Friday Cat Blogging (™ Kevin Drum)
Dem's Good Reads - 30 June 2006Equilibrium still not achieved. But we move on: Heidi MacDonald does it again, with a post about reaction to the NAN Grant announcement from the POV of "old geezer (or crone, to use the proper teminology) of the gender issue wars" in the comics industry. Another former DC editor, Valerie D'Orazio, is extremely encouraged by the new crop of online feminist fangirl activism; so am I, I'm constantly amazed at the energy levels of these (mostly) women! Just take a look at a typical compilation from Ragnell on When Fangirls Attack - I'm still bookmarking it in case I ever get the time to read all these amazing posts. Michael Netzer may consider me " one of the more socio-politically active bloggers in the comics periphery," but I've got nothin' on these folks. I mean, "Ask A Comics Geek" is about all I can muster nowadays. But the more the merrier - as Stephen Dann puts it, whatever we do, it's still not enough. (Or my preferred cliche, "damned if you do, damned if you don't.") I haven't really sorted through my political blog reading all that much, but I did like David Niewert's open letter to journalists about this newfangled bloggie thingie, as well as (the decidedly apolitical) Jeopardy! phenom Ken Jennings' musings about the American Crossword Puzzle tournament and the movie Wordplay. Right; back to Germany vs. Argentina (scoreless as I type this)...
Silly Site o' the DayUp since at least 4 AM if not earlier. I don't think the sushi was bad, but maybe it was the combination of the lateness of our dinner (I drove a coworker to Stamford after the wake and didn't get home until 8:30, and we didn't eat until an hour after that) and the outside humidity. It's not going to be an easy workday today, I'm going to feel very unbalanced, much like the kinetic sculpture I tried and failed to build here (via Cory at BoingBoing). I'll need at least the weekend to recover my equilibrium...
Silly Site o' the DaySorry for the "radio silence," it's been a strange day, much of it involving a death in my boss' family, and I've decided I just don't want to talk about any work-related stuff for a long while. Even politics are starting to burn me out. Gah, too much reality. Need more fantasy in my life. More joy, more fun, more games. Well, maybe not too many games, I have a lot clogging up my bookmarks! Here's one, via Eszter, called Tringo!
Ask A Comics Geek, Part the SecondPeople, people, people. Why are you surprised that the most recognized character in comic books has a rich and varied history entirely outside of TV shows? Yeah Eli, I'm talking to you. Like I said last time, all you need to do is Ask a Comics Geek! Sheesh. "Hey, Comics Geek," you could have asked, "does Superman really have a 60+ year history where the character reflected the time period in which the comic book was published?" To which I would probably have replied "Duh, just about all characters and their stories do that," but that would just be me being snarky which is easily ignored. "Hey, Comics Geek," you might continue, although this time the "you" is purely theoretical, "what about that Home Shopping Network show earlier this evening with that Nick fellow? Is it on the level?" And I'd reply, yes, Nick Barrucci is a terrific guy and obviously mad about comics and loves doing every minute of his HSN spots and tells it straight about all the important things. "Like what the comics merchandise he sells is really worth?" Well, that depends on how much you want it, doesn't it? I have most of the lower-end comics Nick was hawking this evening, but I'm not HSN's target audience here. Any comic, any print, any giclee is worth exactly what the market will bear. And that includes stuff with signatures. Some people think original signatures make comics increase in value, and I'm sure many do, particularly if the signer is, sadly, no longer with us. Others believe signatures deface comics that would otherwise be "mint." Most of us who actually read the stuff only get signatures if we're at conventions and want to use them as an excuse to chat with the writers and artists we like. Or, um, if the comps for a new issue of BoP come in and we demand our husband sign a copy for us, but never mind that. "So, I bet you're gearing up for the new Superman movie, huh Comics Geek? Gonna camp out overnight?" Me? I haven't even seen the newest X-Men movie yet, is that still in the theaters? I'm content to wait for the DVD, or even television. Then again, I'm still waiting for Sky Captain to circulate on a premium cable channel that I have and goodness knows when that'll happen... So, anyone out there who isn't a regular comics reader have any actual questions they'd like to Ask a Comics Geek?
Silly Site o' the DayLe sigh. Bloglines still shows the following sites on my regular-reading blogroll as having feed errors, going into the third day now: from the Liberal Coalition, the main LC site, Charles2, Horatio, Kathy, MercuryX23, Mustang Bobby, Rivka, upyernoz and Wanda; from News+Views Gals, CJ, LabKat, Nona, Shari and Shaula; from da Guys, Adam, Alex, Ampersand, Atrios, Bill C., Digby, Elton, Jeff A., John R., Justin, Raed, Roy, Scaramouche, Terry, Tim and TBogg; and from da Groups, Blondesense, Culture Kitchen, Pandagon and Skippy. I'm certain this outage is a major reason I'm actually caught up in my blog-reading, because obviously I'm really not, and I'm kind of dreading the actual catch-up when the feeds start working properly again via Bloglines. In the meantime, have some Aliquis! Apparently that's my brand name, according to this brand name generator found by The Generator Blog, and my brand will be unique because this made-up word apparently denotes "power through drive." Sometimes I really wish I worked in an ad agency, they seem as out of touch with reality and actual discourse as many politicians do!
Dem's Good Reads, 25 June EditionBriefly, because who has the time: The Heretik reminds us that today is the anniversary of George Orwell's birth, and Billmon commemorates it with a dispatch from the Oceania News Network. Lots of goodies at Shakespeare's Sisters place, like Paul the Spud noticing the connection between the newest crop of internet scare stories and the net neutrality discussion, not to mention the Left Behind videogame and spyware; and Melissa asking for actual examples of the left-wing equivalent of some (in)famous far-right loonies in her latest warning against false equivalency. Colleen Doran on how being a comic book artist is not the suckiest job in the world. If you're a woman who likes science fiction and fantasy, you may wish to submit (by June 29th) to the first Carnival of Feminist Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fans, hosted by the always-wonderful Ragnell on July 2nd. I'm hoping to do so if only to show Ragnell that I can too post essays here. :) Digby is resigning from the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy, which will probably sadden Justin who, as far as I know, is the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy. As I mentioned, I don't much care about this latest inside-baseball bloggy fracas, as I never get invited to the cool kids' parties anyway, with one major exception. Barista is out of the hospital, and I'm very, very glad he's still with us. Okay, that's it, I've "finished the internet" and Bloglines hasn't restarted its feeds on all the blogs that are still marked with errors, so it's well past time to finish up those DCU comics and hit the sack...
Liberal Coalition Top TenWeek of 6/18 thru 6/23/06Damn, two weeks in a row that a Liberal Coalition member has unexpectedly lost their mom. My deepest condolences go out to Jane Hamsher and her family on the loss of her mother Greta. I found out a little bit late via other blogs because Firedoglake's RSS feed hasn't worked in about two weeks (if I can't read an RSS feed I usually can't keep up with a blog). In fact, Bloglines has exclamation points (indicating feed errors) next to lots and lots of blogs this weekend. On the one hand I'm grateful because it means I've finally caught up with my blog reading (as well as much of my away-from-keyboard comics reading; I'm up to the last of the Superman titles in my alphabetical plow-through of our DC comp boxes); on the other hand I'm sure I'll have lots of catch-up to do as the new work week begins. Here's what caught my eye from LC member blogs this past week: • Amy celebrated her third blogiversary. I can't believe my fourth is coming up in a few months... • Bora has instituted Friday Weird Sex Blogging, which ought to be about as fun as when birds do it, bees do it PZ Myers does it; and reports on his friend Kevin's surveying adventures in China. • Echidne reports on her recent trip to the estrogen plateau in Wingnuttia, muses on community building in the blogosphere, and tries to break down the latest kerfuffle between insular right-wing bloggers and insular left-wing bloggers. Given that a private mailing list can often be antithetical to a feeling of community, my only reaction to this whole flap is to recall the first rule of private mailing lists, which is that you don't talk about private mailing lists. (But if you're really into this inside-baseball type stuff, Steve Gilliard is involved in the controversy as well.) • Kathy is going to graduate classes more or less in my neighborhood! Okay, a half hour bus ride away, but I swear I can still feel her presence... • Keith updates us on the latest rumble between science (Stephen Hawking) and religion (the Pope). Ho'od win? • Kenneth gives some excellent advice on how to increase blog readership and carve yourself a worthy niche in this big ol' tent - blog about local politics. • Michael gives us a helpful and horrifying translation of a current GOP propagandistic talking point. And Mustang Bobby bids us beware every time the propagandists point their fingers at "some" people. • Rivka reminds us about the dangerous and humiliating jobs that many Americans no longer do. • Scrutiny Hooligans are the best kind of hooligans, except maybe for the Hamburg Umsonst (I wonder if they're operating during the World Cup?). This kind of superhero stuff is right up Heidi's alley, so I expect it's only a matter of time before The Beat returns from Charlotte and investigates. Screwy also reinterprets the Pledge of Allegiance. • Lastly, as you might expect, Trish has been following the Darren Mack case. Less than 150 new posts showing up on Bloglines, then back to finish up my DCU reading and onto Vertigo and Wildstorm...
Silly Site o' the DayWell, that was a boring ol' game, wasn't it? England one-nil on Beckham's admittedly-pretty free kick, after which he had the dry heaves because someone (Rooney?) must have told him it would be a good idea to change into a long-sleeved jersey in 90ยบ+ heat. My man Gerrard did a whole lot of bupkis, Crouch didn't even play, and they didn't bring in the terrific terrier Lennon (seriously, notice how he comes in and just starts nipping at everyone's heels and suddenly the game becomes interesting to watch?) until the last few minutes as a sub for Beckham so there was nobody on the pitch with whom he could volley. I mean, really. Not that I have an opinion. Well, I do, but not about football. I have another generator, and even though it's based on a stereotype I've decided to use it for good instead of evil.  See, Desi likes to use these generators I find (and the Confucius one is, as usual, via the Generator Blog) at her site to ask Atrios to blogroll her. So I'm kind of joining in the campaign...
Silly Site o' the Day Less than an hour until Stage 2 of the World Cup begins. England plays tomorrow and Brazil doesn't play again until Tuesday, but there's no reason I can't get geared up anyway. Via my old friend Sean Haugh (and later found by the Generator Blog), if you played for Brazil, what would your name be? I chose #23 (Sean knows why) and I'm "Rito Da Costa." I love Robin's generated name - at #10, he's "Robildo." I'm going to keep calling him that whilst we watch the game. Meanwhile in England, via the Improbable Research blog, " Monkey gangs steal England flags." Apparently the baboons at Knowsley Safari Park in Merseyside usually swipe windshield (windscreen) wipers, but maybe park officials have had the telly on too long and they've become football fans recently...
Friday Cat Blogging (™ Kevin Drum)Datsa, meet Fluffy Jr.!  FJ, for anyone wondering, was my gift from Kate after we went to see her show Adrenaline. Perhaps someday soon I'll have enough energy to blog about it.
Soliciting Stuff from EndtimersApparently the website www.endtimerspleasegivemeyourstuff.com is not yet taken. I am considering purchasing it for the express purpose of putting up a page inviting all those who believe The End is Near and they are to be magically subsumed up into heaven within their very own lifetimes, whilst the rest of us are damned to be Left Behind here on reality-based Earth, to please give me their stuff. After all, they can't leave their stuff to their families, as one presumes their families will be swept up with them. Now mind you, I don't want pets or anything that requires high maintenance (although that topic's been covered by the kooky endtimes leaders anyway). Just stuff. You know, valuable worldly possessions. Money is good. Sooner rather than later. I promise I'll take good care of it, while I'm down here being "damned" to reality.
Silly Site o' the Day
Presenting: A guy in a chicken suit doing motorcycle stunts. Let me repeat that. A guy. In a chicken suit. Doing motorcycle stunts. Huckin' Chicken. Blame Hanan Levin, whose name sounds suspiciously like Huckin' Chicken but I'm pretty sure he's not the one in the chicken suit.
Silly Site o' the DayAhh, my first day this week without someone camping out in my office - feels good! Don't know how much I'll catch up on the ridiculous number of unread blog posts currently sitting in my Bloglines subscriptions, but at least I feel marginally better than I did yesterday, thanks in large measure to a wonderful dream I had wherein I was hired by some nebulous corporation to work for a smart, friendly executive in her '60s who introduced me 'round to all the other friendly people who welcomed me enthusiastically and smiled with me as I anticipated giving my two weeks' notice at my present job and offered me free tea and let me make copies on this great photocopier with a faux-wooden frame. I woke up wanting a faux-wooden-framed photocopier. Anyway, reading Augie's glee at the possibility of a Black Adder movie reminded me of this amusing little video segment about Safe Sex, via my "neighbor" Keith DeCandido.
Silly Site o' the DayNot feeling terribly silly today. Nothing fits right, nothing feels right. I'm bloated, itchy, uncomfortable in my own skin. I'm uncomfortable (more so than usual) at work as well, having to do more "servant stuff" involving personal matters for my boss' family that I'd rather not even need to know about. Plus, it's another cement "pouring day" for the construction going on next to our building's parking lot, so I had to cover the car again this morning so the wind doesn't splatter any cement on it, on a day when I can hardly move. I just looked out the window and there's a trailer loaded with huge steel girders sitting in the middle of our lot, rendering drive-through traffic impossible. All in all, I wish I'd stayed in bed; I hope this situation breaks soon.  Yet another highway sign generator via the Generator Blog.
Silly Site o' the DayA quiet day so far, after yesterday's dictation marathon, but the afternoon promises to be more hectic so I'm not sure how much blog-reading I'll get through, let alone blog-posting. Ragnell noted about me that "She mostly links, gives valuable information to the non-geeky world (the one I shun voluntarily), and links some more and sometimes there's pictures," but there's more to me than that, honestly. Some of you who've been here awhile remember that I've been known to do actual essays on comics, politics, feminism, New York, sushi, anything else that strikes my fancy at the moment. But I feel so overwhelmed and out of touch lately that I haven't done much more than linky-love and blogarounds. I'm actually the same kind of person Ragnell describes herself as being, someone who makes connections and is into lots of different things but few to the point of obsession. So maybe it takes more obsession than I can summon up to blog consistently and at length and keep people interested. I don't know what the answer is at this point. I do need to focus more on my writing. So I'm looking at this slow-posting period as a temporary slump in my batting average, and I'll try to do better even though nobody's keeping score but me. In the meantime, at least I can still egosurf (via Christopher at After School Snack), and be happy with the 8927 ego points that I have.
Silly Site o' the DayWe had a lovely evening out last night, going to see Kate's comedy show and having dinner with her and a bunch of friends afterwards. Got back from Manhattan near midnight, had some amazingly vivid dreams that made sense whilst sleeping but had all but vanished when I awoke, dragged myself to work this morning, had maybe an hour to mostly delete spam from my boss' various email accounts and do a bit of phone interview screening for his wife, then spent the rest of the day taking dictation for his wife's brother. I can't even see straight enough to talk about Kate's show, much less blog properly. I feel like I'm seeing fractal animations (via Hanan) everywhere. Away from keyboard till the morrow, methinks...
Liberal Coalition Top TenWeek of 6/11 thru 6/17/06I'm sorry to begin this weekly roundup with some sad news, but all heartfelt condolences go out to Liberal Coalition "leader" NTodd Pritsky on the loss of his mother. This post is indicative of the strength of NTodd's character, it's achingly beautiful. I hope his writing and inspiration will continue to be a part of the blogosphere for many more years (it's been three so far). • I know she didn't ask for any, but Andante could probably use any financial support you can muster if you have any disposable income, as she undergoes her eye surgery and tries to pay for it. • Bora/Coturnix is excited about The Five Fists of Science, which I still haven't finished as I read it as it's my current choice for reading whilst on the stationary bike, and I haven't been on the bike in a few days due to severe body aches... He also found an interesting article on the science of the ball being used at this year's World Cup. • Echidne finds some more damning evidence on Karl Zinsmeister, which makes my mind boggle even more that he's an award-nominated comic book writer... • Although Athenae isn't the First Draft member who's an LC participant, I still liked her posts about Mary Gardner and how our social discourse has been coarsened even more. • Kathy also talks about the national dialogue, noting the actual difference between patriotism and nationalism/jingoism, something that used to be implicitly understood. I was also amused by her "Brangelina" comment. • Is it a sign of the impending apocalypse that Kenneth actually agrees with the President, or is there more here than meets the eye? • Leah celebrates our local poet laureate. I tell ya, people, there's something about being in da Bronx... Leah also talks about last week's Friday surprise. Fridays in the summertime are killers because so many places close early, so that leaves even more time for the administration and its lackeys to perform their underhanded machinations without too many citizens finding out about them. • Michael's moving (in real life, not his blog address) and seems to be coping fairly well with it. • Mike reminds us that Dennis Kucinich is still fighting the good fight. • Congrats again to Mustang Bobby's friend John at winning the Tony, and happy belated 58th wedding anniversary to MB's parents! • Norbizness sneers at some album liner notes, but I remember that Marie Osmond one and it was fairly appropriate for the demographic likeliest to buy that album, which my best friend was at the time. Norbizness has obviously never been a teenaged girl. • Rivka's back! Hoorah! I've restored her to the Liberal Coalition blogroll on the sidebar. • The Scrutiny Hooligans remember Flag Day, and don't like our President defacing our national symbol, both physically and via his policies. • Steve finds some topics the public cannot edit in Wikipedia, relates a bizarre Jenna Elfman Scientology-related story, and has a terrific post about the war in Iraq that's actually 100% his own words, no extensive copy-pasting from other sources at all! • Trish says things are getting better financially for her and the Count with lots of irons in the fire, and takes aim at my old friend Dawn Eden who I still can't believe seems to have changed so much from our old INSIDE JOKE days when "Eden" was a pen name that simply sounded better than "Goldstein." Oh goodness, another World Cup game has been underway for a half hour by now, time to go watch it...
Silly Site o' the DayLots of milestones to report, as it's not only the 64th birthday of the "When I'm Sixty-Four" man himself, but the birthdays of lettering goddess Pat Prentice and "comicdom superstar" Alan Davis, the latter of whom, rumor has it, has reached the half-century mark. Happy birthdays, Pat and Alan! Also a very happy anniversary to Alan and Heather. Of course, it's also Father's Day, and I'd like to wish a happy day to both my Dads, Alex Wechsler and Fred Riggs. The thing that all men have in common is the subject of today's Silly Site,via the Generator Blog.
Lizard Brain Nation
It's somewhat facile to compare international sports competition to geopolitics, but sometimes it can't be helped, particularly when egged on by overly jingoistic, biased announcers. The main achievement of the US soccer football team in today's World Cup game was to drag the Italian team down to their level of unprofessionalism and violence (thereby eking out a draw thanks to an Italian own-goal), when the Italians aren't by nature a lizard-brained team. Almost none of the clubs are. But under the current administration we're now the Lizard Brain Nation, where the TV sports presenters conflate physicality with violence (every football game is physical, but the sport isn't meant to be violent) and it's all in how much one can get away with before being called on unsportsmanlike conduct by the referees - at which point their entire story becomes how it's the ref's fault for catching the player cheating. Sound familiar? I mean, Abu Ghraib and Haditha and Gitmo and Enron and all of it would be just fine if citizens and government watchdogs would just stop doing their job and let the people in power continue getting away with cheating! It's obviously everyone's fault but "ours." How utterly immature. This mentality belongs in a sandbox, not a football field. And certainly not in the halls of government.
Silly Site o' the DayGhana? GHANA?! I have my own theory, involving clandestine payoffs and why that Ghanian player was waving the Israeli flag, but I'll keep them to myself... now on to Italy trouncing the US and still not mathematically eliminating them, which is just so wrong. Should be tasty!
Friday Cat Blogging (™ Kevin Drum)A last look at Datsa before heading off to my first local Drinking Liberally gathering.  "What? You're going out? You're leaving me? Oh, bummer... hmm, well, this chair is nice and comfy... see you later!"
Dem's Good Reads, Friday 16 June 2006 EditionI never did get to add to Wednesday's linky-love, and things just got away from me and now so many other people are linking to stuff I liked that some of this may be redundant, but oh well: • Bibi of Bibi's Box has just launched a new blog all about the dodo and its influence on modern culture. • Girl Wonder (see spiffy new button on sidebar) has launched at least a couple tasty new blogs - Karen Healey's Girls Read Comics (And They're Pissed), which is so good I've already put it on the sidebar (I love her first post!); and Dr. Steven Dann's Designated Sidekick, which also has a killer opening post. • Via Michael at Blog of a Bookslut, Google has a new tool in its book section where you can search the complete works of Shakespeare. Much easier to read (and lighter!) than the teeny tiny type in my actual bound book at home! And Xan at CorrenteWire notes that Google also has a US Government search tool. • Billmon finds certain claims baseless. I persist in believing that establishing a permanent American foothold in Iraq and fears over the petro-euro supplanting the petrodollar are the two main reasons we're actually there. • A couple of commemmorations this past week, as Bryan salutes the Magna Carta (signed 15 June 1215; I wonder if there will be a grand celebration in 9 years on its 800th anniversary) and Bibi finds what I would have used as my Silly Site today (Bloomsday) had I seen it earlier, Ulysses for Dummies. • A few bits of brilliance from Lance Mannion, reacting to the shrill viper's latest bites - it doesn't matter if she believes what she says, as it's all in service of self-amusement; taking a look at the god-ed ones; and ruminating on religion's purpose in general. Avedon has an interesting analysis about the viper's MO as well. • Jill at Feministe wonders why some left-leaning bloggers are so super-sensitive about being called on bigoted language, while her co-blogger Zuzu points to some Hitler cats. (Definitely the fourth one, it has the faux-combover thing going too.) • Woo-hoo, Fafblog's back!, and has a hilarious and brilliant post about how 6/10 changed everything. • Peter David has the answer to the burning question "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm Sixty Four?" More to come, possibly. At least 500 posts yet to read in News+Views Gals, and at least 700 each for the Guys and Groups...
Silly Site o' the DayActual Friday Cat Blogging will come later, but I wanted to alert everyone (via Adorablog) about tonight's premiere of Meow Mix House on Animal Planet. Yeah, I'm cringing a bit as well, I don't care for what having a corporation/product name as the title of a show says about the hyper-capitalism of modern America, but it sounds like a very amusing take-off on reality shows. And they have webcams where you can watch the cats in question, well, pretty much sleeping or walking around.
Silly Site o' the DayThe next England match (against Trinidad & Tobago) starts in a little under an hour, and I'm psyched, but unfortunately not techie-geeky enough to figure out the telnet specs needed to work this ingenius little Live ASCII World Cup broadcast (via Augie)...
Social Notes and Blogger Meetups Still no nibbles from any prospective employers in New York City, so my social life remains curtailed. It's probably just as well - I generally shy away from being outside nowadays, as I attempt to hermitically-seal myself in during the four seasons of winter hibernation, allergies, air conditioning, and more allergies. The next few days are slated to be AC weather, so I'll probably miss the special Drinking Liberally event tomorrow evening in Manhattan featuring Glenn Greenwald (I somehow doubt Glenn will be coming up to the West Bronx DL any time soon - heck, I haven't even made it to my neighborhood DL yet!), as I can't justify schlepping back home from work then into the city on weeknights, and I'm not going to leave my car in New Rochelle for the entire evening. And the heat and lack of funds will keep me away from the Clearwater festival this weekend (wow, $45 a person!), which is disappointing because I'll be missing the real Seeger Sessions on Saturday, but at least I can listen to the radio broadcast. On the other hand, an inexpensive weekend evening in Manhattan is eminently doable, and ever since we failed to hook up in England with Cruella aka Kate Smurthwaite I've felt a twinge of regret. So imagine my delight when Kate wrote to tell me she'll be doing her one-woman comedy show Adrenaline this Sunday, June 18 at Rififi in the East Village. A bit of a pain for me to get to, involving a bus, at least two subways and probably my walking stick, but it's only $5 and I thought it might be a good excuse for a blogger dinner afterwards, as the East Village (at least as I recall it from the 14 years I worked there) has lots of good inexpensive restaurants. I mentioned to Kate that Sunday is Father's Day, and she responded "tell folks to bring their dads along. i'll be busy advertising, etc before the show but planning on staying either in the place itself or very nearby afterwards. i will of course have a hefty props bag in tow and possibly a few other mates i have in NY but would be great to meet some bloggers and fantastic to have people along to the show." Please consider taking in what sounds like a terrific comedy show and meeting one of the best feminist bloggers around!
Bad World Cup Pun of the Day
Dem's Good ReadsLots more bloggy catch-up to go - in fact, miles to go before I sleep - but I'm going to start this linky-love now and maybe add to it as I go through my reading. • Fan fiction is, coincidentally, discussed today by both Gail Simone and Ragnell. • Heidi looks at tragedy marketing or, as she puts it, trauma food. • Meg from Cute Overload reports on the 10th annual Webby awards. More, as they say, to come (I think... maybe... possibly).
Silly Site o' the DayWow, the day's just getting away from me again. Here's another giggle via Eszter called the Impersonals. I'm guessing it's for real, but tends to feature personal ads from people who are so cynical or wacky that I'd imagine they wouldn't lack for actual real-life company and are probably doing this for a goof. Hey, it could be worse, it could be The Aristocrats...
Ask A Comics Geek!Because there's really no excuse not to. We're crawling all over the internet, you know. If you're confused about a comics-related headline that you've seen in your local mainstream media, tons of people familiar with what goes on behind the scenes, or even folks who've just kept up with current continuity, can fill you in. And we don't bite! Well, not all of us, at any rate. So go on, ask! Okay Comics Geek, what's all this about a "Buxom! Lipstick! Lesbian!" Batgirl?Don't worry about it. It's not Batgirl. The current Batgirl - well, that's a bit complicated, but if you care, the best place to read about original Batgirl Barbara Gordon and her legacy is the DC monthly title Birds of Prey, and I'm not just saying that because my husband is a regular artist on the book. I'm also saying it because it's written by Gail Simone, a long-time online buddy and a writer with great respect for female characters ever since her Women in Refrigerators days. Women in Refrigerators, Comics Geek? I don't think I like the sound of that.I don't blame you. Long story, best told by Ragnell. [ Update: Thanks for name-checking me in your swell SBC interview, Ragnell!] The point is, the buxom lipstick lesbian - the phrase isn't DC's but comes from a NY Times article about diversity in comics - isn't Batgirl, it's Bat woman, a resurrected character from a few decades back (the major companies need to re-establish their trademarks periodically or they lose them) called Kathy Kane (rechristened "Kate" for some unfathomable reason). She will be reintroduced, word has it, in the weekly title 52, where it will be revealed that she has a "past" with policewoman Renee Montoya, then go on to star in her own eponymous title-- Hang on, so this Montoya character's suddenly gay as well? I think I remember her from a Batman cartoon...Yeah, same character, different continuity (i.e., what happens in the cartoons doesn't necessarily happen in the comics and veesee versey). And Renee isn't suddenly gay, her sexuality was a fairly major subplot in the now-cancelled police procedural DC title Gotham Central. Where it was, you know, no big deal outside of the story pages. But it would be a big deal if Superman were gay, Comics Geek, wouldn't it? I keep hearing rumors that he is.Um, no. Being a gay icon is not the same thing as being a gay character. Lots of characters can be considered gay icons without actually being portrayed as gay, particularly if they're drawn by artists who happen to draw attractive men (as well as buxom lipstick lesbians attractive women), because mainstream superhero comics never, ever assume a female gaze, so if any attractive male character must also default to the male gaze, he is seen as a gay icon. Whatever. So what's all this I hear about Wonder Woman retiring? Can they do that?I don't think so, as I believe the Marston estate still has a perpetual agreement stating that the title has to remain in continuous print or the trademark reverts to them. What's being done in the book now, according to this article that interviewed new WW writer Allan Heinberg (via Jessica at Feministing), is that the WW mantle will be taken up by someone else, probably temporarily, the same way the Superman and Batman identities were for awhile. I don't think I'm being overly cynical in opining that sooner or later Diana of Themiscyra will once again be WW. Okay, last question - that Birds of Prey comic you mentioned above, is that like the TV show? Where can I get it?Thankfully no, the comic is way better than the short-lived TV show of the same name, which I believe broke one of the cardinal rules in transferring comic book stories to other media - you don't mess with the essential premise, which is what makes the comic popular in the first place. As to where you can find BoP and other titles, you can buy them at comic book shops either in person (use this handy comic shop locator service to find one near you) or online ( here's the shop I use for both in-person and mail order stuff).
Silly Site o' the DayAlas, Karl Rove still stalks the earth, walking rather than frog-marching. I wouldn't be surprised if right now he's kicking back enjoying a tall frosty can of Ol' Glory (via David at BoingBoing).
Belated Mother's Day or Early Father's DayTake your pick, that's what we celebrated with my parents this past Saturday.  No, Dad doesn't have a Playstation, it's some sort of multiple-casino-games TV-based thingie. I can't remember who the portrait is of, I think it's my great-grandmother.  Mom spent way too much time in the kitchen futzing with flatware and plates and such.  Both my parents have fairly green thumbs. Alas, that genetic trait was not passed on, so Robin's taking care of the coleus plants they gave us. They also mentioned they hadn't seen my England photos, so I thought I'd gather them all in one post again so they don't have to go searching. Okay Mom and Dad, each line of underlined text below these instructions is a link. Here's what you need to do: • Click on any line, and it will take you to a post of mine containing photos from England. • When you're done looking at and reading each post, click the sentence at the very bottom of the page that says "Back to the Main Pen-Elayne!" and you'll be taken back to this window. • Click on another line, and so on. Ready? Okay, here we go! Food and Drink on HolidayFor The BirdsBeautiful BristolOur Day in LondonThe Last of the England '06 Photos, Part 1The Last of the England '06 Photos, Part 2The weather for the 2+ hour drive down to south Jersey and back up couldn't have been better, even though I was pretty stiff afterwards. All in all, a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon in June!
L'Chaim to Remaining FriendsEighteen years ago (that's "life" in Hebrew) today, I got married for the first time. Although Steve and I parted and we've both since remarried, I'm very happy to say that we're still friends (as we were before the marriage) and his blog remains on my Top Six list.
Another Comics-Politics Connection
Silly Site o' the DayEven though I slept for much of yesterday, our night was broken up quite a few times by Datsa, so I forgot to pack my heart and blood pressure pills this morning. I feel like my whole routine has been thrown off as a result. My brain isn't quite working. I can't even think of anything to draw using this Octopuzzle (via Eszter)...
Silly Site o' the DayI am neither at the MoCCA art festival nor at YearlyKos this weekend. Being older and tired and underfunded often means having no social life. I never had any intention of hobnobbing with the A-list political bloggers in the desert in June, but I did want to go to MoCCA as I miss my comic industry friends, most of whom I haven't seen since my job moved out of Manhattan. But I went back to bed and slept most of the morning and I'm not moving around very well and besides, I live about an hour and a half away from the Puck Building and that's only if I made all my bus and subway connections which is unlikely on a Sunday. So I'm spending the afternoon reading blogs and comics and vicariously experiencing a life of activism or creativity rather than actually living it. Sometimes I feel like I'm just clicking buttons (via Eva).
Liberal Coalition Top TenWeek of 6/4 thru 6/10/06As long as Datsa's woken me up at 5 AM, I might as well do my roundup of my fellow Liberal Coalition members' posts of interest. Between the early rising and the muscle aches from four hours of driving yesterday, the MoCCA fest seems unlikely today, as I'll most certainly need to get some rest. • Just another reminder that Bora Zivkovic aka Coturnix is now one of the Science Blogs with his new one Blog Around the Clock; please adjust your LC bookmarks accordingly! • Echidne of the Snakes has been a busy goddess, holding an intervention for fellow immortal Nemesis, reading up on what the big kids are saying about other big kids, discussing the amazingly passive-voiced Newsweek retraction, and debunking a few superstitions. • John at archy also wonders why our country is so backwards when it comes to having a female head of state. • Kathy at Liberty Street wonders if the papers of record aren't using biographies of the supposedly-late scumbag Zarqawi to again boost the US presence in Iraq, and details a talk by Cindy Sheehan in Montclair. • Kenneth at T. Rex decries a Florida (aka Jeb Bush) decision to view history as not constructed, for the first time in history. • Congratulations to Michael at Musing's Musings for making it into the Jeopardy! contestant pool! • Mustang Bobby at Bark Bark Woof Woof has discovered CNN imitating SNL. • Natalie of All Facts and Opinions remembers Billy Preston and Dr. Fritz Klein. • Steve at The News Blog discusses school daze. • Norbizness at Happy Furry Puppy Story Time celebrates Texas and its most recent Republican convention. • NTodd at Dohiyi Mir finally hit his "magic number" of 419,067th site visits. According to my SiteMeter, which I installed about 9 or 10 months after I started Pen-Elayne, I don't even have 171,000 total site visits yet, and in September I'll be celebrating my fourth blogiversary. So I wish NTodd would shut up. :) • Lastly, congratulations to Trish the Countess and her Count on the graduation of the Royal Spawn! Alas, no spawns here. Nothin' but kitties. Kitties who wake me up at 5 AM. It's now a little after 6, and Datsa wants feeding. He ain't gettin' it until at least 7. Life's just that rough for kitties.
LockstepSo I get an emailed press release from Patrick Rule, the webmeister of Don't Drive on Sunday, and I responded that, while I always think curtailing unnecessary driving is a sound idea, I wouldn't be so naive as to presume the oilmen running this country give two shits whether even a majority of the citizenry decided not to drive their cars once a week. As I mentioned yesterday, they're far more concerned with oil-producing countries linking their products to the euro instead of the dollar. They have never paid and will never pay attention to ordinary citizen action, whether it's gas station boycotts or rallies in the hundreds of thousands. They just don't care, and it doesn't really affect them. It's one of those things designed to make us feel better about ourselves, pat ourselves on the back for being good citizens. Like blogging about politics. As Patrick said, "all of our freedoms are being stripped away one by one, and no one seems to be doing anything about it. And what a better way to get Americans to do something about our ongoing crisis, than to ask them to do nothing?" Because when the politicians see that we're doing nothing, they're sure to, um, er... But what I found more interesting was Patrick's subsequent email replying to mine, wherein he admitted that "I was a bit taken aback by your comments. It was more typical of the hate mail I've been getting from the Conservative Christians just because I picked Sunday." And it got me to thinking once again about the amount of self-restraint I often employ in this blog due to many of my fellow travelers' insistence on believing that their ideas and methods must obviously be shared by everyone else who claims to be of the same political bent. For instance, I can't recall how many anti-public-nudity posts I've never made because I figured they'd be taken the wrong way by people insistent on arguing against what they thought I meant rather than what I actually said; it's just not worth it if I want to maintain friendships with other lefty bloggers, and I do. It just saddens me sometimes how many folks expect others to march in lockstep with every single one of their notions just because we're all liberals or progressives. It's the kind of mentality I'm used to seeing from the right side of the political divide.
Silly Site o' the DayHalf an hour to the first England match, so between that and traveling down to southern NJ to visit my parents I'll be away from keyboard for most of the day. Via Susie, because Scott McCloud doesn't seem to have an RSS feed, it's the harrowing story of A Bucket Full o' Kittens. Flip the bucket? Underneath it, "Peace on Earth," was all it said.
Friday Cat Blogging (™ Kevin Drum)
Maintenance Notes and Linky LoveHeck with "finishing the internet" (aka, getting through all my blog reading); if I don't do this now it'll only keep building up. Unfortunately an error message which closed all my browser windows means about half the links I'd already written about then checked off (many of which were very good posts in reaction to the Robert Kennedy piece in Rolling Stone about the 2004 election) have gone bye-byes. Ah well, that's one way to get through my tagged bookmarks (*sigh*). Onward I press anyway: • A number of science bloggers are sowing new SEEDs. Liberal Coalition member Bora Zivkovic aka Coturnix has decided to shut down Circadiana (retaining its archives), refocus Science and Politics (to which he'll still post but more infrequently) and open up A Blog Around the Clock, which has become my official link for him on the Liberal Coalition section of my blogroll. I don't recognize most of the other names but they have a combined feed if you want to spend lots and lots of time reading science blogs. • Gail Simone has a blog! It's called Bloodstains on the Looking Glass. How could I not add to my blogroll this wonderful friend who just happens to write the book that my husband is inking? I especially liked her two posts on The Best Advice Ever About Writing and The Best Writing Tips I Ever Got. • Also, Newsarama has a blog, doo dah, doo dah. Lots of talented folks involved, including Kevin Melrose and Graeme McMillan, and at least one female blogger at last count! I've added them to my Group Blogs section. • And Robin just informed me that Marvel has some blogs as well. Here's their main link; I'm still in the process of seeing if their RSS feeds work and which if any I want to follow before I add anything to my blogroll. • Michael Netzer is back from his latest sojourn in the Israeli desert and has restarted his blog as Rabble-Rouser, throwing full-force into the ring his opinions on the Taki Soma/Charles Brownstein incident (at least a half dozen posts so far, keep scrolling down). Michael promises via email that he'll soon get to blogging about his desert experiences. • Before she went off to Vegas (in June! even my parents, who live there half the year, are back in Jersey now) to party with the "cool kids" at YearlyKos, Barbara O'Brien had written a couple of posts about religion at Glenn Greenwald's blog, and was surprised at the vitriol she received, so she decided to analyze it. Quitre a bit came from people who were reading into her posts what they expected she meant rather than what she actually said. • However, as expected, fellow YK attendee PZ Myers begs to differ on the point of why religion, all religion, shouldn't be despised. "Faith is a hole in your brain," he insists, echoing George Seaton's line from Miracle on 34th Street "Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to." Sayeth Dr. M, When the core of the institution is an acceptance of irrational, the ones who will climb to the top are those most able to exploit the delusions of the masses, or who are most earnest and unhesitating in their endorsement of foolishness. This is what religion does best: build a hierarchy of clowns and tyrants on the wishful thinking of the innocent. Why should we want that to be a model for a democratic political system?
Which in turn conjures up for me Peter Stone's line in 1776 that "most men without property would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich than face the reality of being poor." Why am I always thinking in movie quotes? • Speaking of which, Colleen Doran notes that message boards are still hotbeds of useless argument and debate, rather than harbingers of actual communication. I think blogs may suffer from this as well, but to a lesser extent since the debating is usually confined to comments sections. • Mark Evanier has a great anecdote about a candy called Idaho Spud. • Piny at Feministe talks some more about politics and comedy, specifically satirizing misogyny. • David Byrne misses album cover art. I do too, although I'd have posted different examples than he does, like the Talking Heads album cover that never was. Interestingly, Talking Heads had a "tradition of antagonism with their record company" over album covers. • Scott at World o' Crap found out what happened to all those icons and landmarks that don't seem to be in New York City any more, according to the Department of Homeland's Security "you don't need all this money" allotment. • Natalie is cycling Hadrian's Wall! Here's Day 1 and Day 2 of her journey. I'm perfectly content to use my stationary bike... • Can there be too much noise in the world? Astarte is frustrated with the great unwashed on and around city buses (tell me about it; when my car was in the shop, I was often overwhelmed by the noise level on the rush hour Bx9) and Patrick has little patience for poets and pundits on public transit. And rural areas aren't as exempt as you might think - Chris Clarke has barn owl issues. And Bryan just wants his cat to be a bit quieter in the wee hours; speaking as someone woken up this morning at 4, then again every hour until 7, I heartily agree. • The Editors at The Poor Man has put his finger on the snooze button of why some people persist in living in their dream worlds. • Amanda at Pandagon examines the truthiness of the Newsweek disinformation article about women of a certain age having a greater chance of being terrorist victims than finding husbands. • Becky at Preemptive Karma talks about irrational hatred towards countries now trading in petro-euros instead of petro-dollars. When we were in England, Mr. Sideshow cited this as a major reason for the invasion of Iraq. • Shakespeare's Sister thinks the Dominionists are stepping up the violence as they see their political power start to erode, as well as asking (re: the now defeated gay marriage ban nonsense), what about love? And for that matter, what about common sense when facing up to the atrocities of the war in Iraq? Should Chris Albritton's impassioned defense of reporter Ellen Knickmeyer and other journalists doing a dangerous job to bring us the truth even be needed? • If you haven't seen it yet, do give John Rogers' musings on the term "chickenhawk" a perusal. • Lastly, Hugo Schwyzer speaks about Our Kind of People (OKOP) and NOKOP. Anyone still there? Oh, good. Cat blogging is next! Damn, I'm still reeling from the last episode of Dr. Who, what a delightful Mary Sue-ish wetdream that was...
Just So's Ya Know...The NY Times has a World Cup blog. (Via Tom Spurgeon.) I won't be adding it to my regular reading list, but I'm all set to do some more work on the sidebar when I get home tonight (Blogger's been spotty enough of late that I don't want to risk them inadvertently wiping out my template without my home-based backup) and will duly report all the maintenance notes as I get to them - a few new folks to add, some address changes, that sort of thing. I'm still saving up bookmarks so I can do a link dump, but I want to get through the last couple weeks' worth of blogs first (stuff keeps distracting me!), so with any luck that linky love will come your way before I take off for my parents' house mid-morning tomorrow. (If anyone wants to meet me at MoCCA, drop me an email as I plan to attend on Sunday.)
The Cynic In Me...
...can't resist engaging in a little imaginary internal conversation... President/VP/Whoever's Really in Charge: Damn, the gay marriage thing didn't work! People are starting to pay attention! We can't keep counting on paperless elections to save our asses. Come on, what else we got?
Shadowy Advisors/As-Yet-Unindicted Co-conspirators: Well, there's always the War on Terror.
PVPWRiC: No no, that backfired on us again last week when the money allotments got leaked, I mean reported... come on, think...
SAAYUC: Okay, how about-- hey, how about we kill someone? Someone big? Someone we could have killed before but we've been saving up for just such an occasion?
PVPWRiC: Yes! Do it! But make it look like an accident.
After all, never ascribe to malice what you can put down to sheer incompetence and dumb luck.
I wish my internal dialogue would shut up sometimes.
Link dump on the way. Just have to catch up a little bit more...
Silly Site o' the DayGah, another icky rainy day to make my current data-entry project just that more mind-numbing. Oh well, at least the car got a good exterior wash out of all this. Oh well, I suppose it could be worse, I could be in Vegas this weekend. Yeah right, Vegas in the summer, who thinks up these things? Certainly not squirrels. Squirrels know enough to hide from the heat or the rain. And take pictures. Betcha didn't know squirrels were good at that. Well, here's proof of Photographing Squirrels. Via Meg at Cute Overload.
Silly Site o' the DayRobin and I have been gearing up for the World Cup, watching FSC's All About Germany series (okay, one episode last night, all about Stuttgart), which was fun except for the techno music that kept me thinking, "Now is the time on Sprockets when we dance..." So, being in a rather Teutonic mood, I got a kick out of this YouTube video (via Karen) featuring the pilot inside Bush's brain. I think the fact that it's in German is fitting, as I believe Bush's Brain is of Germanic origin.
Quote of the DayAnd when you enter the work force, you will find competition from those crossing our all-too-porous borders. Now I know you're all going to say, "Stephen, Stephen, immigrants built America." Yes, but here's the thing -- it's built now. I think it was finished in the mid-70s sometime. At this point it's a touch-up and repair job. But thankfully Congress is acting and soon English will be the official language of America. Because if we surrender the national anthem to Spanish, the next thing you know, they'll be translating the Bible. God wrote it in English for a reason! So it could be taught in our public schools.
Cheap and Easy "Drama"Ragnell has her work cut out for her. She's decided to compile a thorough listing, with references, of all of the female superhero characters from DC and Marvel whose writers have given them either explicit or implied instances of sexual assault. When it's completed, this "Depressing List" may render Gail Simone's noted Women in Refrigerators site almost lighthearted in tone. While the subject of sexual assault certainly deserves serious consideration, when just about every single superheroine is retconned so that it's part of her past, it ceases to lose its dramatic punch or point; it's just lazy, exploitive, bad writing. Not to mention it doesn't speak well of a character when being assaulted is her motivation for becoming heroic - can't any heroes be written any more as wanting to pass along the benefits of their happy childhoods by helping others? I refuse to believe that comic book writers are so unimaginative as to assume altruism only ever comes out of personal tragedy, especially for female characters.
Dude, You're Getting Classified!
Silly Site o' the DayWell, so much for bloggie catch-up. Our internet and email was down all morning, and our offsite IT person had to come onsite and fix things, which he did by about 2 PM, at which point we all scambled to take care of business that we couldn't do in the morning. On the bright side, now that the morning stuff is all taken care of it's past 4:30, so only a half hour before I'm out of here! Plus, I got to be pretty good at Freecell. I'd probably suck at a five-dimensional Rubik's Cube, though (via Mark at BoingBoing).
Liberal Coalition Top TenWeek of 5/28 thru 6/3/06A couple things to note among my fellow Liberal Coalition members first, followed of course by a short compilation of posts that caught my eye from this past week: • A happy belated birthday to Norbizness' dad (love the pictures) and happy belated ninth wedding anniversary to upyernoz and mrs. noz! And a get-well-soon to Horatio at Dodecahedron, who's broken his arm and his toes in separate incidents. • Bora/Coturnix of Science and Politics was in NYC last week - bummer! I would have liked to have met him, but of course I get into Manhattan so rarely nowadays, even though I technically live in NYC. Anyway, here's part one of his 3-part travelogue. • Echidne of the Snakes talks about women's language (I've got to pick up the sf book she mentions, I've never heard of it but it definitely seems like my kinda thing), reports some news on women and drinking and heart disease (I dunno, my cardio folks all tell me to stay away from alcohol with my condition so I'm not sure what to believe now) and looks at mainstream media coverage of powerful female Democrats. • Guy at Rook's Rant doesn't understand why the Catholic Church doesn't have enough faith in their flock's ability to know the difference between gospel and fiction. Hmm, could it be that they both read much the same? • John at archy reports on the Justice Department's latest useless fishing expedition designed to keep the citizenry constantly afraid. • Jude at Iddybud has a nice pictorial taken at A Taste of Syracuse and a good roundup of local politics. • Kathy at Liberty Street marks the day after Memorial Day by reproing a JFK commencement speech given at American University in 1963. • Leah at Corrente does not trust (or apparently like) Frank Rich. Here's part one and part two of her fisking of Rich's endorsement of Al Gore. To tell you the truth, I tend to agree with Rich more than with Leah, so I have no problem viewing him as a liberal and her as, well, perhaps a bit of a nitpicker, looking to rip apart semantic disagreements rather than examine actual policy disagreements which Rich would actually have with her. And Rich isn't the only one who's surmised there's a dearth of exciting and inspiring Democratic presidential candidates, I've seen that conclusion on tons of liberal blogs as well. Lastly, Leah says what whenever a blogger pays too much attention to pundits that only bloggers seem to read, "inevitably a number of commentators question why any of us bother to pay attention to these media absurdities. Why not just ignore them? The short answer: Because they and their ilk rule our discourse, politically, surely, and even, in many ways, culturally." I think this is a circular argument -"we talk about pundits because they give us something to talk about." Not terribly productive. Oh well, look at me, I write about Liberal Coalition bloggers because they give me something to write about! • Natalie Davis pays tribute to Al Stewart and says goodbye to Vince Welnick (as does Scott at ...You Are A Tree). • Uptown Ruler at Scrutiny Hooligans has more potentially bad news for sushi lovers; it seems tuna stocks are being depleted. I'm still unsure why the Japanese aren't opening more hatcheries. • Just a reminder that Trish the Countess and her Count are still in financial straits, if you can spare any money for them. Lastly, I just wanted to mention how wonderful it is whenever Wanda checks in.
Silly Site o' the DayMore cool than silly, actually. Yesterday I spent the day mostly away from keyboard, being in a bit of a comics mood. I alphabetized all the Marvels I've read these past couple years but haven't yet filed in with the others on our bookshelves; finished the few indies I had and put them away (unsorted, as that's a major production since I sort indie "pamphlets" alphabetically by company first); and wrapped up reading DC's Infinite Crisis series, in preparation to start reading their new series 52 and find out what all the Batwoman fuss is about. Not having gotten to the issue in question I'm inclined to agree with Ragnell that the outside-comics media seems to be making a bigger deal out of this than DC or industry folks. It's not like Kate Kane (which, come on admit it, doesn't have the ring of the original Batwoman name "Kathy Kane" at all, does it?) is their first gay character or anything. But hey, it gives me an excuse to pop up in various non-comics blogs and comment, in response to people asking "I never heard of Batwoman, but isn't/wasn't there a Batgirl?", that the former Batgirl named Barbara Gordon is now operating as codename Oracle and stars in a monthly series called Birds of Prey on which my husband happens to work. :) Anyway, speaking of all that, Ragnell also pointed to a new site called Girl-Wonder.org, "dedicated to females in mainstream comics. Our goals are to foster an attentive, empowered audience community and to encourage respect and high-quality character depiction within the industry." Obviously by "females in comics" they mean the two-dimensional kind, not the actual people who might have something to do with changing the way female characters are depicted if there were more of them in editorial and on creative teams, but every little bit helps, and it'll be nice to have a new regular version of Gail Simone's incomparable Women in Refrigerators. Now, if only they'd get themselves an RSS feed...
Silly Site o' the DayDarn, we forgot to send in our Eisner Awards ballot, and yesterday was the deadline. And we're not in Philly this weekend for a number of reasons, but totally blew our chance at even considering going there when we blew the deadline for pro registration. Oh well, supposed to rain all weekend anyway. Oh, speaking of art, you too can be the next Jackson Pollock with the JP Generator (via the Generator Blog, natch)! Just move the cursor and click to change colors!
Friday Cat Blogging (™ Kevin Drum)Whoop, almost missed FCB! Quick, a recently-archived photo!  Whew, with a half hour to spare! Now, to duck out of the way of those laser eyes...
Silly Site o' the DayVia Robin, British comedian Peter Serafinowicz plays all the parts in this E! news video spoof covering the Apple vs. Apple court case. Some good former-Beatle impressions! And no, I do not want a "Beatle Box."
Silly Site o' the DayWhite Rabbits! Still getting through Billing Day, which I've combined this month with Unpaid Invoicing Day so I can resend delinquent invoices along with the new ones; just taking a lunch break but blogging instead of lunch because the coworkers are doing Mickey D's today and, well, I just couldn't deal with the idea. So I'll be well primed for AYCE sushi this evening, Robin's workload permitting. No bunny-specific sites this time, but does Little Rashy count? I love when Paul Dini writes about him.
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