Supply & Morale

Umm... yeah

2008-12-04T17:00:58Z

While I'm not a fan of the illegalities of scanning and posting entire pages from comics, I do enjoy the discussion about the comics themselves found in the various scans_daily posts. However, somebody came up with the bright idea of having a week devoted to prurient material, of which the post count seemed to just explode. (Fanboys do this? No way!) Some of the subject lines and cut titles ranged from risque to borderline obscene. It wouldn't have bothered me so much if it didn't seem like seem like every other Friends Page entry was "Hey Kids! Tentacles!" or "Click for disturbing graphic content of [insert bizarre pairing here]!"

In the interest of keeping my job, I had to take the group off of my friends list this week so I could still check in with LiveJournal during brain refresh periods here at Dunder-Mifflin. Hopefully, this craziness will be over by Sunday.

Brrrrrr!

2008-11-29T03:51:25Z

I just took Arf and Zoe out for their evening constitutional and discovered, to my chagrin, that it's REALLY cold outside.

Probably Unintended

2008-11-28T18:51:13Z

It didn't take long for the marketing to start after Barack Obama's election. As I watch the beautifully creepy House of Wax (with Vincent Price, not the Hilton heiress), there's a super long commercial for the commemorative Barack Obama half dollar. Among the stuff you get with your coin and commemorative stamps is a certificate of authenticity with "Change" emblazoned in giant letters across the top.

Obviously it's change; it's a friggin' half dollar!

Stay for the veal, I'm here all week.

The End of The Shawshank Redemption - 1983-Style!

2008-11-25T13:37:21Z

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

So Wrong Yet So Right

2008-11-19T14:51:58Z

I don't want to hot link the image and I don't have a Photobucket account so...

Follow this link to see a great Alex Ross painting about those who doth protest too much (might be considered NSFW). Yes, this is the same Alex Ross who paints those terrific superhero portraits. You might also have seen his picture of Vampire George Bush sucking the life out of Lady Liberty.

I Really Wish I Hadn't Thought Of This

2008-11-11T00:35:41Z

With all the enthusiasm over Barack Obama's election (including two adorable little boys I saw over the weekend excited over a magazine with the President-Elect on the cover), I've been doing a bit of thinking. Don't misunderstand, I'm very happy that this election produced turnouts not seen in decades with people wanting the status quo shaken up. However, I'm afraid I have sad news for my fellow lefties.

Barack Obama is a one-term President.

My reasoning? The economy and American culture.

As we work toward a second decade with the Internet, 24-hour news, and video on demand, our culture has become accustomed to instant gratification or near-instant gratification. Everything is "how I want it, when I want it." Want some music? Snag it from iTunes. Need a book? You can get it from Amazon in two days. Albeit illegal, you don't even have to leave your house for the latest blockbuster if you know your way around file sharing.

The enthusiasm over Obama's election has been rather heartening, but I fear it won't last. The American public won't expect anything less than near-instant movement on fixing the economy. The President-Elect has made it clear that there are no easy fixes, but will this fly with the public? I don't think so. Unless he pulls an FDR by 2010, Obama won't be re-elected.

In 2010, a good many seats in the House of Representatives come up for re-election. If the economy is still a shaky proposition, then the Congressional election becomes a referendum and the Republican Party retakes the House. Without a sympathetic House, forget about anymore Change We Can Believe In. Obama will be blamed for not fixing the economy, a stigma that will stain his campaign in 2012. With the perception that promises were broken, he will likely lose to whomever wins the Republican nomination.

I know the basis of Obama's campaign was hope, but the plausibility of this pessimism has me genuinely worried. I hope to hell I'm wrong.

Inappropriate

2008-11-03T03:11:11Z

Earlier this afternoon, a member of the Obama campaign called. This would make the fifth call received (robot or person) since Friday. I understand that this is the final stretch (and the price I pay for voting in all of one Democratic primary), but today's call unnerved me a bit.

The caller was friendly enough, but she immediately asked whom I was supporting in the election. Taken aback, I politely told her that I didn't believe it was any of her business and that it was an inappropriate question to ask. Now you're probably thinking that I was a big jerk to the caller. That certainly wasn't my intent.

Unfortunately, this past month alone has seen a number of incidents fueled by partisanship of one type or another. Here in my neck of Northern Virginia, homes and businesses were vandalized for supporting McCain. In Asheville, North Carolina, a bear cub was killed and then dumped on the grounds of West Carolina University draped in Obama signs. In West Hollywood, California, an effigy of Sarah Palin was found hanging by a noose off of somebody's garage. Yesterday, I noted the Michigan woman who denied candy to trick-or-treaters based on their parents' political affiliation. I could provide examples of supporters on both sides doing despicable things all night long, but the point is that it all sucks.

My point is this: Reprisal for supporting a particular candidate is a very real thing. It may be my foggy memory failing me, but I don't remember any election in recent memory having this level of hatred bandied about.

From the "You've-Got-to-Be-Shitting-Me Department"

2008-11-02T00:52:49Z

Dateline: Michigan -- Woman refuses to give candy to kids of Obama supporters.

"Nagel calls Democrat Barack Obama 'scary.' When asked about children who were turned away empty-handed and crying, she said: 'Oh well. Everybody has a choice.'"

Yeah, everybody does have a choice. And you chose to be an asswipe bitch swine.

Good going. I'm sure John McCain would have approved your message.

The Stigma of D&D Continues

2008-11-02T00:34:03Z

Because charity money came from players of Dungeons & Dragons, it was rejected by Gary Gygax's favorite charity, the Christian Childrens' Fund. Who knew that followers of Satan wanted to help children?

I Guess They Just Don't Care Now

2008-11-01T19:31:51Z

I'm currently waiting for my car to be maintained and CNN is on. John McCain's speech in, I think, Springfield, Virginia was televised. As the senator kept reiterating his ill-informed talking points about Obama, a crowd began chanting, "Take him out!"

Nice.

And what should come as a shock to no one, McCain didn't say a damn thing about it.

More lynch mob shit, folks, and it won't end on Tuesday.

De's Stupid Food Trick Theater

2008-10-31T13:19:41Z

The Doughnut Bacon Burger!

Wacky Name Meme

2008-10-27T16:39:14Z

Your rock star name (first pet, current car): Koko Civic
Your gangsta name (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Mint Chip Boots
Your Native American name (favorite color, favorite animal): Blue Chimp
Your soap opera name (middle name, city where you were born): Alexander Aylesbury
Your Star Wars name (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name): Baide
Superhero name (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Green Martini [shit, I'm an "appletini" -- lame]
NASCAR name (the first names of your grandfathers): Paul Morris
Stripper name (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Old Spice Peppermint
TV weather anchor name (your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Crowe Camden
Spy name (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Winter Daisy [the hell?!]
Cartoon name: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now): Apple Slacks
Hippie name (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Corn Flake Maple

Exploitation Time!

2008-10-23T16:43:30Z

If you, or someone you know, wants to be portrayed in the worst possible light on television, Beauty and the Geek is having a casting call for the new season. Just drop on over to geekcastingcall.blogspot.com but don't say I didn't warn you.

This is not going to be pretty

2008-10-16T00:34:58Z

There are a number of pictures over at Trekmovie.com from next year's Star Trek film. There's going to be a massive schism in Trek fandom and it's going to be ugly.

Debate Thoughts

2008-10-03T01:50:33Z

Almost an hour in and this isn't quite the train wreck I thought it would be. Palin has been coached reasonably well.

Know Me, Love Me... or Something

2008-10-01T12:57:04Z

From the epitome of awesome that is stori_lundi ...

01) Are you currently in a serious relationship?

If being married counts, then yes.

02) What was your dream growing up?

I really wanted to be in the military but my parents put the kibosh on that.

03) What talent do you wish you had?

I wish I could debate well.

04) If I bought you a drink what would it be?

Martini i.e., with gin, a hint of Vermouth, and two olives. Real martinis have two olives.

05) Favorite vegetable?

Artichoke hearts.

06) What was the last book you read?

The Prisoner: Shattered Visage.

07) What zodiac sign are you?

Aries, I think. I was born March 22.

08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.

None of that stuff but plenty of moles and birthmarks.

09) Worst Habit?

Procrastination.

10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?

Of course!

11) What is your favorite sport?

College basketball, though I don't follow it as closely as I used to.

12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude?

A little of both, but I lean toward pessimism unfortunately.

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?

Having been in non-stuck elevators with you, I would probably continue whatever conversation we were having previous.

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?

I would have to say the hostile work situation of two years ago.

15) Tell me one weird fact about you.

I have a rather large G.I. Joe collection.

16) Do you have any pets?

Two dogs, two cats, and two kids.

17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?

Apologize profusely for the state of disarray and then offer you a beverage.

18) What was your first impression of me?

Honestly, I was a bit intimidated. Hell, I was intimidated by just about all of the Luna-C cast I didn't already know.

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?

Cookie (from the Bozo Show) was cute. John Wayne Gacy was scary.

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?

I would change my curly hair to straight.

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?

Come on, I would so be your crime partner.

22) What color eyes do you have?

Brown.

23) Ever been arrested?

A few tickets here and there, but nothing where jail time is concerned.

24) Bottle or can soda?

Bottle, although a glass bottle is best.

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?

Pay off both of my credit cards, buy a Blu-Ray player, and put the rest into my ING checking account.

27) What's your favorite place to hang out at?

The local Barnes & Noble. Wi-Fi is cheap, the coffee is awesome, and it's a constant parade of hotties.

28) Do you believe in ghosts?

No.

29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?

Spare time? What's that? :-) In all seriousness, movies and TV are favorite spare time activities.

30) Do you swear a lot?

Unfortunately. Pretty sure Miriya's first word is going to be "fuck."

31) Biggest pet peeve?

Right now, it's hypermilers in the carpool lane.

32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?

Nutty.

33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?

It's a wonderful thing in small doses, cloying in excess.

34) Favourite and least favourite food?

My favorite food is good, New York-style pizza. My least favorite food are prunes.

35) Do you believe in God?

Not anymore.

36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

It's here ain't it? ;-)

What the Hell Have I Done?

2008-09-27T00:44:57Z

The local arm of the Democratic Party called tonight.

They called a couple of days ago to ask if I would go canvassing tomorrow. I told them that I'd have to see what the schedule looks like.

Tonight, I tried to get out of it by saying I'd prefer not to interact with the public. He told me there was some data entry I could do tomorrow afternoon. Swell. Due to being tired (I had spent about an hour and half in the car), I wasn't mentally sharp enough to make up an excuse on the spot. So I said okay.

A few minutes after hanging up, it hit me. Why did I agree to help? Yes, I'm voting for Obama in five weeks. The only reason is because he isn't McCain. Obama makes great speeches; however, after more than a year of campaigning, why do I have to go the Obama website to find out his specific positions on the issues? Some things are a given e.g., pro-choice on the abortion issue and anti-Iraq War. However, why am I only now seeing things (after visiting the website) like streamlining the tax process and eliminating income tax for seniors making under $50K? If Barack Obama is this paragon of change, then why am I having to dig for what that change entails?

I know it's my duty to be an informed voter, but I should be able to at least get a modicum of a candidate's position through mainstream media, be it TV, radio, or newspaper. Granted, the mainstream media, as it exists now, sucks rocks. It's sad that I get more out of the satirical Daily Show than I do in the same 22 minutes of coverage on any of the cable news networks. The media has been more concerned with just about every non-issue where this campaign is concerned: Is Barack a Muslim, McCain owns seven houses, lipstick on a pig, and so on and so on. Nothing that hasn't been said before. But is it the media keeping the masses uninformed or is it the candidates deliberately keeping specifics to a minimum?

I like Obama's ideas, but it's a little late for me to get excited about him. The election is less than five weeks away. I really want to call the local Democratic headquarters tomorrow and tell them I'm not interested. I imagine the situation tomorrow will be a room full of excited campaigners who have been there for the long haul and me, who really doesn't want to be there.

Thanks for reading.

Cut and Run

2008-09-25T19:27:06Z

Congress settled on the bailout bail. I guess this means McCain doesn't have to worry about missing Friday's debate. Oh wait, he's still not committing to appear citing the Yogi Berra axiom, "It ain't over 'til it's over." I think the Eric Cartman axiom is appropriate here (and equally applies to McCain's "campaign suspension": "Weak! Lame!"

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel

2008-09-24T00:03:12Z

Not much has changed regarding a DVD release of the 1966 Batman TV series. Finally, someone has laid out many of the obstacles preventing this from happening. There's also a bit regarding the hold up on a Green Hornet release.

Ewwwwwww!!!!!!

2008-09-22T18:17:44Z

Anyone who knows me, knows I like the bathroom humor. However, the following link goes to a place that even grosses me out:

http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=486637/

WARNING: I do not recommend you look at this if youre eating.

Mind is a bit more clear

2008-09-06T22:49:05Z

I respond to kradical about education matters in the comments of Thursday's post. I like to think I'm a bit more articulate with the writing, but you can make that call.

I'm looking forward to the debates yet I'm not. I'd like to think reasoned discourse will win the day but I fear it's going to get very very ugly very very fast.

I'm Beyond Pissed Right Now

2008-09-05T00:15:25Z

With all of my fellow lefties (including myself) griping about Sarah Palin being picked as John McCain's running mate. I'm noticing one particular point that keeps popping up over and over again as a knock against her worthiness to assume the Oval Office should McCain be unable to finish his term. I saw this in comments on two friends' blogs this evening and I became outright livid the second time I saw it.

That item is the fact that Governor Palin "only" has a BA in Journalism and no higher degrees.

The insinuation is that she's stupid as a result (coupled with her *gasp* competition in beauty pageants). And don't give me the line about how it was just one part of a list of several marks against her. If it weren't an issue, it wouldn't have been worth mentioning.

If it's insinuated that Palin is stupid then I must be, if my chat room parlance is correct, "teh dumb."

That's right. I didn't graduate from college. I am without a BA, BS, or even an AA or AS.

Yeah, I'm beyond stupid.

Thanks a fucking lot.

Auction Time

2008-08-20T14:00:51Z

I'll keep this sort of huckster posting down to once week or less.

During the next several weeks, I will be auctioning off a number of items to free up a bit of space in the house as well as the storage unit. Lots of geeky goodness awaits from the seller known as embaisch.

If you see anything you like, please feel free to bid early and bid often. This week, I'm selling:

A set of the 12-inch scale Young Frankenstein figures by Sideshow Toys. The set of three includes Frederick, Igor, and The Monster in their grayscale glory.
The exclusive convention figures of She-Hulk and Stan Lee from last year's San Diego Comic-Con. Stan Lee comes with a jacket and pants as well as a Spider-Man and a Peter Parker head so you can switch their identities. She-Hulk is in her Fantastic Four outfit and comes with her lawyer outfit.
An Elvis Presley doll with the King of Rock 'n Roll wearing his Army uniform.

There are other items as well, including a number of 12-inch scale military uniforms and accessories. More stuff is on the way so keep an eye out here on LJ or check me out on the Ebay.

Robbie Greenberger

2008-08-15T14:16:18Z

I just learned that Robbie Greenberger, son of Bob Greenberger, passed away last night at the age of 20.

More than a year ago, Robbie was diagnosed with leukemia. With him being strong in both body and spirit, we believed he would beat this thing. However, hopes were somewhat dashed earlier this summer when part of a lung had to be removed due to infection.

My fondest memory over the years was the Shore Leave Masquerade a couple of years ago when he participated in a gag as one of several Johnny Depp roles (he was JM Barrie). I was in another gag wearing a fairly stinky Darth Vader helmet. We spent a good amount of time goofing around as if we'd been old friends forever.

Robbie's presence at the conventions has certainly been missed this past year. His family, his friends, and his extended "con family" will miss him forever.

Last month at Shore Leave, a bone marrow drive was run in his honor. I'd like to extend that by linking to the National Marrow Donor Program's Donor recruitment page. Enter your zip code and find a donor drive. It's the least we can do for Robbie.

From the "You're Friggin' Kidding Me" Department

2008-08-15T12:50:55Z

Evidently the San Diego Comic-Con has no policy against harrassment. That's just unimaginable considering how huge that show has become. I go to three or four science-fiction conventions a year and they all have policies against this crap.

Please read the report I linked to and spread the word. Thanks.