I Couldn't Resist

Here's something that popped into my head this morning and I feel the need to share it with you, my indulgent audience. Can you guess where this ditty came from?

Gloom, despair and agony on me

Deep dark depression, excessive misery

If it weren't for bad luck

I'd have no luck at all

Gloom, despair and agony on me

Mine is truly a thought-provoking blog.

From the Link Desk
 
I won't be posting for a week or so, as my family is going on vacation to Costa Rica.  Fear not, Gentle Reader!  I promise a full report when I return.

In the meantime, here are some links to thought provoking essays on matters various and sundry.  Feel free to discuss them at length in the comments section!

1.  Should America finally succumb to imperialism?  This book says yes!

2.  David Brin gives us his analysis of the problems with Star Wars.  Here's part two!

3.  Here's an argument against Dr. Asimov's three laws of robotics.  (Thank you, mumpsimus!)

4.  Finally, a blog for giant monsters!  (Thank you, mumpsimus!)

5.  Speaking of giant monsters: Cthulhu in '04!

That is all.

From the Anglophile, er, File
 
I began the first season of Yes, Minister on DVD last night.  Brilliant!  Biting satire and dense plotting in 30 min. episodes!  How can those BBC guys get away with this?

The series traces the career of a first time minister in British government, and the back-and-forth struggle between the protagonist and the permanent staff is a wonder to behold.  I had no idea that purchase orders for computer parts from America could be so funny!

The Black Box 
 
A friend of mine, who is a professor of history and the author of Red Arctic,  is down from the University of Saskatchewan to do some research at the Harry Ransom Center (see link at right).  I have known him since undergraduate school.  Another friend has known him for even longer.  Last night the three of us sat on a back porch and drank some merlot out of a black box.  Conversation turned to many things: Canada, legal matters, computers, novels, and politics.  He's in town through the weekend and I hope to see more of him before he leaves us for the northern prairie.

I finished Terry Pratchet's The Wee Free Men yesterday as well.  It is a delightful story about a young girl and her friends, the Pictsies (a motley collection of tiny blue men with tangled red hair and kilts), as they try to rescue the girl's little brother from the Fairy Queen (or, as the Pictsies say: "Quin").  I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a strong role model for girls.  The main character, Tiffany Aching, is smart, fiercely independent, and proud of it.  And the Pictsies are some of the funniest fey around.  Crivens!

Currently listening to: Steely Dan's Greatest Hits. 

What Have I Done?
 
I have started a trend.  Please note two new links in my "Links" section: Athenspie and Almonetto.  Athenspie is the new blog started by my (ex-) assistant.  Almonetto is a blog from another fellow co-worker.  Check 'em out.

History may never forgive me for what I have started here...

Happy Birthday!
 
I just learned that Yosuf Mohammed, aka Cat Stevens, turned 56 yesterday!  His album, Teaser and the Firecat, was the first pop album I really liked.  I've enjoyed it since I was five years old and I still pull it out every once in a while.  It is gentle and sad and introspective.  I've recommended it before but I will happily do so again in honor of his birthday.

Sadly, I must also report that famed film score composer Jerry Goldsmith died recently.  [nod to Aintitcool] His contributions to modern filmaking, and orchestral scoring, cannot be underestimated.

Skyscrapers and Everything  
 
Today is my assistant's last day.  She's moving to New York City to be with her boyfriend.  I understand that her band will not disband and that she will continue to write and perform.  I hope she finds an audience up there and I wish her the best.

Or, as The Wee Free Men put it: "Waily, waily, waily!"

Spider Man 2
 
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, my wife and I saw Spider Man 2 on Sunday night.  I won't get into too much detail here; many bloggers more able than I have already dredged these waters.  I will say that I was struck by two things: 1) Alfred Molina is a great actor; and 2) these guys did their homework.
 
It is a staple in comic movies to assign name actors the villainous roles.  This is not surprising to me: comic book villains are colorful, over-the-top and proactive characters which would appeal to any actor.  The Superman films had Gene Hackman and Terence Stamp.  It was fashionable for a time to be the villain in a Batman movie.  For the most part, these actors indulged their method-acting chops and tended to be even more outrageous than the original character.  I suppose that the actors were simply reflecting what they thought a comic book villain behaves in a fantastic, pulp-fiction world where powerful people wear costumes and beat the sh*t out of other powerful people.  The result is simple and loud.  Fair enough.  And I enjoyed these performances.  But it wasn't until I watched Brian Cox, Sir Ian McKellen and Alfred Molina in their villain roles that I appreciated how human these characters can be.  They have grand motivations and grander powers but are as subject to human weakness and passion as any other character in fiction. I have long been a fan of Mr. Molina (check out his performance as Diego Rivera in Frida) and he didn't disappoint me here.  He portrayed his character as a human being (albeit a human being with four additional mechanical arms) with a past and a future.  I understand that this is not the stuff of grand drama.  It is a movie about a dude with spider powers beating up on another dude with four mechanical arms.  But I enjoy good acting when I see it and I appreciate the fact that Mr. Molina brought his game to this movie.
 
And I saw at least three potential villains for the next few sequels, with a possible fourth villain.  The obvious one is the Hobgoblin.  The possible villain is Dr. Octopus (after all, did he really die in the end?).  Can you guess the other two?

Funny, I Don't Feel Like I'm 37.
 
I spent the last three days celebrating my birthday.  I realize that this sounds hedonistic but understand that the last two years were hellish on my birthday, so I felt the need to catch up.   Note: I don't mean to say "hellish" in the sense that no one (not least my wife, who has always made the occassion special for me) ignored or otherwise dissed my birthday.  It's just that those birthdays coincided with particularly grueling and stressful work days.   Some time off was in order.
 
They were three days well spent.  Most of the time, I was glued to my computer.  I played with Suse Linux, played City of Heroes, and wrote.  On Saturday, I went to the Barsana Dham in Driftwood, Texas, with my wife and two friends.  They have peach orchards there and one can pick peaches and take them home.  We picked a few buckets worth (Patrick picked a peck of peaches...) and went a few more miles down the road to my parents' house.  Once there, we put the peaches into a cobbler, grilled salmon steaks and veggies, and watched one of my birthday presents on DVD.
 
On Sunday (my birthday), I had a late breakfast with my wife, played more City of Heroes, and attended a showing of Spider Man 2 (a review of which anon).  It was great weekend, I tell you!
 
One of the best presents (in a year of great presents) I received was from my wife.  She gave me a subscription to a tea of the month club run by The Tea Table.  I received a little tea pot suitable for one person and three samples of tea to tide me over until next month: a black tea, a green tea and an herbal tea.  I brought the set to my office and I look forward to sampling one of them this afternoon.
 
Upon reflection, I am amused by the fact that I am no longer a kid.  I still feel like one.  I wonder if that is genetic or a predisposition on my part.  On the one hand, my parents are in their mid- to late fifties but they look and act much younger.  As do my grandparents.  I only hope I look as good as they when I am older.  On the other hand, I still read comics, watch cartoons and play games.   I suppose it is harmless enough: I pay my bills, vote and I don't hurt anyone.  I hope to be able to get away with it as long as I can.  After all, my parents do.
 
And since it feels like Christmas in July, I thought I' d recommend a favorite classic of mine:  A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio.  I have a stack of great Christmas CDs but I shall post a more comprehensive list during the holiday season.
 
Ho Ho Ho!
 


 

From the Anglophile, er, File

Once again, Mr. Blair articulates the Coalition's position better than Mr. Bush ever could. [with a nod to Andrew Sullivan]

Hit the Links!

1. Now everybody's doing it: the Incredible Hulk has a blog.

2. Learn how to tie your shoelaces.

3. Oklahoma, the Stealth State: here's a list of famous people from Oklahoma. I had no idea that Brad Pitt was from Shawnee. It figures. And no, I'm not on the list.

4. So much for asceticism.

Uncle Patrick's Reading Room

Not a lot to report today. My wife and I spent the evening with my parents, plotting a trip to Costa Rica in the near future. Rest assured, faithful reader, that I will blog all of the salacious details in due course!

In the meantime, I thought I'd pass along a reading recommendation. After finishing Rick Atkinson's The Army At Dawn (we won), I turned to Jonathan Stroud's The Amulet of Samarkand (also available in paperback). At first glance, this book is yet another children's fantasy novel about a young wizard's formative years. But there are several things that distinguish this work from its competition.

First, the magic in this book is well thought out and consistent, with distinct limitations and strengths. This system attracts a certain type of person, and they are (as a rule) petty, greedy and avaricious. A child thrust into this world is left to his or her own devices and must adopt some of those traits in order to survive.

Second, the story is told in part by a djinn. But this ain't the Genie from the Disney film. Nope, this guy is mean. He has some positive traits that begin to peek through the facade as the story progresses but, by-and-large, he's not someone to cuddle up to or trifle with.

In short, the book is surprisingly mature for a book aimed at children. It is well worth the read.

A Little Somethin' Somethin'

I watched some spanish pop videos on Univision this morning at the gym. Watching pop music videos in english is silly; watching them in spanish is even sillier.

I spent my weekend in San Antonio for my mother-in-law's birthday. I spent a big chunk of that time eating (which was good) and another chunk of time cleaning and doing yard work. Mind you, the yard work was done at my house but there was an awful lot of it.

We had dinner on Sunday at the Liberty Bar off Josephine Street in San Antonio. It's a funky old house that leans a bit to the left (I mean that literally). The food is pretty good, if you can manage to keep it from sliding off the table. It is very Austin-esque and a good time was had by all.

I received some early birthday presents from my sister this weekend too. They weren't wrapped, so what are you gonna do? I got a copy of Terry Pratchets The Wee Free Men and Leo Kottke's 6- and 12-String Guitar CD. Mr. Kottke is one of the best guitarists around and this CD is a classic! Thanks, Sis!

Ninja Scuba Lawyers with Healing Powers

My family are far more interesting than I. My sister is a wildlife vet for the Florida Parks and Wildlife Service and wrestles bears and gators for a living. But parents are something else again. They scuba dive, climb rocks, drive motorcycles, practice acupuncture and energy healing, and rebuild Mercedes troop carriers. At one point, they practiced ninjitsu. You read that correctly.

They are as much fun to talk about as to be with. They are great people and are never boring. My sister and I can go on for hours about them. I won't go that far in this space but I will mention their new endeavor, a company called Blue By-Ways. The company does what my mom does best: organize seminars in a wide range of topics, from law to alternative medicine. Take a few minutes to check out their web site.

Uncle Patrick's Record Room

I haven't much to report today, so I thought I'd leave you with some CD recommendations.

Nina Simone's music plays a significant role in Richard Linklater's recent movie Before Sunset. I really enjoyed the movie so I picked up Ms. Simone's Nina: The Essential Nina Simone. She has a distinctive voice that really swings. The album covers a wide range of styles, from hymnals to Gershwin, which Ms. Simone makes her own with a playful, personal style.

Remember when I recommended Bebel Gilberto's Tanto Tempo? Well, she has a new one out, the eponymous Bebel Gilberto. It is just as cool (well, chill) as the first.

And I can't believe that I have gone this long without touting Richard Thompson. He's an outstanding guitar player and songwriter and should be in everyone's music collection. Although his song "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" is his signature tune, I would begin with a more recent album Mock Tudor. It is accessible and very good.

Can't Get There From Here

I had a great holiday weekend. I hope ya'll had the same.

I spent yesterday fiddling with Suse's Linux Personal 9.1 distro. I want my PC to run both Windows XP and Linux, so that I can do my work on Linux and my play on Windows. I've played with Suse's live CD, which enables you to run the OS without installing it on the hard drive, and I found the experience not unlike dealing with Windows or MacOS. I am not super proficient in computer stuff but I can muddle through things with a proper set oaf instructions. I thought I was ready to take the plunge.

I was wrong. Oh so wrong.

Linux distros are notoriously difficult for a layman to install. In most cases, distros failed to recognize and configure hardware found in many PCs. Partitioning a PC's hard drive so that a user can choose to run either Windows or Linux used to require a computer science degree. Newer iterations, like Suse Personal 9.1, boast an easier installation process, one that configures and partitions for you. All you have to do is click a few buttons, sit back, and watch the pretty pictures as the OS quietly installed itself.

This process began innocently enough on my computer. I was not interested in getting up to my elbows in the minutiae of configuring hardware or building a partition, so I chose the easiest installation available. The installer found my hardware and designated a default partition. Then it froze. Completely.

My first reaction was to call someone. The distro came with a list of numbers to call for installation help. I called the number for the US and learned that THE NUMBER WAS DISCONNECTED. That did not bode well. Fortunately, I still had the iMac with dial up access to the internet. I found Suse's portal web site and dug around until I found another US number. I managed to get a fellow on the phone. He suggested that I turn off the computer and try again.

I did as instructed. Linux booted up but would not let me go any further until I gave it a password and username, two things I had been unable to establish when I tried to install it. I banged at the keys for a while but I got nowhere. I rebooted and made my way (I thought) to the Windows side of the partition. I promptly got the "blue screen of death". Unlike many encounters with the "blue screen of death", this blue screen told me that I had an "unmounted_boot_volume" problem.

So I couldn't get into Linux and I couldn't get into Windows. I was staring at a very expensive, useless plastic box. I called Suse again.

I explained the situation to the fellow on the other end of the line.

"Did you defrag your hard drive before you tried to install Linux?" he asked. When bits of code are scattered throughout one's hard drive, a "defrag" will gather them into bundles, so they can be easier to find.

I sheepishly admitted that I had not.

"You should have done that," he said. And that was all the help he could give me.

I sat at my desk, phone in hand, staring at my plastic box. I was at a loss. When I gathered my wits, I checked the installation guide that came with the distro. There was no mention of a defrag. So much for ease of use.

I called a couple of friends who I knew had some knowledge of Windows. One of them gave some helpful advice, chief of which was to find the Windows XP disk that came with the computer and reinstall everything.

I did this. In doing so, I learned more about Windows than I thought I'd ever have to learn. I also made sure to install only the stuff I wanted on the computer, instead of all of the crap that came with the machine when I purchased it.

When I finished installing, downloading and connecting, I defragged. I walked away from the device and played with my dog. I read a paperback. Then I tried installing Linux again.

This time, the experience was much as it was advertised. The installer configured the hardware properly and successfully partitioned my hard drive. I tried "toggling" between the OSes and had no problem doing so. The only thing that I have yet to resolve is getting Linux to recognize my wireless connection so I can access the internet on that side of the partition. If anyone out there has a solution or work around, I'd appreciate it.

At the end of the day, I succeeded in getting what I wanted. It took me almost all day and it could have been easier. However, it was a definite learning experience and I am wiser for it.

At least, that's what I tell myself.

Night and Day

My wife and I watched Night and Day on Turner Classic Movies last night. The movie, starring Cary Grant, is loosely based upon Cole Porter's life. It features many of Mr. Porter's songs, sung by many of the prominent white women of the time. The singers were good but a little stiff and formal. I much prefer Ella Fitzgerald's versions, which really swing. Cary Grant was good though, as always.

Robert Osborne tells us after the movie that almost nothing dramatized in the movie actually happened. I understand that a more factual version will be released soon, if it isn't already, De-Lovely. I think that Cole Porter is one of the 20th century's greatest pop musicians, so the new movie is on my list.

Morning Has Broken...

The rain has stopped; the sun is shining. I look around my blog in the bright light of day and note that my Links section needs a little sprucing up. In some cases, the novelty has worn off. Others suffer from neglect. So I have removed some and added some:

Scrivener's Error is a blog (or, more accurately, a blawg) written by a person with my dream job: a lawyer who deals in the intellectual property issues inherent in the publishing industry.

Emerald City is an online 'zine that reviews science fiction and fantasy novels, as well as reports on news in that genre. It updates once a month or so, but there are plenty of back issues on line to dig your teeth into.

Jay Pinkerton is a freelance writer and graphics designer. He often writes for the National Lampoon and his blog/web site reflect his twisted sense of humor. His web comics are particularly funny [warning: the humor can be rude, crude and obnoxious].

Enjoy! And while you are reading up on the latest blog action, listen to Cat Stevens' Teaser and the Fire Cat. It is the perfect album for the day after a long rainy spell.