IPOD
RADIO
Elsie
When I logged in tonight to discover that Lianne had passed away, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I don't think we had ever conversed beyond a few blog comments, but that girl had a special place in my heart from the beginning. Her spirit shines through in her music - she was just getting started and still trying to figure out her place in the world, like most young people, but she had a bright kernel of real talent. It's horribly, grotesquely unfair for someone so full of life and possibility to be taken so early. We all know that life offers no guarantees, but unfortunately it often requires something this painful to give that knowledge a tangible meaning.
I'm sad for everyone involved - her family and friends, of course, and for myself that I'll never have a chance to get to know her better. Sometimes there just are no words to convey the depth of a tragedy. My heartfelt condolences to anyone who's feeling this awful loss.
Here's my favorite original song of hers - for anyone who hasn't already heard it, Never Cared is absolutely fantastic and extremely well-written:
When I logged in tonight to discover that Lianne had passed away, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I don't think we had ever conversed beyond a few blog comments, but that girl had a special place in my heart from the beginning. Her spirit shines through in her music - she was just getting started and still trying to figure out her place in the world, like most young people, but she had a bright kernel of real talent. It's horribly, grotesquely unfair for someone so full of life and possibility to be taken so early. We all know that life offers no guarantees, but unfortunately it often requires something this painful to give that knowledge a tangible meaning.
I'm sad for everyone involved - her family and friends, of course, and for myself that I'll never have a chance to get to know her better. Sometimes there just are no words to convey the depth of a tragedy. My heartfelt condolences to anyone who's feeling this awful loss.
Here's my favorite original song of hers - for anyone who hasn't already heard it, Never Cared is absolutely fantastic and extremely well-written:
Crossroads
I raced for 10+ years, until my division was canceled at the end of the 2001 season. The ensuing seven years feel more like seven months - the memories are still that fresh. The odds of my old limited open wheel class ever coming back are very slim, but there are various classes of IMCA-type modifieds that could conceivably be something that would work for me. I just learned that a limited modified class will be added to OKC's State Fair Speedway for the 2009 season.
So, an opportunity does exist. The real question is whether I should get back into racing. IMCA Modifieds aren't the class I love most but they might be a lot of fun. Economically, racing makes no sense. Racing never makes financial sense for anyone who isn't a salaried driver at the very highest levels of the sport, e.g. NASCAR. But it is something for which I have both passion and at least a degree of knowledge and skill. There are plenty of other questions even if I do decide to jump back in - it's definitely not clear how much help I would get, and it would also feel really weird to try to do it without my dad.
If I decide to stay away from racing, the other possibilities are to try to do something music-related (DIY indie label, small club) or to get more serious about photography. Either could potentially be good, but both lack the visceral thrills of racing. I know I need to make a decisive move soon, but right now I'm completely unsure of which path I'll choose to follow...
I raced for 10+ years, until my division was canceled at the end of the 2001 season. The ensuing seven years feel more like seven months - the memories are still that fresh. The odds of my old limited open wheel class ever coming back are very slim, but there are various classes of IMCA-type modifieds that could conceivably be something that would work for me. I just learned that a limited modified class will be added to OKC's State Fair Speedway for the 2009 season.
So, an opportunity does exist. The real question is whether I should get back into racing. IMCA Modifieds aren't the class I love most but they might be a lot of fun. Economically, racing makes no sense. Racing never makes financial sense for anyone who isn't a salaried driver at the very highest levels of the sport, e.g. NASCAR. But it is something for which I have both passion and at least a degree of knowledge and skill. There are plenty of other questions even if I do decide to jump back in - it's definitely not clear how much help I would get, and it would also feel really weird to try to do it without my dad.
If I decide to stay away from racing, the other possibilities are to try to do something music-related (DIY indie label, small club) or to get more serious about photography. Either could potentially be good, but both lack the visceral thrills of racing. I know I need to make a decisive move soon, but right now I'm completely unsure of which path I'll choose to follow...
Freedom!
Well, for a few days anyway.
I don't have to go back to the office til Tuesday. Was originally planning to go to a music festival, but ended up deciding to stay home. I have no idea what I'll do over this time - hopefully there will be at least some fun involved!
Edit: Mini-vacation 2008 is not off to an auspicious start. Just made a pitifully failed attempt to don an old pre-vanity-sizing pair of blue jeans.
Looks like a new exercise regimen is in order if I wish to avoid emulating the Pillsbury Doughboy...
Well, for a few days anyway.
I don't have to go back to the office til Tuesday. Was originally planning to go to a music festival, but ended up deciding to stay home. I have no idea what I'll do over this time - hopefully there will be at least some fun involved!
Edit: Mini-vacation 2008 is not off to an auspicious start. Just made a pitifully failed attempt to don an old pre-vanity-sizing pair of blue jeans.
Looks like a new exercise regimen is in order if I wish to avoid emulating the Pillsbury Doughboy...
Time
The best thing about Web 2.0 is the virttually limitless opportunities it offers for self-expression and social interaction. This is also the worst thing about Web 2.0. There are so many opportunities, so many venues, it's incredible easy to get spread too thin. I'm spending far too much time online versus offlline, and still not really doing justice to any of my online presences.
In the larger picture, I see my life passing by at an inceasingly alarming speed and it's starting to dawn on me that many goals may never be achieved. Adjustments clearly need to be made, but at this point I'm still unsure as to what those specifically need to be. For the time-being, I suppose fumbling my way along in the dark will have to suffice...
The best thing about Web 2.0 is the virttually limitless opportunities it offers for self-expression and social interaction. This is also the worst thing about Web 2.0. There are so many opportunities, so many venues, it's incredible easy to get spread too thin. I'm spending far too much time online versus offlline, and still not really doing justice to any of my online presences.
In the larger picture, I see my life passing by at an inceasingly alarming speed and it's starting to dawn on me that many goals may never be achieved. Adjustments clearly need to be made, but at this point I'm still unsure as to what those specifically need to be. For the time-being, I suppose fumbling my way along in the dark will have to suffice...
BSG
I came to the party late, but have grown to love it. I've seen all of this year's episodes so far but I'm only up through the start of 2.5 in the DVD's, so keeping past and present straight in my head is gettng to be even more of a challenge than usual.
One issue that has me a little confused is how the Six/Sharon faction came to see the humans as possibly not their mortal enemy. Before the Cylon civil war broke out, weren't they the ones who were wanting to turn the raiders loose to wipe out the humans? Obviously their weak position due to Dean Stockwell's surprise attack required temporary cooperation with Galactica, but what's happening now seems to be a lot more than just a temporary tactical alliance. Whence came the 180 degree change-of-heart? Did I get it wrong all along or did their human sympathizer status pop up out of the blue?
I'm just sad that it has to end so soon after I finally got onboard (maybe not so soon in literal terms - heard a rumor that the last shows may be pushed into 2009).
I came to the party late, but have grown to love it. I've seen all of this year's episodes so far but I'm only up through the start of 2.5 in the DVD's, so keeping past and present straight in my head is gettng to be even more of a challenge than usual.
One issue that has me a little confused is how the Six/Sharon faction came to see the humans as possibly not their mortal enemy. Before the Cylon civil war broke out, weren't they the ones who were wanting to turn the raiders loose to wipe out the humans? Obviously their weak position due to Dean Stockwell's surprise attack required temporary cooperation with Galactica, but what's happening now seems to be a lot more than just a temporary tactical alliance. Whence came the 180 degree change-of-heart? Did I get it wrong all along or did their human sympathizer status pop up out of the blue?
I'm just sad that it has to end so soon after I finally got onboard (maybe not so soon in literal terms - heard a rumor that the last shows may be pushed into 2009).
Perfection
An unwelcome trend I've noticed around here lately is an increasing number of heavily photoshopped sets. I understand that the numbers game is very difficult and getting a set approved can be a daunting task, but to me, relying on software manipulation of a model's physical appearance is the antithesis of what this site ought to be about. One of the primary tenets of SG has always been that a wide variety of different types of girls can be beautiful. Seeing girls hide themselves behind a china doll mask in an effort to supposedly become more attractive is not an enjoyable experience. Of course there will always be legitimate uses for these techniques - covering unsightly blemishes and bruises, highly sylized concept sets, etc. - and I'm not castigating any individual who chose to use them. But indiscriminate, heavy-handed use of software manipulation as a supposed beauty enhancement is a failure as far as I'm concerned. It's almost always the minor "defects" that make someone truly beautiful - covering them up in wholesale fashion subtracts rather than adds to a woman's beauty.
A related, disturbing trend has been the recent appearance of some non-ironic "porn star" type sets. These sets seem to be finding an enthusiastic audience here - for the life of me, I can't fathom why anyone would get excited about images that can be found in virtually identical form in literally millions of other places on the internet. Why would you want to come to a pay site like SG to see the same pictures that could be found for free in vast quantity elsewhere? I'm mystified.
Guess that's enough ranting for tonight.
What's been irritating you lately?
An unwelcome trend I've noticed around here lately is an increasing number of heavily photoshopped sets. I understand that the numbers game is very difficult and getting a set approved can be a daunting task, but to me, relying on software manipulation of a model's physical appearance is the antithesis of what this site ought to be about. One of the primary tenets of SG has always been that a wide variety of different types of girls can be beautiful. Seeing girls hide themselves behind a china doll mask in an effort to supposedly become more attractive is not an enjoyable experience. Of course there will always be legitimate uses for these techniques - covering unsightly blemishes and bruises, highly sylized concept sets, etc. - and I'm not castigating any individual who chose to use them. But indiscriminate, heavy-handed use of software manipulation as a supposed beauty enhancement is a failure as far as I'm concerned. It's almost always the minor "defects" that make someone truly beautiful - covering them up in wholesale fashion subtracts rather than adds to a woman's beauty.
A related, disturbing trend has been the recent appearance of some non-ironic "porn star" type sets. These sets seem to be finding an enthusiastic audience here - for the life of me, I can't fathom why anyone would get excited about images that can be found in virtually identical form in literally millions of other places on the internet. Why would you want to come to a pay site like SG to see the same pictures that could be found for free in vast quantity elsewhere? I'm mystified.
Guess that's enough ranting for tonight.
What's been irritating you lately?
The Mystical Powers Of Rock & Roll
Had a great time seeing Springsteen in Dallas tonight, even if it is going to make going to work in a few hours quite painful. You never know how much longer the E-Street Band will remain intact, and this was the first time I've ever seen them from the floor, so I'm really glad I went.
Had a great time seeing Springsteen in Dallas tonight, even if it is going to make going to work in a few hours quite painful. You never know how much longer the E-Street Band will remain intact, and this was the first time I've ever seen them from the floor, so I'm really glad I went.
The "Myth" Of Global Warming
It's 2:30 AM here on the Great Plains as I scribble this blog entry, and tornados are still being spawned as we speak. I've lived here my whole life - it used to be an extremely rare occasion to have a late-night tornado. Usually, at least in the past, the sun going down takes away a lot of the energy that tornados require to spin up. But in the past few years, we've been seeing more and more of these extremely-late-night severe storms. We've also been seeing tornados and severe storms in the winter months, when they would almost never have previously been possible.
There's compelling evidence that human activity is influencing global warming, but what most of the few remaining critics fail to recognize is that it doesn't really matter whether or not the primary cause is human activity. Whatever the root cause, human civilization faces very dire consequences unless we can find some way to slow the current warming trend. When Miami Beach is underwater, I doubt that many of its residents will exclaim with great relief that "I'm so happy my home and my city were washed away by completely natural forces!"
Maybe it's not within our power to prevent untold millions of people from being killed or displaced by the effects of warming, but we have to at least try...
It's 2:30 AM here on the Great Plains as I scribble this blog entry, and tornados are still being spawned as we speak. I've lived here my whole life - it used to be an extremely rare occasion to have a late-night tornado. Usually, at least in the past, the sun going down takes away a lot of the energy that tornados require to spin up. But in the past few years, we've been seeing more and more of these extremely-late-night severe storms. We've also been seeing tornados and severe storms in the winter months, when they would almost never have previously been possible.
There's compelling evidence that human activity is influencing global warming, but what most of the few remaining critics fail to recognize is that it doesn't really matter whether or not the primary cause is human activity. Whatever the root cause, human civilization faces very dire consequences unless we can find some way to slow the current warming trend. When Miami Beach is underwater, I doubt that many of its residents will exclaim with great relief that "I'm so happy my home and my city were washed away by completely natural forces!"
Maybe it's not within our power to prevent untold millions of people from being killed or displaced by the effects of warming, but we have to at least try...
Desperation
Is it just me, or is Hillary Clinton starting to look more and more like Reese Witherspoon's character in Election?
One day it's "we must not disenfranchise the voters of Michigan and Florida", the next day it's "well, you know, most so-called pledged delegates are not legally bound to follow the results of their state's primaries and I would encourage them all to vote for me". And these bizarre twists of logic happen over and over again. I used to have a relatively benign opinion of the woman, now she scares me...
Is it just me, or is Hillary Clinton starting to look more and more like Reese Witherspoon's character in Election?
One day it's "we must not disenfranchise the voters of Michigan and Florida", the next day it's "well, you know, most so-called pledged delegates are not legally bound to follow the results of their state's primaries and I would encourage them all to vote for me". And these bizarre twists of logic happen over and over again. I used to have a relatively benign opinion of the woman, now she scares me...
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