Aquaman

With the proliferation of superhero movies being made these days, they are really scraping the bottom of the comic book barrel. Granted, some of the comic book characters that I've never heard of have actually ended up in watchable movies - I was surprised to find that I enjoyed both Constantine and Hellboy - but with Aquaman, they are really going too far. Is there any way in the world it won't be a complete disaster? I'm really getting the campy Batman tv show vibe. Aquaman is one of the lamest superheros ever, how can they possibly make a movie about him that isn't a complete bomb. It might even be a worse move than making a Wonder Twins movie. Anyway it reminded me of the Dave Chappelle bit I saw years ago on Dr. Katz.



And speaking of Dr. Katz, if it wasn't $80, I'd order the complete series on DVD. 1782 minutes of hilarity, not to mention the worst animation in television history.

Pain In The Grass

Sevendust recently released a video for the song Prodigal Son - their first video in quite some time. I'm not sure why really since it'll never get played on tv. The only people that will see it are those who watch it on the internet. Regardless, here it is.

One of the reasons I bring this up - it's not just because I love Sevendust - is that I also found out recently that they will be playing with Queensryche, Drowning Pool, and a few other bands at Pain in the Grass on 8/23. Now I'm dying to go to that show, and since it's just days after my birthday, anybody that needs an idea for a present.... Actually I'll most likely get my tickets long before then, but that brings me to my next point, who else is in? Is anybody out there interested in going to the show with me? Let me know and we can start making arrangements, although I assume this is another show I'll be attending alone.

Oscar Gamble

Watching the Mariner game last night, the camera focused on a fan with a giant afro and naturally that got me thinking about Oscar Gamble. That man had unquestionably the biggest hair in major league history if not in the history of sports in general. Behold the giantness of it and tremble in fear.

But the fun doesn't end there. While 'researching' (looking for pictures of) Oscar Gamble I stumbled upon an enjoyable feature titled Baseball's all-time all-hair team. The highlight being this little gem: In 1977, Oscar Gamble's hat size was 10 3/4. That's pretty large.

I've grown my hair pretty long in my day, but it never approached the sheer magnitude of Oscar's. While long, mine never achieved 'big' status. It's a shame really. It would have taken a great deal of product for me to embiggen my hair, and unfortunately I was always too lazy for that. Anyway, I don't want to leave you with just one picture, so please enjoy this second one free of charge.

Friday's Question

The question for you to ponder today is a simple one: If you could sucker punch anyone on the Mariners, who would it be? This is not limited to the players either, if you aren't experiencing Rigglemania anymore and think Jim Riggleman needs a good beating, he's fair game. If you hold a grudge like Howard Lincoln and think he deserves a sock in the neck, or even if for some reason you want to let one of the ball girls have it, they are all included. Also for the purposes of this little game, there are no repercussions to your actions, but it does have to be limited to just one individual.

In an attempt to not influence your decision in any way, I'll post my guy in the comments section. Some reasons why you think your individual deserves a sock in the neck should also be included.

** Rigglemania is a registered trademark of the Craw Fu corporation. Use or description of this term without the expressed written consent of Craw Fu and it's subsidiaries is strictly prohibited.

Weird

I guarantee that this is the weirdest thing you'll see all day. I have no words to describe it.

I Just Realized

....that I haven't said anything in a while. I guess it's about time I did something about that. I have just been extremely short on sleep and as a result had almost no attention span. Anything I had on my mind quickly left before I could type it up. That combined with some of the worst pain and swelling I've had in weeks have left me really unmotivated. I know it's getting to be a pretty worn out refrain from me lately, but I can't begin to express how badly I want this fixator off. I've broken bones before, but I've never had any injury that has been this unpleasant and painful for this long. It's been 5 weeks since the surgery and almost 6 since I broke the finger and I'm still experiencing daily pain and about half the mobility. Had I known this 6 weeks ago, I would have thought long and hard about going the Ronnie Lott route and just cutting it off.

A few people keep trying to convince me to watch The Office. I liked the BBC version, but the US version I have just been unable to get into. Granted I've only seen 3 or 4 episodes, but it just isn't as funny as the original. And it doesn't help that I don't care for Steve Carell. I don't think I've ever seen him in anything good. Sure he's been in ok movies, but nothing I'd call good. But I digress, people have told me things that have happened in The Office that are funny, but I haven't seen them. None of the episodes I've seen have been more than mildly amusing. And certainly nothing as funny as the free love freeway episode of the BBC version. You should probably google that.

R.I.P. George Carlin

George Carlin died of heart failure at the age of 71 today - June 22nd. I know his style of humor wasn't for everyone - he could be offensive and abrasive - but he was a thinking man's comic with an unusual view on life. I'll miss his insights, even the ones I didn't see eye to eye with him on. For all the drugs he did and all the hard living on the road, he lived to a long life and his death really can't be considered untimely. He should be celebrated instead of mourned and I hope he found some happiness in his life before his death, he was an angry, bitter man.

I did a little searching and found this video that isn't too long. There are a few f bombs, so if you're at work, beware. And the volume is really low so you'll have to crank it to hear him. It's good stuff though. As a matter of fact it's all about stuff.

World's Ugliest Dog

It's that time of year again, time for the World's Ugliest Dog competition. This year's winner is Gus, a Chinese crested with one, three legs, and skin cancer. Pictures and video are here. But as hideous as some of these dogs are, a few have owners that are even uglier. And this link is safe for work, but not safe for meal time. For winning, Gus takes home two trophies and a $1600 jackpot. Not bad for a day's work.

More pictures and info here.

King of Kong

I watched King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters again this weekend and can't express how amusing it really is. I found this clip of the movie which is one of my favorite scenes. Make sure you watch until the end. I'll give you this little bit of set up. Steve Wiebe is making a run at the world record for Donkey Kong when one of his kids come running into the room, screaming at the top of his lungs .... well you'll have to watch the hilarity ensue.

In Focus Photos

Here are some photos of my medieval torture device that are in focus! You have no idea how hard that was to do one handed, and left handed at that. I didn't shrink down the size of the photos any before uploading them, so if you click on them be prepared for a huge version. The good news is that it's just 9 more days until I get this accursed thing off. June 30th can't come soon enough for me. I can't tell you how many times I've banged that thing on something because it's so obtrusive. The worst being a couple weeks ago when I tried to reach into my glove compartment and hit it on the dash. I got all the pain of breaking it all over again plus I scratched my dash. Good times. Occurrences such as that usually lead to swearing and wanting to hit something, quickly followed by the realization that hitting something isn't a good idea, even more quickly followed by more swearing.

At the physical therapist this week I was told that I still only have 55º range of motion at the PIP joint - or proximal interphalangeal joint (middle joint) and normal range of motion is 105º, so I still have a long way to go. And it turns out, this web site has a pretty good picture of what kind of happened to my finger. I did in fact have a volar subluxation as pictured and described about halfway down. I didn't have any ligament damage but I did have a reasonably large piece of bone in the middle phalanx pulled away from the joint, or 'avulsed' as it is called here.

But anyway, I'm babbling now and that usually means it's time to stop. The important thing is June 30th I'm free of this contraption. I'm going to have to see if I can get a picture of one of the x-rays to put up here. Hopefully one pre-surgery and one post-surgery for comparison/contrast purposes. It's pretty weird to see the x-rays with the pins going through the finger. And I'm really hoping to not have the opportunity to see through my finger after the pins are removed.

I'm also really looking forward to being able to write legibly again. It will be nice to be able to tie my shoes or get my keys out of my pocket without difficulty. Take my shirt or coat off without fear of it snagging on the screws and feeling like it's ripping my finger off. Being able to put a rubber glove on so I can wash dishes. I really can't wait to get this thing off. But I'm babbling again.

What the ......

.... who's that last priest there? I'm pretty sure this is a photoshop job, but still, I would like to know just what is going on in this picture. The accompanying story was no help due to my inability to read Icelandic and my inability to find a web site that will translate Icelandic into English. So if you can translate and tell me what is going on here, or if you've just got a good theory, I'm all ears.

How To Nap

Just in case you didn't know how, here is a handy tutorial.

Epic Magician Battle

After reading about this magician bar room brawl, I couldn't help wondering who would win in a real life magician ultimate fighting tournament. Would it be the wirey Lance Burton, the creepy Criss Angel, the devious tag team of Penn & Teller? Could the crafty old David Copperfield beat down the Amazing Johnathan or even the street wise David Blaine? Well, I'm out of magicians I can name so that's all you have to choose from.




Incidentally, my favorite line from the article:

"The Woburn magician refused medical attention, but no amount of abracadabras could vanish the several head bumps and swollen nose he suffered during the fight, according to reports."

Heavy Metal In Baghdad

Heavy Metal in Baghdad documents the only Iraqi heavy metal band - Acrassicauda. The four band members got together back in 2000 wanting nothing more than to grow their hair long and play loud music. Under the Saddam Hussein regime, they had to endure persecution for wearing t-shirts from American bands, having goatees, and banging their heads - which was viewed as a Jewish prayer ritual. They had to write a song praising Saddam to be allowed to play.

The first year or so after the war, things improved in Baghdad but after that progressively got worse turning Iraq into a living hell. From there the movie is less about a band than it is about the horrors of life in Iraq and the plight of Iraqi refugees in other countries. It's a very interesting film and a very heartbreaking look into the lives of 4 young men with no political agenda, just a desire to play music and be happy. It's difficult to watch at times but well worth it.

Seahawks To Win Superbowl

Matt Hasselbeck is the best QB in the NFC, and the Seahawks will win the Superbowl. But don't just take my word for it, listen to the experts from ESPN who say that thanks to marquee players at nearly every position, Seattle is the team to beat in the NFC this year. If you're heading to Vegas, put down $10 for me for them to win it all.

Headline of the Day

Here is an actual headline from The Free Lance-Star in lovely Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Man squeezed more than Charmin in local grocery store, police say

Best And Worst

With the joyous news that Bill Bavasi had been fired, I began my research to compile a list of the best and worst trades made during his tenure.

I'll start out with the best because it shouldn't take too long.

Freddy Garcia and Ben Davis for Jeremy Reed, Mike Morse, and Miguel Olivo. For my money this is hands down the best for one reason and one reason alone. Garcia had one mediocre year after leaving Seattle and then quickly began fading into unemployment while Reed and Morse are still in the organization. Plus it allowed us to rid ourselves of Ben Davis.

Next is the much maligned Chris Snelling and Emiliano Fruto for Jose Vidro move. I hated it at the time, but since Snelling has remained healthy enough to have 73 at bats in the last 2 years, culminating in his unceremonious release by the Phillies last week, and Fruto hasn't set foot in the majors since leaving town, this one works out in our favor, although every day that Vidro stays on the roster with his outrageous salary this year and takes playing time away from better prospects, the worse this deal gets. With any luck the first move that the new GM makes will be to designate him and Sexson for assignment.

That's it for the good, now onto the bad.

Rafeal Soriano for Horacio Ramirez has to be the worst for obvious reasons. I can't even discuss it without getting angry.

Carlos Guillen for Ramon Santiago and Juan Gonzales. Guillen has hit .312 with 71 HR and 339 RBI since the trade. Enough said.

Randy Wynn for Yorvit Torrealba and Jesse Foppert. Who?

Jamie Moyer for Andy Baldwin and Andrew Barb. See above.

George Sherrill, Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, Tony Butler, and Kam Mickolio to the Orioles for Erik Bedard. Bedard has been really inconsistent while Sherrill has turned into one of the best closers in the league. Bedard could turn out to be a good player for the M's, but the price to get him was way way way too high. Way.

Now he has made some decent free agent signings since all we had to give up for them was cash, although many cost us much more cash than they were worth. And don't forget that among those free agents were Scott Spiezio, Rich Aurilia, Jarrod Washburn, Carl Everett, Pokie Reese, Jeff Weaver, and Brad Wilkerson.

Let's just hope for a better GM in the future, not to mention a manager who will let young prospects play enough to develop before trading them for overpriced underperforming veterans. And since the Mariners just are now trailing the Marlins 6-1 with the bases loaded, I have to stop now and perform an emergency channel change.

Today's Unanswerable Question

While looking at a picture of Palau today, I began to wonder how many islands are required to be considered an archipelago. After wasting way too much time on it, the best I could narrow it down to was 'many'. This being an unacceptable answer, I am now throwing open the floor for debate. On the line is pride. You will have the opportunity to tell everyone how smart you are. And as if that weren't enough, I'll throw in a cup of Starbucks coffee and if I'm suitably impressed with the quality of the answer I receive, a state of Kansas jello mold as well.

And while I await the answer to the age old question of how many is many, let me throw some facts at you. Located in the western Pacific, east of the Phillipines and southwest of Guam, it consists of more than 250 islands, thereby qualifying it as an archipelago. It as a Japanese stronghold during WWII and a US territory following the war until it became and independent nation in October 1994. The population of 21,000 speaks English, Japanese, Palauan, and 3 additional local languages. The currency is the US dollar although the primary industry - tourism - only brings in a per capita GDP of $9,000.

85,000 people visit this beautiful country every year where the average high remains a nearly constant 88º year round with the average low an equally constant 75º. So pack your bags, book your flight, and prepare to spend plenty of time sipping cool drinks in the shade of a palm tree in your hammock. And when you're there, be sure to find out how many islands are in an archipelago.

Gone!

Extra special thanks to Pat for making my day by calling me and telling me that the breaking news on KJR is that Bill Bavasi just got fired! His reign of terror has ended! Now I can stop worrying what other talented prospects he would trade away for broken down, overprices veterans! Now perhaps we can finally purge the roster of some of the players who can't get anything done on the field! This is the most exclamation points I've ever used in one post!

This news is so new that I can't even find it anywhere else online to link to.

***Update***
The Seattle Times now has an article up. Lee Pelekoudas has been named interim GM.

What I'm Listening To

My latest acquisition is the 4th album from Disturbed - Indestructible. I know that they have a limited audience, but they are a band everyone should listen to. So now I'm giving you that opportunity! Criminal - track #10 - is the song I currently can't get enough of. If you're listening at work, be sure to crank it so the whole office can enjoy it.



As of now I like 4 of the 12 tracks and haven't really gotten into the rest. The remaining 8 seem kind of like filler at the moment, but maybe as I listen more they will grow on me. But for now, this is the song for me.

How Bad Are The Mariners?

They are so bad that they are now being made fun of in The Onion. And after watching yesterday's game and trying in vain to wrap my head around the mystery of how it is that we have a DH with a .222 average and no power batting in the #3 slot, not to mention making $8.5 million and starting every day, and how it is that a guy who has no business being on a major league roster is making $15.5 million a year for us (Richie Sexson), I came across this:

June 12, 2008
Mariners Fire Whiffing Coach

SEATTLE—Claiming that Mariners whiffers have not been swinging wildly or
embarrassingly enough, GM Bill Bavasi fired team whiffing coach Jeff Pentland
Monday. "Our guys have simply forgotten the basics—flailing, guessing, just
standing there like a statue as a perfect pitch comes sailing right over the
plate," Bavasi said. "Sure, we've excelled in areas such as hitting soft fly
balls directly to the left-fielder and grounding weakly into double plays, but
that only gets you so far. We need to get to a point where our team is able to
whiff with the game on the line." Bavasi, however, once again reserved heavy
praise for the team's sucking coach.

That being said, I actually feel bad for Richie, he seems like a likable guy, he just shouldn't be playing. And I still can't figure out how it was the Jeff Pentland ended up being the one thrown under the bus when he's got lousy players to deal with. Bavasi and McClaren should both be out of here. And the thing that has been causing me to lose sleep lately is that Vidro has been getting enough at bats to be on pace to trigger a vesting clause in his contract which would require us to keep him on the roster for another year! Why in the world is he still playing?

It should be common knowledge by now that I can't stand Bill Bavasi. Since it has become apparent that no amount of ruining the team will result in his firing, I am advocating that fans start bringing 'Kill Bill' signs to the ballpark. And I was going to register the Kill Bill URL, but it turns out some guy named Tarantino beat me to it. Don't let that deter you though, we need to get the Kill Bill campaign in full swing immediately.

World of World of Warcraft

Blizzard's sequel to the hugely popular game World of Warcraft looks, for lack of a better word, awesome. Check out the news story below.


'Warcraft' Sequel Lets Gamers Play A Character Playing 'Warcraft'

This game will change peoples lives and will change the way we think of videogames.

Rambo

In the latest Rambo movie, John Rambo has taken up residence in Thailand. He lives a pretty quiet existence, capturing snakes for a tourist trap, until some missionaries convince him to take them up the river into war torn Burma (which I thought was now known as Myanmar). As you may have guessed, things don't play out as they had imagined for the well meaning but naive missionaries and those that aren't killed are taken prisoner by the army. The church pastor then hires John Rambo to ferry some mercenaries up the river to extract them. That is where the plot ends and the action begins.

I know that plot isn't the primary attraction of a good action flick, but something a little more plausible might have been nice. Sure, naive missionaries are believable, but a teary eyed pastor hiring mercenaries to retrieve them? Come on. And some story after the first 25 or 30 minutes wouldn't have hurt anything.

I don't know if I was supposed to be laughing as much as I was, but the violence was bordering on Looney Tunes proportions. I never saw a movie with so many exploding heads, bodies cut in half by gunfire, severed limbs, and general body parts flying about. I don't know, maybe high caliber weapons really can cause that much carnage, but it came across as comically over the top to me.

These things considered, this is really what I expected out of a Rambo movie after the previous iterations. If you enjoyed those installments, chances are you'll enjoy this one as well. If, like a lot of viewers, you like over the top violence and a paper thin plot, then this is the film for you. I found it to be ok, but it could have been better. 60 year old Sly Stallone did an admirable job of not just getting himself in shape for this (even if it was aided by HGH) and pulled off the action scenes perfectly. If you're up for a good action flick, this is worth watching if you don't get your expectations too high.

Open Carry

Gun owners, apparently tired of concealing their weapons, have taken up a new trend, the open carry. No longer will they hide their weapons as though they are ashamed of them. In a reversion to the wild west days, guns are being displayed for all the world to see. Does this practice really make you feel more secure and deter criminals? Perhaps. I haven't seen any statistics and don't really know. What I do know is that the next time you see someone proudly displaying a sidearm at your local Starbucks, don't be surprised - you heard it here first.

Toothpick Sculptures

All artists choose a medium to work in. For some it's painting, for others it's photography, for Stephen Backman of San Francisco, it's toothpicks. Not only are these sculptures unique, some are exceptionally cool. My favorite is the 13 foot long replica of the Golden Gate bridge. Made from 30,000 toothpicks, it took more than 2 years to complete. It is currently on display in the Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museum in Hollywood. This radio controlled yacht made from 10,000 toothpicks is also amazing. And as if that weren't enough, there is also a video of the yacht in motion. There are many more incredible sculptures including a streetcar, a replica of the Empire State Building, some portraits, and more. It's well worth your time to check them out.

Headline of the Day!

Fight Over $50 Escalates With Drive-By Crotch Kick

You have to love Bremerton. Where else would an ongoing dispute over the sale of a cheap, crappy tv and stereo result in a 44 year old man getting on his bike and riding directly at a 51 year old man to get that little bit extra momentum to boot him in the crotch? What is truly puzzling, however, is that despite the fact that the victim positively identified his assailant and knows who he is and knows his name, the deputies were unable to find him for questioning. That's some quality police work there Bremerton PD.

Update

I had a doctors appointment yesterday and the most import news is that I have negotiated a June 30 date to have this contraption removed. I can't get it off soon enough.

I had some more xrays done and everything is still where it's supposed to be. That's where the good news ended. The doc said that he is very unhappy with the current range of motion. I should be able to bend it a lot further after the length of time that has passed. I expressed my concerns that trying to force it to bend farther might re-break the finger or cause some other injury. The response I got was a little disconcerting, "don't worry about that, if you break it, I'll fix it. Just bend it as far as you can." That didn't exactly fill me with confidence.

From there the doc proceeded to give me a demonstration and bent the finger until I could have sworn that it was just about to snap right off. As you may have guessed, it's extra swollen today in addition to being extra sore. As a matter of fact I don't think it's been this swollen since the day I broke it. But after a fistful of advil, it's feeling good enough now that I might be able to get some sleep tonight.

The doc also tried adjusting the screws on the fixetor which changes the spacing between the 2 bones in the joint. This was surprisingly unpleasant. Not overwhelmingly painful, but it certainly wasn't an experience I'd care to repeat. It's a sensation that's a little hard to describe, but take my word for it, no good. I also got some warning to expect some "fluid drainage" from the pin sites in the coming weeks. That I am also not looking forward to. But for now my goal is to be able to play tennis by next weekend.

Strawberry Shortcake

The weather was reasonably nice today - we got 4 hours of nearly summer like temperatures - and that means it's time for a summery treat, strawberry shortcake. When strawberries are in season, it's hard not to pick some up every time I go to the store. And in a roundabout way, this brings me to a long standing conundrum for me: why is it that the red fruits are the tastiest? In addition to the afore mentioned strawberries, cherries, raspberries, watermelon, and red delicious apples are the tastiest fruits of them all.

Time Flies

I don't know why, but I find it entertaining when the clock at work does this. If only the days really went by so fast.

Friday the 13th

According to the Dutch Center for Insurance Statistics, you need not fear Friday the 13th. Statistics show that is actually luckier than your ordinary average Friday. Incidents of traffic accidents, fires and thefts are actually lower.

I don't know whether or not this is due to people hiding in their bunkers on Fridays the 13th or there is some other explanation. Causation is not discussed in the article so that is just speculation on my part. What I do know is that tomorrow you can do everything you would normally do with reckless abandon, safe in the knowledge that you are statistically less likely to come to harm.

And now to throw a little history at you, the superstition that Friday the 13th is unlucky came about because the Knight's Templar were hunted down and slaughtered on that day. Let me hunt down the Wikipedia entry on that ... here it is, although Wiki claims that the superstition didn't start with this event as the History Channel said it did. Regardless, on Friday October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered that Knights Templar be arrested. They were then tortured to extract false confessions of blasphemy.

Still, that's a better and more interesting story than the alternative that they have to offer so that is the one I will stick with.

Useless Trivia

In which of his movies did Elvis Presley sing “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You”?

Booby Traps

I stumbled across a new video web site today which seems to specialize in how-to videos. I seem to keep finding how to create booby trap videos, but that's not all they have.

This how to make a stink bomb video might come in handy around the 4th of July.


And this how to create a Mentos and Coke booby trap could come in handy any time.

Guitar Chord Finder

I found this tool while browsing today. It's pretty damn cool, give it a try.

Translation Please

I like the song Rabia by Nonpoint, but have no idea what it's about. If you speak Spanish and can translate, let me know.

What The Hell Is Wrong With Sweden?

For starters, I don't understand why Sweden has laws about what you can name your children. Sure, this country is filled with crazy and ridiculous names, but you can still name your kids whatever you want. As a matter of fact, I decided earlier today that one day I am going to have 2 kids for the sole reason that I want to name the second one Mulligan. Anyhoo, after learning earlier this week that Swedish courts have denied one couple the right to name their daughter Elvis, and that Ikea is not an appropriate name, today they shocked the world by telling another couple that they CAN name their son Lego. What's more, 7 month old Metallica Tomaro will also be allowed to keep her name. Yes I said her. At least now I have some more insight into where the Seinfeld writers got ideas for their scripts. Although I don't think that Lego or Metallica have as much cache as Seven.

Crime Doesn't Pay

A 19 year old criminal mastermind in Spokane was arrested after spending $100 on a copier and paper and then attempting to counterfeit enough $10 bills to buy $90 worth of marijuana. I'm sure by now you've grasped the flaw in his plan, but wait, there's more! He was caught by mall rent-a-cops. How shameful is that? Mall security became suspicious after noticing he had locked himself in a family restroom for over an hour.

As one semi-anonymous commenter is noted for say, pot isn't drugs, but I think it's pretty safe to point out that pot doesn't improve the functioning brain cell count either. Trust Scott, don't smoke pot. And since that rhymes, it automatically makes it better than other drug related slogans out there.

National Donut Day!

Happy National Donut Day! Be sure to stop by your favorite donut shop and eat something unhealthy. I already stopped by Li's Donuts this morning, home of the tastiest donuts I've ever eaten. Far too conveniently located at 45th and Roosevelt, I am giving them free publicity on account of national donut day. If you're ever in the area, stop in and grab a donut, it's worth it. But the one disappointing thing about Li's is that they roast their own coffee there. I was so excited when I noticed the roaster in the shop - what could be better than a delicious donut and fresh roasted coffee? Well I ordered a cup of coffee and nearly wept when I found out that they just brew it in a diner style glass coffee pot that they leave sitting on a heater to keep it warm. I don't know how long it had been sitting there, but it was stale. Why would they go to the trouble of roasting their own beans and then just ruin the coffee by letting it sit there getting stale and gross? Why wouldn't they invest in a thermos? It still breaks my heart to think about. So go get a donut, but avoid the coffee.

This Just In

According to this article, a heterosexual man accidentally saw Sex and the City. What's more shocking is that he remains heterosexual after the incident.

Quote of the Day

Animals are crapping in our houses and we're picking it up. Did we lose a war? That's not America, that's not even Mexico. - Homer Simpson

In other news, physical therapy today. Finger hurts very much bad. No more typing than necessary today. Maybe more tomorrow.

Glad I Have Insurance

The bill for my surgery arrived in the mail yesterday, and it looks like the medieval contraption on my hand is now the most valuable thing I own. At just under $6k, I'm really disappointed that the resale value doesn't hold up on an item like this.

It's still causing me some problems. It doesn't bother me much during the day for the most part, but I still wake up several times during the night with it aching, and it's usually throbbing when I wake up in the morning. Consequently I have been perpetually tired and am so absent minded that I'm pretty worthless the last couple hours of the day. This has also led to me becoming increasingly frustrated by my inability to perform simple tasks. It's difficult to tie my shoes, get my keys or change out of my pocket, pick anything up, take the lids off of containers or generally do anything that involves grasping something, and getting my keys in and out of my ignition. Trying to do things left handed that I'm used to doing right handed has been a more difficult adjustment than I thought. You wouldn't think that shaving or brushing my teeth would be that difficult.

It's still pretty swollen, which makes the joints stiffer and bending that finger more difficult. I've got another physical therapy session tomorrow so it remains to be seen how much worse it will feel tomorrow night. As testy as I've been the last couple days, if they've got another ream of paper for me to fill out, I may go postal. I just hope tonight is the night I sleep until morning.

6-5

The Mariners are now 6-5 in games I've attended this year. I had fleeting visions of 7-4 until the 8th inning of Sunday's game when they were unable to score Jeremy Reed from 3rd with only 1 out followed by a complete meltdown by JJ Putz in the 9th. But I was able to witness an event I never in my wildest dreams could have ever imagined happening on Saturday: the not so fleet footed Kenji Johjima stole home.

On a completely unrelated topic, is there some sort of vast raccoon infestation that I'm unaware of? If not then the raccoon population is being decimated by area motorists. I don't know what's going on, but I swear that every mile there is another raccoon carcass on the side of the freeway. Poor little guys.

Nanking

Over the weekend I watched the film Nanking. Having read the book The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang many years ago, I had been eagerly anticipating the film since I first heard about it. And while it was ok, it really didn't live up to my expectations and I felt a little let down by it.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Nanking was the capital of China in 1937 when the Japanese army invaded and occupied the city and committed some of the worst atrocities you can imagine. The citizens who were unable to flee before the Japanese army marched into the city were at risk of being raped (regardless of age, girls as young as 10 and women as old as 80 were raped), used for bayonet practice, doused with gasoline and lit on fire, and worse. During the occupation, an estimated 20,000 women were raped, and 250,000 non combatant civilians murdered. And those numbers would have been worse if not for the handful of Americans, British, and Germans who set up a safe zone and risked their lives to protect as many people as they could. I don't know why they weren't murdered as well, but had they been, there is a good chance that none of the evidence of the atrocities would have been covered up. And to this day there are people in Japan who deny that these events ever took place.

But getting back to the film, I had expected a documentary, but it was only half documentary. Archival footage and photos were intercut with interviews with survivors, and what I liked least was that second rate actors like Woody Harrelson and Muriel Hemingway were brought in to read diary entries from the men and women who set up the safe zone. They simply sat in chairs in front of a brick wall, emotionlessly reading into the camera. It was quite disappointing and I feel the film would have been much better off with a narrator. And even though I had expected it, I still found it far less comprehensive than the book. A lot was left out. But despite it's shortcomings, it was still a reasonably good film and I do recommend that everyone watch it. It does effectively tell the story, and I personally think it's important that the truth be made known.

If nothing else, I would recommend reading the Wikipedia entry which is pretty thorough despite it's length, or watching the youtube video which is reasonably good quality. Or better yet, purchase the book.

Rumblefish

As you've probably already noticed, I've been spending a lot of time on youtube lately and am happy to report I found another favorite today! Rumblefish live at Woodstock.