3.31.2005

Brooklyn Weekend

I'm going here, Saturday. Then, I'm going here. Who would like to join me?

3.29.2005

Viaduc de Millau

Daily, I like to pick one thing that I don't know very much about, but desire to know a lot about, and I research the hell out of it. Google is my weapon of choice. Today's topic is the Viaduct.

In my searching I've discovered this amazing piece of
architecture and engineering. I was immediately enthralled by it, and I've spent the better part of my day trying to locate more photos of it. All I have to say, is that the French are madmen. The actual website for this project has a fantastic little flash presentation that goes through 10 photos of the Viaduct while an enchanting little ditty plays in the background. I've been listening to this song for hours now. It makes me happy (I don't mind the images too much either). Visually and audibly appealing...and if you know your French, full of great information.

Brooklyn Museum Bonus

I find myself loving the Brooklyn Museum more and more these days. Here is another great reason.

I shall be a pet owner

I can't wait to get a CAT!

i [heart] sleep

it's not like this story is revealing anything we're not already aware of, but it's good to know that i'm not alone in my tiredness. this is why you can find me in bed at 8pm (unfortunately i'm not asleep for hours later (sadly, no funny business involved)).

Let us share!

the entertainment industry has a history of opposing new technology, i.e. the player piano.

3.28.2005


tongue Posted by Hello

the will of the living

this guy is set. he's spelled it all out.

all I'm saying is that Bjork will also be appearing in my living will, as she should in everyone's.

courtesy of metafilter

can't get it out of my head

Seal's Love Divine

And I felt my spirit break
I had lost all of my, belief you see
And realized my mistake
But time through a prayer, to me
And all around me became still

I need love, love's divine
Please forgive me now I see that I've been blind
Give me love, love is what I need to help me know my name

Through the rainstorm came sanctuary
And I felt my spirit fly
I had found all of my reality
I realize what it takes

'Cause I need love, love's divine
Please forgive me now I see that I've been blind
Give me love, love is what I need to help me know my name

Oh I, don't bet (don't bend), don't break (don't break)
Show me how to live and promise me you won't forsake
'Cause love can help me know my name

Well I try to say there's nothing wrong
But inside I felt me lying all along
But the message here was plain to see
Believe me

'Cause I need love, love's divine
Please forgive me now I see that I've been blind
Give me love, love is what I need to help me know my name

Oh I, don't bet (don't bend), don't break (don't break)
Show me how to live and promise me you won't forsake
'Cause love can help me know my name

Love can help me know my name

-- I'm a romantic.

Damn

The Earth quakes often.

Oh, man.

8.2 Earthquake off the coast of Indonesia on the same fault line as the one in December.

Tsunami warnings are issued.

Bad news 2000.

Finally

Now artists have financial security, and a new hope for the future. No more need for that Roth IRA. Who needs it when you've got a pension? You don't even need to have any talent, just ride on the coat tails of an actual successful artist! Whoop!

Public Housing

Find projects by Wagner, Moretti, Piano...to name a few. Everything you need to know about these varied buildings, including photos drawings, and a critcal analysis. Easy searching, great reference.

WAD

If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, wedon't believe in it at all. -Noam Chomsky, linguistics professor andpolitical activist (1928- )

3.25.2005

Apathy

Top 5 favorite songs of the hour:

1) Neko Case- Deep Red Bells
2) Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Modern Romance
3) The Flaming Lips- Do You Realize?
4) Clem Snide- Nick Drake Tape
5) The Weakerthans- Without Mythologies


I feel hungry.
Cold coffee and grumpy phone calls.

3.23.2005

Eye and Ear Candy

Now, last night I caught my first glimmer of TV in about 3 weeks. I was actually just standing in a room that had a television on, but what I saw caught my attention very quickly. It was the new commercial for Adidas-1, the new Adidas smart shoe. The commercials visual complexity was what first caught my eye, but about 3 seconds into it, I found myself paying less attention to what was actually going about on the picture plane, and I was completely entranced by the audio. After mulling it over in my head I thought the female vocal was Cat Power, but after googling it, I've come to learn that it's in fact Karen O. of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Great tune.
So apparently Spike Jonze directed the commercial which you can find here. I must say that after watching it again this morning, I am growing more and more impressed by it. It has this "Being John Malcavich" feel to it. Very M.C. Escher's labyrinth meets the I Pod generation.
I do not recall ever wearing sneakers in my dreams, but tonight I'll be sure to look down. Perhaps my feet will be encased in this new "smart shoe", which I may still need a little convincing about, but none the less, I do hope that Karen O. is singing to me in the background.

3.22.2005

I can finally say.

I've taken a long hard look at the controversy surrounding Terri Schiavo and her feeding tube, and I can finally say that I feel like I have thought it through enough to write about it. I remember months ago when I first heard about the case and how her husband desperately wanted to have the tube removed. I remember thinking, this poor man, he's been living the past 15 or so years of his life with the woman he loved in an almost complete vegetative state. This may be the romantic in me, but I think it must be pure agony for him to be reminded daily of how helpless he is. The doctor's say there is no hope. Now, I would also consider the optimist in me. I always believe there is "hope", regardless of if it's scientifically proven or not. But, in this case, I feel like hope needs to be abandoned, to ensure that people such as Terri's husband can resume living a semi-normal life.
Now onward to Terri's parents and brother. I also find myself identifying with Terri's immediate family. Although I'd like to believe that seeing a loved one in that kind of state would make me want to end their suffering, I also feel like my selfishness and love for said loved one would make it extremely hard to agree to place them amongst the non-living. I know that they're also playing the Religion card, and I do respect peoples beliefs, but it's very hard for me to identify with anything having to do with scripture or commandments. Needless to say, I'm more of a physical evidence type believer.
Regardless of all of the above, this should never have been a federal matter. All of my hatred towards George W. aside, the publicity this case is receiving makes me nauseous. It's bad enough that this family has to reside in Florida, under a Bush regime, but to bring the Federal court into it tugs a little bit harder at my desire for there to someday be a non-fictional "separation between church and state."
I also like how the Q daily news points out that George W. is also responsible for signing the Texas Futile Care Law in 1999, while governor. Here's a little snippet of that Law that I believe pertains to the situation:
§ 166.039. PROCEDURE WHEN PERSON HAS NOT EXECUTED OR ISSUED A DIRECTIVE AND IS INCOMPETENT OR INCAPABLE OF COMMUNICATION.
(a) If an adult qualified patient has not executed or issued a directive and is incompetent or otherwise mentally or physically incapable of communication, the attending physician and the patient's legal guardian or an agent under a medical power of attorney may make a treatment decision that may include a decision to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment from the patient.
(b) If the patient does not have a legal guardian or an agent under a medical power of attorney, the attending physician and one person, if available, from one of the following categories, in the following priority, may make a treatment decision that may include a decision to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment:
(1) the patient's spouse;
(2) the patient's reasonably available adult children;
(3) the patient's parents; or
(4) the patient's nearest living relative.
(c) A treatment decision made under Subsection (a) or (b) must be based on knowledge of what the patient would desire, if known.
(d) A treatment decision made under Subsection (b) must be documented in the patient's medical record and signed by the attending physician. (e) If the patient does not have a legal guardian and a person listed in Subsection (b) is not available, a treatment decision made under Subsection (b) must be concurred in by another physician who is not involved in the treatment of the patient or who is a representative of an ethics or medical committee of the health care facility in which the person is a patient.
(f) The fact that an adult qualified patient has not executed or issued a directive does not create a presumption that the patient does not want a treatment decision to be made to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment.
(g) A person listed in Subsection (b) who wishes to challenge a treatment decision made under this section must apply for temporary guardianship under Section 875, Texas Probate Code. The court may waive applicable fees in that proceeding.while governor of that state in 1999, a law that allows hospitals to discontinue life-sustaining measures over the objections of parents
Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 291, § 3, eff. Jan. 1, 1998. Renumbered from § 672.009 and amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 450, § 1.03, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.
What's stated here is basically acknowledged throughout the country, with a few give or takes. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe, although Terri's parents had tried to sue Terri's husband for guardianship, that Terri's husband is still, in fact, her guardian (see (b)(1)). So how does would Bush explain this? He'd never admit to being a flip-flopper, would he? I'd like to hear it.
What it all comes down to is a matter of Terri Schiavo's rights. It's her right, as it is anyone's right, to deny anything that would medically keep her alive. After her husband first brought this issue to the court in 1998, the court deemed it that Terri wouldn't have wanted to be sustained on a feeding tube, and ordered the tube to be removed. If it weren't for her parents argument that Terri, in fact, would have wanted to be force fed, this would have been all over, then and there. But the tube was re-inserted and the drama continues.
For all of those who think this is a matter of murder, they're way off. Nobody is trying to kill Terri, they are just going to stop the medical treatment that is keeping her alive. It is then her body's decision to keep living or die. Yes, we all know, in this case, that she doesn't have a chance of survival without food, but perhaps that's the way it's supposed to be. I'm a firm believer of "everything happens for a reason." So unless there is some type of miracle, and Terri is suddenly healed, and free of the damage her brain has sustained, she will eventually die. We're all gonna die sometime. Everyone.

So, what I've learned from this is that I should keep a living will, and update it weekly with the changing of my moods. This way, they'll be no debate over if I would want medical treatment to keep me alive, or if I would rather end everyone's suffering very quickly by opting to deny that any treatment be administered. I think my will will state the latter.

Further reading: Obsidian Wings -good evaluation
News Coverage
Some interesting takes

3.21.2005

Whoop Whoop!

I just got my "I [heart] KEXP" T-shirt!!! Best hundred bux ever spent!!!! haha, well, at least it went to a good cause, KEXP, where the music matters. Picture to follow...

Nothing to say but...

Psyche.

3.20.2005

It could have been...

Take a look at these pics, especially the Gaudi building. Gaudi in New York...I love the guy, but not in NY. Eye Candy.

quizical

well lookie here...i've found yet another quiz...I have almost no clue what this one is about, but it looks to be that it catagorized me as a 12 sided Die. huh.


I am a d12

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

3.19.2005

it's official...i'm a loser

http://profiles.myspace.com/users/23142741

3.17.2005


Masterpiece Posted by Hello

previous post

ok, so I just RE-took the "level of hell" test, and now, suddenly, I'm in the first level. I think that I answered the question about believing in God differently. Yep, that one question made me jump 5 whole levels.


GOD DAMNIT!

I'll see ya'll there.

I'm Damned.

Someone Save Me!!!!

God! I hope God doesn't read my blog.

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
LevelScore
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)High
Level 2 (Lustful)High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)Low
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)High
Level 7 (Violent)Moderate
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)Moderate

Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test

3.15.2005

200 things

I randomly stole this list off of someone elses blog.

I have Bolded everything I have done. I'll write my own list someday.

  1. Bought everyone in the pub a drink- granted there were only 4 people there besides myself
  2. Swam with wild dolphins
  3. Climbed a mountain- more like hiked a mountain, Mount Baker
  4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
  5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
  6. Held a tarantula
  7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone-i love taking baths (with other people)
  8. Said "I love you" and meant it
  9. Hugged a tree- a redwood
  10. Done a striptease - oh, freshman year
  11. Bungee jumped
  12. Visited Paris
  13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - i'm terrified of lightening!
  14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise -many nights at Rober Moses
  15. Seen the Northern Lights
  16. Gone to a huge sports game - i love sports!
  17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
  18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables - Green bell peppers are my favorite!
  19. Touched an iceberg
  20. Slept under the stars -also at robert moses
  21. Changed a baby's diaper - yuck.
  22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
  23. Watched a meteor shower - montauk point, the best place for gazing.
  24. Gotten drunk on champagne - this new years eve. all by myself. lame.
  25. Given more than you can afford to charity - KEXP! I LOVE YOU!
  26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
  27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
  28. Had a food fight - Junior High...we had group detention in the auditorium
  29. Bet on a winning horse
  30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill - they're called fun days.
  31. Asked out a stranger -i used to be courageous.
  32. Had a snowball fight
  33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
  34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
  35. Held a lamb
  36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
  37. Taken a midnight skinny dip - Robert Moses once again, and a jacuzzi.
  38. Taken an ice cold bath - my friends were trying to wake me out of a morphine stooper (i was given morphine while hospitalized for a kidney infection, then when i got back to my dorm i tried to take a shower with all my clothes on)
  39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar - Late night missed trains at Penn Station
  40. Seen a total eclipse
  41. Ridden a roller coaster
  42. Hit a home run
  43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days - my whole college career
  44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
  45. Adopted an accent for an entire day - Jackie and I would make up fake languages
  46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
  47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
  48. Had two hard drives for your computer
  49. Visited all 50 states
  50. Loved your job for all accounts
  51. Taken care of someone who was shit faced - and I still like Russians.
  52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
  53. Had amazing friends
  54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
  55. Watched wild whales - Puget Sound
  56. Stolen a sign - silly kids
  57. Backpacked in Europe
  58. Taken a road-trip - my life is a road trip
  59. Rock climbing
  60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice
  61. Midnight walk on the beach - where would I be without Robert Moses?
  62. Sky diving
  63. Visited Ireland
  64. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love - Joseph B. Osolin
  65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
  66. Visited Japan
  67. Benchpressed your own weight
  68. Milked a cow
  69. Alphabetized your records
  70. Pretended to be a superhero
  71. Sung karaoke - and I apologize for it. (i got gonged off the stage. Lesson: never sing karaoke at a place that has a gong, unless, of course, you're incredibly drunk)
  72. Lounged around in bed all day - i love bed.
  73. Posed nude in front of strangers - i love the nude beach.
  74. Scuba diving
  75. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
  76. Kissed in the rain - i love to kiss.
  77. Played in the mud - i love getting dirty.
  78. Played in the rain - i love being wet.
  79. Gone to a drive-in theater - Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
  80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it - NO REGRETS!
  81. Visited the Great Wall of China
  82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
  83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
  84. Started a business
  85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken - all the time.
  86. Toured ancient sites
  87. Taken a martial arts class
  88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman
  89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
  90. Gotten married
  91. Been in a movie - my friends are artists, what can i say.
  92. Crashed a party - i've hung around with some bad influences.
  93. Loved someone you shouldn't have - all the time.
  94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
  95. Gotten divorced
  96. Had sex at the office
  97. Gone without food for 5 days
  98. Made cookies from scratch
  99. Won first prize in a costume contest
  100. Ridden a gondola in Venice - not real Venice, I did it in the place Michael Jackson described as the most magical place in Las Vegas, the Venetian
  101. Gotten a tattoo - i'm ink-stained.
  102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on - everything turns me on.
  103. Rafted the Snake River- i didn't raft it, but i jumped in
  104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
  105. Got flowers for no reason - my favorite are Lily's
  106. Masturbated in a public place
  107. Got so drunk you don't remember anything
  108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
  109. Performed on stage - I was a ballarina for 17 years.
  110. Been to Las Vegas - VIVA!
  111. Recorded music
  112. Eaten shark
  113. Had a one-night stand
  114. Gone to Thailand
  115. Seen Siouxsie live
  116. Bought a house
  117. Been in a combat zone
  118. Buried one/both of your parents
  119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off
  120. Been on a cruise ship
  121. Spoken more than one language fluently
  122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone - i'm a fighter
  123. Bounced a check
  124. Performed in Rocky Horror
  125. Read - and understood - your credit report - !
  126. Raised children
  127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
  128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour - I'm a groupie
  129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
  130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
  131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
  132. Called or written your Congress person - I'm way too into politics.
  133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
  134. ...more than once?
  135. - More than thrice?
  136. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
  137. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
  138. Had an abortion or your female partner did
  139. Had plastic surgery
  140. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
  141. Wrote articles for a large publication
  142. Lost over 100 pounds
  143. Held someone while they were having a flashback
  144. Piloted an airplane
  145. Petted a stingray - *sigh* only in captivity, though
  146. Broken someone's heart - I'm an accidental heartbreaker.
  147. Helped an animal give birth
  148. Been fired or laid off from a job - they hired me back...it was all a misunderstanding
  149. Won money on a T.V. game show
  150. Broken a bone
  151. Killed a human being
  152. Gone on an African photo safari
  153. Ridden a motorcycle - with my pops.
  154. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph - i drive fast.
  155. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced - never, ever, ever, ever, again.
  156. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
  157. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
  158. Ridden a horse
  159. Had major surgery
  160. Had sex on a moving train
  161. Had a snake as a pet - I caught a snake, played with it for a few hours and let it go again
  162. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
  163. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
  164. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours - i can sleep forever.
  165. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
  166. Visited all 7 continents
  167. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
  168. Eaten kangaroo meat
  169. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
  170. Been a sperm or egg donor
  171. Eaten sushi - crunchy rolls, yum!
  172. Had your picture in the newspaper
  173. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime
  174. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about - or at least got them to say they changed their mind to make me shut up, who knows
  175. Gotten someone fired for their actions
  176. Gone back to school
  177. Parasailed
  178. Changed your name
  179. Petted a cockroach
  180. Eaten fried green tomatoes
  181. Read The Iliad - not for fun
  182. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read - Joyce
  183. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them
  184. Taught yourself an art from scratch
  185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
  186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
  187. Skipped all your school reunions
  188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
  189. Been elected to public office
  190. Written your own computer language
  191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
  192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
  193. Built your own PC from parts
  194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you - auctioned.
  195. Had a booth at a street fair
  196. Dyed your hair - i don't even remember my real hair color.
  197. Been a DJ
  198. Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal
  199. Written your own role playing game
  200. Been arrested

yep, just as i thought...

I am nerdier than 75% of all people. Are you nerdier? Click here to find out!


whoop!

3.07.2005

ishka bibble giggle juice

yes, i said it.


Oprah just said that she doesn't believe in "luck." huh? you mean to tell me that God controls absolutely everything, even the times when something wonderfully great happens to our benefit? what? nah, i'm gonna stick to the "luck" theory. i haven't had much lately.

i have had tons in the past though, so maybe i've used all of my luck up? i'm not irish you know. that could be a major issue on how much luck i can actually have. i do like the irish though, love em. they're great, they totally know how to celebrate a saint! what do us italians do? nothing. St. Josephs day? we go to church. we certainly don't throw a parade and get rowdy drunk. maybe i can convert. i do have pretty fair skin for an italian. i'll dye my hair red and get blue contacts or something. huh. call me erin.

also. i'm a slave to chapstick. i forgot mine at home today, so all day at work my lips were dry, shrively and burning. ouch. bad news 2000. or is it 2005. GODDAMNIT! it's 2005 already! I can remember saying "bad news 2000" like it was yesterday. sitting in Brian Funks kitchen with that jerk off Mike Longo and the very Irish John Connolly. I'm sensing a theme.

I burnt my tongue on some tortellini soup. 50 bux a week better get me some piping hot tortellini soup. ouch. burnt tongue and chapped lips. I'm in good shape.

Today i did random googling of people i graduated with. made me feel like a loser. this one's in law school, she's at NYU, she graduated from Cornell, they're engaged, he's a lacrosse star. I need to get my ass in gear. I'm going to make sure i'm taking at least one architecture course next semester.

GOD, i wish i could leave for the peace corps tomorrow. i'm so ready to ship out. right now. if my sister's wedding wasn't in July of next year I'd be filling out my application and learning 10 different foreign languages instead of blogging about the nothingness my life entails. blah.

on a good note.
i had a toasty quiznos sub for lunch. mmmmm toasty. good stuff.

humor.
the best medicine.

3.02.2005

blog

what a disaster. everything is taking disasterous turns these days. what's with that? why is my hump day crawling by so slowly. i have a million and one things to do. i'm stressed. i have heartburn, and i'm craving chocolate.
on the brighter side of things, i'm considering screaming at the top of my lungs. do you think my co-workers would mind? screw them.
yuck.
greasy french fries for lunch.
yum.
yuck.
so indecisive these days.
about everything.
i need something new in my life.

3.01.2005

huh?

what's more ironic than finding out that someone you know, who was once a lesbian, is now dating one of your ex's?