Excellent

Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert) pointed this out in his blog today. Bill Gates looks like Montgomery Burns from The Simpsons, doesn't he? We won't get into mentioning the unmisssable implicaitons of this similarity. I have nothing against the guy except that his company won't develop MSN for Mac (for blatantly obvious reasons of course).

Wake us up

I had an old dream
I was me and so were you
It was not very clear

Sam Brown draws for me!

Yay! I sent explodingdog a title to illustrate and it was chosen.
Here's Sam Brown's interpretation of me next. please?

Just a little more

a pillow held tight
your scent lingers - i miss you
now it smells like me

Rant in A Minor

Why do they bother with the "Remember Me" check box if they never remember me? In three consecutive visits to my dashboard, I was required to check in each time. And there, for a fleeting moment, I was misguided to believe the Outernet Elves actually cared who I am. You've been here before though. You'll remember me, won't you?
La la laa, bam bud-duh bum... kasplash [cymbal]!
That is all. Thanks for coming [again].

Is it hot in here, or is it just me?

[Dhara's entry]
It's that time of year for me. Only comes around twice, but boy does it seem to last forever! Those humans who share my home have me locked down out on the balcony and have tied Buddha in the furthest corner of the house. Are they mad? I NEED my man right now!!! I get a glimpse of him sometimes through the glass doors. I think he's suffering more than I am... at least he's still eatting this time. He's figured out how to get out from the leash clip twice in vain attempts to come rescue me, so the folks have him strapped with Dad's climbing carabiner. He'd need opposable thumbs to beat this one. Poor guy.
But enough about him. What about my needs? I tried being more lovey-dovey with them, and it gets me as far as their room, but still no action. Dad says despite the smell, this is good for me because I haven't been as confrontational with other dogs, and I put on a few pounds too. I try to tell him, it's just a phase... I'm too horny to care about that right now. He says I'm still too young for fooling around with boys so just cool out. I'm in HEAT Dad!!!
Whatever!
Anyway, next week it will be back to normal. Mom says "so much for my clean house". Ah well, what you gonna do. You know you miss me sneaking up in the middle of the night to keep your feet warm.
Who wants the heat now, huh?

Free Wallpaper - "No Evil"

This isn't an original concept, nor is it probably a new execution, but it's what happens when I am bored and uninspired on a lazy day-before-Friday. I guess the whole try harder thing will kick in from next week. Until then...

Random snipets

1. It is elections time in St. Lucia. Something claiming to be responsible in me required that I post that fact. There are few things that interest me less than Caribbean, especially small-island, politics. It is a pretentious, ignorant, exploitiary, degenerate point in time in my environment's current history... Hold on, is there such a thing as "current history"? After all, whatever "it" is (and you can't buy this one on eBay) won't be history until no longer current, right? Furthermore, something has to happen to make it historic, not just historical. But that's another day's gramatical argument. Let's amend that to recent historical existence. This fiasco will repeat itself with the same chicken and rhum (and fete) formula in the next five years anyway. I have dealt with some of the key players and it is safe to say that given the motives, reasons and methods they plan to employ not only to hopefully (do we really hope for this?) run their constituency, but simply to gain the seat, nothing will be done for the long term benefit of the nation. At least not in my lifetime.
END

2. I sold the Bumble Bee (my '98 Honda Hornet/599) last month. The end of another chapter in my motor book. A friend is going away this week to go look for new bikes, one for himself, one for yours truly. I can only wait.
END

3. I've worn flip-flops to work every day for the last two weeks, and on average, three times a week previous to that. Just thought you should know.
That is all.
BEGIN

Morning Melodies

Twelve kids playing pan
There is no better commute
My day will be fine

To die for a smile.

Saint Cecilia by Guido Reni, 1606

Today is the feast of St. Cecilia, the Patron Saint of Music and Musicians. As with most saints, her story is one of romantic tragedy, Middle Age inhumanity and ignorance, and inevitable martyrdom.
On the way to work this morning, in the midst of the thickest part of traffic on my three minute, 48 second commute, the was a steel pan band on the road side playing the most cheerful tunes. They were set up under a tent on the northern side of the round about without any signage or self accolade. Commuters out of earshot on the southern side wore stony faces of varying degrees of unfortunately regular annoyance. However, as you overtook the stagnant line of vehicles with your gaze, those grave countenances yielded to curiosity, mild amusement and eventually sheer joy. Smiles broke where once lips were held taut. Heads bobbed where they once stayed low. Hearts soared where once they barely sputtered.
Doesn't matter your religion to appreciate what a little music, some selfless offering, can do to brighten everyone's day. It may horrify some to think of why we are priveledged to have such a treat this morning. I think the horror may be balanced if at least one person honours not just her memory, but her faith.
Thanks for your sacrifice St. Cecilia.

Eight forty-four and a half in the night

19 minutes of half-hearted experimentation resulted in the above.
I stayed at it because of a half-hearted comment when I began.
I posted it was to remind me to try hard, or stop.
Nothing in between is acceptable.
Or so it should be. Ugh.

Recent Work

Two friends of mine have opened private businesses (independent of each other). For their corporate identities, they came to my business.

Finally

Lately I have not been priveledged to say the following words often: I had a good weekend. The swell was here and could not have been better timed than to ride out through the weekend. If you were on my MSN list, you would have known why my handle was "waiting...". The wait is over. We surfed all day, both Saturday and Sunday, until we could barely manage to climb over the rocks to get out of the water last night.
Yes, last night.
When you are subject to such infrequent ocean activity, you take all you can when you can. When the call goes out that the waves have come, a monomania ensues among the surf-fraternity, where nothing else matters but getting out on the water.
I had a good weekend.

Worth Quoting.08

They are sly, occasionally vicious, pathologically stupid.
Joanne Harris, Chocolat

Worth Quoting.07

There is nothing laymen like less than layman's terms.

Worth Quoting.06

When you're dreaming with a broken heart,
Waking up is the hardest part.
John Mayer

Two silver strands

They call him an old man with new ideas. His perspective comes not from looking back, but having come from there and not wanting to go back. It is said that history repeats itself, but he says history needs to remain where it is in order to allow an infantile future to mature unencumbered. Ask for an example.
Would that require me bringing something up, or making something up?
The point was made immediately. Later there were thoughts of having gained the knowledge of some invaluable lesson (Did you notice the use of multiple tenses in that one sentence? Is that a contradiction on my own point of bringing the past to the present with future intent? What am I thinking?). In retrospect, the light was already there, not yet illuminated.
END

I had a moment of minor epiphany (possible?) while scouring the Outernet for inspiration. I think beauty is lost in the clarity and definition of colour. That's why old black and white photos look so appealing, even when their subjects are quite ordinary. And oh, what injustice we face for being ordinary! So much emphasis is being given to high definition, high DPI, high contrast, hijinks, that the subtle seductive charms of imagination have ebbed out of our daily searches for unadulterated happiness - living simple lives with our Utopian fantasies. Enjoy.
I don't have to tell you how, do I?

END

I finished the elbow section of my left sleeve tattoo. Gift to myself for the season? Perhaps a sensual two in one with the wife and hers. Alvin the tattoo guy will definitely be having a Merry Christmas with us.
END

You have a grey hair. Oh look, there's another one. You growing up, eh old man?
BEGIN