I've got a weak heart

Lots on my mind right now. No job. No money. There is always They Might Be Giants.

Yep. That's torn it.

I saw this link on Facebook. Now I don't feel well:

freegabe.com

That's enough already

I'm sick of the fickle virtual zeitgeist surrounding social networking sites. It started with Friendster where everybody and their mother signed up to stalk ex-high school girlfriends in peace. Then, when the public decided not to swing with that hero anymore, they migrated to MySpace, which became a virus-ridden nightmare. And now we're at Facebook. But what's the point? As a veteran of these time-wasting atrocities, I find it a little tiresome to have to construct yet another profile for the latest craze that purports to connect "us" (I flirted with putting quotes around "connecting" there, but there's no doubt we're being "connected." It's the "us" part I'm a little wary about. I mean, who ARE these people?). None of these sites are permanent. The term "flash in the pan" refers to the glitzy yet ultimately unsatisfying explosion of gunpowder in an ol' timey musket. And it seems these networking sites are nothing more than a series of giddy, meaningless reports from some well-intentioned yet woefully naive pistol.

And the irony is that, eventually, these sites implement additional communication features. Like chat. Online chat (and now video chat, Gmail!). So, in order to REALLY interact with someone you have to go that extra mile and exchange words with them? Well what do you know? Could we maybe pick up a phone and talk to someone? Or better yet, if they're in the same fucking town, how about paying them a visit? I realize that this scenario doesn't give you much of an opportunity to use internet slang (unless you want to get stabbed in the thigh), but hey, who knows, you may actually communicate something.

And one other thing

I've been reading (I know that's ill-advised) message board postings that are slamming Obama and declaring his election the end of the world. Oh, you backwards cocksuckers. My favorite was "socialism didn't exactly work for the USSR, did it?" First of all, stupid, that was Communism and no one is asking you stand in line for three hours for cheese and toilet paper. The same poster went so far as to say that "the blacks have taken over" and we're all doomed because hey, look at the state of Africa. Ohhhhhh, right. Africa. A continent that struggles everyday with rocky, makeshift governments and TRIBES. They have TRIBAL WARFARE, you ridiculous, racist shithead. When's the last time you saw a TRIBE running around America? Indian tribes? Yeah, there aren't a whole shitload of those roaming the plains anymore, right? Because we fucking killed them all. Stop making sociopolitical references you don't understand.

Obamanation

I'm rarely moved to any sort of hope or optimism, especially when it comes to this incredibly insincere country we live in, but the election of Mr. Obama as president carries with it the possibility, however slight, that America is actually ready to progress as a nation, a concept. In an economy and culture as selfish as ours, it's no surprise that most Americans are scared shitless of change. But I'd have to ask those same Americans that if one's quality of life is already abysmal, what could you possibly lose on taking a chance with a man who really, honestly seems hellbent on turning this country around?

George Carlin once labeled the citizens of this country as "selfish, ignorant Americans." And that is, unfortunately, an accurate description of our people. We can't afford to be that way anymore. What we've all failed to see is that by helping each other, we help ourselves and, in turn, our nation. Take, for instance, health care. The argument goes "Why should I throw money into a system that pays for the well-being of deadbeats and poor people?" Well, that may be true for some, but I work my ass off every day and I don't have adequate health care. In fact, a recent article in the New Yorker paints a pretty dismal picture of how lack of decent health insurance was a major catalyst in the upsurge of home foreclosures. People couldn't pay their medical bills and they lost their HOMES. And when people lose their homes, the market suffers. And when the market suffers, YOU suffer. Everything and everyone is wonderfully and fatally interconnected. We've forgotten that in this country. The simple act of looking out for one another IS looking out for ourselves.

I think Obama understands this.

Las Vegas

Somewhere in the long and irksome history of assholes, Las Vegas was deemed the ultimate city to visit if you're a real man, MAN! You can gamble, MAN! It's Sin City, MAN! Ironically, the same flashy allure that coaxes every frat boy in the country to flock to the middle of the desert to "have fun" also attracts the elderly. It's the same group of old people who have organized bus trips to Atlantic City in the interest of making it big just in time for their sudden deaths. So, it's actually pretty interesting to hang around an airport loaded with date rapists and mummies.

That being said, I've been thinking a lot about criticism. After watching Jamie Kennedy's surprisingly good documentary called Heckler, I'm realizing more and more that criticism, for the most part, is a necessary facet of the creative process, but it's also an easy haven for those of us who don't actually DO anything. As much as I bitch and moan about Dane Cook, who am I to judge? He's popular and successful. I am neither of those things. It's incredibly easy to rip someone apart if you haven't actually done the work they do. It really is time to stop complaining and start doing.

And THAT being said, I still hate Vegas. It's a fucking abomination. Slot machines in the airport? Get the fuck out of here with that nonsense. We get it, there's gambling in Las Vegas.

Format Test Now I'm trying

Format Test

Now I'm trying to work out the format. Let's see if this works.

This is a test of

This is a test of the new mobile blog from my li'l phone. It's like some sort of magic. Also, Gunner sucks.