Forward into the past...

Since the 3½-inch floppy diskette is quickly going the way of the venerable 5¼-inch floppy and the ancient 8-inch floppy, I was transferring some old documents to my flash drive. I went through them, since they consisted of various things I've written over the last decade or more. I rediscovered poems I'd forgot I'd written, a short story or two I had forgotten about, and even some old assignments from one of my English classes in college.

I thought about posting some of the material here, if there seems to be any interest in me doing so, but at the same time some of the material, especially the poems, are intensely personal, and I'm not sure I want to face the potential consequences of posting them here.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Free: "A Little Bit of Love"

No Joke

I imagine there are people out there who wonder or are uncertain why lawyers are so often ridiculed or hated, but sometimes there's a good reason, like this.

Mood: Disgusted
Music: T. Rex: "Jeepster"

Fight

Well, I guess a major university actually is standing up to the draconian RIAA: NC State University is actually fighting the lawsuits filed against 23 unnamed students.

Mood: Intrigued
Music: Sweet: "Love Is Like Oxygen"

Homesick

I think I've posted before that Maryanne and I are looking for a new house. The search thus far has been slow and often frustrating. We have different tastes, and are therefore looking for different things. Frequently what I see and like in one house is completely overlooked by Maryanne because she's caught up in something else she doesn't like, and vice versa.

One of the houses I liked a lot, a two-story colonial style, is a little older and needs a bit of work to freshen up paint and the like. It's an awesome location on a cul-de-sac. Instead, Maryanne got hung up on aesthetics that she didn't like (but could be changed), and we haven't even bothered to make an offer on it. I'm willing to let it go because of the price, but it's a topic that keeps coming up.

We looked at another house over the weekend. It was a nice enough house, a roomy ranch with a partially finished basement, but the backyard has a pool. I don't want to take care of a pool. For that matter, I don't really want to have to pay for the removal of a pool, either. Yet yesterday Maryanne was quite excited about the house. It's certainly more affordable, but that's because it's smaller and much older. It's also on a corner lot. I like my peace and quiet. I'm not sure that's possible with a corner lot.

Considering the amount of activity on our own house, I'm willing to wait things out and see if we can find something we both can agree on. Maryanne, on the other hand, is growing increasingly pessimistic, becoming afraid that we won't have agreed on anything when an offer comes on our house. I don't find that very likely.

Mood: Frustrated
Music: The Beatles: "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill"

Godspeed

Among those killed in the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech was Liviu Librescu. If you don't know who that is, you should read this article as well as this discussion thread. The world is a better place for people like Librescu, and worse for having lost him.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Head East: "Never Been Any Reason"

Censored

More literary news, this time in the form of censorship.

Mood: Disappointed
Music: Eric Clapton: "Pretending"

"...You've got to be kind."

American writer Kurt Vonnegut died Wednesday.

I suddenly find myself feeling cheated that the only work of his that I've read is his short story "Harrison Bergeron."

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Thin Lizzy: "Cowboy Song"

Caution: Stubborness Ahead

A mother in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, would like a "Deaf Child Area" sign posted near her home to help protect her daughter.

So far, the city has repeatedly said no, despite vast amounts of public support for the woman.

At this point, the mayor of Sun Prairie just seems like an asshole.

Mood: Disappointed
Music: Emerson, Lake & Palmer: "Jerusalem"

White Easter?

Well, not quite, but a mere three days after the most important festival of the Christian calendar we've been struck with snow. It's a real winter storm, with six to nine inches expected by tomorrow morning. Right now as I type this there are near white-out conditions outside. The drive home should be interesting.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Yardbirds: "Boom Boom"

Whitewashing History

I know I may get a bit of flak for linking to this op/ed piece by Michelle Malkin, but I think she's right. Has political correctness and the need to not offend people gotten so out of control that all sense of reality is being dispensed with, causing American institutions to hold mock terrorism drills using radical Christians instead of Islamic terrorists?

Did you know that some British schools are dropping the Holocaust from their cirriculum to avoid offending Muslims? I didn't until today.

Why should the truth be offensive to anyone?

Mood: Disappointed
Music: Howlin' Wolf: "Killing Floor"

Feisty

It's not exactly civil disobedience, but this guy, in his own words, can be feisty when he wants to be.

Mood: Amused
Music: The Beatles: "Day Tripper"

Irony

No, it's not an April Fool's prank: There really are 32 CCTV cameras within 200 yards of George Orwell's London home.

There's even more irony to be found in the article where I learned this.

I need to read 1984.

Mood: Concerned
Music: Led Zeppelin: "Out on the Tiles"