Category: Uncategorized

My Orwellian Day

Nick and I talked for about an hour about Orwell and specifically 1984. People use the word “Orwellian” a lot or say “That’s so 1984“, but it’s a lot more than just totalitarianism and the abuse of language. 1984 is rich in detail and just about every single little detail is accurate almost to the degree of prophecy. If you haven’t read it, or haven’t read it in the last decade, go read.

Later I saw a regular whose name I didn’t know reading Orwell from a magazine reprint. I buttonholed him and said “Orwell! Good stuff!” and we had a big talk. He’s a high school teacher and was preparing lessons. I told him about the big fat cheap Orwell essays book. He said “Animal Farm is the book I recommend for my friends who don’t read, because it’s so easy and short and so full of huge ideas.” I really liked him. I also pointed him towards Politics and the English Language, about which he had forgotten.

Then I went to Mother’s and bought groceries and the cost was $19.84. At one point I was on a screen at the checkout that said “19.84: YES OR NO?” and to get my food I had to click YES. I clicked it. They fed me. I loved Big Mother.

In unrelated news I found out that the-silent-one has a GUN hanging in her DOGHOUSE. You’ve been warned.

Dear LazyCrazyWeb

Does anyone know of a substance abuse treatment program affordable for someone without medical insurance or very much cash? Specifically, one for someone who needs to get off benzodiazepines (Ativan, Xanax, etc.) and needs a medically supervised program to do so. I’m pretty ignorant about the options in this case but you’re the Internet and you know more than I do.

No, this isn’t for me. And I’m not going to gossip about who it’s for, either, so shush. 🙂

Ideally the location would be Southern California but relocation within the U.S. for treatment is also a possibility.

D.A.R.E. TO KEEP KIDS OFF RUGS

  1. SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! GO TO CHURCH!
  2. Our nation’s funeral directors are ready for the moment when terror strikes. Eager, even. Let’s roll in our graves, America! (Folks we couldn’t make this shit up if we tried. Evelyn Waugh is dead, too.)
  3. This person makes collages entirely constructed of wine labels!
  4. AREA ROOSTER CALLS UPON GOD, IS SAVED. I want this Islamic Chicken to fight that goat what has Dale Earnhardt’s number on it.
  5. It’s a bag for sleeping! A bag for walking! A walking sleeping bag!!
  6. Today’s phrase, courtesy WFMU, is PAT ROBERTSON’S AGE-DEFYING PANCAKES

UPDATE

I am @D’s, having just made an audio CD for Michelle so that she can enjoy the Black Velvet Flag album and some unexpected covers, including Billy Preston’s version of Girls On Film.

Crazy Visor Guy is loudly conversing with all females, including nonhuman ones.

There is no cat on me.

food of the day: dead things

Elaine posted a lovely recipe today for dumplings (that probably are very good, because they’re dumplings), but holy crap just go read the thing.

I think these have to be the only dinner item fully approved for use at Nordic Black Metal Concerts.

“And now, Kröttchkrakkr’s lead singer Iukki Bluudmess will perform their hit ‘THE INFERIOR MORTALS WILL FEEL THE COLD BLADE OF THE NORTHERN FOREST’S MIGHT’, followed by dumplings and animalistic rituals of blood and meat.”

I don’t think “porkulent” is even a proper word.

I’m on call, the system for which I’m responsible blows up and needs restarting about every 2 hours, and it’s not getting fixed any time soon. This is similar to having a baby without the poo but also without the promise of a future. If this goes on all night tonight I am going to be Lieutenant Colonel Grumpy Q. Asshole of the Royal Annoyance Force tomorrow.

I genuinely like prunes. You’re not supposed to, because they’re funny (P sound, associated with shitting and old people). But I really like them.

I saw two Bentley coupés, a Ferrari 612 Scaglietta, a Lamborghini Gallardo, and a Maserati Quattroporte on the road today. The wealth around here is approaching Kuwaiti levels. As a spectator sport it’s fascinating. I saw the larval form of a soccer mom today at Trader Joe’s. She was about 19, probably an OCC or Vanguard student, fake ‘n’ bake tan, very skinny, pants slipping off hips, Hollister sweatshirt. She was purchasing three bottles of tequila, eight avocados, and an energy bar. She left in a late model BMW two-door.

The kids working for minimum at the fast food joint I went to were so genuinely friendly, upbeat, and competent that it broke my heart, after seeing her zoom off into her perfect life.

Would you rather always be right, or always get the truth?

There is a disease called pseudopseudohyperparathyroidism and it is not hyphenated.

  1. Hey Stuart! Carlos has some competition. WFMU presents some serious puppet speedmetal action. This is seriously the most metal thing I’ve seen in forever.
  2. Via robotwisdom, this scopitone video circa 1965 suggests that some mixture of martinis and curare was a recreational drug then. Holy cow. More of the same at scopitones.com also.
  3. Let’s sprinkle tiny spy sensors all over the place! It’ll be cool!
  4. It had to happen. After all, the Clash have action figures now. This kind of marketing is stupid and contagious.
  5. As Bob Trout would say: “I was in the Navy. No boats. Lots of guns and helicopters.”
  6. What’s funnier than an increasingly oppressive, authoritarian society? I’ll tell you what! Banning high school students from doing a play written to criticize the last oppressive, authoritarian mess we had 50 years ago, that’s what! An iron curtain has fallen over Fulton, Missouri…
  7. I’m not sure, but it looks like Tom Stoppard has had some kind of disabling stroke.