again! again!

Getty Center

2008-03-30T17:16:00.001-07:00

Getty Center, originally uploaded by d7wl.

Many more pics to come. Also avaiable in my photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ideateller/

Agents Christy and Miguel pre-mission

2008-03-29T20:07:00.001-07:00

IMG_2349, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Waiting in line at the overflow parking of the Getty Museum.

I (heart) my Christy. One of the people in LA that I know will be in my life forever. Had a blast with her today.

Improv Everywhere!

2008-03-29T20:05:00.001-07:00

IMG_2364, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Agent Christy and I went to the Getty today for our first GuerilLA improv mission. In this one, over 200 agents formed a single file line and toured the grounds. At the end we formed a giant spiral and then dispersed. Video as soon as we get it.

Allergies, not alcohol.

2008-03-18T13:55:00.000-07:00

My allergies are making me feel like complete 100% donkey cock today. No strike that. They're making me feel like neutered mule cock. Useless and ugly and unfortunate.

(Had 3 beers last night, so it's not that.)

Garfield minus Garfield mix to come on WeHeartHandclaps, eventually.

david as johnny utah.

2008-03-17T14:12:00.001-07:00

david as johnny utah., originally uploaded by coronam.

Boden is a fuckin' champ!

after POINT BREAK LIVE.

2008-03-17T00:32:00.001-07:00

after POINT BREAK LIVE., originally uploaded by coronam.

My hero, at 100

2008-03-13T16:58:00.001-07:00

From, um, FoxNews

If turning 100 doesn't win you the right to celebrate with busty waitresses in tight clothes, Iowa resident John Persinger can't imagine what does.

The centenarian rang in his entry into the triple digits at Hooters on Wednesday, according to a report by The Des Moines Register. His late wife Vi wouldn't have objected, since she was a regular with him at Hooters, the infamous chain known for the cleavage it serves up with beer and buffalo wings.

Beyond Belief trailer

2008-03-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

Heartbreaking/Heartwarming.

swOOp...

2008-03-11T15:21:00.001-07:00

swOOp..., originally uploaded by orannnge.

Hot.

(also Gator colors).

Former Gilligan's Island star caught with marijuana in car - Breaking News Updates from Portland and Oregon - The Oregonian - OregonLive.com

2008-03-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

Nice work by the Oregonian writer.

Former Gilligan's Island star caught with marijuana in car - Breaking News Updates from Portland and Oregon - The Oregonian - OregonLive.com: "DRIGGS,

Idaho -- Perhaps they should have called her Mary Jane.

A surprise birthday party for Dawn Wells, the actress who played Mary Ann on 'Gilligan's Island,' ended with a nearly three-hour tour of the Teton County sheriff's office and jail when the 69-year-old was caught with marijuana in her vehicle while driving home."

Shooting Contrails.

2008-03-09T09:47:00.001-07:00

Shooting Contrails., originally uploaded by k u, Someone's Vincent.

I heart contrails.

Living with autism�in a world made for others - CNN.com

2008-02-29T01:17:00.000-08:00

Wow.

From the NYTimes: After seeing 27-year-old Amanda Baggs, featured in this month’s Wired magazine, you may rethink your views of the so-called “normal” world. Ms. Baggs, who lives in Burlington, Vt., is autistic and doesn’t speak. But she has become an Internet sensation as a result of an unusual video she created called “In My Language.'’

For the first three minutes of the video, she rocks, flaps her hands, waves a piece of paper, buries her face in a book and runs her fingers repeatedly across a computer keyboard, all while humming a haunting two-note tune.

Then, the words “A Translation” appear on the screen.

Although Ms. Baggs doesn’t speak, she types 120 words a minute. Using a synthesized voice generated by a software application, Ms. Baggs types out what is going on inside her head. The movement, the noise, the repetitive behaviors are all part of Ms. Baggs’ own “native” language, she says via her computerized voice. It’s a language that allows her to have a “constant conversation” with her surroundings.

My language is not about designing words or even visual symbols for people to interpret. It is about being in a constant conversation with every aspect of my environment, reacting physically to all parts of my surroundings.

Far from being purposeless, the way that I move is an ongoing response to what is around me….The way I naturally think and respond to things looks and feels so different from standard concepts or even visualization that some people do not consider it thought at all. But it is a way of thinking in its own right.

More, in a follow up on CNN:

Living with autism�in a world made for others - CNN.com: "Thirty or 40 years ago, life would have been different and much harder for Amanda, says Morton Ann Gernsbacher, a cognitive psychologist who specializes in autism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 'The Internet is providing for individuals with autism, what sign language did for the deaf,' she says. 'It allows them to interact with the world and other like-minded individuals on their own terms.' (Ask Amanda your questions about autism. )

These days, Amanda Baggs lives on her own terms. With the help of an agency, she moved from California to Vermont about a year and a half ago to be closer to a friend.

And what does Amanda think is the hardest thing about living with autism? 'Having to navigate a world that is, on all levels, is built for the abilities and deficits of people who are not built remotely like me.'"

goose bumps

2008-02-29T00:02:00.000-08:00

nearly at the end of Lost. (NO REAL SPOILER COMING BUT):

please be there, please be there, please be there, please be there, please be there, please be there........

Bluegrass sunset

2008-02-28T10:36:00.001-08:00

IMG_2251, originally uploaded by ideateller.

3 kids busking some bluegrass. They seem to have not found a wirecutter for their strings. That's the extra little glow hanging in front of the banjoman.

Pigeon sunset

2008-02-28T10:35:00.001-08:00

IMG_2239, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Another day, another gorgeous Venice sunset.

I want someone to share it with.

and 2 smiley faces

2008-02-27T23:55:00.001-08:00

IMG_2242, originally uploaded by ideateller.

and 2 smiley faces

2008-02-27T23:54:00.001-08:00

IMG_2250_2, originally uploaded by ideateller.

It's been two birds...

2008-02-27T23:53:00.001-08:00

IMG_2239, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Venice sunset 2/08 - a photoset on Flickr

2008-02-27T23:52:00.000-08:00

Venice sunset 2/08 - a photoset on Flickr: "Venice sunset 2/08"

smiling over my shoulder: we die to each other daily

2008-02-27T20:25:00.000-08:00

It's a blog-thievery humpday.

All out of sorts this past week and feeling lost to the people in my life. This is a good reminder that it is what it is. And that's a good thing.

This is from the delightful Orange, who took it from another friend of hers...
smiling over my shoulder: we die to each other daily: "we die to each other daily
just saw this quote on satsi's blog, and it resonates all deep n shit right now. i'm in the midst of a bit of a conversation with myself about closeness, love, and intimacy. these words are all manner of aching terror and crystalline beauty.

We die to each other daily.
What we know of other people
Is only our memory of the moments
During which we knew them. And they have changed since then.
To pretend that they and we are the same
Is a useful and convenient social convention
Which must sometimes broken. We must also remember
That at every meeting we are meeting a stranger.

~t.s. elliot
from the play The Cocktail Party;"

From

Garfield minus Garfield

2008-02-27T15:26:00.000-08:00

(HT: K8.)

um.... for someone dealing with depression, lack of direction, desire to own a pet, delusions of grandeur and voices in my head that will not shut the fuck up, i find these remarkably... therapeutic.

From Garfield minus Garfield

garfield minus garfield

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?

Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against lonliness and methamphetamine addiction in a quiet American suburb.

Falling slowly: HOPE

2008-02-25T19:12:00.000-08:00

During the Oscars I was truly moved by seeing host Jon Stewert bring Markéta Irglová back out after she had been ushered off before giving her acceptance speech. Markéta and Glen Hansard won the Oscar for Original Song for "Falling Slowly" from Once, the one and only category that the film was nominated in, and although Glen gave his speech, Markéta was ushered off stage before she could even begin to say anything. Thankfully Stewart brought her back after the commercial break and she delivered her unforgettable speech. Not only did the song (and film) certainly deserve the award, but it was a great relief to see it win, especially with Enchanted nominated three times in the same category. Her speech that she did end up giving was truly incredible and it is with great pleasure that I share it with all of you below.

Markéta Irglová at the OscarsHere is what Markéta Irglová said:

"Hi everyone. I just want to thank you so much. This is such a big deal, not only for us, but for all other independent musicians and artists that spend most of their time struggling, and this, the fact that we're standing here tonight, the fact that we're able to hold this, it's just to prove no matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible. And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream and don't give up. And this song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are. And so thank you so much, who helped us along the way. Thank you."

Although she's supposedly a very shy person, Markéta did a great job and gave a very powerful speech. And to compliment this, her counterpart in "Falling Slowly", Glen Hansard, also gave a great acceptance speech before her. I'll include that below just as to give both of them the extra appreciation they deserve.

"Thanks! This is amazing. What are we doing here? This is mad. We made this film two years ago. We shot on two Handicams. It took us three weeks to make. We made it for a hundred grand. We never thought we would come into a room like this and be in front of you people. It's been an amazing thing. Thanks for taking this film seriously, all of you. It means a lot to us. Thanks to the Academy, thanks to all the people who've helped us, they know who they are, we don't need to say them. This is amazing. Make art. Make art. Thanks."

theme for a mix cd

2008-02-22T15:16:00.000-08:00

hey, Friday mixtime: http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/2/2/725410/second%20half%20theme.zip

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/2/2/725410/first%20half%20theme.zip

All Points West aka Coachella East

2008-02-22T13:03:00.001-08:00

Looks like I'll be making the trip out to NYC in early August for the Coachella East festival:

brooklynvegan: All Points West (Jersey City) initial 2008 lineup announced!: "The ALL POINTS WEST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL LINE-UP (as of 2/21) is as follows: Radiohead, Jack Johnson, Underworld, Kings of Leon, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Cat Power, The Roots, The New Pornographers, Youssou N'Dour, Animal Collective, Andrew Bird, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Metric, CSS, Girl Talk, Chromeo, The Go! Team, Amadou & Mariam, The Black Angels, Sia, The Felice Brothers, K'Naan, Jason Isbell, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Alberta Cross, The Virgins, Black Kids, Mates of State, Duffy, Forro in the Dark, Nicole Atkins, Juana Molina, Little Brother, Rogue Wave, Neil Halstead and Your Vegas."

Classic Beach, but Much More in Santa Monica - New York Times

2008-02-22T07:21:00.000-08:00

For your next visit out here...

There's a paragraph about a neighborhood I'm considering moving to named after the street it's on Montana. It's very yuppie, but also very walkable. We'll see.

`Classic Beach, but Much More in Santa Monica - New York Times: "American Journeys | Santa Monica, California
Classic Beach, but Much More in Santa Monica"

From WITH its classic amusement pier, glittering bay and surfers bobbing on swells, Santa Monica was a perfect setting for “Baywatch.” But take a short walk inland, and this city on the edge of Los Angeles reveals itself as more than a stereotypical beach town.

Within its borders, drawings by Picasso and Dubuffet hang in the same art complex as a vast installation by a graffiti crew. A well-preserved Mission-style bungalow sits around the corner from a steel performance space by Frank Gehry. Shops sell goods ranging from vintage Parisian wedding gowns to a whimsical map made entirely out of license plates. There are homegrown coffee bars on nearly every block, with names like Groundwork or the Legal Grind, dispensing caffeine and counsel at the same time.

“The pier, the bike path — they’re the only things most people know about Santa Monica,” said Colleen Dunn Bates, editor of “Hometown Santa Monica,” an insider’s guide to the city. “And they’re fun. But they don’t reflect everything that the city really offers.”

Although it’s surrounded on all sides by districts that are part of the City of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades, Venice and West Los Angeles — Santa Monica asserts its own identity as an eight-square-mile separate city, and its population of about 96,000 is spread through several distinct neighborhoods. To make the most of time there, enjoy the games and famed carousel of the Santa Monica Pier and then step back from the beach to sample the city’s variety the way Santa Monicans themselves do.

Montana:

Some of the city’s best shopping is also on its northern rim, where the 10-block Montana Avenue district is known for upscale clothes, home décor, crafts, jewelry and art. At Every Picture Tells A Story (No. 1311-C) a lithograph of the cover of “Charlotte’s Web” signed by the illustrator, Garth Williams, hangs on a wall, and in the gallery (the store is also a children’s bookstore) original works by Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss and others are $150 to $150,000.

Next door, Rooms & Gardens (No. 1311-A) sells furniture, antiques and accessories like pillows fashioned from an antique Indian sari. The actress Mary Steenburgen, one of the store’s three owners, praised the walkability of the area — not a common commodity in Southern California — when I asked her about the location of her store.

“The thing I love about Montana is that you feel as if you are in a pedestrian city,” she said. “It’s fun to look out the window and see people walking by with their dogs, instead of just cars streaming by.”

You're beautiful, you've always wondered

2008-02-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

It's a very strange thing to go through such a sudden physical transformation as with Lasik. I feel very handsome, and it's a wondrous and difficult idea to comprehend. Am I blind to what I was before? Is this merely confidence? I've no idea.

It's also a full moon and a lunar eclipse. So that's fucking with my emotions, too.

I really hope it's not a problem to be shedding a tear or two while recovering from Lasik.

"and now you know, you're beautiful, you always wondered
now you know everything's alright
and now you know, you're beautiful, you've always wondered
and now you know together we're alright"

Exploding dog - since when did you have lazer eyes?

2008-02-18T22:21:00.001-08:00

In which the ever fine, fun & topical ExplodingDog gets all fine, fun & topical.

Valentine's Day mix at WeHeartHandclaps

2008-02-14T17:04:00.000-08:00

To make-up for the cheese-filled goodness that was the City of Roses mix, here's a brand new Valentine's Day mix. It's all over the map from old faves like Dylan, Springsteen, Roxy Music and the Everly Brothers to new indie acts like Feist, Cat Power, the Spree and the National rocking a Psychedelic Furs cover.

DOWNLAOD: We(heart)Handclaps Valentine's Day mix: Side 1

DOWNLOAD: We(heart)Handclaps Valentine's Day mix: Side 2
(right-click, save as, or ctrl-click, save as)

Feel free to leave opinions, loves, hates and ecstacy embossed with valentine's messages in the comments or email me.

Happy VD!

Lucha

2008-02-13T02:00:00.001-08:00

Lucha, originally uploaded by ideateller.

VaVoom

Security guards had no sense of humour tho.

2008-02-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

This was the first ever mix CD I ever made – 10 years ago this Thursday. iven to all of my female friends in Portland, along with a CD insert of a dozen pictures of roses/rose graphics from around the Rose City.

DOWNLOAD: (right-click and save as): First half
DOWNLOAD: Second half

Track listing:
Like Someone in Love - Bjork
Recipe for love – Harry Connick, Jr.
You Can’t Hurry Love – The Supremes
Se a Vida E – Pet Shop Boys
The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game – Massive Attack f. Tracey Thorn
Beautiful Love – Julian Cope
Amor/Amor Dub – Jah Wobble
Both Hands – Ani DiFranco
Everybody Needs Somebody – Primal Scream
Crash into me – Dave Matthews Band
Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye
Slave to Love – Bryan Ferry
No Ordinary Love – Sade
Son of a Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield
Someone to Watch Over Me – George Gershwin
Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

NOTE: this was in the days before... mp3s, file-sharing and music blogs, when you actually had to go to the record store and search through crates to find the cool obscure indie-cred stuff. Which, I obviously didn’t do.

And I know the mix is cheesy as fuck, but I had no experience with mix CDs and was counting on the novelty to carry it through. In retrospect, I can’t imagine ever giving a mix cd where 7 of the 16 songs have the word love in the title or subtitle (se a vida e (I love you)). And you wouldn’t catch me putting a Dave Matthews Band on a mix these days except under duress (like say, water torture.)

But I still like the mix. And it was a hugely original gift at the time. I think I actually had to explain to one friend what a mix CD entailed (namely, that it didn’t need a special machine to play.)

After 10 years, I’m still proud of the mix, and the packaging (also done before the digital revolution turned the photo world upside down).

So, take a listen. And Happy Valentine’s Day from the City of Roses, 10 years later.
m

Shadows & Balls

2008-02-11T11:01:00.001-08:00

IMG_1965, originally uploaded by ideateller.

More from the Winter Takes All Bocce tourney.

Winter Takes All Bocce Tournament

2008-02-11T10:53:00.001-08:00

IMG_2002, originally uploaded by ideateller.

And no, that's not me in the background. I prefer more of a French cut speedo.

Washington State: affirmative on the 'can'

2008-02-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

Nice one Seattle.

Today's best PostSecret

2008-01-27T13:06:00.001-08:00

From PostSecret, with the following response attached to it:

-----Email Message-----
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2008 9:46 AM
Subject: Baby daughter duck postcard

I’ve never been told I’m a beautiful woman, but when someone tells me my daughter looks just like me, it makes me feel beautiful because in my eyes she’s the most gorgeous little girl in the world

brooklynvegan: Technics 1200 turntable watch

2008-01-25T12:20:00.000-08:00

DOPE!

brooklynvegan: Technics 1200 turntable watch: "This turntable watch is modeled after the classic Technics 1200 down to the tiniest detail, so much so that you'd swear you could spin some wax on it if only records came in such wee sizes. It's available now for $65 and a small shred of your dignity."

Call of Duty #1 in Worldwide Sales

2008-01-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

Of course, it was all due to my voiceover work on the world leaders spots... 8)

"Activision today announced that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the number one title in unit sales worldwide for calendar 2007. The game sold over seven million units worldwide according to statistics garnered from The NPD Group, Chart Track and The GFK Group, respectively. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare also recently topped Halo 3 as the most played Xbox Live title.

"We're very excited about this achievement especially given so many competitive titles this year," said Will Kassoy, senior vice president, global brand management, Activision Publishing. "Consumer and critics agree that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is one of the best games ever created and further establishes Call of Duty as one of the premier brands in the industry. This ground-breaking game and franchise continue to establish new standards by which all other action games will be judged."

Rodents of Unusual Size?

2008-01-17T21:23:00.000-08:00

I believe then that the Fire Swamp is in South America:

Long Ago, a Rodent as Big as a Bull Lurked in South America - New York Times: "LONDON — Imagine a rodent that weighed a ton and was as big as a bull.

Uruguayan scientists say they have uncovered fossil evidence of the biggest species of rodent ever found, one that scurried across wooded areas of South America about four million years ago, when the continent was not connected to North America.

A herbivore, the beast may have been a contemporary, and possibly prey, of saber-toothed cats — a prehistoric version of Tom and Jerry.

Its huge skull, more than 20 inches long, suggested a beast more than eight feet long and weighing between 1,700 and 3,000 pounds."

LAist: Burning Man Reveals the New "Man"

2008-01-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

Not going to the Man this year, not that any of you believe me. 8)

Tickets on sale tomorrow, though I won't be buying one.

LAist: Burning Man Reveals the New "Man": "Burning Man has revealed the design for the new Man. The design was created by Larry Harvey and Rod Garrett, and illustrated by Jack Haye and Rod Garrett, and will be the centerpiece of the Burning Man Arts Festival in the Black Rock Desert. The American Dream is the theme to this year's festival.

This year's Burning Man will be the tallest ever, and will stand on top of a four-story obelisk. The monument will be draped with flags of countries from all over the world. Inside the obelisk, a double-helix like strand will create a spiral staircase that will resemble DNA. The 'Man' will be burned on Burn Night on Saturday, August 30th.

The Burning Man Festival takes place on August 25th to September 1st 2008. Tickets for Burning Man will go on sale on January 16th, please remember there will be NO tickets available at the gate, tickets must be purchased before the event."

From

Add'l reading

2008-01-15T21:00:00.000-08:00

Some great stuff lately:

A piece in Slate takes an economic approach to marriage, sex and relationships. Especially the second half, with regards to how the pill has changed women's choices in regards to marriage, sex and careers.
http://www.slate.com/id/2182089/entry/2182090/

And this piece of amazing journalism and amazing, erm, humanism, about Pete Carroll, coach of the USC Trojans. He's fucking insane and on some way-positive stuff. As maniacally happy and enthusiastic as I was post-Burning Man in 2002. Times about a 100.
http://www.lamag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=14D5B253DB1D499F9AD38F459D8E926A&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications::Article&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=FBED63DFDC694D699DA4EAF13E24562D

You Ain't No Picasso

2008-01-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

Nice post over at You Ain't No Picasso. (In a slight twist, I'd include the Gears of War commercial with "Mad World.")

We're also working on a project which would include a "One Shining Moment"/violence juxtaposition...

You Ain't No Picasso: "The Best Happy Music/Violent Image Scenes

I enjoyed my film classes so much last semester that I decided to take the second part to one of them. To celebrate, I thought it would be fun to make a list of all my favorite scenes in movies where there is violent imagery shown while happy, upbeat or otherwise ill-fitting (in the conventional sense) music is playing. Some I disqualified because the music wasn’t exactly “happy” to begin with (”Goodbye Horses” in Silence of the Lambs, “Where is My Mind?” in Fight Club). So if it makes you winch while tapping your feat, it’s probably here."

Today's quizhttp://www.jambase.com/Articles/Story.aspx?StoryID=12581how are you doing so far in 2008 on the happiness factor?

2008-01-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

Via k8 via Captain Erotica's blog:

how are you doing so far in 2008 on the happiness factor?

The year is already 1/24th over...and how we are in the beginning of the year can echo through the rest of our sun-cycle...

"happy" both by it's use and definition, is a subjective descriptor...but one I have chosen to represent the bell-curve apex of positive linguistic descriptors...

The bloggist admits that this test is skewed by his perspective of what makes a person Happy...Thus, as with all tests, take it with a grain of salt, or at the very least, in the Spirit of Fun

to wit, here is a survey of how you are doing:

~5 points for each yes~

~A~Are you taking time to communicate clearly with those you are intimate with?

~B~Have you done at least two days of athletic activity during 2008?

~C~Have you given yourself or an other an orgasm during 2008?

~D~Have you considered any travel during 2008? (give yourself an extra 5 points if you've already booked a ticket)

~E~Have you eaten or cooked a delicious meal during 2008?

~F~In this moment as you read this, are you relaxed overall? Even if you are not relaxed overall, can you take a deep breath and tap into relaxation somewhere inside you?

~G~Have you done anything creative thus far in 2008?

~H~Do you feel that you have been nice to other people so far during 2008?

~I~Have you given any thought towards the manifestation of an erotic fantasy thus far this year?

~J~Have you spent any time in nature this year?

No Pants 2K8 - a photoset on Flickr

2008-01-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

A group after my own heart, Improv Everywhere, had their annual "No Pants" subway ride this past weekend, and here's the Flickr photoset to prove it.

No Pants 2K8 - a photoset on Flickr: "(more photos coming!)

Improv Everywhere's 7th annual No-Pants Subway ride. Is it a protest? Is it a performance? Is it a mind-boggling coincidence?!

'I don't know, I'm not from around here. I guess it's just a warm day for January. Why do I have these cameras? Well I was just on my way to a shoot but now I'm late and all my memory cards are full...'

if you just can't get enough, here's some from last year"

From

Corpse Wheeled to Check-Cashing Store Leads to 2 Arrests

2008-01-12T21:06:00.000-08:00

Alright, a little levity from the Times. Call it Weekend at Bernie's 3: Hell's Kitchen:

Even for the once-notorious Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, it may have been a first: Two men were arrested on Tuesday after pushing a corpse, seated in an office chair, along the sidewalk to a check-cashing store to cash the dead man’s Social Security check, the police said.

When Virgilio Cintron, 66, died at his apartment at 436 West 52nd Street recently, his roommate and a friend saw an opportunity to cash his $355 check, the police said.

They did not go about it the easy way, the police said, choosing a ruse that resembled the plot of “Weekend at Bernie’s,” a film about two young men who prop up their dead employer to pretend that he is alive.

“Hell’s Kitchen has a rich history,” said Paul J. Browne, a police spokesman, “but this is one for the books.”

There was no sign of foul play in Mr. Cintron’s death, he added.

The roommate, James P. O’Hare, and his friend, David J. Dalaia, both 65 and unemployed, placed Mr. Cintron’s body in the chair and wheeled it around the corner, south along Ninth Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, the police said. The men parked the chair with the corpse in front of Pay-O-Matic at 763 Ninth Avenue, a check-cashing business that Mr. Cintron had patronized.

They went inside to present the check, but a clerk said Mr. Cintron would have to cash it himself, and asked where he was, the police said.

“He is outside,” Mr. O’Hare said, indicating the body in the chair, according to Mr. Browne.

The two men started to bring the chair inside, but it was too late.

Their sidewalk procession had already attracted the stares of passers-by who were startled by the sight of the body flopping from side to side as the two men tried to prop it up, the police said. The late Mr. Cintron was dressed in a faded black T-shirt and blue-and-white sneakers. His pants were pulled up part of the way, and his midsection was covered by a jacket, the police said. While the two men were inside the check-cashing office, a small crowd had gathered around the chair. A detective, Travis Rapp, eating a late lunch at a nearby Empanada Mama saw the crowd and notified the Midtown North station house.

Police officers and an ambulance arrived as the two men were trying to maneuver the corpse and chair into the check-cashing office.

The two men were taken into custody and questioned. The police said they were considering charging them with check-cashing fraud.

Mr. Cintron’s body was taken to a hospital morgue. The medical examiner’s office said its preliminary assessment was that he had died of natural causes within the past 24 hours.

Sex and the Teenage Girl

2008-01-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

Exhausted and still not sleeping well, I'm close to tears as it is.

From the NYTimes, about the movie Juno(which I've yet to see):

Los Angeles

THE movie “Juno” is a fairy tale about a pregnant teenager who decides to have her baby, place it for adoption and then get on with her life. For the most part, the tone of the movie is comedic and jolly, but there is a moment when Juno tells her father about her condition, and he shakes his head in disappointment and says, “I thought you were the kind of girl who knew when to say when.”

Female viewers flinch when he says it, because his words lay bare the bitterly unfair truth of sexuality: female desire can bring with it a form of punishment no man can begin to imagine, and so it is one appetite women and girls must always regard with caution. Because Juno let her guard down and had a single sexual experience with a sweet, well-intentioned boy, she alone is left with this ordeal of sorrow and public shame.

In the movie, the moment passes. Juno finds a yuppie couple eager for a baby, and when the woman tries to entice her with the promise of an open adoption, the girl shakes her head adamantly: “Can’t we just kick it old school? I could just put the baby in a basket and send it your way. You know, like Moses in the reeds.”

It’s a hilarious moment, and the sentiment turns out to be genuine. The final scene of the movie shows Juno and her boyfriend returned to their carefree adolescence, the baby — safely in the hands of his rapturous and responsible new mother — all but forgotten. Because I’m old enough now that teenage movie characters evoke a primarily maternal response in me (my question during the film wasn’t “What would I do in that situation?” but “What would I do if my daughter were in that situation?”), the last scene brought tears to my eyes. To see a young daughter, faced with the terrible fact of a pregnancy, unscathed by it and completely her old self again was magical.

And that’s why “Juno” is a fairy tale. As any woman who has ever chosen (or been forced) to kick it old school can tell you, surrendering a baby whom you will never know comes with a steep and lifelong cost. Nor is an abortion psychologically or physically simple. It is an invasive and frightening procedure, and for some adolescent girls it constitutes part of their first gynecological exam. I know grown women who’ve wept bitterly after abortions, no matter how sound their decisions were. How much harder are these procedures for girls, whose moral and emotional universe is just taking shape?

WCBS NEWSRADIO 880 - New Jersey Cat Free From Bottle Stuck on Head

2008-01-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

I find this ridiculously funny. Up in LOLcats in notime i'm very sure.

WCBS NEWSRADIO 880 - New Jersey Cat Free From Bottle Stuck on Head: "New Jersey Cat Free From Bottle Stuck on Head

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- Good news this afternoon about the stray cat we told you about yesterday seen wandering near Flemington with its head stuck in a bottle.

The stray was caught this morning by Raritan Township Animal Control Tom Dodd with the help of ASPCA.

It was near death when they snagged it under a porch. Its head wedged in a jar, which was wedged under a porch.

They brought the scared stray to a vet... a little bit of crisco and off it came!

Dodd says the cat was first spotted on New Year's Eve and eluded capture until this morning. For ten days it was unable to eat or drink.

Within the next day the cat will be the shelter for adoption. If you want to give it a home, call the Hunterdon ASPCA at (908) 996-2525 and ask for Eva.

By the way, Dodd says the first thing to do if you see an animal in distress is call the police. Do not attempt to rescue yourself. The professionals are trained to make a quick capture."

old

2008-01-03T15:26:00.001-08:00

old, originally uploaded by ideateller.

My parents¹ dachsund Cedric is getting really old. 15 years+. He¹s a great
dog, but he can¹t really control his bladder anymore, and he¹s got a super
hard time with stairs. He¹s also deaf and mostly blind.

My parents love him but realize he¹s on his last legs. I¹d be shocked for
him to be around next Christmas.

Along with my parents talking about retirement, the whole trip left me a
little melancholy, worried about the mortality of the people in my life.

puns

2008-01-03T15:20:00.001-08:00

puns, originally uploaded by ideateller.

amuse me. they really do.

NYE at the house of dr. joi

2008-01-03T14:41:00.005-08:00

NYE at the house of dr. joi, originally uploaded by ideateller.

NYE at the house of dr. joi

2008-01-03T14:41:00.003-08:00

NYE at the house of dr. joi, originally uploaded by ideateller.

NYE at the house of dr. joi

2008-01-03T14:41:00.001-08:00

NYE at the house of dr. joi, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Goodbye 2007

2007-12-31T16:27:00.000-08:00

There might've been more lows than highs this past year.

I'm gladly anticipating 2008's arrival. Things will be healthier this year.

Be wonderful
miguel

PostSecret

2007-12-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

Touching note on today's PostSecret .

Someday, I'll find someone who feels the same way. And vice versa.

-----Email Message-----
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2007 1:43 AM
Subject: A Wonderful Christmas Present

Dear Frank,

I received a copy of 'A Lifetime of Secrets' from my new wife for Christmas this year. Though the book itself was a wonderful present, the inscription on the inside cover was even better. She wrote:

"'A Lifetime of Secrets' to kick off a lifetime of no secrets."

That promise and request is the best gift I've ever received.

- Nikki (with permission)

The 8 Grads, 1997 style

2007-12-20T12:19:00.001-08:00

The 8 Grads, 1997 style, originally uploaded by ideateller.

The only real difference for me here is that I¹d no longer be able to hold
Tia up.

Christmas gift!

2007-12-18T15:23:00.001-08:00

Big thanks to Marcus for picking up this poster for me as a Christmas gift. (UPDATE: the poster comes from a designer named Erick Montes, who happens (if his website is up to date) be a student at Portfolio Center. Lots of other cool posters up at his site. Especially dig the Pretty Girls Make Graves one).

Many, many more available from many, many other bands at http://lonestarposters.com

DDB Christmas party

2007-12-11T11:32:00.001-08:00

DDB Christmas party, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Fine work by David Boden on our company Christmas party poster.

Tow Yawa Enoz!

2007-12-10T16:29:00.001-08:00

Tow Yawa Enoz!, originally uploaded by ideateller.

On my morning walk into work this is what we see:

My Gelt

2007-12-10T15:31:00.001-08:00

My Gelt, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Has nutritional info.

Goodby Silverstein Huffington

2007-12-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

Stocking Stuffer

Posted December 6, 2007 | 10:02 PM (EST)
Read More: GOP Posters, Republican Posters, Rich Silverstein, Breaking Politics News

Stocking Stuffer

Three weeks ago, we launched HuffPost's Posterizing the Modern GOP project to graphically capturing the lunacy of the Bush years. And we asked for your help adding to the names, events, and slogans depicted.

The response was overwhelming, with over 1,000 people offering suggestions (even those with a different POV of the GOP were inspired to jump into the fray).

Rich Silverstein, who created the posters, and his design team culled through the submissions and -- with an assist from our editor, Roy Sekoff -- have created updated versions of the posters. The result is amazing -- and even more damning than expected. To check them out in their full-sized glory, click on the thumbnail images below.

‘Cat Lady’ Conundrum, The - New York Times

2007-12-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

I've always hated cats. This article actually presents a rather interesting (and disgusting) case as to why:

‘Cat Lady’ Conundrum, The - New York Times: "‘Cat Lady’ Conundrum, The * E-Mail * Print * Save * Share o Del.icio.us o Digg o Facebook o Newsvine o Permalink Article Tools Sponsored By By REBECCA SKLOOT Published: December 9, 2007 Here’s a little-known and slightly terrifying fact: According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 60 million people in the United States are infected with a parasite that may migrate into their brains and alter their behavior in a way that — among other things — may leave them more likely to be eaten by cats. New research into this common parasite — Toxoplasma gondii — may offer clues to the phenomenon known to the unscientifically-minded as “crazy cat lady” syndrome."

13 days

2007-12-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it 13 days without drinking. Had dinner with Radcliffe, Liz and her producer Caitlin and her friend Andrea. A few glasses of wine and a glass or two of beer at Chez Jay.

Now I'm enjoying a minor hangover and watching football. Starting a new streak today.

SantaCon 2004 in NYC

2007-12-05T13:52:00.000-08:00

From 12/04 NYTimes

Santa broke out the sour mash at 10 a.m. Christmas was coming. Why not have a drink?

He raised his glass to another Santa, who was sucking back some Colt 45.

"Pace yourself," the second Santa said. "I started with beer this year, not Jim Beam like last year."

Santa got drunk yesterday. He cursed. He smoked. He took off his clothes in public. It was Santacon, an annual gathering of nasty Santas, in which some 500 naughty Clauses marched through the city, shouting, drinking, raising gentle mayhem.

Santacon began 10 years ago in San Francisco, where 30 friends, disheartened by the happiness of Christmas, got together in their Santa suits and set out to have some fun. They crashed a dinner dance and stole people's drinks. Went to a strip club. Drank themselves silly. Some made it home. Others slept in the streets.

This year, Santacon was - or will be - celebrated from New York to Tokyo and places in between. Its schedule and history can be found online at www.santarchy.com.

The brains behind Santacon are something of a mystery, its organizers remaining underground. A reporter in the crowd set out yesterday to find the Claus-in-Charge but was told there was no main Claus, only subordinate Clauses.

There are four cardinal rules at Santacon. Don't mess with the police. Don't mess with kids. Don't mess with store security. And don't mess with Santa. These rules were printed on the backs of vomit bags. The bags were passed among the crowd.

Prestonwood Christmas Lights

2007-12-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

My old subdivision in Houston used to have elaborate Christmas decorations and lights throughout the entire subdivision. Traffic would crawl through the neighborhood, making Domino's 30 minute pledge a moot point.

Repeal Day!

2007-12-05T11:02:00.001-08:00

I’m on day 12 of binge non-drinking but I highly recommend you support this most of American holidays.

From RepealDay.org

Why Do We Celebrate?

Prohibition Ends at Last!Repeal Day is not widely celebrated in this country, yet it commemorates the anniversary of the day the United States repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and gave Americans the constitutional ability to consume alcohol.

Here are a few reasons why we think Repeal Day should be a celebrated day in the United States:
It's the perfect time of year.

Conveniently located halfway between Thanksgiving and Christmas — at a time when most Americans are probably not spending time with family — Repeal Day presents a wonderful occasion to get together with friends and pay tribute to our constitutional rights.
We have the constitutional ability to do so.

The American FlagUnlike St. Patrick's Day or Cinco de Mayo, Repeal Day is a day that all Americans have a part in observing, because it's written in our Constitution. No other holiday celebrates the laws that guarantee our rights, and Repeal Day has everything to do with our personal pleasures.
It's easy!

There are no outfits to buy, costumes to rent, rivers to dye green. Simply celebrate the day by stopping by your local bar, tavern, saloon, winery, distillery, or brewhouse and having a drink. Pick up a six-pack on your way home from work. Split a bottle of wine with a loved one. Buy a shot for a stranger. Just do it because you can.

Thanks for reading about what we hope will become a celebrated day in this country. Please help spread the word about Repeal Day, and tell a friend.

Cheers!

1 week

2007-12-02T22:55:00.000-08:00

It's been one week, officially without a single drink. Which is more of an accomplishment than it might sound originally.

Planning on having a drink or two whenever Liz hangs with everyone this coming Saturday, but other than that, should make it to nearly 2 weeks. And more than that without getting fucked up.

Good on me.

Post Secret Sunday

2007-12-02T10:34:00.001-08:00

From

This one reminds me of the time that I got really fucked up with Judge Goth, Geoffrey, Aaron, Liberty and others. There was a stop at a convenience store for some malt liquor in 40 oz packaging, and then we went to some Portland punk rock kids house.

I ended up falling off of the stoop and bashing the back of my head. (Oliver Stone: was he pushed?)

JG drove me home and we woke up to discover my bed covered in blood. When I walked her to her car, we discovered that the gash had left a nice stain on the passenger seat headrest.

Later, there was a gathering at the Sobiers, and figuring that one of the ladies(sexist! - ed) might know how to properly clean the stains, I asked the group.

"So, uh, can anyone tell me the best way to get bloodstains out of your sheets?"

Without missing a beat, Rogers: "I WOULDN'T KNOW THAT! Why would you think I know that?"

Going to buy a few copies of the Post Secret books to give to people for Christmas. Last season the "oh, yes, that's thoughtful, I, uh, got you a present, too!" present was some fancy Venice handmade soap and a mix CD.

I feel apocalyptic

2007-11-29T13:42:00.000-08:00

"Take Care!"

If there were such a button in my mentalsphere, it would also have a switch. The switch would toggle modes between 'self-destruction' and 'destruction'. So, that the world's safe when I'm busy sabotaging myself, but my attitude toward the world gets kinda ornery when i'm not busy self-destructing.

From Exploding Dog.

Laugh, Think, Cry

2007-11-28T14:52:00.000-08:00

One of the best speeches I've ever seen. Moving.

Been needing a cathartic cry. Might watch this later tonight at home.

YouTube - The Wire Season 4 (The Music Video)

2007-11-27T13:58:00.000-08:00

I get nostalgic.

It seems like just yesterday I was heading over to Hollywood video and renting the entire seasons of the Wire on VHS while avoiding the rain in Portland.

I miss Portland and the people there. Feeling a bit lost today, and I miss the sense of belonging to a group that I felt there.

Shitty

2007-11-27T11:54:00.000-08:00

Having a shitty time of it this past weekend and so far this week.

Realizing that I've got some pretty significant problems around alcohol, sleeping pills and then rebound insomnia, and that I can't manage them simply by cutting down on how much I consume of the first two.

Really stopping to examine everything that's happened over the past 2+ years in LA, and starting to realize what an awful descent it's been. Not. Healthy. At all.

Going to go on the wagon for a bit and see if I can't find some direction and self-control. I don't think it's going to be pretty, but as the book says, "Life is suffering."

Send me good thoughts. I need it.
m

thanksgiving at the wesson/cote's

2007-11-22T17:45:00.003-08:00

thanksgiving at the wesson/cote's, originally uploaded by ideateller.

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thanksgiving at the wesson/cote's

2007-11-22T17:45:00.001-08:00

thanksgiving at the wesson/cote's, originally uploaded by ideateller.

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thanksgiving at the wesson/cote's

2007-11-22T17:44:00.001-08:00

thanksgiving at the wesson/cote's, originally uploaded by ideateller.

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She’s No Morgenthau - New York Times

2007-11-21T08:50:00.000-08:00

I'm a big Obama supporter.

Ooh! Burn!

She’s No Morgenthau - New York Times: "“ At a news conference, the Illinois senator was asked about Hillary Clinton’s attack on his qualifications. Making an economic speech in Knoxville, Iowa, earlier that day, the New York senator had touted her own know-how, saying that “there is one job we can’t afford on-the-job training for — that’s the job of our next president.” Her aides confirmed that she was referring to Obama.

Pressed to respond, Obama offered a zinger feathered with amused disdain: “My understanding was that she wasn’t Treasury secretary in the Clinton administration, so I don’t know exactly what experiences she’s claiming.”
...

With all due respect,” she told a crowd in Iowa. “I don’t think living in a foreign country between the ages of 6 and 10 is foreign policy experience.” But is living in the White House between the ages of 45 and 53 foreign policy experience?"

Ironic funny & Unintentional funny

2007-11-20T13:02:00.003-08:00

Ironic funny & Unintentional funny, originally uploaded by ideateller.

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Ironic funny & Unintentional funny

2007-11-20T13:02:00.001-08:00

Ironic funny & Unintentional funny, originally uploaded by ideateller.

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sad airport wurker iz sad

2007-11-20T13:01:00.001-08:00

sad airport wurker iz sad, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Taken Saturday after dropping Christy off at the airport.

Burning Man fire performance

2007-11-19T10:17:00.001-08:00

Amazing video of fire performes the night of the Burn.

I think of all of the things that hurting my back has taken away from me, the chance to be a fire dancer hurts the most. I've never had such joy working hard to learn a skill and never been so pleasantly surprised as I was to pick up spinning poi so quickly.

Okay. Back to work.

My Neko shows

2007-11-18T14:15:00.001-08:00

Saw Neko on Friday night at the Disney Music Hall for Jessica's birthday. It was a strange show. We had gone out to dinner downtown at the fine Takashimi Restaurant (next to the Elevate Lounge. The place actually looks down on The Standard.

The show actually started on time, so we arrived as Neko was playing Deep Red Bells - maybe my favorite song of hers.

Since the Disney Music Hall is a fancey venue, we had to wait to be seated until the song was over. Once seated, the venue is pretty spectacular, and we seemingly right above the band.

No Sadies with her this time, but a fine group of musicians (including a pedal and steel guitarist) along with melodic and comedic foil Kelly Hogan singing back-up.

Having missed her first 3 songs, we were treated to an eclectic set. For some reason, Neko kept straying from the setlist, informing the band of the changes. Her and Kelly were chatting a lot in between songs, telling jokes and laughing.

Set highlight was "I wish I was the moon" which Neko explained was a song for her father who was a 'very odd and lonely man.' 'Runnin' out of fools' was nice, and the bible lifting song, 'John the Baptist' was great with Kelly and Neko's harmonies.

A subdued crowd was a big downer at the show. Those that yelled out were the hoi polloi that don't usually attend these hi-falutin events. Between that and the confusion over the set list, I never felt like the crowd warmed-up. Also missing the first 3 tracks was a bummer.

I still love Neko, but I'll definitely think twice about seeing a show at the Disney Music Hall.

Stream the whole show at: NPR

Feel like I'm missing a Portland show, but:
Sasquatch 2003 Molly
Aladdin Nov 2004 with the Sadies - Michele
Missed her at the Bowl 2006 to see the Spree
Fonda Feb 2007 - Jessica
in the New Pornographers, Oct 2007 - Ozer, Jessica, Amburr, et. al.
Disney Music Hall 2007 - Jessica

My Spree shows

2007-11-18T13:59:00.000-08:00

Via a thread on the Unofficial Polyphonic Spree Forum

My shows.

The best of which might have been the first. I flew down from Portland Oregon to Coachella in 03. In Portland, it rains from about Labor Day through July 4th with barely a day of sunshine. This was late April in Palm Springs – 90 and nothing but sun.

The Spree were the first band to play on Sunday, and my friends wanted to hang out at the pool until late in the afternoon. So, I had them drop me off at the fast food area so that I could hitchhike in. The first girls I asked, two San Diego hotties, looked at each other. One asked the other if she thought I looked like a serial killer. The other laughed and I was in.

On our drive in I took a couple of pills and went direct to the main stage. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and when they played ‘It’s the Sun’ I was fuh-ly-ing.

10 shows with 20 different friends going with me later, I’m not sure I’ve had a better Spree moment. 8)

1. Coachella 2003
2. Portland 2003 Aladdin Theatre with the throat singer (Donna, Miika, k8?)
3. Portland ? - Can’t remember (?)
4. Portland – Lucky Strike show Dec 04 - (Hope was there)
5. Seattle – Lucky Strike show Dec 04 (KWatts & Trika)
(couldn’t walk up the hill to the coffee shop the next day, my calves were so sore from jumping 2 nights in a row.
6. SF first show of Together We’re Heavy Mid 04? (Orange and her drunk friend) (TWH played str8 through, and they started at like 7pm, so we missed half the show.)
7. SF Together We’re Heavy Feb 05? (Esmerelda Strange and Joanna
8. LA – Henry Fonda Sep 06 (Vallier)
9. LA – El Rey July 07 (Marcus, Josianne, Hart, Marc, Erika, Jessica, Jodi, her husband, her friend, Butter, Ted) a birthday celebration
10. San Diego – July 07 (Adam)
11. LA – Henry Fonda – Nov 07 (Erika)

Whole Paycheck to Venice

2007-11-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

Rumor has it that Whole Foods will be moving in to the former CVS space on Lincoln and Rose. That would certainly be nice, although the plan to move to a different part of the city would affect that.

It'd still be close to work though, and that makes for a healthier lunch option.

Whole Foods Market : Locations : New Stores: "Venice Whole Foods Market Venice, CA 47,317 sq. ft. Opening date to be announced. "

Ted's nemesis is Ted

2007-11-18T12:58:00.001-08:00

Here's an article about a entrepreneur who turned his attention on fighting the VCs.

And he's former disorient campmate Super Duck Man aka Adeo. It was his girlfriend at the time who accidentally gave me k instead of e, thus launching a million k-hole jokes against me.

He and our friend and campmate had a huge falling out a few years ago. I like the irony.

From Wired

The Man Behind the VC Slagfest at TheFunded.com Reveals Himself to Wired
By Carlye Adler Email 11.15.07 | 9:00 PM
Photo: Rainer Hosch

The door swings open before I have a chance to knock, and I get my first glimpse of the man known to thousands only as Ted. At 6'5" in socks, he is squeezed into the door frame of his midtown Manhattan loft. He's got a shaved head, thick-rimmed black Prada glasses, and a small bag of Chips Ahoy! cookies. "Come in," he says, grinning toothily.

It has taken four weeks to arrange this meeting. Four weeks during which I spoke with Ted, the pseudonymous founder of TheFunded.com, nearly every day. He refused to give me his phone number, calling me — almost always late at night — whenever he decided it was time to talk. If I needed to reach him, I sent a note to his Gmail account. He usually called back from a blocked number within an hour or two. Until now he had rebuffed my suggestions of a face-to-face meeting. First he said he was too busy overseeing the sale of his technology company. Then an unexpected family crisis took all his time and energy. Finally, just as I began to think Ted was avoiding me, I received another email: "4:40 pm, OK?" And about an hour later, here I am, staring at the most mysterious Web celebrity since Fake Steve Jobs.

I get the sense that Ted enjoys this cloak-and-dagger routine. After all, he's been playing it since the beginning of the year, when he launched TheFunded.com, a community site for startups to anonymously review and rank venture capital firms. In effect, it has given entrepreneurs a peek into the secretive VC industry and a chance to dish about some of the unseemly behavior they've witnessed there. "We have seen distinctive pieces of our business plan end up in marketing materials of a competitor," reads one testimony. "The senior guy was arrogant, rude, and dismissive," reads another. "He had his feet up on the table the whole time he was telling us how bad our business is." Visitors to TheFunded can pore over tales of VCs who overwhelm a founder's influence, who change deal terms at the last minute, and who find out what other VCs offered a company to weaken its bargaining position. TheFunded has also become something of a support group for its 3,150 members; when one recent poster asked whether he should accept a deal that would give a VC the sole right to sell his company, he received 19 responses, including "AVOID" and "Run!"

.....

The group, wary of retribution from funders, posted anonymously and pledged never to identify one another. They even voted on Ressi's pseudonym, the first name of a nemesis. ("They did it to spite me," Ressi chuckles.)

NyTimes adoption blog

2007-11-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous, gorgeous, courageous post from a 16 year old on NYTimes:

From NYTimes

November 16, 2007, 9:31 pm
Being Adopted, and Being Me

By Adam Wolfington

Being adopted is different. It can be confusing to the adopted kid and to other people (especially if you are a transracial adoptee, because they spot the difference and then want answers). So, adoption to me is black – and my family is white.

How is being adopted different? Well, I don’t know who my birth parents are. I wonder about that. Not because it makes me sad, but because I just wonder. Well, maybe it makes me a little sad. It’s kind of like a missing piece of me. My mom told me my birth parents were not married and were very young, so if I ever wanted to track someone down it would be her – my birth mom. I’m not sure if I want to do that or not. She was white. He was black. How much does all that matter? I don’t know now.

Maybe not all adoptive parents are great, but mine are — pretty much. More than anything else, I love to play music and my parents support me in that all the way. I have an older brother and sister. My mom calls them “home-mades” because she and my dad are their birth parents. I am the “gourmet take-out,” in her words. When people ask if she is my “real mother,” she asks, “What do I look like, a hologram?” I just don’t like it when my parents make me study and I get grounded for not doing what I am supposed to. But I guess that’s what parents who care do. Anyhow, that’s what they tell me.

I get into trouble sometimes because too often I don’t do my schoolwork. Right now I am grounded for ten days! This is a hard lesson and punishment. I am allowed to do my music and community service and go to school. And that’s all. I hate this. But I know it is my fault. And I know my parents are not happy about it either. They say they care enough to make me do what is right. Grrrrr. It still stinks.

My first memory of realizing “I was different” was when I was in kindergarten. People looked at us (my mom, dad, sister and me) funny. Some asked questions. Some said nothing at all and just stared. I finally understood they were trying to figure out our family. And I think that’s when I began to wonder, too.

My mom keeps a journal and tells me she wrote about a time when I was 6 years old and in pee-wee ice hockey. She says, “You were the only tan on the squad.” Some kid came up to me, looked at my mom, then back at me and said, “That’s your Mom?” I said, “Yeah.” And he said, “How come?”

My mom wrote in her journal that I just looked at him and said, “Different strokes for different folks.” The kid just shrugged and walked away. (I do remember watching a TV show called “Different Strokes.” That’s probably how I came up with my answer.) Anyhow, it worked and no one there asked that again.

Another time, on my ninth birthday, Mom wrote, I asked her, “Do you still have the phone number for that nice lady?” When she asked which one, I said, “The one that carried me in her belly.”

Mom’s notes say:

“You mean your birth mother?”

“Uh huh.”

“Why? Is there something you want to say to her?”

“Yeah.”

“What would you like to say to her?”

“Oh, I’d just tell her what a nice kid I am and that I’m O.K.”

When I was about 10 years old I remember kids saying stuff that really upset me, like, “At least I know who my real parents are.” Or, “You’re so bad even a black family didn’t want to adopt you.” Some days I came home and just cried.

But my Mom helped me work out answers. She asked me, “What does a real mother do?” When I gave a list of things she asked if I knew anyone who did those things for me. “Yeah,” I said. “You do.” Same for my dad. So Mom and I sat down and I told her the ten worst things people said to me. She wrote them down. Then I made up answers that were funny but not mean. (Mom’s rule is to never make someone feel bad just to get back at them.) Mom wrote these down too. I then memorized the list. Next time it happened I was ready. It felt great! I wasn’t so scared, or hurt (as much), or embarrassed by those questions again.

My friends’ parents welcome me as their own, the way my parents treat my friends. No different. People say I am just like my father because I act like him. I know both of us like to get the last word in, no matter what. Also our sense of humor is similar. Sometimes a little off. It can even be a little … am I allowed to say “vulgar”?

Like my mom I like hats. I always look up words I don’t understand because she uses big words so I have had to keep on trying to figure out what she is saying. When I was younger this was a real problem because she talks fast. A lot of the time I had no idea what she was saying to me. Also, we both love music. I’m a good singer (she thinks she is, too). But I play a mean electric heavy metal guitar and she can’t.

Sometimes I think people are looking at me, feeling sorry for me because my birth parents let me go. I’m not sure why. But I know I am really loved. Still, sometimes I wonder if there was something wrong with me? My birth mom placed me with my parents even before I was born so it’s not like she didn’t like me. Still, I wonder.

Sometimes I am sad. Sometimes I feel lonely. Sometimes I feel empty. Mostly I feel happy. Lots of times I get mad at my parents for being on my back. Then again, I am 16 years old. My friends feel the same way and none of them are adopted. So, maybe I’m just sort of normal.

It has not been easy, being me and being adopted and being in a racially different family. My parents and I have gone through lots of therapy. But you know what? It’s not bad either. I am happy, have a fun life and am loved. I am safe and secure and, yes, forced to be accountable (don’t like that at all). My family cares about me … forever.

Being adopted is different. It can be confusing trying to go back and figure out “why me.” On the other hand … “lucky me.” I am different from my brother and sister. But I am the same as them in lots of other ways that matter and will be their brother forever. Best of all I am loved for who I am. Period.

Having a family that cares about you is awesome. I have some “home-made” friends that don’t have the kind of love and acceptance I have. Adoption is about me and my family and how lucky we all are to have each other. So, to kids waiting to be matched, I say get the best possible match and then work at it. Nothing is perfect. But having a forever family is the best.

NYTimes: Most common surnames

2007-11-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

From NY Times

Step aside Moore and Taylor. Welcome Garcia and Rodriguez.

Smith remains the most common surname in the United States, according to a new analysis released yesterday by the Census Bureau. But for the first time, two Hispanic surnames — Garcia and Rodriguez — are among the top 10 most common in the nation, and Martinez nearly edged out Wilson for 10th place.

The number of Hispanics living in the United States grew by 58 percent in the 1990s to nearly 13 percent of the total population, and cracking the list of top 10 names suggests just how pervasively the Latino migration has permeated everyday American culture.

Garcia moved to No. 8 in 2000, up from No. 18, and Rodriguez jumped to No. 9 from 22nd place. The number of Hispanic surnames among the top 25 doubled, to 6.

...

The latest surname count also signaled the growing number of Asians in America. The surname Lee ranked No. 22, with the number of Lees about equally divided between whites and Asians. Lee is a familiar name in China and Korea and in all its variations is described as the most common surname in the world.

Altogether, the census found six million surnames in the United States. Among those, 151,000 were shared by a hundred or more Americans. Four million were held by only one person.

“The names tell us that we’re a richly diverse culture,” Mr. Kominski said.

But the fact that about 1 in every 25 Americans is named Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones, Miller or Davis “suggests that there’s a durability in the family of man,” Mr. Kaplan, the author, said. A million Americans share each of those seven names. An additional 268 last names are common to 10,000 or more people. Together, those 275 names account for one in four Americans.

As the population of the United States ballooned by more than 30 million in the 1990s, more Murphys and Cohens were counted when the decade ended than when it began.

In 1984, according to the Social Security Administration, nearly 3.4 million Smiths lived in the United States. In 1990, the census counted 2.5 million. By 2000, the Smith population had declined to fewer than 2.4 million. The durability of some of the most common names in American history may also have been perpetuated because slaves either adopted or retained the surnames of their owners. About one in five Smiths are black, as are about one in three Johnsons, Browns, and Joneses and nearly half the people named Williams.

The Census Bureau’s analysis found that some surnames were especially associated with race and ethnicity.

More than 96 percent of Yoders, Kruegers, Muellers, Kochs, Schwartzes, Schmitts and Novaks were white. Nearly 90 percent of the Washingtons were black, as were 75 percent of the Jeffersons, 66 percent of the Bookers, 54 percent of the Banks and 53 percent of the Mosleys.

sign of the year

2007-11-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

from the EDSBS gameday open thread:

EDSBS � Archive � OPEN THREAD, WEEK TWELVE: "Anyone else see the sign of the year on Gameday this morning?? “You can’t spell C_CK_ _ CKER without OSU” Those classy Columbians"

Are ads are teh rulerz!111!!

2007-11-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a great game and the best creative work I've ever done, Call of Duty is kicking much ass.

From PSX extreme

Analyst: Call Of Duty 4 To Match Halo 3 Sales

Most times, video game industry analysts say some pretty logical things. Like, "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will be a big title for Activision," and Halo 3 will be huge." Yeah, those predictions make perfect sense. Others, while somewhat controversial, have a foundation based in some potential validity, like "the PS3 will eventually win this generation," and "no Grand Theft Auto IV could hurt the holiday season." But others...we just gotta scratch our heads and wonder.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is definitely a huge game, but we never thought it would be Halo 3-huge. Sure, it's sold out all over the place and the reviews are sky-high (so far), but can it really end up selling as much or even more than Bungie's massive title? According to Nollenberger Capital Partners analyst Todd Greenwald, yes, it can.

"Thus far, the game has an average score of 9.5/10 on Metacritic.com, which is almost unprecedented and puts it on par with Halo 3," he said. "It certainly is the highest-rated game Activision has ever created. Keep in mind, CoD4 is launching on four times as many platforms (Xbox 360, PlayStation3, PC, DS) as Halo 3 (360 only). Halo 3 has so far sold about 4 million units. A year ago, Call of Duty 3 sold about 3 million units, and we anticipate this year's version could do four million or more." (source- EscapistMagazine)

He makes a good point in the fact that CoD4 is a multiplatform title, which obviously means it has greater sales potential than an exclusive title like Halo 3. But the latter is the fastest selling entertainment-based product, whether we're talking about games, movies, books, music, whatever, so can this really be true? Microsoft expects to sell 10 million copies of Halo 3 (albeit not in 2007)...will Activision boast similar numbers with CoD4? We realize Greenwald is only talking about this year, though, so we suppose it's feasible.

Top 10 games that should be movies

2007-11-15T16:42:00.000-08:00

I enjoy #2 on the list, though the version I played of Oregon Trail didn’t have any graphics.

Can I also suggest NHL ‘94 directed by Oliver Stone? It would be a 3 hour movie centering around the various conspiracies that 'made Gretzky bleed.'

(See this clip from Swingers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owk4S0GGDbU Jesus Christ does John Favreau look young.)

The Top 10 list from NY Mag via Matthew at Fluxblog.org:

2. Oregon Trail

Director: The Coen Brothers
The pitch: The dearth of good barber shops in the nineteenth-century American West would surely provide the Coens with plenty of hilarious haircut and mustache options for their actors — Steve Buscemi and John Turturro as a pair of hapless pioneers who, when they're not dying of typhoid and diphtheria, suffer inclement weather and random attacks by Native Americans.

1. Tetris

Director: Michel Gondry
The pitch: In a world of defeatist, no-imagination-having square and L-shaped pieces, Géraud (played by Elijah Wood in a cardboard suit, beret, and French mustache) is a Z-shaped romantic with dreams of becoming a painter, even though his awkward posture makes it really hard to set up an easel. One day he meets a beautiful L-shaped piece named Virginie, but their love can never be because she's engaged to a square who seems her perfect fit. But is he? (No — he has no dreams!) The soundtrack would consist solely of Jon Brion playing "Kalinka" (the Tetris song) on a vibraphone, getting gradually faster over 90 minutes.

Earlier:

Mercy, mercy me

2007-11-15T10:28:00.001-08:00

Mercy, mercy me, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Download the Marvin Gaye song over at the music blog: WeHeartHandclaps.com

82 and Sunny

2007-11-15T09:40:00.007-08:00

82 and Sunny, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Just another morning in Venice. Actually broke a sweat just walking to the
grocery store today.

82 and Sunny

2007-11-15T09:40:00.005-08:00

82 and Sunny, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Just another morning in Venice. Actually broke a sweat just walking to the
grocery store today.

82 and Sunny

2007-11-15T09:40:00.003-08:00

82 and Sunny, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Just another morning in Venice. Actually broke a sweat just walking to the
grocery store today.

82 and Sunny

2007-11-15T09:40:00.001-08:00

82 and Sunny, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Just another morning in Venice. Actually broke a sweat just walking to the
grocery store today.

2007-11-15T08:20:00.001-08:00

I would doubt most of the acts listed here, but if this is the line-up, I'm driving up Thursday, watching the shows on Friday night (yes, the Verve chief amongst them) and then driving home late Friday night, early Saturday morning.

Also posted at the music blog at http://WeHeartHandclaps.com

Ah, it's the 90s on campus.... EVERYWHERE!

2007-11-15T06:53:00.000-08:00

Sure to get fans of hatin' on Political Correctness a twitter (sounds like a game show - filing that away for when the writers stop striking).

Back in the days at Miami Ad School, I was freelancing with a friend and wrote a headline for a local 'adult' store. It said, "Ho. Ho. Ho. And presents for your other girlfriends, too."

Fight for you right to Ho! Santa.

From Yahoo!

Santas warned 'ho ho ho' offensive to women

Wed Nov 14, 9:45 PM ET

SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT

Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.

One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.

"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.

"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.

"Leave Santa alone."

SI.com - 2007 Sportsman of the Year - My Sportsman: Florida's Oh-Fours - Tuesday November 13, 2007 12:20PM

2007-11-14T14:24:00.000-08:00

Gator Boyz is Still Hot

SI.com - 2007 Sportsman of the Year - My Sportsman: Florida's Oh-Fours - Tuesday November 13, 2007 12:20PM

The question had to be asked. It was late on the Thursday night before the Final Four in Atlanta, and Florida coach Billy Donovan had spent nearly an hour recounting the challenges and achievements of his historic class of juniors: Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green. Four nights later, they would achieve one of the rarest feats in modern American team sports, becoming only the second squad in 33 years to win consecutive Division I men's basketball national titles.

It seemed like a good time to put things in perspective.

"Do you ever wonder," I asked Donovan, "if this is a once-in-a-lifetime group?"

The expression on the coach's face was a fascinating blend of pride, wonder and a slowly dawning nostalgia. How many coaches devote their entire careers to searching for that perfect combination of players and personalities? How many find it even once?

"I hope not," Donovan replied. "Because this is what coaching should be like all the time. I have the joy and the hope that this could possibly happen again with these types of kids."

Gift

2007-11-13T10:50:00.001-08:00

Gift, originally uploaded by ideateller.

From my executive boss.

Said he found these New Guinea rhythmic instruments lying around his house
and immediately thought of me. Which isn¹t strange or harassing because of
the Loyal Order of the Anti-Teabaggers in our Ahmadinejad spot, which you
can watch here: http://www.worldleaderreviews.com

The Glamourous LIfe

2007-11-09T13:43:00.001-08:00

The Glamourous LIfe, originally uploaded by ideateller.

Yep, working in advertising today is exactly like working in advertising on
the show Mad Men.

Witness this gourmand meal of leftover chicken and rice-a-roni. Degustation?
But of course.

Video Game News Report 2: The games we pimpin' be sellin'

2007-11-09T10:43:00.000-08:00

Been working hard on these two games, and now that they're out and we're advertising, they're selling like mad. All due to us, yep. Just the advertising, yep.

From GameBiz Daily

According to analyst Todd Greenwald, Activision's Call of Duty 4 is selling out very fast, and so is Guitar Hero III to a lesser extent. CoD4 could sell over 4 mil units, he said.

Posted by James Brightman on Thursday, November 08, 2007

In his latest research note, Nollenberger Capital Partners analyst Todd Greenwald has commented on the high demand for two of Activision's top video games. Greenwald noted that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, in particular, is getting snapped up by eager gamers at a very rapid rate.

"Call of Duty 4, which was released two days ago by Activision, appears to be in extremely high demand and is sold out across the board. We've checked with a wide range of retailers (Gamestop, Wal-Mart, Target), and only pre-orders are being satisfied—stores are otherwise sold out of the title," he said.

Greenwald also commented on the game's great sales potential. "Thus far, the game has an average score of 9.5/10 on metacritic.com, which is almost unprecedented and puts it on par with Halo 3. It is certainly the highest-rated game Activision has ever created. Keep in mind, CoD4 is launching on four times as many platforms (360, PS3, PC, DS) as Halo 3 (360). Halo 3 has so far sold about four million units. A year ago, Call of Duty 3 sold about three million units, and we anticipate this year's version could do four million or more," he predicted.

Video Game News Report 1: Nudity in Grand Theft Auto

2007-11-09T10:35:00.000-08:00

I know this blog readership, in addition to loving video games, is a fine upstanding moral fiber crowd. And each reader stands to recoup $35 from Grand Theft Auto for being forced to see nudity in the game about shooting cops, and beating up hookers for money, after they downloaded a mod code from the Internet.

Frankly, we were shocked. Shocked, I say! That there could possibly be a way to see naked people in this video game:

From

According to the terms of the settlement, all class members can apply for benefits that range from an exchange of the game disk for an edited copy (M-rated as opposed to AO) of San Andreas to a cash payment of up to $35 for consumers who submit detailed proofs of purchase. Take-Two said that class members can only claim benefits if they "swear" that they did one of the following:

(a) bought a copy of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas before July 20, 2005; (b) were offended and upset by the ability of consumers to modify and alter the game's content using the third-party Hot Coffee modification; (c ) would not have bought the game had they known that consumers could modify and alter the game's content using the third-party Hot Coffee modification; and (d) would have returned the game, upon learning the game could be modified and altered, if they thought this possible.

Our first Call of Duty fan video

2007-11-08T16:13:00.000-08:00

Kudos to Pyrogamer for creating a George W. parody video. Minus kudos for not using an understandable mike. Plus kudos for the end rating. Wouldn't have thought up that one. Good stuff.

Trinking Dransparency

2007-11-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

Been a good 3 nights (which, is a warning sign in of itself, that 3 nights is the metric of a period of sobriety).

Monday night: 2 glasse of Rioja.
Tuesday night: Yoga. No drinking.
Wednesday night: Cooked dinner and played Halo. Desperately wanted to get some wine.

The nights where I've got nothing planned are the hardest evenings to not drink. How to pass the time? I need more 'after school activities' to help fill the time. In the new year, I'll be teaching class again and hope to still take yoga. But I could use something else to count on. Maybe this is where bowling comes in? Of course, that probably means some drinking. But the big thing I'm trying to alter here is the drinking on my own. Getting hammered is the second thing.

Tonight's plan: workout, followed by cooking some dinner then drop off stuff for a garage sale at Marcus'.

I lead.... the glamourous life.