The Witching Well

1. Name 1 comedy movie you’ve seen.
Caddyshack. Brilliant.

2. Name 2 black and white films you remember seeing.
“Remember seeing”? I could name dozens of great films that were shot in black and white! How’s Casablanca for you? Or Psycho?

3. Name 3 dramas you thought were worth watching.
The Lion in Winter, The Remains of the Day, Twelve Angry Men (the original one in black and white!).

4. Name 4 television shows you watch on a regular (or semi-regular) basis.
The West Wing, Lost, Supernatural, and Rome.

5. Name 5 things that, in your opinion, are advertised on television too frequently.
SUVs, pharmaceuticals, expensive children’s toys, junk food, and sugary soft drinks.

monday madness

So Harriet’s out. Does anyone think that George has learned that he can’t just stick any crony he likes into any position he likes? Nah, me neither. He has probably learned, however, that his Radical Right supporters will bail on him unless he gives them judges that are openly against a woman’s right to choose. And I hope the remaining sane Republicans are finally catching on to just how bad these religiously-motivated wing-nuts are for their party and the country.

Will George pick an open extremist next? He might. And if he does, I hope the Democrats and the moderate Republicans have the backbone to actually fight this time.

Dick Cheney has been trying to get the CIA and other government agenies that don’t report to the DOD an exemption from John McCain’s anti-inhumane treatment bill. So, you know, the White House can still authorize torture whenever it wants to. Former POW McCain is, not surprisingly, not buying it. May he continue to hold that line, no matter what.

The executive branch of the US government is run by barbarians.

How else can I put it? You see, the US is supposed to have principles. Maybe our people haven’t live up to them 100% of the time, but we had them, and they meant something. But not anymore. Invade whoever you want, gang. Lie about why, if that works for you. Detain people without filing charges or giving them POW status. Go ahead. Torture? Sure. As long as you do it overseas, why not? As long as it gets us what we want. Because only Americans matter… Oh, wait. We want to imprison American citizens indefinitely, too. And have access to people’s library borrowing records. And unlimited wiretapping access. And the ability to arrest and interrogate people who’ve expressed their dissent openly. ‘Cause that’s the American way, right? Yay for freedom and democracy!

Fucking barbarians.

1. diamonds or pearls? Amber.
2. paperback or hardcover books? Paperback, if I expect to read it while traveling. Hardcover, if I want to keep it for the long term.
3. carpet or hardwood floors? Hardwood. With Persian carpets.
4. dogs or cats? One of each, please.
5. fluffy or firm pillow? Medium.
6. fine point or medium point pens? Fine point. But not extra fine.
7. clocks a little fast or on time? Just a little fast.
8. mahjong or spider solitaire (or other)? Freecell.
9. wall calendar or desk calendar? Wall. There’s no room on my desk.
10. ‘Survivor’ or ‘The Amazing Race?’ I’d rather eat razorblades than sit through one minute of either of them.

monday madness

Only a hard-core geek like me would get excited about this, but I’ve just started reading A List Apart again, after a hiatus of a couple of years, and the potential inherent in this brilliant bit of coding has just blown me completely away. It allows modern browsers that don’t really support CSS3 yet to use the proposed CSS3 Columns properties with just a touch of javascript. Multiple-column layouts that actually flow. Mmmm. Yummy. Here’s how to do it (with examples of the results).

Favorite Beatles song: Hmmm. A tough one right at the onset. I’ve always been partial to “Helter Skelter” but “Eleanor Rigby” is also a fave.
Favorite solo song by a former Beatle: That would be Ringo’s “Oh My My.”
Favorite Rolling Stones song: Another hard one. “Mother’s Little Helper,” perhaps.
Favorite Bob Dylan song: “Quinn the Eskimo.”
Favorite Pixies song: No idea.
Favorite Prince song: Probably “Darling Nikki,” because it was just so shocking when it first came out.
Favorite Michael Jackson song: Don’t really have one. I liked the Jackson Five but most of Michael’s solo stuff made very little impression on me.
Favorite Metallica song: No opinion. I did my headbanger phase during the AC/DC, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath era.
Favorite Public Enemy song: Don’t think I can even name any off the top of my head. Not a big hip-hop fan.
Favorite Depeche Mode song: A hard choice. Probably “I Feel You” or “Strangelove.”
Favorite Cure song: Don’t really have one, but I vaguely like a lot of them.
Favorite song that most of your friends haven’t heard: Easy one! That’s Great Big Sea’s “Mari Mac.”
Favorite Beastie Boys song: “No Sleep till Brooklyn.”
Favorite Police song: “Synchronicity II.”
Favorite Sex Pistols song: No idea.
Favorite song from a movie: Probably “This is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Favorite Blondie song: “Rapture.”
Favorite Genesis song: Another one of those bands most of whose stuff I like but none of whose stuff can qualify as a favorite. I much prefer Peter Gabriel’s solo stuff.
Favorite Led Zeppelin song: “The Immigrant Song,” perhaps, or “Misty Mountain Hop.”
Favorite INXS song: “Need You Tonight.”
Favorite Weird Al song: A really hard one. I was a fan back when only Doctor Demento was playing his stuff. Hmmmm. “Another One Rides the Bus,” maybe, or “One More Minute.”
Favorite Pink Floyd song: Oh, anything off of Dark Side of the Moon.
Favorite cover song: Johnny Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt.”
Favorite dance song: You mean favorite song I like to dance to? That would be Crüxshadows’ “Monsters.” Dance as a genre? Mostly just ick.
Favorite U2 song: “I Will Follow.”
Favorite disco song: Probably something by the Village People. The whole genre is such a self-parody in my book.
Favorite The Who song: “Boris the Spider.”
Favorite Elton John song: “Daniel.”
Favorite Clash song: “Rockin’ the Casbah.”
Favorite David Bowie song: Oooh. Another toughie. “DJ.” Or maybe “Fame.” Possibly “Space Oddity” or “Suffragette City.”
Favorite Nirvana song: I’m afraid “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is pretty much the only one I can name.
Favorite Snoop Dogg song: Um. No.
Favorite Ice Cube song: Also no.
Favorite Johnny Cash song: Maybe “A Boy Named Sue.”
Favorite R.E.M. song: “Stand.” It makes a great quarter-call if you’re into quirky Circle-casting.
Favorite Elvis song: “Heartbreak Hotel.”
Favorite cheesy-ass country song: Not my thing at all.
Favorite Billy Joel song: “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”
Favorite Bruce Springsteen song: “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” What can I say, it’s a staple of my Yule season.
Favorite Big Audio Dynamite song: Can’t even name one, though I think I should be able to.
Favorite New Order song: Another one like BAD.
Favorite Neil Diamond song: “I’m a Believer.” I know, the Monkees sang it, but Neil wrote it, so I’m counting it.
Favorite Squeeze song: “Cool for Cats”
Favorite Smiths song: You would think I could name at least one, but I can’t.
Favorite Tragically Hip Song: Another nope.

Via Tenser, said the Tensor

I feel a little like Logan 5 and Jessica 6 when they finally got out of the city and saw the sun for the first time in their lives. It’s been nothing but clouds and drizzle and downpours and more drizzle for more days than I can count. But today, there is sun.

We’ve been lucky. Yesterday, Governor Romney declared a state of emergency because there were flooded highways and neighborhoods all over Massachusetts, and every river and stream has been at least under flood watch. I understand they had to evacuate quite a few people from Worcester. Here in Salem, though, we seem to just have gotten thoroughly sodden. At least at our end of town. And you can just imagine how grateful we are to live on a hill, I’m sure.

I hear Connecticut got it pretty bad, too. Word is that the CT Renfaire was closed yesterday because of flooding, and at least a few merchants lost wares.

A security problem with b2evolution allowed a major comment spam flood this morning that forced my host to suspend my account. Dammit. I could have spent a bunch of time looking for patches or plugins, but screw that. I’m using WordPress now.

I’m starting over here. Please be patient.