Geistbear Musing

I click on the old tv to my one channel and notice it's Jerry Lewis in the Disorderly Orderly . All I can think as I watched was hey remember when he was funny, hmmm me neither. I mean he was funny once, right? right?

Fray Day Just a quick reminder that Fray Day 7 is this weekend, while I had wanted to organize one here in Northern Arizona I had to put it off until next year. But I attended and preformed at last years in DC and had a great time if there is a Fray day near you I HIGHLY recommend stopping by, you won't be sorry you did.

After 6 weeks of working a single day off is more of a tease than real chance for relaxation, well maybe a trip to Phoenix had something to do with it, but I feel more tired than before my day off.

The Things you don't want to know and don't want to have to do...but need to Some friends you carry in your heart, time comes to let them go, they know it, you know it. Their time on this earth has come to end, but suddenly they can't go and you realize your perhaps the only friend who can tell them it so bluntly, trust me it's not something you want. But something I'll likely have to do, but as much as Jen may hate a certain musican if you love someone set them free . Never expected the burden of telling them, but know I need to in person, I'll hate a part of myself for saying it, but it's the best for him, his wife, and all his friends and family. Forgive me for saying it. But perhaps the most mercy I can provide.

Lock yourself in a suspend box in public and watch the hilarity ensue. I have been following this story the last few weeks and couldn't be more proud of our English cousins .

I meant to blog this yesterday, but I forgot. I saw my first Segway in real life in downtown Flagstaff yesterday. Imagine Monty Burns on one and it was what I saw, some older fellow hunched forward, looking just well, odd, trolling up San Francisco street. Not exactly the hipster image they want to promote, but perhaps not surprising considering how much the things cost.

I just realized that I have not made a gratuitous use of curse words in this blog lately, but you know I just ain't gunna fucking do it. ( Ah that's better )

Ah Hollywood, just like them to make a show with a street for a name and to be completely clueless where it is located. Just for the record it's one street south of my favorite DC cigar shop .

Poetry Wednesday White Flag I know you think that I shouldn't still love you, I'll tell you that. But if I didn't say it, well I'd still have felt it where's the sense in that? I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder Or return to where we were Well I will go down with this ship And I won't put my hands up and surrender There will be no white flag above my door I'm in love and always will be I know I left too much mess and destruction to come back again And I caused but nothing but trouble I understand if you can't talk to me again And if you live by the rules of 'it's over' then I'm sure that that makes sense Well I will go down with this ship And I won't put my hands up and surrender There will be no white flag above my door I'm in love and always will be And when we meet Which I'm sure we will All that was then Will be there still I'll let it pa...

The horse and buggy whip industry is at it again , can't say as I am shocked.

Bad weather is a scarce thing in these parts, today we have had constant grey cloud cover keeping things cool, but rather different than the normal clear blue skies. In a sense days like this in Arizona are a blessing because they remind us to value all the clear days we get. Humidty has spiked with the clouds, but it's not the sticky oppressive stuff in DC rather it's and subtile kiss, just enough to make you aware it's there. Especially in Flagstaff, I had to run up for an errand, it was great to sit out and enjoy a cup of coffee with the trains passing through the heart of downtown. They are already getting leaves to change color up there, so it shouldn't be too long down here. Another reason I enjoy Northern Arizona, clear blue skies, but we actually have the pleasure of the change of seasons.

" This democracy and the flag of the United States," he then said, "do not belong to Rush Limbaugh and Jerry Falwell and Tom DeLay and John Ashcroft and Dick Cheney. " - Howard Dean For all the talk of not being a Washington politician he sure is starting to sound like one. Worse than that he has fallen into the same trap that most politicians of this age fall into the politics of exclusion . This was one thing that I have not been able to understand while in DC and ever since. I understand that you don't agree with another's policies that is healthy and necessary for intelligent debate. But this habit across the political spectrum to deny another person's patriotism or suggest they don't support this country is damaging to the political system and only applifies the party-line mentality. Republicans, Democrats, even groups like NRA will all use it to demonize anyone who differs with their opinion. I thought that September 11th two years ago ha...

Blog Survey I saw this post and thought it was interesting so here goes... 1) How many blogs do you read a day? 15 on average 2) Please name the three blogs you read most frequently. Instapundit , Boing Boing , Being Jen Raj , but really I have a core 10-15 I read near daily. 3) Why do you read the blogs you read? In other words, what makes those blogs worth checking out on a regular basis? Either I know the person or they discuss interesting ideas that are a different perspective from my own. 4) Have you ever read something on a blog that affected your decision-making on what to air/publish? If the answer is yes, can you give an example? No 5) How much influence do you think blogs have on political discourse? A lot, a little, or none at all? Alittle, but growing. Not to overhype the trend but it is allowing for more personal activism and participation in the process. Blogs are allowing for a more thoughtful and nuanced debate of policy issues than the sound bite...

Active Media, well more so than a Couch Potato Some people are rather startled that I live mostly without television right now. At first it was just to get me to write a little more, but I realized reading Halley's post that in her thoughts on media perhaps mirror other deeper reasons about why I cut myself away from the medium. Here's what the other online media have made me feel about TV -- bored, frustrated and ansy since I just can't put my hands through the screen and pull out wonderful stuff, the way I can online. When I'm online and I read something interesting, I can take off on a deep dive for lots more information within seconds. When someone says something interesting on TV (this happens about once every 3 weeks), I can't go on an instantaneous hunt. I can't get INSIDE it. There's nothing in there, and it doesn't WANT me in there asking more questions. I will in the next month or two end my television fast. I have easy access to satellite s...

I got to thinking about it, stealth disco is the next flashmob except you can do it solo, well except a cameraman to capture the action.

It's a rare day that I find a point to outright disagree with Edward at Zonitics, but today is the exception. He states Between Dean Esmay and Jonah Goldberg, I'm pretty comfortable in saying that it's okay to just ignore the Patriot-Act-Paranoids from here on out. Just because there hasn't been abuses by the Administration yet is no reason to assume there isn't the potential and the matter should be simply ignored. It's relieving that there has not been abuse of power, it does not mean that it is a wasted effort. Remember that "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." (Jefferson) and that anytime new regulations or laws are passed we should keep watch to ensure that through bureaucrat or regulatory creep they do not negatively impact our freedoms.

I opened my newspaper this morning flipping through the sections and thought oh Colin Mochrie is feature in Parade magazine how cool, I'll have to read that. He has been a regular on Whose Line is it Anyway for years and is pretty funny. Later as I took a closer look I realized it was someone else. Funny, but I sware that was who I thought it was, yes I probably do need more sleep and some days off .

Shiver me timbers, yo'all know what day it be? Aaaaaaar!

That Light at the End of the Tunnel is just Another Train that is Gunna Run Me Down In theory this should have been my last day of work before having the weekend off. Much needed rest since I have worked every day since sometime in August. Note the use of should . I talked to my employers earlier this week and said okay enough, I am human I need some days off. Me working everyday had been a voluntary measure when the hotel first opened because I frankly needed the cash and they had no one else, so it worked out well for the both of us. But a month plus later I have said enough and wanted them to bring up a relief guy from Phoenix, problem is he wanted an amount akin to highway robbery. So they balked on getting him, but have hired another auditor for me to train. But he will be only working two nights a week, so this week I train, next week I'd get my two days right? Wrong. Because they want me to watch over him doing the audit the first night next week to make sure he...

Thomas Friedman demostrates why he won the Pulitzer Prize with a column of how France's current leadership is making efforts to become an enemy of America. More importantly he looks at how this policy is not in France's long term interest and may ultimately cause more internal problems for them. While I hardly ever agree with Friedman's domestic columns, his foreign affairs pieces are usually quite insightful.

Finally a clued music label , I haven't had a chance to check out their music, but I will soon. I like their approach it's one I can respect.

A year today one of my best friends left us, his wisdom echos in my thoughts and laughter in my ears. Time passes all to quick, it seems as though it was yesterday and yet a million miles behind me at the same time. Reemul you are missed and without his help we may never discover the truth of Limabear. Happy Travels my friend, happy travels.

You have to love Style Invitational , for those who haven't lived in DC it's a Sunday Washington Post contest that is hilarous this week is only in DC pickup lines The winner and one of my favorites Your beauty renders me as powerless as Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton. But to anyone who has lived in DC, it's a must read.

Stop Thief! One other minor thing I forgot to mention last night, yesterday someone took off with our doors to the lobby and restaurant. That's right they are gone, since I am on the night crew, wait a minute, I am the entire night crew nobody tells me what happened. But from what I can piece together it was something to do with a subcontractor and a billing dispute. I know the local PD has been called in because a buddy on the force came by to examine the 'crime scene' tonight. Last night wasn't bad there was no breeze so the inside stayed fairly warm. But tonight the breeze is back and flowing right through the lobby so it is a bit brisk in here, not that I mind it's only September so it really isn't that cold, but we are at 4500ft elevation so it does get cool. It just gives a whole new meaning to open door policy for sure. ps ( 6+ hours after this post ) - damn it got cold last night

Send in the Ghostbusters It seems we have a ghost or two running around our the property at work. Not that I mind exactly it is entertaining and the nights are mostly quiet. Some guests reported which room it is centered in, but said it was running around the hotel. Funny thing was that same night a door flew open and locked open on it's own about 30 feet from me at 4:30 in the morning. The doors here have those automatic close arms on them so for it to lock open it had to be a hellova force. A breeze was blowing at the time, but no where near strong enough to do this or in the right direction. So earlier tonight I got to talking with the security guard and relayed all this before he went off on patrol. He came back and told me "Remember the room we went and checked out a few weeks ago that the lights were on and the slide door was open, but no guests?" It was alittle odd event that occurred a couple weeks ago, we figured housekeeping had accidently left it open. Well i...

It's good to see the artists speaking out with the facts about the RIAA suing customers. A few choice quotes from the story... "Lawsuits on 12-year-old kids for downloading music, duping a mother into paying a $2,000 settlement for her kid?" said rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy. "Those scare tactics are pure Gestapo."... "Bruce Springsteen probably earned more in 10 nights at Meadowlands last month than in his entire recording career," said rocker Huey Lewis. ... "For the artists, my ass," said Draiman. "I didn't ask them to protect me, and I don't want their protection."

Ever check out the Devil's dictionary ? It has a lot of unique definitions you won't see anywhere else. Like... copyright, noun The notion that you can protect from the future what you stole from the past. “The Devil’s Dictionary (2.0) is copyright © 2003 Greg Knauss.”

Great rant on RIAA and their efforts to destroy value . Reading through Tim's posts he has alot of good material in there about VC, the economy, and business in general. ( Thanks Kevin )

Hmmm free wi-fi on September 25th , you know I just may wander down to my local coffee shop and take advantage. Granted I have access at home but if you knew the views from the coffee shop you'd understand why.

the day the music died... on my amazon list While I have been supporting in principal the boycott the RIAA efforts I played the moral edge on my Amazon list . I had never gone back and removed my music, I figured if I didn't buy the music my conscious was clear. But with them suing 12 year old girls and grandfathers I made the final step I went back and cleared out my wish list. I'd clear out movies on the list, but then they haven't started to sue their customers yet . I think the statistics are pretty clear, the music industry has released less, music, charged more, for arguably lower quality product. They have demostrated they want to suck the artists and customers dry. Artists like Janis Ian have shown that downloading does not negatively impact sales and may actually help them. Much like Cory Doctrow's experience with his first book being available for download didn't hurt his sales. So rather than argue the point I'll ignore them. In a few wee...

Ha, Ha! ( couldn't help myself )

German Brewery Donates Beer To American Soldiers You know I always did like Spaten , but the story does have one problem, something I have long disagreed with However, there is one small problem that Louis Sieb, president of Spaten North America, did not consider when he came up with the idea. The average sailor is 20. Legal drinking age is 21. "They give up everything, right? They put their lives on the line, right? And they can't drink beer? Still, a good thing, I think," Sieb said. Old enough to die for your country, old enough to drink a beer in my book.

I checked the clock, it's Wednesday so I can post this, I am still working on the album review, but for the moment... Poetry Wednesday Keep Me In Your Heart Shadows are falling and I'm running out of breath Keep me in your heart for a while If I leave you it doesn't mean I love you any less Keep me in your heart for a while When you get up in the morning and you see that crazy sun Keep me in your heart for a while There is a train leaving nightly called when all is said and done Keep me in your heart for a while Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-lo Keep me in your heart for a while Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-lo Keep me in your heart for a while Sometimes when you're doing simple things around the house Maybe you'll think of me and smile You know I'm tied to you like buttons on your blouse Keep me in your heart for a while Hold me in your thoughts, take me to your dreams Touch me as I fall into view When the winter comes keep the f...

Oww! I am sore all over, mostly the good kind that comes from a good workout yesterday so I'll be feeling it the next few days. In DC the last few years going to the gym had become a habit 2-4 times a week depending on what I could manage, considering I was never the athletic type I was pretty happy with it. After the move back I slacked off and haven't gotten back into a regular habit. Partially because the work hours, partially because I don't have a direct gym membership and have to depend on a friend's access to the local fire department gym to lift weights. Now that it has started to cool off again the beloved Mutt is in the mood for walks so I try to oblige ( working seven days a week at night makes for weird hours ). As much as I'd like to credit these walks with a recent weight drop I think it has had more to do with working nights and never sure when to eat, I have dinner regularly, but otherwise I am not eating all that often. Working nights and ...

Dave Barry with his take on Warren Zevon and his departure, I would have expected more humor from him in it, but considering he knew him, maybe his more serious approach isn't all that surprising. Another part of the story the mainstream media has been getting wrong is Warren Zevon died of mesothelioma, not lung cancer as has been reported. It is the same kind of cancer Steve McQueen died from and is not related to smoking, for more details on mesothelioma .

Flash Mobs If they are a fad this is the official indication they are over...

Knew the day was coming but it doesn't make it any less sad... Warren Zevon, Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 56 NY Times story USA Today Blog Critics Obit Album review of The Wind by Eric Olsen My brother got me a copy of the album, I listened to it a few times in recent days and hope to post a review today at some point. Not a Poetry Wednesday but some of his lyrics seem in order so... My Ride's Here I was staying at the Marriott With Jesus and John Wayne I was waiting for a chariot They were waiting for a train The sky was full of carrion "I'll take the mazuma" Said Jesus to Marion "That's the 3:10 to Yuma My ride's here..." The Houston sky was changeless We galloped through bluebonnets I was wrestling with an angel You were working on a sonnet You said, "I believe the seraphim Will gather up my pinto And carry us away, Jim Across the San Jacinto My ride's here..." Shelley and Keats were ou...

Style and Class Style and Class was a meme a friend mine and I played with in college, generally revolving around a specific person, place or thing and what was possessed, one, both, or neither. An object could have style without class. It was rare but generally if it had class it also had style, but it wasn't an outright given. It was a silly game but gave an interesting light-hearted look to sense of self in design of things. I have been thinking about it lately because of being alone in the lobby of this new hotel every night. As the last pieces of furniture went by it struck me that this place has style, but no class. Every room, every object has a distinct sense of modern style about it. But there is no natural continuity between these places, it just doesn't flow. The outside furniture is clunky and uncomfortable, while the lobby features Aeron computer chairs . Even more sadly the one feature this property has in spades, a great view of Snoopy rock is hidden fr...

Music I also earlier noticed the following story and wanted to comment Vivendi Universal's (V) Universal Music Group plans to sharply lower the consumer cost for compact discs, in an effort to bring customers back into retail stores and boost music sales. The move comes as the music industry grapples with a continuing decline in retail sales in the face of rampant piracy and other problems. In a press release Wednesday, Universal Music said it will reduce wholesale prices and implement a $12.98 manufacturer suggested retail price on virtually all of its top-line CDs in the U.S. - CNN First off it's the smartest thing the recording companies could do and the first sign in the last five years that they are not completely brain dead. That said it still doesn't go far enough, but it's a start. My problem with it the idea, well if you read further into the story it notes " The company, whose artists range from U2 to Reba McIntyre, will also cut wholesale pric...

Lack of Posts I haven't been posting as regularly mostly because a big lack of things to talk about. My life has rather boring the last few weeks and while I could wax poetic while working at night, I am trying to put my energies to other matters at the moment. I am the only night auditor at my new work place which means I have been working 7 days a week since the hotel opened 2-3 weeks ago ( yeah I have lost count ). Not that I am complaining, I needed to catch up on the bills and so working the extra time will help me get caught up sooner, or that's the story I keep telling myself. I do notice my batteries have been wearing down by the constant work cycle but hey that's life. Just to give you a sample of the schedule, change the date to anyone in the last 2-3 weeks and it looks something like this. 7am as the rest of the world is waking up or heading to work I am going home, wind down by listening to the radio, playing with the ever happy and trouble making pup then...