Dreaming the Dream

Some days I wish I had a real boss, just so I could share with him or her my bathrooming needs.

For Malonee

Bet

It's on like Donkey Kong

Sorry About the Light Posting

I've been sick.

Speaking of which, here's some Droopy. I hope it tides you over.

I Say It's My Birthday

I'm 37.

Shopping at Kohls

I was sorely tempted to buy one of these this weekend, but passed it up in the end.

Did Not See That Coming

Again, I don't write about these things too often, but finding out that Britney Spears and Mel Gibson are vacationing together makes my head hurt enough to have to share with you.

Calling EZ

EZ,

Could you e-mail me when you get a chance? I have a question to ask you and would like to ask off-blog.

XOXOXOXO,

Dave3544

Bell Curve Weather

Projected high temperatures for Eugene in the next week:

Today 64 * Tuesday 68 * Wednesday 73 * Thursday 85 * Friday 90 * Saturday 82 * Sunday 66 * Monday 62.

Sorry (In Advance)

If there is some sort of fundamental disturbance with the normal functioning of the universe this weekend -- a rip in the fabric of time, the universe collapsing on itself, that sort of thing -- then it is probably my fault.

I am attempting to attend an AFT-Oregon Convention without Jey, and I just don't know if such a thing is physically possible or what might happen.

Sorry.

That's Dallas, Texas

I have a knot in my one of my right-side neck muscles the size of Dallas.

Observations Out a Window on an Early Spring Day

I look out my window
And what do I see?
A couple of lawboys,
Walking up the street.
Talking about me?
Maybe?
Probably not.

Oh Joy!

Did you know that there is a Sonic brand food chain coming to Springfield?! Finally some of the funniest commercial-related food will have the opportunity to make it's way into my gob. And it comes highly recommended!

Those Last Four May Have Been Bad Ideas

I had so much fun at the union conference last night, that 4 am found me giving a little back.

It might be a sign of how much my dieting has screwed with my head that in the midst of making a deposit, I could look on the bright side of how many calories I was saving.

I Don't Know What This Means, But Felt It Need to Be Said

Of course, it is possible to reject a dichotomy while still accepting one of the choices offered within the dichotomy. One of the more classic examples of this tactic is presented by the Beastie Boys in their song Paul Revere. In the song, Ad-Rock represents himself as an outlaw in the desert who, while looking for a girl, runs into MCA in the guise of another outlaw. Through the course of events, MCA presents Ad-Rock with the dichotomous choice of either riding with him, or, alternately, being blown away. At first glance, it may appear that Ad-Rock accepts the dichotomy as proposed by MCA, but a further analysis reveals that Ad-Rock rejects the dichotomy, while still accepting one of the choices presented by MCA. Ad-Rock tells him:

I'll ride with you,
If you can get me to the border.

Although Ad-Rock has chosen to accompany MCA, he, obviously, rejects that his only other choice is being blown away, as he conditions acceptance of MCA's offer on MCA's ability to deliver Ad-Rock at an unspecified border. In doing this, Ad-Rock is suggesting a third, unnamed, alternative to MCA's dichotomous proposal.¹ That the third alternative goes unspoken and unexplored does not mean that it doesn't exist.

This example illustrates the need to look beyond the outcome to determine whether a someone truly accepted the premises of a dichotomous choice. If presented with a choice between 'A' and 'B,' it does not follow that the acceptance of 'A' means the acceptance of the choice.

¹It is possible to argue that Ad-Rock did not really suggesting a third-way alternative to MCA's dichotomy, as his next lines:

The sheriff's after me
For what I did to his daughter
I did it like this
I did it like that
I did it with a wiffleball bat would seem to suggest that Ad-Rock's only alternative to riding with MCA was death at the hands of the sheriff. But, I think that it is necessary to conclude that King Ad-Rock is jesting at his reason for needing to get to the border, as evidenced by his use of the clearly anachronistic reference to a "wiffleball bat." Wiffleball was not invented until 1953, clearly after the setting of this song. Again, granted, it is possible that Ad-Rock had possibly engaged in some sort of relations with the sheriff's daughter with a real baseball bat^*, I think that the use of the anachronism is meant to indicate to the listener that Ad-Rock is not really on the run from the sheriff and is rejecting MCA's dichotomy and accepting for his own, unspoken, third reason. This assertion is bolstered by the fact that Ad-Rock quickly thereafter names a place not six hour's ride away where he is confident that they will be able to find refreshment.

^*It is possible that Ad-Rock substitutes in "wiffleball bat" for a real bat because he and the sheriff's daughter had been engaged in the pastime known as the "Louiville Slugger," but was afraid that MCA would not approve of this deviant sexual practice and would be inclined to turn him over to the sheriff himself. However, given that the two outlaws quickly form a partnership with a heretofore unknown third outlaw and rob a saloon, it is unlike that Ad-Rock would suspect that MCA would turn him over to the sheriff.

The Things You Remember From 1993

I want to be a whale.
I want to be a big one.
I want to be a fat one.
Yeaaaaaaaaaah.

And you can be the shark
That takes a bite out of me.

That's okay,
There's plenty left
of me.

Happy President's Day!

I will go out on a limb and say that FDR was the best president in US history and GWB is the worst.

Anyone want to dispute that?

A Post Wherein I Take the Guise of Andy Rooney

Why do I have so many pockets? Between my pants and my jacket, I have eight pockets. That's just my jeans. With the silly cargo pants, the pockets are even worse. I have a pair of perfectly fine khaki pants that feature a small pocket on the back thigh for my cell phone. I've always wondered if anyone actually ever used this pocket. The back of the thigh is not exactly an convenient place to reach nor to sit on if a cell phone is within. Eight pockets seems excessive.

Lower Taxes = Love

I still get GOP spam.

I got this ad today which is "perfect for Valentine's Day." For only a $35 donation I can get this adorable elephant and give it to my sweetie. They've even color coded it for me; you know, regular for guys and pink with eye-lashes and bow for girls.

Please do note that the actual size is 5 inches by 4 inches, so you don't want to present this gift at say, dinner, because gift will be smaller than your salad fork. Maybe if the elephant was sporting some nice diamond earrings. That'd be cute.

PDA Clean Up

I was rebooting my pda and cleaning it out with the thought that I might start using it again to work on all those brilliant bargaining ideas I get and I found a document that I cannot explain and thought I'd share. I think it might be from AFT Higher Ed in Orlando. Wobs, does this sound familiar?

Untitled

I might buy some swim trunks later...want to join me?

We plan to just hang out by the pool here tonight -- drink, smoke

"Blood on the Potato--An Idaho Immigrant's Story"

Pretentous Publicity Photo Friday

A new series?

I know that band photos are pretentious/staged/fake/arty in a certain way on purpose and there is nothing the artists can do but embrace it. Still. There is posing for the "arty" photo and then there is posing for the arty photo.

I also know that the photo has nothing to do with the music and I will caveat right way that I know nothing about the music and would not any in any way be drawing inferences from the crappiness of the band photo.

I will stipulate that John Adam Weinland Shearer is possibly the best musician ever.

I am here only to bring the publicity shot to your attention.

That being said, a jug of milk? Oops, I spilled my milk and am now decidedly not looking at the camera? I love it. I love the studied absence of color so that the black and whites will look better. I love the mild fish eye effect.