Oorgo

New and relaxing work benefits

Climate snap

Found this on Slashdot... most interesting, and just in time for the movie "The Day after Tomorrow".

"Pentagon Climage Change Author Interviewed"

Takin' it to the streets

YOU Telling me the things you're gonna do for me.
I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see.

You don't know me but I'm your brother
I was raised here in this living hell
You don't know my kind in your world
Fairly soon the time will tell

You, telling me the things you're gonna do for me
I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see
Takin' it to the steeets, takin' it to the streets
Takin it to the streets, takin' it to the streets

Take this message to my brother
You will find him ev'rywhere
Wherever people live together
Tied in poverty's despair

You, telling me the things you're gonna do for me
I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see
Takin' it to the steeets, takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets, takin' it to the streets

"TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS"
The Doobie Brothers

Odd circumstance

So in the past month, since I realized that it's been 10 years since I attended ST FX University Music Program, I've run into about 5 people that attended or are attending the school. I also was listening to WJYC Jazz y Clave" and I heard a great jazz tune, looked up the performers, it was a guy I went to school with. Did some more research and turns out he's the flippin' Administrator at the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Wow, I feel great for Steve, but man... I'm jealous!

I forgot to mention that I have/had 10 years to complete my degree (missing a couple of electives I took her but never transferred the credit back), so the current circumstances have lit a fire under my ass to get things in order.

Also part of the reason I'm going back to the Jazz Jams at the Yardbird Suite

missed that

{lamism}

Tuesday night jazz jam.

Out on a limb, exposed
Renewing, reviving my past.
On stage,
notes fighting for priority
in a queue of time.
Attempting musicality.

So little time,
no judges, still
being judged.
Striving for expression,
bring back what was.
Seems smoother now,
aged perhaps,
less angry and bitter.

Off stage,
congratulations,
questions, background,
numbers given
and received.
Old friends found,
laughter, optimism.
Like old times,
but not.

Appreciation of what was.

{/lamism}

Son - of a ...

My wife and I finally got rid of the hide-a-bed and chair on Saturday. They were nice enough, but unfortunately neither of us could sit in them, because of a weird rash/prickles we got. Something about either the material or age of the furniture. ANYWAYS... while we were dragging/lugging the beast of a hide-a-bed out to the front lawn, I hurt/pulled/strained my back..

It's not comfortable, and I hate taking drugs to numb the pain so I'm a little cranky.

Oh! And I put up some new pictures of Xavier on his site Here. March through May... some good some ok, but all cute.

I have to say this...

{political commentary}

I thought I would say this because it's been on my mind ever since Tuesday

Re: Nick Berg

In many ways the contemptious acts of the Al-Qaida terrorists when they executed Nick Berg in front of the world had great similarity to the murders performed by CIA agents and US soldiers in Iraq.

Let's look at this clinically:

From the murdering side, both abused the deceased mentally and physically before they died. On the terrorist side they purposefully ended life quickly albeit brutally, on the US side the patient died after excruciating pain most likely caused by blunt trauma.

From the location side, the terrorists killed Nick Berg in front of a video camera, intending to broadcast it to the world as a statement of rage and defiance to the US. The US CIA agents / soldiers killed their prisoners in the privacy of a cell or sequestered in an interrogation room, never intending it to be public knowledge.

Humans have a huge capacity for evil, whether you belong to a country that at one time had a reputation for saving lives and treating all people with respect, or you belong to a small group of radical fundamentalists who believe there is no god but theirs, and will kill to enforce it. The ability to torture, maim, kill and humiliate when under extreme situations and when fueled by hatred, fear and prejudice are inherit in all of us.

Seeing the images of Abu Ghraib reminded me of "Lord of the Flies" in many ways, mob mentality took over. I could almost hear "Kill the beast! Spill it's blood!" being chanted in the background. The events that have come to a head recently in the news have renewed my disappointment in humankind, and reinforced the feelings I had as a late-teen.. here's a portion of a poem I wrote:

"I wonder what the next beings will be like?
The ones who will inhabit our planet once we're gone.
They'll dig up our bones, and uncover our remains,
and wonder how we died."

{/political commentary}

Here Comes a Huge...

{valleygirlspeak} Ohmygodohmygod you seriously have to check out Achewood today.{/valleygirlspeak}

That'll learn ya

That's what I get for going into a situation unprepared.

Last night I went to the Jam at the Yardbird Suite here in Edmonton.
I should have probably honed up my tune knowledge before I wentmonton.
Because of my ego I wouldn't pull out the sheet-o.
And so the song sort of went kinda deadmonton.

There's my ultra-super bad poetry for the week.

Damn I feel stupid though... bah.. and it was a huge jazz standard that everyone (including myself a few years back) has played hundreds of times. That's what I get for taking almost a 6 year jazz haitus "I used ta be a contenda"

Next time... Next time... It will be mine...

Gah

Atrocities atrocities atrocities...

I just had to pass on this link to the International Red Cross Report regarding the abuse / atrocities committed by soldiers in Iraq, (not just the one prison).

Thanks to Norbizness over at Happy Furry Puppy Story Time for a great summary of the report.

Get it Now! Only from AmeriCo!

Ok, I love the AmerCo pic, but I had to shrink it, it's just to big... if you want to view it you can Click Here

Hmmm.. who would have thought?

Peppermint Tea led me to this.... (Dan, you should check her out, she's just your type :-))

You are 48% geek

You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator. Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend. You [to Geek]: We need more than that, Scotty. You'll have to stay until you can squeeze more outta them engines! Geek [to You]: I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain, but we need more dilithium crystals! You [to Normal]: He wants to know if he gets overtime.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com

Just when you thought they were starting to learn from the past

The Recording industries go back to their old greedy self.
iTunes has been forced to pump the prices of their single tracks up to $1.25, making some albums now $16.99 to purchase for download.

Isn't that special.

Once again, they don't F$#@ing realize the reason they are losing money is BECAUSE the f#@#ing prices are so high. That makes it cost the equivalent or more money to purchase music online then to buy from a brick 'n mortar vendor. They even have had the gall to try and force customers to have to buy full albums instead of single tracks, luckily that didn't fly with iTunes.

I shake my head in disgust at the sheer greed and unwavering contempt the RIAA (which is powered by the big 5 recording companies) has for it's customers. If there was any message I could send out to them it would be to "Wake the f#$* up!!", but that doesn't seem to be happening any time soon.

update

---

Apparently according to Apple the above is just a rumor, and that their $0.99 per track price tag will stay for now

eMCee is not in da HAUS

Wow... I almost never thought the day would come. I learned yesterday that the manager of support for the company I used to work for has been "layed off".

I and so many others who lived under her reign of terror and mindgames will sadly miss the glower and unpersonality that she was. If there were any worse way to run a department I'm not sure if I could think of them. Oh maybe if you included electro-shock for logging in a few seconds late, or smiling too much, or looking like you were having fun at work.

I only hope that my actions and the actions of a fellow employee contributed to what seems to be a weeding of the crop at Slave*****. A company that used to be fun to work for, but turned into a suspicious, unheatlhy environment of untrust and constricting rules.

SUre, in some ways I feel bad for taking pleasure in others misfortune, but I think the old "What goes around comes around" and "Come-uppance" statements take effect here. Here's a funny thing, just before I gave my 2 weeks I recieved the office nameplate I ordered depicting "David and Goliath", maybe it was a precursor to the events that are happening now... maybe I'm just an egotistical bastard...

Dandy, just freakin' dandy

Great... now I'm getting porn spam comments...

I'll have to get Pommie to implement one of the plugins Arcterex found. We'll see though, it's only gotten to 4 ... if it starts getting worse then I'll start lobbying.