58

Labels: amusement

I wasn't aware that Christianity really had anything to say about gymnastics.

Labels: amusement

I many times thought peace had come,
When peace was far away;
As wrecked men deem they sight the land
At center of the sea,

And struggle slacker, but to prove,
As hopelessly as I,
How many the fictitious shores
Before the harbor lie.

-Emily Dickinson, LXXIII

Labels: introspection, poetry

Red Cross tech: Okay, we're all done. Here's your contact sheet. If you experience any problems today, please give us a call. If we have any problems or determine your love is unsuitable for others, er, your *blood*, that is. Wow. Yeah, if your *blood* is unsuitable we'll give you a call.

She was horribly embarrassed. Poor girl.

Labels: amusement, overheard

WARNING: The following link contains nudity and is not work-friendly. Repeat, nudity, not work-friendly. Also, possibly not "my mother"-friendly, although maybe it will help her understand my artistic nude portfolio better (but I gave you the warning ahead of time in case you don't want to look anyway, mom).

Jordan Matter is a New York-based photographer who did a just splendid series of photos that I Stumbled upon last night. The series portrays a variety of "real" (not paid fashion models) women topless in New York (where apparently it's a little-known secret that such is legal) with commentary either from the women themselves or from the discussions of the people interacting around the shoot. The topics range from the unrealistic expectations of feminine beauty in American society to breast feeding to breast cancer and mastectomies to growing old without being discarded. The pictures show a world where women are women regardless of their body dimensions and are accepted for being individuals instead of objects, a world where nudity does not equal sexuality (in fact, one of the opening quotes is "In the city, nudity means something. In the wild, it just exists."). I think Mr. Matter came pretty close to knocking Lois Greenfield off as my favorite professional photographer with his synthesis of art and human commentary, something I've tried to express in my own portfolio.

Just as a reminder, this site contains nudity.

Uncovered, by Jordan Matter.

Labels: art, cool, photography, wonder

This guy is so getting divorced.

Labels: politics, what the hell

The McCain engine is faltering as the campaign enters the final stretch. In the face of this, such luminaries as the bile-for-blood Sarah Palin have made noise about attacking Obama personally (not in the hit-him-over-the-head-with-a-crowbar-way, mind you, but in the impugn-his-character-because-we're-losing-on-the-issues way). She was the first to bring up the pseudo-terrorist charge (attempting to link Obama with former Weatherman William Ayers, despite the fact that the latter's terrorist activities happened when the former was eight), which it appears McCain is going to continue in hopes of distributing the meme that Obama has ties to terrorist organizations.

But in a rare display of restraint for that campaign, McCain has prohibited his staff and discouraged the independent Republican parties of the states from trying to assert that the incendiary beliefs of Obama's unrepentant former pastor are also the beliefs of Obama himself. Palin appears to be chaffing at the restriction so much that she's still talking about it in a roundabout way by talking about McCain's prohibition:

[T]o have sat in the pews for 20 years and listened to that - with, I don't know, a sense of condoning it, I guess, because he didn't get up and leave - to me, that does say something about character. But, you know, I guess that would be a John McCain call on whether he wants to bring that up.

Notice the "Palin style" at work here; the "I don't know"s and the "I guess"s giving the impression that she's not sure and just throwing something out for everyone to consider, which is most certainly not the case. It's almost a subliminal message, one that's remarkably effective on those who think she's the best thing since sliced bread or Reagan. But still dishonest.

Compare with McCain's original-and-still-held statement on the issue:

I think that when people support you, it doesn't mean that you support everything you say. Obviously, those words and those statements are statements that none of us would associate ourselves with. And I don't believe that Sen. Obama would support any of those. ... I do know Sen. Obama. He does not share those views.

In this instance, at least, McCain has the integrity to admit that what his campaign wants to suggest, that Obama shares the views of a man who both (a) supports Obama and (b) suggested the U.S. deserved 9/11, isn't true, that he knows it isn't true and that he won't make up an attack just to win an election.

Labels: politics

Obnoxious fellow in line ahead of me at Taco Bell: "Slow night?"
Woman behind counter: "Oh, it's a bit slow now. It'll pick up again soon."
Obnoxious guy: "Better hope so."
Woman: *blank stare*
Obnoxious guy: "They might start having layoffs!" *laughing and looking around to see who is laughing with him*
Rest of the room (which is just me): *not laughing*
Oblivious obnoxious guy: "You might have to find another job, and who else is hiring?" *still laughing*
Woman behind counter: "That will be $4.37."

Labels: annoyance