candle is blue, could see me through i'm color blind they tell me it's blue, i'm a believer that's why i'm blind live on the freeway, listen to signs and we drive by feel be a believer, believe everything you'll be right half the time candle is waxing, takes my apartment bask in its magic all of the firefighters put out my fires took all my matches staying up later, waking up old and i'm leaving her never ordering in, all friends and lovers and we're making our weather with a lone light bulb i'm tired of fighting, so i'm demolished that's the way some make exhaustion their mode of expression and that's their way i'm just a question, knowing my answer hope i'm wrong i know the answer, it's four in the morning i'm right again i'm chinatown

Okay, feeling a little less fatalistic this afternoon. But not much.

My sister has, by her own admission, lost her mind. Not one week after buying a little Basenji puppy, her and her fiance Jared decided that no dog should be without a playmate, and went out and picked up this 8 week old Weimaraner puppy. He's an adorable little guy, but look at the size of those paws! He's got a lot of growing to do! 80 pounds of it, apparently. Eek.

On Friday Veronica, Emilio, and I popped by the Paradise Rock Club to check out Johnny Marr's new band, The Healers. First off, what is it about the awful layout of Boston clubs? You'd figure that if you had a long narrow room, you'd put the stage at one of the long ends. Not so here ... you stick the stage square in the middle so that getting from the bar to the bathrooms is always an adventure. Anyhoo ... the show was quite good. Mr. Marr has certainly left The Smiths (and The The, and Electronic, etc. etc.) behind and developed into his own musician. Which he always was anyway, just had a certain Steven Morrissey label burned on him at an early age. Of course, that didn't stop the assorted s^#$heads in the audience from requesting "How Soon Is Now?". Spurned in that request, they proceeded to ask for songs from every Manchester band you can think of ... Oasis, The Stone Roses, The Charlatans. I was wondering how far back they would reach, if we would hear someone calling for "Love Will Tear Us Apart". Regardless, Johnny took it all with good humo(u)r. The band played an entertaining set of brit rock, with songs much more interesting than the run-of-the-mill indie fare. Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey plays drums for the band ... hadn't seen him since The Who's Quadrophenia tour five or six years back.

Whoa man. That was ugly. A half-hearted congratulations to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their first-ever Super Bowl championship. I'm not even going to say the name of the team they played. They barely showed up, so why mention them? Really, giving attitude all week then looking hardly interested, let alone excited, during the game ... this is why the rest of the country hates the _______. I guess this was not the Bay Area's year for sports. The San Francisco Giants made it to the seventh game of the World Series but were ultimately bested, the embarassing flub in the Super Bowl of the _______, and the seasons of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland A's cut short during the playoffs. But let's not talk about sports anymore, it just depresses me.

I finished Splinter Cell on Saturday. Excellent, excellent game. Graphics are amazing, good storyline, and wonderful play mechanics. I'll have to run through this one again. Well ... I realized while playing Metroid Prime, or FIFA 2003, or Hitman 2, that I play too many video games. I'm toying with the idea of giving them up for a month. Just to see if I can change the way I fit them into my life. But let's not talk about video games anymore, it just depresses me.

An update to either my operating system (Windows XP) or my graphics adapter drivers (nVidia GEForce) has caused my computer to no longer run OpenGL applications. On both my laptop and my desktop. Simultaneously. I've tried reinstalling more or less everything (short of completely reinstalling the OS), to no avail. The only success I've had is removing the last two Windows XP updates from my desktop and using a display driver from 2001. But let's not talk about computers anymore, it just depresses me.

Let's just not talk anymore.

I'm trying not to give us a bad name, but ... it is F$#&ING COLD HERE! It has been nine days now since the temperature rose above freezing (32°F). I'm not talking about getting things freezing at night, I'm saying that all day long the temperature is below freezing. At night it's subzero. Including the wind chill yesterday morning, the temperature was -10°F. So cold that as I was walking to the mechanic to pick up my car (now featuring two brand new front axles and ball joints), I could feel my sinuses freezing. It's like a brain freeze that doesn't go away.

Thermal underwear! I need THERMAL UNDERWEAR, DAMMIT!

Speaking of California, I must give a hearty, Chris Berman-esque "RAIDUHHHZZZZZ" to the Oakland Raiders for reaching their first Super Bowl since 1983. Should be a great matchup, the prolific, veteran offense of the Raiders lining up against the league-leading defense of Super Bowl virgins, the Tampa Buy Buccaneers, who made me eat my words by simultaneously overcoming their inabilities to win in the cold and to beat Philadelphia. This one's too tough to call. Both teams have a lot of weapons. Both teams have an annoying trend of coming up short in the big games. I'm giving a tentative nod to the Raiders.

Anyone want to become my first postdoc? A Ph.D., an interest in functional and molecular imaging in radiation therapy, and the ability to beat me at FIFA 2003 is all it takes. I'll accept two out of three.

No, not a new infectious disease borne by canines. It seems Veronica and I are surrounded by friends and family with new pets. And they're making us jealous. We're planning on getting a furry companion when we return to the bay area, but these developments are making us quite impatient.

First there was Rudha and Rob's adoption of an Ibizan hound mix from a rescue mission. Her name was originally going to be Isobel, but her resemblance to The Other Reindeer clinched her name to be Olive. Haven't met her in person yet, but she looks like quite a charmer.

Then a few days later I get an email from my sister Emily, with the title "it's a BOY!!!". Potential bombshell there from her and her fiance Jared. Not quite. She found someone in Michigan with a Basenji that just had puppies, so they drove up from their house in Chicago to buy one. As the Basenji is an ancient Egyptian breed of dog, they've named him Tut. He's too young to leave his mom yet, so they'll be heading back to Michigan in a few months to bring him to his new home. Quite a looker, eh?

In other news, Veronica is ill, but I made her laugh for a solid fifteen minutes yesterday. How, you ask? Well, I'd been doing laundry and went down to check on how it was drying. In keeping with the typical impatience of our neighbors, someone had taken my clothes out of the dryer and put theirs in to dry. But mine were still damp!!! It's not like I left them down there for hours after the drying cycle stopped, either. Well, I just lost it. Took my clothes upstairs, but on my way out of the laundry room I pulled their clothes out of the dryer and threw them on the floor. Veronica found this incredibly funny. My dad has his "pancake story", will this be my "laundry story"?

CNN is reporting that FOX has renewed The Simpsons through 2005. "In its 14th season, the show is doing some of its funniest episodes and best numbers," network president Gail Berman said. Once again the distinction between good comedy and popular comedy (see Friends) becomes painfully apparent. At least they renewed King of the Hill for another year as well. Hank Hill and co. left the Simpsons in the dust about two years ago. This is the same network that canceled what should've been the successor to the Simpsons, The Family Guy, and has done little to nothing to give another worthy Simpsons heir, Futurama, a chance to survive.

Splinter Cell is like heroin. The first time you play you are a bit overwhelmed, as the complexity of the game is a bit much. The hook is there though. Once you get past the first level, infiltrating a police department in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, and move on to penetrating the Georgian defense ministry, you begin to feel that urge to play. All day long, nagging in the back of your head. While supposedly working, you are instead contemplating how to sneak past that security camera in CIA headquarters, or how to KO that guard without the one down the hall noticing. Then you're running the Xbox around the house, hooking it up to different TVs so you can play regardless of what your roommates are doing. Please get me help if I start selling my possessions to support my habit.

I'll miss Boston. I really will. Biking along the Charles on a summer Sunday morning is something I haven't done nearly enough of.

Congrats to the Oakland Raiders on their convincing win over the incredibly overhyped New York Jets and "the next Joe Montana", Chad Pennington. Sorry everyone, Mr. Pennington came right back down to earth last Sunday, looking terribly mediocre in the second half. I'm not saying he's no good, just that the sports media needs to take a second to think before proclaiming anyone a superstar, especially in football. Don't even get me started on Lebron James.

through the streets and on your own
almost lost and almost home
we'll be looking, all we can
we'll be searching for the sulphur man
Anybody have any idea what that song is talking about? If I do a web search, all I find is lyrics for the song and news articles about men from Sulphur, Louisiana. Great tune by Doves anyhow.

What in god's name has happened to the Simpsons over the last two seasons? The series has gone from offering the freshest and most offbeat humor on television to consisting solely of cheap gags about recent news. I date the decay back to around the time they killed off Maude Flanders, which was probably a sign that the writers were desperate for ideas. It appears they're completely out of them at this point, and are attempting to manufacture humor by mocking what worked for the show five years ago. Parody of comedy does not comedy make. I notice this trend most in the dialog of Chief Wiggum, which used to be subtle but funny comments demonstrating his complete ineptness as a policeman. Now he's solely a vehicle for lame one liners.

I really like Lemon Jelly. Not what you'd expect for someone with a professed distaste for dance music. I dunno, they've got some really nice hooks, particularly "Elements" and "Space Walk", and not in an annoying, Fatboy Slim way.

Just finished Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War. A book I picked up in the Detroit airport while waiting for our flight to Des Moines for the holidays. It felt a little strange to be on the plane (or subsequently, the T) reading a bright yellow book screaming "GERMS" on the cover. A very disturbing read. Not something you want to think about late at night. It gave me a lot of information on the post-Gulf War weapons inspections of Iraq that I didn't know, putting into perspective the current weapons inspections. The science was a little sparse, and they over- and mis-used the word "germ", but it managed. It's hard to contemplate the task in front of government and public health officials to defend against this threat, but the book conveys the message that such preparations are critical given the relative ease with which a terrorist group could unleash a devastating biological attack.

Don't mean this to come off arrogant, more insecure: am I really as smart as everyone thinks I am?

summer summer summer slowly turned into fall me and my baby doll never went to the beach somewhere somewhere somewhere was a place we could run on the sand with the sun always just out of reach somewhere sunny summer's marching to a different drummer singing "summer summer summer's gonna turn into fall you and your baby doll better go to the beach" "'cause love is lighter than air it floats away if you let go love is lighter than air it rises through the falling snow"

Or the best show ever, I can't decide. Depends on my current opinion of trash TV, because Joe Millionaire is the king of trash. Trash piled upon trash. Subtle layers of trash. Under huge stinking piles of trash. A quick synopsis: following along the lines of The Bachelor, twenty women are competing for the affections of one man. The women have been told that the man (Evan) has just inherited $50 million and is looking to find his true love. They are flown to a beautiful chateau in France and dazzled by the elegance of their hopeful beau's lifestyle. The Machiavellian (to the producers, at least) twist: Evan has no inheritance. He earns $19,000 per year as a construction worker. If you thought Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire? was bad, this is Hitler-esque.

Alternately, I couldn't bear to watch, then was laughing uncontrollably at the antics of these poor fools. Not fools for being deceived, but fools for agreeing to be on a televised dating competition in the first place. On FOX, no less. Some choice quotes from the show:

• Evan: "She seemed really nice. Not like a golddigger at all."
• A random contestant: "It would be really cool to tell my grandchildren that their grandfather and I met on TV." (comment from the peanut gallery: "And that he lied to me about living in a chateau and having $50 million.")
• Heidi, inspecting Evan's hand while being introduced at the opening ball: "I just want to make sure this is all real." (comment from the peanut gallery: "Oh my god, he's an android! Damn you, FOX! Damn you straight to hell!" Sorry, wrong plot twist.)

I have a feeling this will be another show like Temptation Island, where I complain about having to watch it every week with Veronica but then lap up the ridiculous antics of the moronic participants.

I watched Payback yesterday, the Mel Gibson movie from a few years ago where he plays a small time crook out to get back $70,000 from his former associate who double-crossed him after a successful heist. Very funny movie, although the romantic end of it doesn't quite fit. On par with Get Shorty, although I think the latter has the edge. I must qualify my statement that "I watched Payback" by adding that I watched it on TBS. For some reason I don't feel like I can really claim to have seen a film if I watch it on network television. On DVD, VHS, HBO, Showtime, that's a complete viewing. But seeing a commercial-loaded, edited version just doesn't cut it. TBS and TNT are great for perfecting your command of older (5+ years) movies though. Dirty Harry was on after Payback, perfect example.

Can't post without mentioning the monumental 24-point comeback by the good ol' San Francisco 49ers against the New York Giants in the wild card playoff yesterday. I turned it off at 38-14, only to miss the extent of the comeback and tune back in during the Giants failed attempt to kick a field goal with 6 seconds left, trailing 39-38. A brilliant (second half) performance by Jeff Garcia, Terrell Owens, and company. From the highlights I saw, my favorite incident of the game was Giants defensive lineman Michael Strahan trash-talking Terrell Owens as he celebrated a 2 point conversion to make it 38-22. "Look at the scoreboard", he told him. But the celebration had the desired effect: it riled up the Niners and helped spark the comeback. A fight broke out after the touchdown that put the Niners up 39-38, apparently because T.O. told one of the Giants corners "Look at the scoreboard now". It doesn't get any better than this.