everybody's got one!

Asshole list!

Also, i took a new job at a non profit in Berkeley. but enough about that.

i walk around an awful lot (aspect of the job, and i like that) between the different spaces the organization occupies. and I walk on city streets, in downtown Berkeley. which is usually pretty interesting.
A little background - I have mixed feelings about handing out money on the street to homeless peeps (I don't think I am alone on this). Usually I am more open to giving if said street type personage is doing something to earn money, like juggling or singing (entertaining). Maybe this makes me an asshole, but not like that list above.

SIDEBAR, ATTACK! Hell, the juggling guy was really good. He got tips from me every time I went by. And he would buy things to juggle with the money he made juggling. Reinvestment capital! Beeeutiful! American-ski dream! I wonder how his accountant handled that deduction...?

So there is this street musician playing what i think is Erhu. But this street musician is playing poorly. Real bad. It doesn't take much, I suppose, for my western ears to not know what is close to good Erhu, like i would know close to good guitar, for instance.

Here is what it should sound like.

Anyway, i don't know what to tell you, other than i now walk around the block to the other location.

Also, i was talking to my friend on my cell phone outside on the curb the other night, when a person of homeless persuasion approached me and insisted upon interrupting me. After a while i relented, and asked him what he wanted. "2 Dollars! Give me two dollars!" I declined this less than gracious technique, and he muttered "Feck you!" at me. I must confess, the conversation didn't become an open and honest dialog after that line. I fear he and I may never speak again.

buying a car - best quotes

been a while since last post - blah blah...

Anyway, bought a new car (new to us) the other day, been in the hunt since early December, got a few favorite memorable quotes/stories/songs that became to funny not to share with ya'll. The car we bought is at the bottom.

Back story -
We were interested in the (oh so popular) sport wagons. Our 1990 Camry was slowing dying, and we had recently been presented a bill to get her back to normal that was 2 to 3 times her value. Time to head to the dealerships. A recap of our conversations below.

SG = Sales Guy
US = Duh.

The Mitsubishi (or, "Gimpin in the rain")
So we went to drive the Lancer, as I have had a lot of fun watching Evo's tearing up courses throughout the southwestern US. I thought "I bet they are putting some of that great EVO technology into the base Lancer." This was an incorrect assumption. Drove 'meh'. Like that rental you get and say, "well, its a rental" with a disappointing sigh. I'm getting ahead of myself.
We get to the dealership, and no one is there. we are wandering around the showroom, upstairs, looking in all the offices which are abandoned. 5 minutes after we walk in there a guy with a broken umbrella and a rain soaked jacket opens the door, and yells "Is somebody in here?"
I'm ask him "You got any Lancers here in the showroom, here?" He answers, "No" after pointedly looking around at the 3 cars in there, and says "They're all outside". Where it is raining. I became salty at this point, and say, "Well, would you go and look at what you have out there?". He goes. He's dragging his foot. In the rain. You might call it a gimpy leg/foot. It's raining. He is officially Gimpin' in the rain. Cue Gene.

Later - after driving the unimpressive Lancer we get this gem:
SG: So, what is it gonna take to get you into this car today?
US: (Dumbfounded, moment of silence) Wow, you actually said it!

And yet later, after driving the Dodge Caliber (which I liked, but the Doc said she didn't like the admittedly enormous dashboard) we got it again:
SG: So, what is it gonna take to get you into this car today?
US: (Less dumbfounded, still, a moment of silence) Still a good line!

The Honda -
Sadly, not a very quote worthy fella. The Doc says this was her favorite salesman. Too bad he didn't have a car we wanted to buy.

SG: Hi, I'm a nice guy.

The Toyota (also known as the winner) -
1st dealership

US: Here's our (lowball) offer.
SG: No.
US: Ok, thanks. We'll be leaving (make like walkin')
SG: Bye.
US: Oh...(start real walking)

2nd Toyota dealership

US: What do you drive?
SG: Actually, I drive a Sienna.
US: Oh, do you like it?
SG: No, it sucks. I got a big family, tho.
(Note - this conversation happened directly after i put the car in 6th gear thruff the Macarthur Tunnel under the Presidio)
Later, after we lowballed the 2nd dealer-
SG: Ok, well I'll get my kneepads out to go and beg my boss.

The Mazda (or we didn't make it to the Mazda dealership) - short story.

Finally, the winner - (this is the closest approximation i could get to what ours looks like)

two things

why one should stick with their own country.
&
duh - maybe the switch to green energy is a smart idea, huh?

beer-o-diversity

I loves it...A big beer gut of an article about beer and the modern world.

Review to follow, mayhaps!

2 Jackasses (or is it 3?)

During a debate with his Democratic rival, Senator Conrad Burns of Montana said that President Bush (who this week compared Iraq to Vietnam) has a secret plan for winning the war, but that Bush is not going to share his plan with the world. White House press secretary Tony Snow compared the President to "one of those guys at the gym who plays about 40 chessboards at once."

~via Harpers Weekly

moments of huh?

I was in a local branch of Billy Bob's Big-Assed Bank recently, and they had some music playing in there.
I always find it interesting to listen to the music that's playing at an establishment. Sometimes it's very complementary music to the industry (WISH), and much more frequently, as in this case, it's a bizarre and "huh?" experience.

So I'm waiting in line, and listening to Gnarls Barkley's song 'crazy'.
Granted, it is a tough song to decipher with the speed of the lyrics, but a rough translation is something like this:

I remember when
I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that phase
Even your emotions had an echo
And so much space
Hmm mmmm
And when you're out there
Without care
Yeah I was out of touch
But it wasn't because I didn't know enough
I just knew too much
Mmm

I'll remind you that I was at Bank of America. I refer you to a song from my childhood:

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

Did you guess which thing was not like the others?
Did you guess which thing just doesn't belong?
If you guessed this one is not like the others,
Then you're absolutely...right!

Yeah. I think i might go over to Vox. Lyrics are nice and all, but i think i want to post up songs and vids.

Ketchup, Blogger, Ketchup!

i really like radiohead.

I've seen them a few times, including once in a pub in oxford (if my memory serves [usually it won't serve me {sometimes we quarrel}] right) in early 1991.

So i bumped into this band here, The Easy Star All-Stars version of OK Computer. And i really didn't like it, until i smacked into Karma Police. Holy shivers. Not to be not mentioned, we are not Let Down by the track of the same name.
Kinda like when you first hear Luther Wright & the Wrongs doing Pink Floyd's The Wall*. And they tear into In The Flesh, and you shudder like Ian McShane in Sexy Beast (Also, who doesn't love McShane as Swearengen in "Cocksuckerwood"? And her'e s Mr. Wu's take on everything).


* - the Easy Star's also are somewhat famous for their Dub Side of the Moon project. I think it is, mostly, meh.

p.s. - big ups to the chadfox, who posted up a great concert in SF history. More to come? I hope so!

need a sad laugh?

it's quite funny. get your tongue out of your check.

Pirates, matey

Yep, we've secured a pirate version of this here site.
Now get chuppled in Y'arrrrrrrrrr-vision.

guess what?

this is not the SF-ist...

holy retinal burn.

nazi pope?

So the Pope made some jackass remarks without consulting:
a) history books
b) 1.5 (or so) Billion Muslims
c) any kind of political advisor

All of whom might have asked him to rethink reciting from a Byzantine Emperor. Yes, that link is to the time of the fall of the Byzantine Empire...Right from when the quote ol' Benedict used. I'm no fortuneteller, though.

This Benedict guy is a jackass. So much for a Christian attitude, huh buddy?

Anyway, i was looking around for things related, like a good blogger, and ran into this. Jeezie Creezie! Reminds me when I lived with the Satanist in Sausalito. Which, mind you, could be an awesome band name. Left hand path, gangway! He sho was a nice fella, tho.

MUNI

one part of this:
6 year old kid: "Why don't they trip when we get in the back door?"
20ish acquaintance: 'They don't care none, they still getting paid. Would you trip?"
6 year old kid: "Not if I get paid."
-- From Mark/On the 15

one part this, this and that.

this works well for laughs.

So why can't SF get it's collective ass together to use already built technologies and proven transit methods to provide inexpensive, yet effective public transport?

Beats the hell outta me. I'm just trying to keep my street litter free. Compound these errors!

dead news?

I really enjoyed this column, and here's what grabbed me:

In honor of George W. Bush's efforts to stop torture by setting up secret CIA prisons and promote freedom by expanding government surveillance powers, I think we should spend a few days contemplating another great thing this administration has done for the world: it has reinvigorated political satire.

I think my question to the Dub (remember that chupplers?) would have to involve this somehow...but i fear my question going where any q goes that doesn't involve the current taste in his mouth, or how much brush to clear at his ranch; straight into his confused "stay the course" bin.

i keep

on reading and re-reading this article, and am not sure what to even think.

I guess as Tony Snow says "It's nothing new".

I'm gonna get that guy some Wellies for his birthday. I just think he deserves some. For all the sheep. You see where I'm going?

the (unavoidable) ramp up to

the 9/11 hoora.

Closing my eyes and plugging my ears whilst humming the tune to John Vanderslice's Exodus Damage won't prevent the voracious amount of 5 year anniversary "war on terra" hooha that is planned on being released in the next week or so. I just hope the media sources can wait until after Labor Day to launch their onslaught, so I can get a few good naps in.

Anyway, as a pre-strike on some (alleged Conservative) documentary that is going to be played on a channel near your head, this column came out, and it pointed out some very interesting and relevant information to me, and now, to you, a consumer.

free business idea.

everythingposthumous.com

truly a fabulous idea...but how does one measure spectral activity? Statcounter, can you do this?

Please leave comments on what would be sold there.

I push the (S)P(r)am Alot!

Not only is this just an amazing spam, it's also a great tag line!
And when I'm bored I can think of all the wonderful things "botnets attacked Defense school district Seattle hospital being arrested" {text as i received it}:

entered. provides about selected zodiac signs. Now gives meaning wellYour Name:Your get score up
endured activists tried firebomb
quite few newcomers industry pay hire away reports. led
service keep varied fresh. Man Years Botnet Weeks NANOG argued whether botnet command endeavor LA Times old fashioned arresting criminals still works. conspired create botnets attacked Defense school district Seattle hospital being arrested. plead guilty sentenced Textbooks Here cf Talk student price
Duran founder chief area Cape Perpetua central coast gigantic crab fish according Christian Monitor OSU closeup coastal dead zone. things worse. weeks ago measured level dissolved oxygen ocean. levels times normal down hypoxia. theyre total absence anoxia. details pictures Climate gollum BBC study Europes climate. collated nations studies involving species. results indicate coming earlier beginning average six eight did said. regions Spain saw increases season began earlier. findings described worlds largest
left Molotov cocktail elderly neighbors doorstep. email animal groups saying win... dont bother my Companies Stick Voice Menus Ask Teaching Primary School Students Hardware: Iranian NYT heavy water nuke goes today. produces went operation U.N. demands Tehran stop activity develop nuclear bomb. President Mahmoud peaceful purposes. comes Thursdays deadline uranium weapons economic political reporting launch Sunday. engineers powerful lightning strikes
lowest common hit crotch. Consider Best Kids Animals DVD: kid doing onto dads groin baby running church pew dog peeing wedding clocking nuts helmet. While these clips certainly lowbrow got something else common: Theyre oozing family comments Struggle Wikipedia dept.A mention Herald Tribune troubles faces getting underway. there interest primary obstacle exposure: majority people continent Africa not internet access. What when literacy rates among languages speakers approach
against Crypto announced allows attacker choose colliding messages. possible example produce two HTML documents nonsense after closing lt/htmlgt tag despite slight thanks adapted appendage same hash value. MD
years math focus group theory impact. Joe Areas Expertise assorted set lists data odd pieces data. Great reading bathroom plane riders Peter Wayners Write Portable Code does excellent job write code multiple variant systems. Simon P. Chappells easy please first Slashdots book Updated: hemos Older August Dodging CropsThe Reporting Apple Faraday Cages Tame State Logs Microsoft OutNovell Launches Trends Oak Ridge Lab Doubles fde Its SpaceHD Should Wired NowFriday Using Laptop
Bob Saget Slate makes pretty argument YouTube knockoffs trace their roots back Americas Funniest Home Videos. article: shows stock was lowest common hit crotch. Consider Best Kids Animals DVD: kid doing onto

a great quote

"What we have now is a terrorism industry, and the bureaucracy to support it. People are profiting from fear. Politicians cannot downplay terrorism, or they'll be voted out of office. Bush has completely run with it. And the media? If it bleeds, it reads. "

found




And these pretzel bits - Damn good in a really, really wrong way.








I only wish I understood how these two are connected. Some things are beyond the scope.

i just like it

via my bulk mail:
Fifth Third Bank - Important Fraud AIert

i wish i was still getting good spam. always fun. this is not an invitation...

from breehn

Just found this link to a Blog entitled, "They should have just called it Dr. Tran." Apparently
there is a new Will Ferrell movie about a guy with his own personal narrator.