Friday, December 09, 2005 -- 10:02:55 AM

A civilized snow, unfortunately, which means back to the regular schedule of drudgery at noon. Actually, I love my new job, so I don't mind going in at all-- though the delayed schedule does mess with lunch a bit. Might see Narnia this weekend, so snowfall is an appropriate appetizer.

Thursday, December 08, 2005 -- 07:49:54 AM

All anyone will talk about around here anymore is the snow that's expected tonight and Friday. Nothing against our modern meteorologists, but when I was a kid to whom school closings mattered there was a greater element of surprise to these blizzards. I'm not saying I don't want to know ahead of time-- I'm saying this level of foreknowledge (the day, the hour, the inches) seems to generate a desperate sort of hope among the students I know. It's less like planning and more like a set up for disappointment. (Of course, I've been jumping on the bandwagon with them...)

In other news, I need me a new alarm clock. I should probably just figure out how to program the stereo, and be woken in the morning by the rousing chords of the Reverend Horton Heat. If rockabilly won't get you out of bed, little else will.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005 -- 07:41:35 AM

So The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is opening soon. There was a time when such series of books were all I seemed to read-- Tolkien, Lewis, Baum. I'm somehow more skeptical of this film's chances of turning out properly.

"After this we're gonna go out and find this Grendel guy."

Tuesday, December 06, 2005 -- 08:13:15 AM

The snow was not sufficient to cancel work today. On the other hand, neither was it sufficient to prevent St. Nicholas from putting candy and treats in the shoes of good Dutch people everywhere-- so I'm having fancy chocolate for breakfast today, mijn vriend! Happy St. Nicholas Day! With all that snow all over everything, I'm of a mind to get out the Banshees' Superstition album-- the wintriest of their work, in my opinion, if you can't get a hold of the "Red Over White" single.

Monday, December 05, 2005 -- 07:45:25 AM

All this week's strips are drawn and queued up, so I can gossip for a bit. Aeon Flux turned out to be better than the minimum effort I expected of such a cinematic venture. The special effects were smooth and not over the top, the acting was fair, and the plot was twisty without being ridiculous. Also, Pete Postlethwaite made an appearance in it, which is cool. I wouldn't call it an instant classic right up there with Blade Runner, but I'd see it again.

Sunday, December 04, 2005 -- 07:16:45 PM

We're expecting snow tonight. Snow! I can't wait to see what happens when six inches falls on us. Now that I have a job, there exists the joyous possibility that it might be cancelled for inclement weather. Awesome!

Friday, December 02, 2005 -- 07:58:56 AM

I'm headed out to see Aeon Flux with some buddies tonight. I think the last time I saw a flick in the theater with these guys was... geez, John Carpenter's Vampires. I can't decide whether to psych myself up for a deliciously bad film, or a weirdly good film. Frances McDormand is going to be in it, and she was in Fargo and Darkman, so that's a good sign... and Theron has won an Oscar... but then so did Halle Berry, and we know what a sand-clump Catwoman was. I figure I'll focus on the popcorn and let the movie do its thing.

Thursday, December 01, 2005 -- 07:59:26 AM

Ah, the pleasures of a brown bag lunch. No more shelling out for the cafeteria-- now it's Ziplock baggies and individual servings of pretzels. It's like Bread and Jam for Frances, only I also have a flask of brandy. I'm kidding about the brandy, but that reminds me: during my last trip to Indiana, I was surprisingly unable to find a bottle of Dark Eyes Cherry Vodka. The stores had the regular Dark Eyes vodka, but really, what would the point of that be? Is it possible that this portion of my Hoosier experience has gone the way of... other forgotten things? And what's appropriate to drink while toasting the demise of another drink?

Wednesday, November 30, 2005 -- 08:38:37 AM

I've been watching the snow storms tromp across the west and midwest, thinking, "When will it be DC's turn? When will I get to find out just how shoddy the siding on my house is?" Turns out I'll just have to put up with rain and wind a little bit longer. In the meantime, ponder this: gothic literature presents protagonists beset by the legacies of dying/decaying cultures and value systems. Punk lore glorifies anti-heroes who struggle against cultures and value systems that pretend they haven't already slipped up as well. For the gothic, the past is the real threat; for the punk, the present. For whom is the future unwelcome?

Tuesday, November 29, 2005 -- 08:03:17 AM

I have heard the cries of the needy, I have read the threatening letters from my friends and family. Let's say that a new run of strips will begin on Friday, December 2nd. Yeah, that sounds good. With a promise of a special new "Wasted View" for December 6th, which is St. Nicholas Day, which is very Dutch. Let's also say that I'll add news every day because, you know, I'm here, the computer's here... there's no reason not to have news.

more...