Okay, now officially more than half-way through my thirties, such as it is. As usual, I don’t feel particularly different. Sure, from a purely physical standpoint, there are a few pounds less of me than there were last year (and that’s generally a good thing), but otherwise, nothing significant.

Thirty-six, besides being a prime number*, isn’t much of a milestone. It’s six time six, no big deal.

Next year might be fun, since I get to pick between two entirely different pop culture references to mark the occasion. But, that’s ages away.

Whatever, happy birthday to me.

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* – thirty-six, is of course, not a prime number. I’m getting ahead of myself again.

We’re picking up and getting out of town for a couple of days to run out the last of the summer, so don’t bother looking for us.

In the meantime, here’s some music:

1. “Big Bad World One (live)” – Jonathan Coulton
2. “Downtown” – Tegan & Sara
3. “Lover” – Les Paul & Mary Ford
4. “Better” – Helmet
5. “It’s The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) – REM
6. “Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me” – The Pipettes
7. “A Crippling Blow” – The Killers
8. “Lullaby” – The Cure
9. “No Cars Go” – Arcade Fire
10. “Watermelon in Easter Hay” – Frank Zappa

Occasionally, nature throws little obstacles in your path that totally throw off your rhythm:

This is what I encountered about 3 miles into my trail ride yesterday afternoon (and then again about 8 miles in, because it’s a five mile loop)…a very large tree fallen over the path, pretty much right after a blind turn. For a sense of scale, that wall of foliage is around twelve feet high.

Of course, if life presents an obstacle, you find a way around it. My way was a nice wide detour through the thick underbrush in the wood, carrying the bike (those woods have big thorns which have destroyed one tire tube already) and coming around on the other side.

Pretty picture? Yep. Metaphor for life? Meh.

Today in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing women the right to vote.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

It’s kind of a shame that something that’s taken for granted today was considered an unnatural abomination that would bring forth the downfall of American society less than a century ago.

However, it’s also a reminder that time is on the side of progress, and that today’s big social controversies will be settled on the side of the expansion of rights, and that people a hundred years from now will look back at us with amused wonder and bafflement.

Once again, I can only say, I wish I wrote as well as Fred from slacktivist.

Fred’s post I linked above is a perfectly crafted history lesson, and ought to be required reading for everyone out there shouting down the rights of people different (read: “browner and/or not as Christian”) than themselves while claiming they’re speaking to the true intent of the founders of this Republic.

I’ve had the seeds of a post on the whole “Ground Zero mosque” (which is really neither at “ground zero” nor a mosque) controversy for, heck, a couple of weeks now, but haven’t come up with anything I’ve been happy with.

Which is just as well, because this person just wrote what I feel is the definitive post on the topic.

However, since the President weighing in on the topic (on, what I might add, is the right side of the issue), there’s probably a little bit more to comment on.

I don’t want to comment so much on the President’s remarks, which were sensible, diplomatic, and legally sound (fully in line with the US Constitution, and not to mention, seemingly in line with the opinions of the “Founding Fathers”, including President George Washington) but rather his opponents’ reaction to it, and their intent to make this stated opinion an issue in the coming election, claiming that the President is out of touch with the American people.

Here’s my take on that: It’s quite possible that the President is out of touch with a good chunk of America – I keep seeing references to “polls” (never sourced) that 60 percent of Americans are against this community center, some with violent (and often uninformed) intensity. However, in this case, I think the fact that the President’s opinion differs from (some interpretations of) the masses is a good thing.

Why? Because there’s a difference between the correct answer and the popular one, and as a leader, the President of the United States ought to be out there championing what’s right, proper, and just, and not simply telling the masses what the want to hear, even when the masses are wrongheaded on an issue, and in this case, that’s exactly what President Obama is doing here; he’s leading, not adhering syncophantically to poll numbers.

Will such a stance hurt his party’s chances in November? Perhaps, but I don’t think it’s going to be that big a deal. First, it’s only mid-August: they’ll be half a dozen “earth shattering” scandals between now and then; this one will be shunted to the background, if not forgotten entirely. Secondly, the folks who are frothing with butthurt about this were never going to vote for Democrats anyway. If the Democrats are going to lose votes they might have gotten, it’s going to be for their habit of rolling over to criticism too quickly once too often, and for criticising the base through the White House Press Secretary and dampening enthusiasm.

But, then, the first point colors the second; it’s a long time until election day, and more moves like this could do a lot to encourage progressive enthusiasm for the mid-terms. I’m going to try to hold out hope that there’s more of this kind of thing coming.

Happy Birthday, kid!

There comes a time in every man’s life when he leaves his mobile phone at home when he leaves in the morning.

That time is exactly like the seven hundred other times he’s done it.

Happy Friday the 13th everyone. Remember, when fleeing from unstoppable machete-weilding murderers, you really only have to outrun the stoner dude or the buxom blonde of easy virtue.

1. “Life, In A Nutshell” – Barenaked Ladies
2. “My Beige Bear” – Jonathan coulton
3. “This Is A Circus” – Arctic Monkeys
4. “Like O, Like H” – Tegan & Sara
5. “We Are Broken”- Paramore
6. “Angeline is Coming Home” – The Badlees
7. “Like This” – Girl Talk
8. “Riding in my Car” – She & Him
9. “Waitress In The Sky” – The Replacements
10. “Me First & The Gimme Gimmes” – Country Road

I’ve been doing a lot of heavy writing about VERY IMPORTANT THINGS™ in the social and political arenas lately, so today I’m simply going to make mention of a few of the little things that don’t necessarily have earth-shattering importance.

This weekend, for example, I finally stumbled upon the missing element to cooking so-called “authentic” tasting asian meals. Sunday’s teriyaki stir fry (with some wonderful fresh vegetables from the local farmer’s market) was elevated to the next level by using sesame oil rather than the usual olive or (less often) rapeseed canola* oils. Assuming you haven’t already made this discovery, try it; I think you’ll enjoy the results.

I found tremendous pleasure and calm amidst this week of elevated workplace anxiety by taking a few hours to browse in the bookstore and take in a ballgame (even if said ballgame was likely to go down in history as phenom Stephen Strasburg’s worst. performance. ever.).

The homemade laundry soap (not sure if this is her recipie, though it’s pretty much identical as far as I can tell) Colleen made over the weekend does a really nice job washing clothes, even in less-than-ideal hotel machines. It doesn’t include all those strange perfumes (much like our beloved Charlie’s), and the per-load cost is amazingly small.

Based on my viewing of the otherwise awful horror flick The Unborn, I can say with conviction that the presence of Gary Oldman can class up damned near anything.

Overnight, I received a spam comment in my moderation queue promising a link to “Dexter’s Lab porn”. Now, I understand that rule 34 has absolutely no exceptions, but…GAH!

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* – “Canola”, of course, is made from a genetically re-engineered variety of rapeseed oil (it’s actually a former trademark, derived from “Canada Oil”), though it sells better under this name, because most people don’t understand latin roots.

Just a quick little note to commemorate my rolling over 300 riding miles on a bike this summer. No reason, other than I’m rather proud of myself for the accomplishment, and am looking to keep the counter ticking upwards.

Yay me.