Riding home on my recumbent bike the other day, as part of my futile effort to will Spring, I realized that I could look up while cycling. I mean, straight up. It didn't do anything for my steering, but going down the bike path, underneath the budless branches, was one of the most three-dimensional experiences I've had. Now I want an animated Mondrian style abstraction of tree branches, done to give a sense of movement through space.
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08:44:28 PM,
Saturday 21 February 2004
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Thoughts on Nader (which I badly want to spell Nadir. It keeps turning into an south asian name. Nadir Khan sounds right. And, hey, look what google finds): my only political activity in this life was to send away for a petition to get him on the ballot in 1996. Too shy to collect more than 5 signatures, of course. I did this more from a desire for a reconstituting of american politics than any conventional issue questions. What I'd like to see would be a Convention movement, trying to rewrite the Constitution. That isn't what Nader is. I want the constitutional questions distangled from the rest of his baggage.
It should be remembered that voting for Nader is effectively not voting at all, as far as the outcome goes. People get confused about this, and get disproportionately (want a nice anglo-saxon word for this, can't find one. Why didn't the germans do more math?) upset. I'm not quite sure why. If people aren't bothered about the presidental election, or are effectively disenfranchised by the electoral college, there's no harm in treating the presidential portion of the ballot as a referendum on whatever interpretation of Nader you happen to hold. This might be the only way for citizens to express opinions on issues which the parties are unable or unwilling to address under the current system. If only there was a box where you could write why you were voting for him. Symbolic acts of indeterminate significance are of questionable worth.
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(2)
07:15:46 PM,
Saturday 21 February 2004
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From an exhibit of flower arrangements. I neglected to write down the name of the artist. The most amusing was the pink rose lying on a hankerchief next to an empty vase, entitled Apathy. Some of them were immense, 10 foot tall affairs, filled with gaudy orchids and such. There were two judges walking around muttering quite insightful things about them.
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06:53:53 PM,
Friday 20 February 2004
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06:45:09 PM,
Friday 20 February 2004
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Sometimes, I feel there is something unsavory about gardening. I suppose if overbred, overgroomed dogs can enjoy life, overbred, overgroomed plants probably do just fine. They just make me uncomfortable.
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06:43:29 PM,
Friday 20 February 2004
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06:39:48 PM,
Friday 20 February 2004
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These 5 pictures were all taken at the Tower Hill Botanical Garden.
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(1)
06:38:19 PM,
Friday 20 February 2004
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I do try to limit the number of cat pictures I take. I really do.
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(1)
05:42:48 PM,
Friday 20 February 2004
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One day, will you be able to google deceased relatives and find their blogs?
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(6)
04:46:18 PM,
Friday 20 February 2004
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My initial freshman roommates (note the somewhat unfair caricature) comparison of Hatch to Chamberlain has been referred to as madness by Slate! Congrats, Tim! I thought you had it in you. Always admired your ability to write and say what you thought the audience wanted.
I'm particularly impressed by his painting Orrin Hatch as a wimp for not going all out in the battle over the judges, while clucking about the content of the memos, which show that the democrats were going all out in the battle over the judges. I also like the 'it can't be hacking if it's done in windows' argument.
Here's Dahlia Lithwick on why he's wrong about the significance of memogate, along with a look at what is in the memos we've seen so far.
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01:37:26 PM,
Friday 20 February 2004
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We did finally get a call from someone asking for Mrs. Unlisted. They hung up all by themselves after they said it. Also a flyer from a dentist addressed to N. Unlisted, by hand even. I like to think they were both amused.
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(1)
12:02:15 PM,
Friday 20 February 2004
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I've heard it mangled my whole life. Cavalry charges are a large part of my idea of noble futility. Yet, I have never before read The Charge of the Light Brigade. Reading it is a similar sensation to finally seeing Dracula a few years ago, references clicking into place left and right. I'm going to have Stuck in the Middle with You in my head all day. (does with get capitalised in a title? Argh! I hate knowing just enough to know that it's a question, but not enough to answer it.)
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10:02:34 AM,
Thursday 19 February 2004
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