I am book happy.

Coraline just rocked my world.

Acid Row by Minette Walters is currently providing me with my British mystery fix for a bit...

And, most importantly, Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds is winging it's way across the Atlantic Ocean to me as we speak... a total score here, because I ordered the hardcover version from Amazon UK only hours before its availability status went to "Special Order, Available in 4-6 weeks". Which means I barely managed to score a true first edition. Whoo hoo. I rock.

In email from Dominican Dave today:

Walking back to the hostel, I passed a little grocery store and they had a stereo blasting out front, like they all do here, but as I got closer I realized that the song I was hearing was "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" by the Smiths. That was so fucking weird that I just stopped and stood on the sidewalk until it was over. And the next song was the usual bachatarengue crap. I think it was some kind of sign from God. Although I feel reasonably happy...

sometimes life is really like a movie, huh?

Does anyone out there possibly have a copy of the movie A THIEF IN THE NIGHT? I would kill for a copy of it, but I don't wanna pay cash to a bunch of evil Xians to get one.

This movie left an indelible mark on my psyche. If you grew up in a Baptist or fundamentalist family of any sort in the 70s, you know exactly what I mean. For years as a child, anytime I found myself completely alone for a minute, I was convinced that I'd been 'left behind'. That the Rapture had come and poor little me had been left to fend for myself against the evil minions of the AntiChrist. That at any moment someone was gonna come around and try to put a barcode on my hand or forehead. That eventually I was gonna meet the guillotine.

So, um... I'd really like to watch it again...

So... um... I don't really meet many people that I really click with as far as dating goes. I'm a bit of a unique individual for a gay guy, I guess. I don't think I'm better than anyone else or more special or anything... I just don't meet many guys that I could see myself getting into anything longterm with.

There really hasn't been even one person since Dave and I broke up, almost five years ago, that I've really felt like I could just totally click with.

So, now... I think I've met someone that could really do it for me... and they live on the other side of the country...

I'm sort of wigging over this a bit... and have been for a couple weeks...

Oh yeah... i forgot that I also bought some action figures today. I found the brand spanking new Masters of the Universe action figures at an independent toy store this morning and I just had to get the new He-Man figure. Check him out... is he hot or what?



And I also bought some of the Where the Wild Things Are action figures. I found Max, the little boy in his animal pajamas, at clearance prices, so I snagged him.

I had my first day off of work in almost a week and it was lovely. I spent most of it watching movies. I saw Minority Report and Sum of All Fears in the theater. And I was a bit shocked that I liked Sum way more than MR. The latter movie had plotholes that you could drive a semi through. And those missing pieces just destroy the whole movie. I won't go into them cuz I don't wanna spoil it for anyone, but I think that this movie is getting way more praise than it deserves. Meanwhile, I thought Sum was a pretty tight and thrilling movie. *shrug*

Then I came home and read Coraline, Neil Gaiman's new children's book. It was pretty darn phenomenal. If you like dark twisted children's lit, check it out.

And then I ended the night by watching Showgirls. heh. talk about UNDERrated movies....

I need to stop reading the press on the whole issue of the Pledge of Allegiance or I'm going to have an aneurysm. Right now, I realize that separation of church and state means absolutely nothing to the fucking idiots we've elected to run our country, especially that raging fuckhead (former cokehead), that some of you idiots elected as our president.

Right now, i'm just completely done with the Republicans, the Democrats and pretty much everything in between.

There is NO FUCKING GOD, you FUCKING idiots.

How the hell did humanity become such a mass of stupidity? Is there no hope for rationality, science or reason ever winning the day?

This is what the major issue of the day is... whether or not our government should exalt the Christian God? It's pretty clearcut, IMO, that it shouldn't. But a cornerstone of our Constitution means nothing balanced against superstitious bullshit. And do you really think all of those politicians believe in God? I sure as hell don't.

Meanwhile, the fucking FBI can go to the library and find out every book I've ever checked out, because privacy also isn't guaranteed anymore...

Police state, anyone? To fight governments like the Taliban ours must become more like them?

Got it... i have no right to privacy and I have to worship YOUR god... is having sex with another guy gonna be illegal next? Oh that's right... it already is in Louisiana...

I'm not sure I haved a lucid point here besides the fact that I'm pissed off...

Okay... you can tell that I've been feeling crappy all week when all I blog about in a week's time is my dislike for god...

heh...

You know... I've never really thought much about the issues in this court ruling. But, I think the ruling is correct.

It is somewhat personally offensive to me that the Pledge of Allegiance requires me to recognize a god that I do not believe exists. That the currency of our country also takes note of him. As does our national anthem. What's up with that?

Of course, I don't think for a second that this ruling won't be overturned. Because, a bunch of hypocritical judges are gonna kowtow to popular opinion or to their own personal beliefs instead of doing the right thing...

I don't believe in god. I don't need god. And I thought the constitution of my country was supposed to protect me from his believers...

okay... having grown up thinking this movie was gonna come true in my lifetime, I find this article kind of scary...

heh...

ok... the pic problem should be fixed... and hopefully adding the pic off to the side didn't trash everything...

if so or if the pics are still huge, someone let me know... it all looks fine to me...

I need feedback... are the pics I'm putting on my page showing up as gigantically huge and bigger than the browser? Dominican Dave says they are for him... I see them as smaller size.

Please let me know...

Okay, you...

(inspired by Jonno's response...)

I love...

New Orleans
dogs and their unconditional love
tattoos and hot boys with tattoos
sushi
Krypto the Superdog
Dave, my ex... my bestest friend for forever
Apple Computers
books, for filling my head with so much information and so many dreams
music, for providing a soundtrack for those dreams and my life
romance
sex
dark movie theaters
my friends, each and every one of them

and on the really really good days...

i just love life

ok... i do think i need a haircut though...

I've had a terrible self image the past couple days because all of the pics I've taken of myself have been horrible... but someone suggested that i take some in natural light at an hour earlier than 11 pm...

and I think he was right... i feel much better about this...

my octopus...

craptacular, no?

So, today at work we had our big Summer Reading Kickoff party in the kids' department. And I took pics...

They're here, here and here.

Some pretty cute pics. And I'm WAY impressed with iPhoto. It made it extremely easy and unbelievably easy to download, edit and post the pictures to the Web. Seriously... WAY WAY WAY impressed.

So, Jhames isn't the only one with a doggie...

I introduce you to Keisha...

I am DAS UBER geekboy...