knurl

No, that's not the case. But do you know what?  I had never heard of Chuck Feeny or Atlantic Philanthropies.

A fortune made off of duty-free liquor and tobacco sounds like the devil worshipper type, but it's cool.  I like this: "He once met the prime minister of Ireland with his drugstore glasses held together by a paper clip." 

What else?  "Feeney's practical reason for not plastering his moniker on buildings is to attract matching donors who would want naming rights -- as was the case at Stanford with high-tech tycoon Jim Clark and at a UC San Francisco cancer facility with venture capitalist Arthur Rock."   

 I remember Jim Clark. That was very interesting.  So are you. Beyotch.

You've probably seen this a million times, but don't you want to watch it again? 

That would be a great movie, though; skeletons of  pirates come to life in the fog and take over San Francisco and junk. I think it's already been made. 

No, what about a crime-fighting seagull that rides the fog; like Jonathon Livingston Seagull, but it chain smokes and is all hagged-out like Clint Eastwood.  And carries a 45.  The seagull and the tiger in the zoo have a lengthy philosophical arguement about crime and punishment, which is pretty boring and takes up most of the film and sucks.

There should've been more hammer-downs on crooked cops and ratty schemers alike. More hammer-downs on the people who shit on the front porch.

RIP Albert O. Weissberg.

So this year  Mayor Mary Stegal offered a free evening "State of the City" presentation at the Cascade Theater.  This was the inaugural deal, and seems like a good idea for the little people. It's usually a $20 ticket to basically listen to a commercial for the city. I mean, how did she say it? She and her husband, in 1991,  were travelling through town from awesome Fresno,Ca and they were "sold" on moving to Redding.  A great quote: "But Redding had a problem with self-esteem."  LOL! Essentially, she was calling Fresno on the carpet, and didn't want to see Redding wind up the same, highlighting trails, low crime rate, greenbelts and the new Shasta County library. Good points and I agree, but her speech was called "Coming of Age" and I was all don't remind me, dude. Yeah, we're all getting old. Okay thanks bye.  You just lost my vote. 

Seriously, though, Councilman Dickerson acknowledged the passing of valuable community member Al Weissberg with a period of silence. Condolences. Good role-model. You bet.

Redding's all screwed up. Literally. In the City Hall offices, conference rooms, storage rooms and the stairwell.   How disrespectful is that?   I wonder if they would say stuff like "I need to see you in the conference room. We need to exchange some viewpoints. *giggle*"  And then the next day someone sits on something wet, and they're like "what's that?"  And the dude's all " oh,oh,oh what is that? I think it's just some tapioca pudding."  

They were probably trying to be all "Sex in the City".  Lady: "I'm wearing my new shoes that I bought at blahblahblah!"  Guy: "Oh those are so hot -- you look great, baby! You know what they would be great for?  Chick:: "Whaaaat?"  Guy: "They would be perfect for a walk down to the stairwell. Don't forget to call me Mr.Big this time blahblahblah." 

I swear to God, that's how it probably went down.

It's too bad because you know the majority of the people working there are being square, but it's just going to make them look like idiots, too. 

Two words: totally disrespectful high school idgit pukes.

I'm rolling on the floor in a fight to the death ...."lolCATS"

"L Andrew Lloyd Webber for President
O his newest broadway play is called “Humans”
L I liked it better than cats"

via Laughing Squid  or should that be lolSquid. Hahaha, I'll tell you what. Hohoho...brother.

Dear diary,

"At First Sight" is a good one. It was just great to listen to Mira Sorvino talk. Sweeeet. But then the story drew me into some thought-provoking issues about the blind attaining vision.  It was written by Oliver Sacks. Here's an interesting article from Wired about some of his research.

It's a good picture show.

Dear diary,

GOLDIE HAWN IS HARDER THAN TITS!   Huh?

This movie is sort of ridiculous. Squeaky voiced Goldie Hawn brings the party back to her long lost groupie sister, Susan Sarandon. Susan is now married, settled down and raising two snotty daughters. It's really blowing it.

 Helen Christensen makes a triumphant "do it true" speech at her high school graduation.  The crazy Australian piano guy is now a crazy struggling writer and wants to kill his already dead father.

Goldie Hawn grabs her boobies and almost bruises her hand, which in other words, second base is as supple as two elbows. Also, a really good story about how Susan had a tattoo of a lizard king which was a memento of doing the dirty deed with Jim Morrison in a temple in Mexico. Hawt!

The overall best thing? The commercials were for Preparation H and stuff.  No joke.  I had to chuckle, but as I was opening the door to go out, I inadvertently exclaimed "HEMORRHOIDS!" which kind of echoed in the apartment hallway.  How stupid.

Showdown here.  Ken Murray is the former Mayor and is now a City Council member.

Show here.  You can listen to the original here.  I like this one better, though.

Cosmology of celestial chicks.

Everytime you laugh take a drink. This could cure your alcoholism ...or it could go the other way.

I'm cured! haha ....oops...take a drink....of water. hahahahaha. Whatever.

I was just listening to A Prarie Home Companion on the radio for a while. You ever try to imitate Garrison Kiellor's voice? It's nearly impossible to pull off -- the level of smarm or whatever it is. Try it.

"And Lake Wobegon is finally covered in snow. The white dusting of the brown earth where a new world begins. The tracks of deer that lead over..etc.."   F**K me with a rake!

I mean, I like A Prarie Home Companion; it's clever and the guests are real interesting and there is good folksy music and it's real folksy and yuk yuk yuk, they even made it to Redding, but yeah.

What really blows my mind, is Lindsay Lohan starring in the Prarie Home Companion movie. Is that....what? I've got to rent it. Meryl Streep, though; does she get better and better looking as time goes by?  YES. And Helen Mirren.

Here. 

I need to use the word 'lamentably' more often.

Is he Joe King? Hahaha, that's not a very good one.

Anyway, Redding is a "bleak, unending landscape of big-box stores"?  Cocksucker! 

Like Merle said, Redding is "a pretty nice little town." But then again, this is coming from a fellow who  was once pretty "haggard". 

Exhibit A:  " 'Shut up Grandma, damn it Grandma, shut up!' is what echoed from this big mammoth fifty-five-foot houseboat with an ultralite airplane mounted on the rear.

The onlookers stared in disbelief. Maybe the man inside was drunk, maybe he was high. Then the man on the boat stepped way over the line. 'To hell with you Grandma,' he yelled. As he stepped out the door, he suddenly noticed a crowd gathering in the area around his boat. He smiled sheepishly.

No one smiled back.

'It's not what you think,' the man on the boat tried to explain. 'Wait, I'll show you.'

He sounded like a man yelling from inside a cave. The onlookers could still hear him snapping at 'Grandma.'

Eventuallly, he emerged from the boat. 'This,' he said, holding up the canine, 'is Grandma.'

The people looked at each other and then back at him. 'This really is Grandma,' he insisted.

Still, the man stood there, holding a toothless, absolutely loveable, and incredibly old teacup poodle, with its limp tongue hanging out of its mouth."

Granted, Redding does have areas that are bleak, but it certainly isn't "unending".

"We're not afraid of a bunch of terrorists. But this government is all about terror alerts and scaring us at airports. We're changing the Constitution out of fear. We spend all our time looking up each other's dresses. Fear's the only issue the Republican Party has. Vote for them, or the terrorists will win. That's not what Reagan was about. I hate to think about our soldiers over in Iraq fighting for a country that's slipping away."  

Looking up each other's dresses?  Good idea!  

Via here.

that I am pond scum.

The soundtrack for this  might be a little much for an anti-Jesus freak, but the story is inspiring.

"I have a Che T-shirt, and I don't know why."   An expression used by some Argentines. Maybe a vestige of this dude.

P.S. "Somebody bring a drink to the stage immediately, I'm having a heart attack."

Interesting. Thing.

"Organic farming is the fastest growing segment of agriculture, led by California. Conventional growers who scoffed at organics are quietly working on experimental plots or making total conversions. As big companies go organic, the movement is evolving to locally based food chains.

In Northern California, the foundation-backed Roots of Change project has embarked on a radical rethinking of California's food and farm economy. The goals: fresher, healthier, less standardized food, a more vibrant rural landscape and pesticide/herbicide-free farms that now cover a quarter of a million acres in the state - or about half the size of San Mateo County.

Standing athwart this change is the federal farm bill."

-snip-

    "In fact, if California vegetable farmers got crop subsidies, we might all still be eating iceberg lettuce, said Daniel Sumner, an agricultural economist at UC Davis. Crop subsidies discourage the innovation that is evident everywhere in California."

I love these: Straus yogurt, Alvarado St. Bakery , Lundgren Rice

I'm pathetic.

1) Merle Haggard:  He's not the brightest star in the firmament, seeing that he was busted for robbery, sent to San Quentin, and spiraled down the alcohol and drug addiction hell hole and into bankruptcy. (Sounds like a good country song.) But he's sober now and seems like a good father/family guy so I'll hand it to him for that. Here's a gold star for you Merle. Stick it on your hick forehead. No, that's not right. He lives here in my hometown, so he's on the list. He writes good songs, though. Honestly. Here's one from a recent record.

2) Vomit Launch: Don't let the name run you off; let the music run you off. No. They're another semi-local band from Chico, California , and they're pretty good. Or were. I think half of them live in Portland, Oregon now. Of course. Two chicks, two dudes and they were jangle-pop tastemakers. "Criminally underrated" according to this person who uploaded a song to YouTube.  LOL.

3) Big Star: They're good. Yet another local band from Memphis, Tennessee. They recorded at Ardent Studios and stuff.  I'm a rock-n-roll refugee, so what else can I say? Great power pop, in my opinion.

4)R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough,  Robert Belfour, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Asie Payton, T-Model Ford, etc....:  Oxford, Mississippi is like 30 miles south of Memphis?  Droney hill country music.

I was tagged. Suckas.

1) Merle Haggard:  He's not the brightest star in the firmament, seeing that he was busted for robbery, sent to San Quentin, and spiraled down the alcohol and drug addiction hell hole and into bankruptcy. (Hahaha, sounds like a good country song.) But he's sober now and seems like a good father/family guy so I'll hand it to him for that. Here's a gold star for you Merle. Stick it on your hick forehead. No, that's not right. He lives here in my hometown, so he's on the list. He writes good songs, though. Honestly. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Er3A_XbzkI"> Here's one called "(Think About a) Lullaby" from a fairly recent record.</a>

2) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vomit_Launch">Vomit Launch:</a>  Don't let the name run you off; let the music run you off. No. They're another semi-local band from Chico, California , and they're pretty good. Or were. I think half of them live in Portland, Oregon now. Of course. Two chicks, two dudes and they were jangle-pop tastemakers. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZwWBdgEntc">"Criminally underrated" according to this person who uploaded a song to YouTube</a>.  LOL.

3) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu_gB34pHLA"> Big Star:</a>   They're good. Yet another local band from Memphis, Tennessee. They recorded at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardent_Studios"> Ardent Studios</a> and stuff. They're from Memphis. I'm a rock-n-roll refugee, so what else can I say? <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yPSyTTHjQ4&mode=related&search=">Great power pop, in my opinion.</a>

4) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8RtayjqqIw">R.L. Burnside</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm06GowX3gU">Junior Kimbrough</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq1A-R8Lbbo"> Robert Belfour</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXirNblcteg">Jessie Mae Hemphill</a>, Asie Payton, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddSBnP_ISl4&mode=related&search=">T-Model Ford</a>, etc....:  What is it, like 30 miles south of Memphis is Oxford, Mississippi?  Droney hill country music.

5) Barnes and Barnes: Oh man, I choked big time. I didn't have to enter the html code. I forgot. I'm not going to change it though, because I'm lazy now. Barnes and Barnes are not that good, but this is kind of funny.

6)Elvis Costello is good. He's a wordsmith. You bet. I like the Burt Bacharach collaboration a lot.

7) The Carpenters:  What a voice.  What a shame.

8) Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum: I don't know why they are on this list either. Supposedly, they get their name from a futurist/dadist "museum of the future" which was "anti-artifact, non-historical and closed." Kind of a good video, though. Metal?

9) Otis Redding: Named after my hometown. I seriously doubt that.

10) Katie Holmes :  I don't think it's really Katie Holmes, but she kind of looks like her. I like it.

11) This one goes to eleven. Son House.