of stress I hadn’t imagined. Check, check, check. Got it.

What I really need help with is coming up with a way to explain to the kid just how much different television was before TiVo came out.

. . . Thursday March 9, 2006

Waiting for Herschel, Part 2

After hearing all the various horror stories about public and private schools in the Bay Area, I’ve decided that I am going to home-school my soon-to-be son Herschel.

I am generally opposed to home-schooling, but this will be different as we are going to train him exclusively to become a talkshow host.

We’ll get him started with a 50-inch plasma connected to a 7-speaker surround system and by the time he would be in Kindergarten he’ll be home-schooling in front of a studio audience.

. . . Tuesday March 7, 2006

The Truth About Barry Bonds

If Barry Bonds had been the most loved man in baseball, the truth about his steroid use would be a massive and forever damaging scandal.

Of course, most people don’t like him much. So it will be a lot worse.

. . . Monday March 6, 2006

Crash Landing

Over at Metacritic, the Oscar winning Crash only scored a 69 out of a hundred with reviewers and about a 7.4 out of ten among site users.

Funny, I usually like movies like Crash, but I thought it was pretty trite and wildly overimplified what are in reality often far more subtle racial issues. Want a movie about race in America? Try Rize.

For what its worth, Brokeback was one of my least favorite Ang Lee movies (go re-watch Ice Storm and tell me that Brokeback is even in the same ballpark). Munich was laughable in its choice of which facts to twist (I’m not sure which was more offensive: The Jewish intelligence agent who demanded receipts from the killers he employed or the fact that the main character had repeated flashbacks to an event he didn’t actually experience himself). The Oscar set design was horrendous. The burning cars during the performance of the song from Crash was absurd (tho the fact that the person singing has a recurring role on The O.C. is pretty damn cool). Making time for a unfunny (even by Bossom Buddies standards) Tom Hanks spoof of people being cut off by music during their thank you speeches but not making time for the actual thank you speeches means someone in the control room is a real friggin idiot. Note to fashion “experts” who commented on Nicole Kidman: Luminous does not mean the same thing as crazy. And the guys from Three 6 Mafia all had grills that could’ve used a major polish.

It may be hard to be a pimp, but I’m guessing it’s even harder to be a dentist.


Concentration is important!