I was already excited about the upcoming Coen brothers' movie No Country For Old Men, when I discovered it is based on a novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. I got the book, and I'm looking forward to reading it.
The Road looks very good, too. Oprah sticker be damned.

lost in a Roman wilderness of pain

I watched Harsh Times last night, and it was definitely one of the more crazy/fucked up movies I've seen. Afterward I listened to The End in the car and it seemed appropriate.


Of all presidential candidates, none are supported more by people in the military than Ron Paul.
I guess because he's the only republican who wants to bring them home.

Iraqis Can Keep Peace Without U.S.

Russians may have specific genes that allow them to drink more vodka

Michael Moore is a fat disgusting pig and socialized medicine is way too expensive and does not work

Sure it's great if you're a laborer who suffers a small injury, but if you get any kind of serious disease? Good luck getting appropriate care this century. What so many on the left seem to forget when they compare our health care system to other systems in the west is that people in Europe and in Canada pay FAR higher taxes than we do. Rather than subject the entire population to higher taxes to pay the exorbitant costs of universal health care, why not let people go out and get their own cheap health insurance plans with that money, its really not all that expensive, people.

Dumpsterati

I finished Texas, and now I love my state more than ever. Also, though I am still fairly liberal on certain social issues (gay rights, abortion, etc.), I have become quite the little blue blood conservative. I favor a more laissez-faire free market, no taxes, absolutely minimal central government, etc, etc. I'm not particularly into the whole religious morality thing, though I do favor an emphasis on family/community values (as opposed to letting the government be the arbiter of morality through censorship, etc.). I think the role of any government should be the protection of it's citizens, and by extension, their interests. The government should only play defense and right now in Iraq mine is playing offense with great zeal and it makes me sick. I am NOT a neocon; they are dangerous and are bound to destroy America with their hawkish ways.
The title of the post is a word I came up with that is meant to refer to all homeless people in general.
You like?

I wanna go back to Barcelona:



he had a duty of confidentiality to her other personalities


I went down to La Grange today to see the courthouse there. The pics aren't that interesting, but it was a nice diversion. Really all I could think about the whole time was that ZZ Top song.
15 minutes into my shift at work tonight I got a $1,000 pledge on credit card from an architect in Mississippi that I have been trying to get a hold of for six months. That made my day, and I told him so.
I love analogies, and I came up with one today that encapsulates how I see the tired old "I don't want my tax dollars spent on this or that" complaint:
It's like if someone breaks into your house and steals all of your money, and then goes and spends all of it on drugs, and you, instead of getting upset about the theft, get upset about what the money was spent on. I have come to the very conservative conclusion that my income is mine, I worked for it, and I think it is criminal for the government to take even one cent.
However, I realize that the government does require some source of income, which is why I don't really have a problem with the taxation of consumption, i.e. sales taxes.

If Iran Were America (And We Were Iran): A Timeline
We ignore the consequences of US foreign policy at our own peril.

Work has been really slow lately; I'm calling records that myself and other callers have been through dozens of times, which means that the great majority of the people don't even answer. It's all good, though: I've gotten through a hefty portion of Texas, which I like a lot. Michener's historical fiction novels can be a tad heavy on the fiction side, like how he throws in made up towns and counties, etc. But over all I would say that it paints a decent picture of the history of this here great state. It's also one hell of an epic novel.
Naturally, reading the book has made me think a lot about the state and it's history, and I would love to see Texas secede from the union, taking with it eastern New Mexico, and all other lands originally claimed by Texas (parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming) when it won it's independence from Mexico. That would be basically all lands north of the Rio Grande in what was then Mexico. Yee haw. I also want my son to be a Texas Ranger, and I don't mean the baseball team.
I think I'm going to venture out into Texas in the next few days to see some of James Riely Gordon's architectural achievements.

awesome commercial:



Man Robs NH Bank Disguised As Tree
carbon-capture technology
a hell of a way for this guy to try and quit having gay sex in public restrooms at the beach

it does look like a phallic symbol...
Giuliani must die

Boeing is unveiling the 787 tomorrow. I wish I could be there.

America, fuck yeah

I just looked at the clock and realized that the 4th is almost over.

The richest man on earth is a Mexican
constant violence has warped the games children create for themselves
Africans to Bono: 'For God's sake please stop!'
why would they leave a barrel of liquid dynamite right next to innocent American air travelers?
LOLMetal
Agents were informed directly by the FAA that they absolutely could not bar an American citizen from boarding a plane, even if a passenger refused to produce any identification at all

oh no


some of my own [color-enhanced] pictures:
San Jose Mission

Rotterdam riverfront

hahahaha




Within hours his [Ahmadinejad] name was being cursed
the real president
Scientists find drug to banish bad memories

cool
great

I almost walked into this last week:




zebra + horse = zorse

I'd have to agree with ya there, Dr. Post

The Presets are an Australian band I just discovered, here's the video to their song Girl and the Sea:


Kids is a great song from The Concretes' new album Hey Trouble:



coolio
we're not in the Milky Way after all

I am always amazed by how much we actually move through the universe. You may think that you're perfectly still in your chair in front of the computer, but the earth is actually rotating about its axis (~1,000 mph at the equator), the earth is revolving around the sun, the sun and the entire solar system are moving in tandem with our star neighbors, the galaxy is rotating around it's center, and is moving outward from the center of the universe, so we're actually zooming through space at mind-boggling speeds. If only we had a point of reference from which to easily gauge our movement.

I caved and put the archive back up.

I went down to San Antonio last week and visited three (san jose, concepcion and san juan) of the five Spanish missions there. My favorite was San Jose:

my photo



It’s another tequila sunrise
Starin’ slowly ’cross the sky, said goodbye
He was just a hired hand
Workin’ on the dreams he planned to try
The days go by

Ev’ry night when the sun goes down
Just another lonely boy in town
And she’s out runnin’ ’round

She wasn’t just another woman
And I couldn’t keep from comin’ on
It’s been so long
Oh, and it’s a hollow feelin’ when
It comes down to dealin’ friends
It never ends

Take another shot of courage
Wonder why the right words never come
You just get numb
It’s another tequila sunrise,this old world
Still looks the same,
Another frame, mm...

If we nuke Iran, i'm leaving the country
I'm really very afraid.
I know I shouldn't say we. I wouldn't have anything to do with using a nuclear bomb, but if Mr. Bush does push the button on the Iranians, the people who come after us won't care who we voted for or how we felt about the war; we'll all be innocent Americans, and those are the best targets.

I rented Manhunter over the weekend, and though certain parts are kind of cheesy, its still a real solid 80s film. I love the music and the wide angle shots, and of course Michael Mann isn't a bad director, either. Tom Noonan is scary with a shotgun, or any other time he's doing anything.


In-a-gadda-da-vida, honey,
Dont you know that I love you?
In-a-gadda-da-vida, baby,
Dont you know that Ill always be true?

Oh, wont you come with me
And take my hand?

Oh, wont you come with me
And walk this land?

Please take my hand!


this is what DFW could look like:

hebt

yay

I'm going to Costa Rica for a week in August!

i like this commercial

some stuff

The gov't protects drug cartels
The host is a total dufus, but milton is sparkling

more sparkle in black and white

US states renamed for countries with similar GDPs




hahahahahahahaha

Don't let Texas down, Rick

Spiders

are everywhere



These are cropped from pics I took at my brother's house


I really like the modified 747s that are being used to transport bits of the new 787.
I think its hilarious that in the midst of airbus' whole A380 fiasco, Boeing whips up a giant plane too, but its no big deal.

Down with the pope

I'm not much of a Bono fan myself
fucking whiny San Francisco hippie fucks make me want to start shooting people


I have tickets to see Spamalot tomorrow, which is pretty cool.
I need to take a shower.

300!

This is post #300. Bitch.

I like Ron Paul, and his district is right outside of Houston!



Check this out
fuckin A

You're my favorite
Of my saviours
You're my favorite
Oh no

Yes you're my favorite
Of my favors
You're my razor
Oh no

Hey!
And the situation wasn't quite
As intense as I thought
I need you around
To remind me when not to be calm
And the situation wasn't quite
As intense as I thought
I need you around
To remind me when not to be calm
Calm, calm, calm


http://ontheissues.org/Ron_Paul.htm

I saw the Blue Man Group last night at The Venetian, which was pretty cool; I really didn't know what to expect. Today I went on a side trip to the Grand Canyon, with a stop at the Hoover Dam. I would post pics, but it's late and the air is so dry here and my eyes feel like sand.

“I must and will act preemptively to defeat any enemy who would impose his or her will on me, my allies, or my friends"

The Fertile Valleys (Las Vegas)

Fertile valleys my ass. I'm not 21 yet, and being here in Vegas is a painful reminder, but I was in Amsterdam only last week, so I guess its all good.
Tomorrow is my 20th birthday and I have a mustache. I grew one a few years ago during my junior year of high school, and being in Europe made me want to do something new. And I think I'll keep it for a while.
Anyway, today after taking the early flight to LV, I walked up the strip and went into The Bellagio, The Venetian, and The Wynn, which is bad ASS. I would sooooo like to walk into the Brioni store and just be like, um, yeah I need something to wear to dinner tonight, and maybe tomorrow, and oh, could you have that sent up to my room? But I am not that rich. Yet.
Heres a pic I took of the lobby cieling at The Bellagio:


I wandered into the promo. center for the new Las Vegas City Centre development, which is going to be really cool, and probably one of the few examples of good design in LV. The model they had is sweet, but the lady wouldn't let me take pictures. So I stabbed her.
I watched Hannibal Rising last night at my mom's and I really liked it. I dunno if it's because Gaspard Ulliel is so attractive or if it's just because I'm a sick fuck who has always had a soft spot for violence. I think both. I also read all the Hannibal books back in junior high, so i'm hip to Hannibal's story, though I have not read Hannibal Rising because it got a bad review, which is really just another way of saying I have way too many books as it is.
Speaking of movies, I think its about time sensible movie watchers got together and started to vigorously campaign for Nicolas Cage's immediate retirement. He just keeps on making big budg klunkers, and he's always the same FUCKING PERSON! Just fly your jet to your island and stay there, please, for the love of god and everything holy, just stop making movies.

Rotterdam

Brussels

We've had excellent luck with restaurants so far, and until today, the weather has been perfect. Night before last in Amsterdam we ate at Blue Pepper, a contemporary Indonesian place right outside the canal belt.
The Conrad Brussels is a bit of an improvement from our former digs, a hotel within a hostel. Our current bathroom is about the size of our entire room at the Winston in Amsterdam.

I don't think this is real.


Mexican ferris wheel



The Iranians need the chill the fuck out. Seriously.



My flight to Amsterdam is today at 7:10 PM. I cannot wait.
In other news, my 20th birthday is just around the corner, and I've already gotten some gifts. My mom bought me a beautiful new digital SLR camera, and my dad is taking me to Las Vegas for the weekend of my birthday.
But I now need a new cell phone; after drinking a bottle of wine the other night, i put my phone through the washing machine.

stfu Al Gore

Nice pic of Houston that Roy found somewhere




What the fuck ever, Giuliani

The Apotheosis of Washington depicts George Washington ascending to the heavens and becoming a god
oh the irony

a terrifying development
Find them and destroy them
doctor surgically removed drug traffickers' fingerprints, substituting skin from the soles of their feet
Pablo Escobar's up there laughin'

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I love how Cinco de Mayo is essentially a celebration of a French defeat.


just move the monument to the oval office


I love Robot Chicken

and we're trying to bring democracy to these animals? this is disgusting

Memories of secret handshakes, you
It speak my language
Sees, I cease to believe
You're gonna leave.

And acting out a fight
When you're not around
With ease, I cease to exist
I slip through the leaves
We once had to wish

Oh we wished for,
Heaven, It now only seems
Like torture

Oh this ghost
Will win my host it's, lingering
In me, and around my neck
It taps on my head
While i'm asleep

Memories of secret handshakes, you
it speak my language
Sees, that cease to believe
You're gonna leave




holy mother of God