The Politics Test

You are a Social Liberal (75% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (35% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

The Circle is Now Complete

On Sunday I visited BlogMapping, a site that allows you to see who’s blogging in your neighborhood.

I typed in my zip code and found Jamaican Queen’s site. This was only the second blog I’d ever come across that was written by a black woman, so I was excited.

In her “Because Joy tagged me” post Jamaican Queen tagged NJ Diva Girl, also a sistah. Diva’s risqué “Three’s Company” post caught the attention of Luke Cage, a brother who’s a graphic artist and comic book fan.

I entered “Luke’s” old school rap contest and tossed out a freestyle verse. I liked a comment laid down by Amadeo Sogni, a brother who’s into just about everything.

And from Amadeo’s site I found Jedi of the Old Republic and Jedi Consular, two dudes who pen Star Wars for Colored Folks.

The circle is now complete.

"Last" Meme

I stole this meme from It Ain't Safe Nowhere.

Last Cigarette: Never had one.

Last Alcoholic Drink: Coors Light, I think.

Last Car Ride: Drove my dogs to the groomers to get their nails done.

Last Kiss: A kiss on the cheek from my cousin James two weeks ago.

Last Good Cry: No cry is "good."

Last Library Book: I borrowed a book about African-Americans in the Korean War from a military library in... 2002?

Last book bought: Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition by Eric A. Meyer.

Last magazine: Photoshop User

Last Book Read: Sudoku Easy by Will Shortz.

Last Movie Seen in Theatres: Revenge of The Sith. But that's not the last movie I've seen.

Last Movie Rented: Riverdance.

Last "Cuss" Word Uttered: Fuck.

Last Beverage Drank: Tea.

Last Food Consumed: Roasted chicken.

Last Phone Call: From my mom telling me that my dogs are on the couch sleeping.

Last TV Show Watched: Supernatural. It ain't getting any better.

Last Time Showered: This morning.

Last Shoes Worn: K-Swiss Classic Luxury Edition. (Jeez, what a pretentious name for a simple sneaker.)

Last CD Played: Late Registration by Kanye West. So overrated!!

Last Item Bought: Replacement glass for the shattered window on my Kia Sorento.

Last Download: The latest 8-pack for Acid pro.

Last Annoyance: Several people online.

Last Disappointment: Having my car window shattered by some motherfucker two weeks ago.

Last Soda Drank: Pepsi.

Last Thing Written: A comment on someone's blog.

Last Key Used: My house key.

Last Words Spoken: "It's freaking cold in here."

Last Sleep: Last night.

Last Ice Cream Eaten: Chocolate from Cold Stone Creamery.

Last Chair Sat In: I'm sitting at my desk right now.

Last Webpage Visited: Amadeo Sogni

Have you ever...

Have you ever...

-Snuck out of the house? No and yes. I usually don’t bother to say where I’m going when I leave. I guess that’s “sneaky.”

-Gotten lost in your city/town? Oh, hell yeah. There are vast areas of New York that I have never been to. I know little about the Bronx and Queens. There are vast areas of even Brooklyn that I know nothing about and have no business being in.

-Seen a shooting star? No, I don’t think so.

-Been to any other countries besides yours? Lots! Canada, Mexico, Cuba, St. Maarten, Barbados, St. Thomas, Nassau, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Brazil, England, Scotland, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Morocco, Egypt, Monaco, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Finland, Korea and stopovers in Japan and Ireland.

-Had serious surgery? I had surgery to correct a deviated septum and I had my tonsils removed. I don’t think those are considered “serious.”

-Gone out in public in your pajamas? Yeah, in the Army my PT uniform was also my pajamas, so I did that all the time.

-Kissed a stranger? Practically everyone I’ve ever kissed was a "stranger."

-Hugged a stranger? Oh, yeah, at sporting events.

-Been in a fist fight? Yeah, I got in a brief “wrestling match” with a cousin once and I tackled and punched up a girl in the gym in seventh grade.

-Been arrested? Never. But I was once pulled over by the fucking cops in front of my own fucking house and asked, “What are you doing here?” Bastards.

-Done drugs? Never.

-Had alcohol? Of course.

-Laughed and had a fizzy drink come out of your nose? Yeah. I can’t remember the last time, though.

-Pushed all the buttons on an elevator? No, that’s dumb shit.

-Made out in an elevator? Nah.

-Swore at your parents? Shit, like every day! Not at my father, though. ;)

-Kicked a guy where it hurts? No. I would only do that if I also intended to kill him. People don’t forgive shit like that.

-Been to a casino? Yeah, there’s a casino on every cruise ship and I’ve been to Atlantic City, Vegas and either Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods -- I forget which. I’m not into it, though. I don’t like losing money.

-Broken a bone? Yes, I broke my left wrist when I was in second grade, I think.

-Been high? Never. Why so many drug questions?

-Skinny-dipped? No, I don’t like the ocean, and I don’t have a pool. If I had my own hot tub and high fences I might try that if there weren’t neighbors around. What the hell?

-Skipped school? Yes, in high school I did that to see The Empire Strikes Back, but I did that with my mom’s permission, so there’s nothing sexy about it. And I skipped numerous classes in college for various reasons. Usually because the weather was bad.

-Flashed someone? No.

-Saw a therapist/counselor? Uh, no comment.

-Done the splits? What does that mean?

-Played spin the bottle? Yeah, all kids do that stuff.

-Gotten stitches? I got butterfly stitches last year when I sliced my finger with a steak knife and they put stitches in my mouth after my wisdom teeth were extracted.

-Drank a whole 3 liters of milk in one hour? Who the hell would do that? I don’t drink that much milk in a year.

-Been to Niagara Falls? No.

-Gotten the chicken pox? Yes.

-Gotten them twice? No.

-Crashed into a friend's car? No.

-Been to Japan? Yes, but I didn’t get out of the airport. I was waiting for connecting flights to and from Korea.

-Ridden in a taxi? Of course! Shit, only some small town hick doesn’t need to take taxis on occasion! It’s not always possible to find parking when you’re going somewhere in New York. Not to mention, there’s never anyone to take me to the freaking airport.

-Shoplifted? Yes, I had a cousin and a friend who were both into that and each wanted me to go “boosting” with them. Like that makes any sense! You’re more likely to get caught when a bunch of you are stealing! So stupid!

I also remember stealing a pet rock from Lord & Taylor’s on a solo mission.

-Been fired? Yes, I was “let go” or “downsized” several times in the 90’s.

-Stole something from your job? Stationery-type shit. Pens, paper.

-Gone on a blind date? Every date I’ve ever gone on was with someone who was essentially a stranger. I mean, you don’t really know people.

Okay, fuck, maybe you do. I don’t.

-Lied to a friend? Yeah. People put me in funky positions and they don’t want to know the truth.

-Been to Europe? Yeah, several times.

-Slept with a co-worker? Only if your definitions of “co-worker” and “slept with” are very broad.

-Gotten divorced? Never been married.

-Had children? No.

-Seen someone die? No, I’ve seen people dying, but I wasn’t there when they actually died.

-Been to Africa? Yes.

-Driven over 400 km in one day? No, not as the driver.

-Been to Canada? Yes.

-Been on a plane? Many times.

-Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show? Yeah, but not the whole thing. It was boring.

-Thrown up in a bar? No, but I threw up on the subway platform about five years ago and everyone was so nice and helpful, when all I wanted to do was run somewhere and hide. They thought I was pregnant! So fucking embarrassing!

-Eaten Sushi? Yes.

-Been snowboarding? No, but that looks like fun. No one I'm friends with wants to do that. Sigh.

-Been water skiing? No, fuck that.

-Met someone in person from the Internet? Many people.

-Been moshing? No, screw that.

-Been to a motocross show? No!

-Lost a child? No, but I was lost in Central Park at Eeyore’s Birthday party. I didn’t feel that I was lost, though. I got under a dancing Chinese dragon and when I came out again I wasn’t where we started. I eventually wandered back to where my mother was waiting.

I know what you’re thinking -- what was a Chinese dragon doing at a Winnie the Pooh character’s birthday party? Beats the hell out of me.

-Gone to college/University? Yes, I went to MIT for my undergrad degree and to Pratt for my Masters.

-Graduated college/University? Yes.

-Tried killing yourself? In a passive way by going to clubs by myself, meeting up with strangers, driving to unfamiliar neighborhoods, etc.

-Tried hurting yourself? Yeah, I played with matches and stuck myself with pins. Adolescent and teenage angst shit.

-Taken painkillers? Yeah, after the deviated septum surgery and after two biopsies in the Army.

-Had someone cheat on you? Yes. Fucker.

-Love someone or miss someone right now? No and no.

-Fucked up school because of a problem with weed? No, I never did weed or any other drug, but because I’m black, no one fucking believes me.

-Owned an iPod? Yeah, I had a first generation 20 GB one which I sold on eBay a few years ago and I currently have an iPod shuffle. I like the Nano. I might get one of those.

-Fancy someone on your friends list? I don’t have a friends list.

-Kissed someone of the same sex? Girls do that shit, but I do try to avoid it.

Halloween Art Contest

I was really into the 3D modeling program Poser last year and I entered a lot of contests. Of course I didn’t win shit, but some of the pictures came out okay. The image above is one I entered into a Halloween contest last year at Renderosity.

Halloween Movies

With Halloween approaching, I’d like to recommend three lesser known horror movies for your enjoyment:

• The Abominable Dr. Phibes -- Featuring Vincent Price and Joseph Cotton. This revenge plot centers on the reemergence of a organist thought to be dead who seeks out the ten people involved in the death of his wife. The tale skillfully mixes in humor with events from the Old Testament.

• Snow White: A Tale of Terror -- Featuring Sigourney Weaver and Sam Neill. A creepy retelling of the familiar Brothers Grimm fairy tale. If you think you know the story, you’ll be thrown off by some of what goes on in the movie.

• Dead of Night -- A group of strangers gathered at an English estate share tales of the supernatural, some amusing, some sinister. The ending is clever.

I’ll add some more movies as I review my DVD collection in the next two weeks.

Feliz Viaje

I had a weird dream last night.

I was with my mom and a couple hundred other (black) people in a dusty border town in Mexico. We were all lined up waiting to get onto some tour buses. It was taking too long to load the buses and I started to get tired of waiting, so I wandered off.

I found a low-budget zoo in the middle of the town. A giraffe peered down at me over the gate. There must’ve been no security at this place, because I opened the gate. Instead of the giraffe coming out, a small black kangaroo leaped into my arms. I tried to put the baby kangaroo back in its cage, but it kept jumping out and I couldn’t lock the gate. I was scared that if I left with the gate unable to close, the kangaroo would leap out into the street and get hit by a car.

The kangaroo jumped up into my arms again and I took it back to where the buses were loading. I got there just in time to see the last bus leave. I knew that the buses wouldn’t be back for two or three hours, so I wandered around the town with this kangaroo until I found a concrete playground where some men were playing soccer. The kangaroo and I took a seat on the sidelines and watched the game. The men did not seem surprised that a black woman and a black kangaroo were watching them.

What was up with this dream?

Obviously the whole “black people waiting for buses” thing had something to do with the images I saw from Hurricane Katrina, but a black kangaroo? I guess that had something to do with my dog Beren, who does hop around a lot.

Why Mexico?

Weird.

Go Away!

It's been raining since last Friday. This blows. On the other hand, if it had been snow, it would've been about 12 feet. That would've been exciting, especially if I didn't have to leave my house to go to work or get food.

Out! No, safe!

Wow, what a travesty went down last night.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of a tied game between the White Sox and the Angels, umpire Doug Eddings signals a strikeout on batter A. J. Pierzynski on a swinging third strike. Angels’ catcher Josh Paul catches the ball. The Angels start jogging off the field. The ump makes the “hammer” motion with his fist, signaling the third out. The game is going to go into extra innings.

But Pierzynski, in a head’s up move, runs to first and is called safe!

WTF!

Angels manager Mike Scioscia argues to no avail. Five minutes later, the game is over. A pinch runner takes Pierzynski’s place, steals second and Joe Crede hits a double, driving in the winning run.

Total travesty. It looked to me like the catcher caught the ball cleanly.

There was a lot of buzz about this botched call today, with some people saying this will prompt the commissioner to institute instant replay in baseball. Hopefully they won’t go forward with that dumb idea. Aren’t the games slow enough?

Read more.

Galactica Season 2 Part 2

**MINOR SPOILERS**

Things to look forward to in January:

• An episode showing Laura’s life on Caprica before the Cylon attack.


• Baltar’s affinity for the Cylons grows and he becomes “darker and scarier.”


• Several episodes with the Pegasus(!).


• A rivalry between Kara and Kat.


• An episode from the Cylons’ point of view.

Click here for an interview with Ron Moore and more details on the second half of season two.

We Suck!

We suck ass!

Okay, I feel better now.

Actually, I’m not really bothered by last night’s total ass whipping by the Angels. The Yankees were clearly inferior. The Angels bested my team in every facet of baseball in this series. They had better starting pitching, better relief pitching, fewer errors, they stole more bases, they scored with less than two outs, and when there were runners in scoring position, they drove them home. The Yankees did none of that.

I do admit that I briefly though we had this game won. When that fat ass Bartolo Colon had to leave the game without getting a single out in the second inning, I was sure this was going to totally disrupt the Angel’s pen. We were going to feast on the rookie they brought in.

It didn’t happen.

After one shaky inning, he was fine.

Every Yankee that stepped to the plate seemed hell-bent on hitting a five-run homerun instead of trying to simply get on base. Only Jeter and Bubba Crosby seemed to have a clue and Bubba killed us when he and Sheffield had their Keystone Kops moment in the outfield and crashed into each other, causing two runs to score. That was the game right there. My only consolation was, “Thank GOD that wasn’t Bernie out there.” I wouldn't have wanted that image to be my last memory of Bernie with the Yanks.

I still love my team, but I have to take some time out to rip these two people:

• Randy Johnson: Why the fuck were you able to pitch scoreless baseball last night in relief but you couldn’t do that when you started on Friday night?

• A-Rod: Not one RBI! Not one homerun! And a do or die ninth inning in which we had three hits was all for naught because you hit into a double play! This is why we owned your ass when you played in Seattle!

I really don’t have a problem with anybody else. Jeter did what he always does -- he comes through. Posada redeemed himself for a lousy September in game 4 and single-handedly made game 5 possible with his slide into home and he called a masterful game for Chacon. Sheffield was making outs, but he was working the count every time, driving the ball, and collecting what few RBIs we got in the series. Giambi didn’t give us the three-run blasts that could’ve saved the series, but he did what the other people in the line-up should’ve been doing -- he kept getting on base! He had like a .500 on-base percentage! But there was no one to drive him in. Matsui was getting hits in four of the five games, but there was no one on for him to drive in! Even Al Leiter, playing on a team he has no love for, induced a double-play in game 4 and collected a win.

Anyway, it’s over. I don’t care who wins the ALCS and I don’t care who wins the World Series. Most likely it’s going to end up being the Cardinals vs. the Angels, but for perverse reasons I’d like the match up to be the Astros vs. the White Sox.

They’ve got three of the best ex-Yankee pitchers, after all.

Sudoku!

Over the summer I began to notice number puzzles with the mysterious name of Sudoku appearing in the newspapers where you usually find crossword puzzles. Then a few weeks ago they had a display of books about these puzzles in the Borders bookstore around the corner from my job. We had torrential rains all day Saturday, so, completely bored, I decided to try one of these puzzles.

They’re pretty good!

The rules are deceptively simple. You have to complete a grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9, inclusive. Sometimes this is hard to do, sometimes the distribution of numbers makes it easy.

I did puzzle after puzzle this weekend and I’m hooked.

This site gave me the tips I needed to get started.

Go to this site to print out random puzzles.

Learn more about the history of the game here.

Exhale

We live another day.

Bless you Shawn Chacon and Mariano.

E-rod

Game four of the Division Series between the Yanks and the Angels was postponed until Sunday, since the remnants of tropical storm Tammy has been hammering us for the last 15 hours.

If the Yanks fail to come back and win this series, this is what I'm going to remember:

Game 2, seventh inning. Alex Rodriguez fails to handle a routine ball in a winnable game and we go back to New York 1-1 instead of 2-0. You can't give away outs at this level of the game. When Robinson Cano does it, I can deal with it. He's 22 years-old and he's goofy. When A-rod does it, I'm disgusted. He's not loveable, he's not endearing. You can't look at him and say, "Oh, he'll get better." He should already be there.

Whatever.

He'll probably be given the MVP award in a few weeks, but I'd rather look out the window at work that day and see tickertape floating in the air on Broadway.

El Duque knocks out Boston

That's my man throwin' down.

I hope he gets another World Series ring.

Unless, of course, he has to go through New York to do it.

Separated at Birth (7)

I can’t take credit for this one.

As pointed out on Wonkette’s site:

On the left, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers.

On the right, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

Separated at birth?

You make the call.

Separated at Birth (6)

On the left, second baseman Alfonso Soriano, formerly of the New York Yankees, currently wallowing in obscurity with the Texas Rangers, a lousy franchise.

On the right, Star Trek Enterprise’s Ensign Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery), who wallowed in obscurity in the lousiest entry in the Star Trek franchise.

Separated at birth?

You decide.

Fake Blog: Chief Justice John Roberts

Someone has started a fake blog, supposedly penned by John Roberts, the new Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

An excerpt:

Justice Stevens has been giving me the death stare all day. Being the guy with the most seniority, I can understand his anger that he didn’t get promoted to chief. But that’s life, John Paul, it’s unfair. They just told me that we have the day off tomorrow because it’s some Jewish holiday. Sweet! When I went to punch out, I found my time card missing. Some of the justices snickered as they left the building. I know they hid it, but I could never prove it.

I hope he/she continues the blog. It has potential.

Court Nominee Has No Judicial Experience

From Yahoo News:

President Bush named White House counsel Harriet Miers to a Supreme Court in transition Monday, turning to a longtime loyalist without experience as a judge or publicly known views on abortion to succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

It’s comforting to know that you don’t have to actually be a freaking judge in order to sit in judgment of others as a member of the highest court in the nation.

WTF?

Teletubbies In Cocaine Bust

From The Smoking Gun:

SEPTEMBER 29--While we knew that Tinky Winky was gay, TSG was unaware of the Teletubbies cocaine connection. When federal officials in New York yesterday announced the arrest of 22 members of an international drug cartel, they revealed that cocaine shipments seized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were labeled with a sweet portrait of the colorful cartoon quartet.

Read more