Date:	2009-05-07 16:18
Subject:	Thomas Allen Heald 1972-2009
Security:	Public
Mood:	sad

Colortinis all around, pal. You will be missed.

http://www.tvornottv.net/

Date:	2009-02-07 02:52
Subject:	Why I'm posting less than even I usually do
Security:	Public
Mood:	productive

I'm finally on the Facebook. My brother and his lovely wife gave birth to my first nephew last month and they've been posting photos there so I signed up to keep track. And now I've found that a lot of folks I know or knew are there, including a bunch of folks with whom I had lost touch. So now I'm there offering radical insights like how I am "out of root beer" or "caught up on Lost" since its easier to crank out one random line than it is to come up with a meaningful blogpost or what have you. So if you want to chat, you'll find me there. I'm not leaving here, just not visiting quite as often.

Date:	2009-01-06 10:39
Subject:	It's been a bad week
Security:	Public
Mood:	distressed

Fighting in Gaza, earthquakes in Indonesia, a coup in Sri Lanka, the economy down the tubes, and now... this. If you spent any time in the 1970s, you know Neil Sedaka as a singer/songwriter who helped craft some of that decades most unforgettable tunes. Well, move yourself away from any sharp objects before you make with the clicky on the image below and listen to the previews of his latest album, available today!, intended for a slightly younger audience.

Date:	2008-12-16 11:52
Subject:	I've got some corn for poppin'...
Security:	Public
Mood:	cold

Okay, so it's not really snowing here in the Metroplex but it's icy with freezing rain, sleet, and occasional fits of something that wishes it were snow. The whole area is, of course, paralyzed. I considered a few dozen versions of this song: some with better visuals, some with shorter runtimes, and some done for comedy but a day like this requires a classic American take on the song. Enjoy.

Date:	2008-12-09 05:28
Subject:	Later on, if you wanna...
Security:	Public
Mood:	sleepy

It turns out to be far more difficult to find a work-safe video to accompany this Bob Rivers classic than I'd first thought but this one I'd show to my own sainted mother so feel free to play at work, home, church, or school. Enjoy.

Date:	2008-12-06 09:32
Subject:	We can trim the tree while we dodge debris...
Security:	Public
Mood:	cheerful

It's 'Weird Al' Yankovic's "Christmas at Ground Zero" because nothing puts me in the Christmas spirit than a cheery song about the apocalypse. Oh, and there's a cameo by Ronald Reagan.

Date:	2008-12-05 11:55
Subject:	Gonna deck the halls and do the things we never had...
Security:	Public
Mood:	weird

Straight No Chaser's unique take on "The Twelve Days of Christmas".

(Edit: Frak! The video has been taken down.)

I promised a fuzzy animal, right?
Here, have a patriotic squirrel.

Sorry, just one more political post. It seems that one well-known New York-based newspaper went to press just a bit prematurely...

Date:	2008-11-05 09:57
Subject:	44 Presidents
Security:	Public
Mood:	hopeful

I swear, I'll go back to my usual policy of one post every few months, tops, and pledge that my next post will involve a fuzzy animal of some sort, but I had to share this image snurched from the top of today's Times-Picayune:

Date:	2008-11-04 22:53
Subject:	Yes We Can!
Security:	Public
Mood:	jubilant
Music:	Obama addressing the crowd in Grant Park

I've been saying this all day and just heard Olbermann echo the thought so I must not be the only one thinking this is our generation's Moon Landing. This is a positive event, witnessed around the world, that will move us forward as a nation and a people. God bless President-Elect Obama and God bless the United States of America. (Okay, now I can crack open that Americone Dream that's been waiting in the fridge, just in case.)

Date:	2008-11-04 09:14
Subject:	Vote!
Security:	Public
Mood:	optimistic
Music:	"Do Something Different" by Brave Combo

Well, that took a bit longer than I had planned and involved two poll workers, an election judge, and several phone calls but I have now successfully voted. (It's a long story involving a late September registration, a failed attempt to early vote, curbside voting, an oddly designed elementary school, and the joy of being the first one at my polling place needing a provisional ballot.) But I've voted for the candidates of my choice.

While I do care very much about the outcome of the election, I don't care who you vote for as long as you get out there and vote. This could very well be the most important election of our lifetimes and it will certainly make history. If Barack Obama wins, he'll be our first African-American president. If John McCain wins, Sarah Palin will be our first female vice president. If Ralph Nader wins, pigs will take to the skies and blot out the sun. And no matter what happens, if you can't show me an "I Voted" or "My Vote Counted" sticker I will not listen to any of your complaints about the direction of this country for the next two years. (You can regain your license to whine by voting in the mid-term election.)

So go vote. Now. (Then stop by Krispy Kreme for your free doughnut and Starbucks for a free Tall cup of brewed coffee. Isn't democracy delicious?)

Date:	2008-10-17 15:48
Subject:	From the file of Things I Could Not Possibly Make Up
Security:	Public
Mood:	weird

It's Darth Mater!



Get all of the wacky details here.

Date:	2008-10-15 11:30
Subject:	For Thunderbirds fans only
Security:	Public
Mood:	geeky

If you enjoyed the original Thunderbirds series as much as I did, this British commercial for bottled water will bring a smile to your face. If you're not a Thunderbirds fan then you might enjoy it purely for the technical achievement but I have to explain to you in advance that the character on the screen is Brains, the nerdy genius scientist from the show. Have fun.

Date:	2008-10-13 08:48
Subject:	Batman '08!
Security:	Public
Mood:	nostalgic

All this time I thought McCain was getting his advice from Karl Rove when it turns out he's been following the campaign example of The Penguin. Spooky/funny stuff here.

Date:	2008-10-08 14:57
Subject:	Texas bans fish pedicures
Security:	Public
Mood:	curious

"The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation announced today that fish pedicures -- in which customers pay to have small fish nibble the dead skin off their feet -- are no longer permitted in the state."

Yes, really. The link here is to the Dallas Morning News, not The Onion, and heaven help us there's video too: http://tinyurl.com/fishped

The world is still a far, far stranger place than I can imagine (and that's both comforting and terrifying, come to think of it).

Date:	2008-09-23 18:07
Subject:	Breaking geography news
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused

The ever so reliable New York Post claims that the north Dallas neighborhood of Preston Hollow is "a town outside Dallas" offering "horse stables, lake views, mountain views, golf club views." Oh, and the part about Dubya buying a new house there has also been debunked by the real estate agent cited in the article but the real wrongness of the piece is the total ignorance of basic Dallas geography. She didn't even look it up in Wikipedia. For shame, Cindy Adams.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09232008/gossip/cindy/prez_will_not_be_hiding_in_bushes_130280.htm

Like many fellow Texans, I've been inspired to test the text to LJ feature tonight. I don't anticipate any specific issues f

Date:	2008-09-07 16:05
Subject:	No cats, no politics...
Security:	Public
Mood:	weird

...just 2:17 of pure awesome featuring a Finnish rock band and the honest to goodness Red Army Choir. Take off your hat because this will blow your mind.