1/31/2006

SOTU

Here we go. First off, click here for a complete transcript of the bullshit speech the president is giving tonight.

And here he comes, shaking hands and glad-handing his way down the aisle. I wish I had heard a few boos along with the thunderous applause, but nope. Speaking of which, Cindy Sheehan was supposed to be in attendance tonight, but apparently she was arrested inside the Capitol building about a half hour ago, give or take. No word on why yet.

My father is calling for the president to drop dead as he stands smugly behind the podium.

Wheee, another standing ovation. That's two.

Oooo, starting out with Coretta Scott King's death. Like the president fuckin' gave a shit about her or about civil rights. Pandering motherfucker.

State of the union is strong? What the hell did he smoke before entering the building?

Our leadership? In what, torture? Violating civil liberties?

Mention of 9/11 - there's one!

He looks a lot grayer to me than he did a few years ago.

Wow...he actually mentioned bin Laden...wasn't he going to capture him "dead or alive?"

Another standing ovation...

Not all terrorists are radical Islamists, y'know.

Wheee, standing ovation!

How much opium is coming out of Afghanistan now? More than when the taliban was in charge? Just checkin'.

We are winning the War on Terror, huh? Tell that to the soldiers who keep getting killed in Iraq.

"We will decrease the troop levels in time for the November elections to give my fellow Republicans a boost."

Does this guy ever read a newspaper? Does he even know what's going in other parts of the world or does he just pull this crap out of his ass?

Iraq is a strategic country, huh? Thank god they got all that oil.

ANOTHER FUCKING OVATION!

How can these people who never sniffed war themselves constantly use dead soldiers for political purposes?

And an ovation for all America's dead soldiers. I wonder how many will die this year because of this damn war.

Now an ovation for calling on Hamas to not want to destroy Israel anymore. Like that'll happen.

Saudi Arabia...say, weren't most of them 9/11 terrorists from Saudi Arabia?

Iran. Nuclear ambitions. Can't let 'em do it. Invade? Nope, Russia and China would be pissed. Guess we'll have to try DIPLOMACY this time. Nuts.

We show compassion abroad? Sure, as long as it suits our "national interest." How about that genocide in Darfur, huh?

Why do these people keep standing up to applaud? Are their chairs rigged with electrical shocks?

He dares to bring up the Patriot Act? Fuck him. Civil liberties? What're those?

Second 9/11 mention...here's his wiretapping defense. Oh, what bullshit. Other fucking presidents used warrants, asshole.

"Our government failed to connect the dots of the conspiracy" Bull-fuckin'-shit. How 'bout that memo titled "bin Laden determined to attack inside the U.S.?"

Our economy is shit! For god's sake, the only reason it goes up at all is because it dove so low when he first took office.

When did America become the center of the universe? There are other people in the world who don't need us, you know.

Yeah, all those rich, white CEOs sure appreciate their tax cuts, don't they?

He's gonna cut a $400 billion deficit by '09? Yeah, right. Again with the pipe-smoking.

These fuckin' Republicans make me sick. Up and down, up and down. Their noses couldn't be any further up his ass if they tried. They'd fuckin' clap if he sneezed.

Hee hee hee. The Dems are applauding his Social Security plan failure.

He can't even spell "partisan politics." To him, it probably means, "everyone just do what I say."

I think India and China can outproduce and outcompete the American worker, but that's just me.

Affordable health care. Let's see where this one goes.

Meeting the responsibility of getting health care to the poor and elderly? Is that why over 45 million Americans don't have health insurance?

Like he really wants clean energy. Wouldn't that put all his oil buddies out of work?

Ethonol-based fuel within six years? And how much money is he putting toward this?

More money for education, huh? I'll believe it when I see it. Didn't he just slash the education budget by over $15 million?

Where is all this money going to come from, for these 70,000 teachers who are going to teach AP math and science classes?

Science is this guy's worst enemy, for god's sake. He doesn't have a clue.

Personal responsibility? Did he just fucking talk about personal responsibility? Oy.

The culture of corruption rears its head. Say, how often did Jack Abramoff meet with the president at the White House?

Hooray for his conservative judges!

Human/Animal hybrids? What the fuck?

Take your goddamn "Creator" and shove him up your ass. Separation of Church and State, fucker!

$85 billion to New Orleans? Sure, for the rich, white neighborhoods.

Don't you dare mention Martin Luther King, you motherfucker. He would have DESPISED you.

Thank god, it's over. Man, I need a drink.

::UPDATE::

Real quick, Cindy Sheehan was arrested for wearing a t-shirt that read "2,245 Dead — How Many More??"

SOTU tonight

Tonight is President Bush's State of the Union address. Fifth verse, same as the first? We shall see. I might try some play-by-play stream-of-consciousness liveblogging of the speech. I figure I'll have plenty of time to catch up on my thoughts while the congressional Republicans are applauding after every third line.

Then again, I might get tired of the lies and rhetoric within the first few minutes and instead watch XXX: State of the Union, starring Ice Cube, for more intellectual stimulation.

Back at 8.

1/26/2006

Busy week

Probably won't be many posts until the end of next week. I have what some may describe as "work" to do.

Over the coming weekend, I have to write leads for five or six news stories for Tuesday's media writing class, read chapters on Descartes and Hume, write an essay on the Descartes chapter (due Monday), and prepare my first speech for Public Speaking, 3 - 5 minute informative, which I'm signed up to give a week from today.

Whew.

I'd forgotten how much effort all this school stuff is.

Smallville was interesting tonight. Quite shocking, you know, what with the heart attack suffered by Clark's father. Gee, never saw that coming. Totally unexpected.

Hmm? What's that? Clark's father died of a heart attack in the original 1978 Superman movie? Oh. Well. Nevermind then.

Looks like the show is attempting to fall in line with classic Superman lore, or, at least, to act as a bridge between the first two films and the upcoming Bryan Singer flick. I'm still curious how the show is going to end. I'm a bit surprised that it seems to be heading towards another season after this one ends. I figured, with the new movie coming out, it'd be a good time to pass the torch, so to speak.

Not much else going on. Still reading 1984, along with The Prestige (thanks again, Alissa), a novel about late 19th Century feuding magicians, soon-to-be a film starring Christian (Batman) Bale and Hugh (Wolverine) Jackman, directed by Chris Nolan (Batman Begins).

I suppose that's all I know for now. There's other stuff goin' on in the world that I'd like to write more about, like Hamas winning a shitload of parliament seats in the Palestinian election, or the cowardice of the Democratic senators in relation to the upcoming Alito vote, not to mention the illegal wiretapping, but, alas, no time. Perhaps once I get this speech all squared away next week.

Peace.

1/22/2006

Steelers 34, Broncos 17


Thanks, guys.

Let's Go, Steelers!

I find myself more nervous prior to today's Steelers/Broncos game than I remember ever being before. More than the Steelers Super Bowl appearance in '95, more than any of the 49er Super Bowls, and I'm not sure why.

Part of me keeps saying, It's only a football game. In the grand scheme of things, it's not that big a deal. But the other part of me wants this win so badly, not only for Pittsburgh, not only for Jerome Bettis, for whom a win today means he gets to play what would probably be his final game in his hometown of Detroit, but also, mostly, I want the Steelers to win today, to win again in two weeks, for my father.

My father grew up in Pittsburgh. He would go to Pirate games in the summer and Steeler games in the winter. He bled then like he bleeds now, Black & Gold. Part of him never left that city, despite all the moving around he did after getting married and starting his family. You can take the boy out of the 'Burgh, but you can't take the 'Burgh out of the boy, as they say.

Not counting the two hockey titles in the early '90s (because the city is a football town first, baseball second, and hockey a distant third), Pittsburgh hasn't seen a championship in a little over 25 years. That's nearly all my life. Some of my earliest memories are of disappointment at the end of another long season. Nothing would boil my father's blood quite like ineptitude on the field. I remember heartbreak in the late '80s and early '90s, as the Pirates just couldn't get past the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. I remember outrage and disbelief as Neil O'Donnell gave away the '95 Super Bowl to the Cowboys.

I remember always coming thisclose, only to have defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.

My father would be bummed, depressed, for about a week or so, and then, as always, life would go on. After all, it's only a game, and the elation of success doesn't last much longer than the agony of defeat.

Seems that there's a lot of anger and depression in my father these days, stemming from what, even he couldn't honestly say. There are many factors, certainly, with sports not even registering on the radar, yet I cannot help but hope for a Steeler Super Bowl. It wouldn't fix anything, and the day after the game, things would be back to "normal." But for those few hours on Super Bowl Sunday, I imagine pure, honest happiness for my father (until, of course, the Steelers turn the ball over or the refs blow a call), which seems to occur less and less often lately.

It's a great story for the city of Pittsburgh, this year's Steelers team, with Big Ben and "The Bus" leading the way (by all accounts they're stand up guys, and I would be happy for them), but, for me, this is about more than just One for the Thumb.

1/19/2006

Tough room

When it comes to the war in Iraq, not to mention the administration that needlessly started it, I don't shy away from voicing my opinions, do I? I'm pretty vocal as far as my "Bush Bashing" goes, except that I don't see it that way at all. Bashing, I mean. Everything I say, I say confidently, secure in the knowledge that I can back up my assertions with cold, hard facts. I may not be able to rattle off specifics at the drop of a hat, but I know for certain that with nothing more than a quick Google search of my hard drive, let alone the internet, I can have countless emails and websites in front of me, each one bursting with honest-to-god, non-partisan truth, regardless of topic. The war, torture, health care, corruption, Katrina, wiretapping, whatever. You want to debate this administration's track record? Boy, do I have a link for you.

I bring this up because there's this girl in my media writing class, a veteran of Iraq. She can't be much older than 21 or 22, and while I was, admittedly, ranting away about some idiotic Bush policy (as I am wont to do) on Tuesday, I noticed her, out of the corner of my eye, throwing her arms up and shaking her head. Seems I had touched a tender subject, which is fine. Politics (and religion) has always been and always will be a sensitive topic for people, regardless of what side of the line you come down on.

My suspicions were confirmed today when she wore a "College Republican" t-shirt to class. I was actually a little touched. I couldn't help but think she wore it for me, you know, to tell me to shut up or something. I thought it was kind of funny. Not in a "me-laughing-at-her" kind of way, but more in a "someone-listened-to-something-I-said?" kind of way.

Of course, that may have just been the next outfit in her weekly rotation and I'm wildly overestimating myself, but I don't think so.

After class, when most of the other students had exited the room and we were both surfing the web on our respective computers, I went and sat down next to her. I wanted to, well, not apologize, because, of course, I would never apologize for voicing my opinion, but more to explain myself, I guess, to let her know that anything I say, I say because I feel so strongly about it, and because I feel that I can back up any (most) of the stuff that comes out of my mouth. I wanted to head off any potential anger, hostility or animosity before I had an opportunity to really get under her skin, to emphasize that nothing I say should be taken personally, or as an indictment of all Republicans everywhere. My brother-in-law is a Republican and I still talk to him (though generally not about politics), so I obviously don't have a problem with Republicans on a one-on-one basis.

It's when they all get together and wrapped up in their hive mind mentality, with no room for independent thought (and yes, Democrats are guilty of the same thing, and it pisses me off when they do it, too), that's when I have to shut it all out.

I'm actually tempted to register as an Independent, because I'm pretty sick and tired of all the pointless rhetoric from both sides. I'd rather be thought of as an independent thinker than be lumped in with the either side's echo chamber. Believe me, if the Democrats were involved in the Abramoff corruption scandal, the illegal wiretapping, or the fabrication of evidence to convince us to go to war, I would be all over them like a Republican on a private jet to St. Andrews.

But I digress.

Point is, when I say that Bush is an arrogant, corrupt, morally bankrupt liar whose only concern is for the rich, white people in this country, please don't take it personally. I have evidence.

Oh, wait. Evidence is a foreign concept to Bush supporters, isn't it?

(I kid. I kid because I love.)

1/16/2006

Golden Evening

The Golden Globe awards seemed to sneak up on me this year. I didn't know they were tonight until I saw a commercial sometime last week. I didn't even know who was nominated for what, really. Still, out of all the dumb, pointless awards shows, it's the one I enjoy watching most. Granted, I only watch two, with the Oscars being the other.

Everything is just so low-key at the Golden Globes. It's much more informal and relaxed than other shows. Where else would you hear George Clooney (after deservedly winning Best Supporting Actor for Syriana) crack a joke about what kind of parent would name their kid "Jack" when the last name has "off" in it (Jack Abramoff). And then there was Dennis Quaid's poorly-received joke about Brokeback Mountain being a kind of film that rhymes with "chick flick," and no, I'm not explaining that one for you.

Plus, the Golden Globes combines both television and film, so I don't need to watch the always-boring Emmy awards.

Highlights of the evening would have to include Hugh Laurie winning for House. His speech was very funny, and it's always strange hearing him speak with his natural British accent.

Steve Carell's speech (for Best Actor in a Comedy, The Office) was also hilarious. Apparently his wife wrote it for him, and she had him thanking her approximately five times while speaking.

Brandon Routh, the new Superman, presented an award with Teri Hatcher, who, as everyone knows, is the former Lois Lane from Lois & Clark. She handed him a pair of "Clark Kent" glasses. It was very cute.

I think the main reason I enjoy this awards show is that it actually ends on time. It's given a three-hour time slot and it nails it each and every year. They just do the major awards, y'know? Acting, writing, directing, etc. They don't worry about special effects or cinematography, which is not to say those aren't important to film, just that when you have an award for everyone who helps make a film, you tend to run a bit long.

Anyway, it was a good production. Couldn't complain about any of the award winners (though I still don't understand the appeal of Lost, and why is a show like Grey's Anatomy considered a Drama while Desperate Housewives is in the Comedy catagory?). I kinda hoped Munich would win an award or two, or Good Night, and Good Luck, because I think those were two pretty important films of the past year, but hey, they just couldn't compete with the power of love, even if it was between two gay cowboys.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Also, Scarlett Johansson looked simply incredible in this gorgeous red dress that really accentuated her...talent, and Natalie Portman needs to put on a bit of weight (she kind of looked like a Holocaust survivor, though her close-cropped hair probably didn't help - can't wait for V for Vendetta).

That being said, it might be time for bed.

Oh, and if anyone cares at all, I finally figured out how to access all my old posts from the "Ten Thirty-One Productions" blog. They are now all available from my Nothin' But Links site, along the righthand sidebar. Can you believe I've been doing this blog for over three years? My god, do I know how to waste time or what?

1/15/2006

Steelers 21, Colts 18

In a hostile environment,


despite the best efforts of the refs,


justice is served, wide right.


We're going to Denver.



Bring it.

1/13/2006

Where has the time gone?

UNO started up this week. I have two classes on campus this semester, which means dealing with the absolutely atrocious parking situation. I don't know if this is a local thing, or if more universities around the country charge people $36 for a parking permit they may never use. If you don't get to campus before, say, eight in the morning (not at eight, before eight), tough luck. When one's classes don't start until ten, one doesn't want to hang out on campus for two hours just to get a parking space.

That being said, I think the classes are going to be pretty decent. The first one is "Media Writing," basically learning how to write properly for newspaper, radio, and television media. We haven't done a whole lot yet, just gone over some common grammar and spelling errors, and a brief history of journalism, from the mid-1600s through today, how it's changed, how priorities, what makes something "news" have changed.

Yesterday, after class, I spoke with my teacher for about an hour. Seems we're both news junkies, politics in particular, here in the U.S. as well as the Middle East. I'm really looking forward to this class now. I think I can learn a lot.

The other UNO class is speech, "Public Speaking," which should be relatively easy. I'm not afraid of talking before a group of people, especially a bunch of college kids who I'm probably five years older than, if not more. We had to give a short introductory speech yesterday, one to two minutes, about ourselves, what we do with our spare time (if we have any). It wasn't worth a whole lot of points or anything, just something quick and easy to get us used to speaking in public. Many of the kids were nervous, twitchy, jittery, but I think I got over all that a long time ago. I mean, hell, I've given two best man speeches at weddings the past couple of years. I think I know how to do this.

I'm not sure how much time I'm going to have to blog this semester. Since it's only been a week, I'm not yet certain how much homework will be involved with the two UNO classes. Probably a bit more than the Metro ones, though I do have a bunch of science labs and a take home quiz to work on this weekend, and a take home test for the philosophy class, though a few of us from that class are planning on getting together on Sunday (after the Steelers game, thankfully) to work on it.

I had almost forgotten how much reading was involved with classes at this level, and that might prove to be the most difficult aspect right now, finding time to read chapters from four or five different books every day, especially when some of the writing is so dull and dry. Slogging through a lengthy chapter on Descartes, not exactly my idea of a good time. Then again, I'm not doing this to have a good time, am I? Wouldn't exactly hurt if I had one, though, would it?

All in all, I'm reasonably certain I'll be able to get A's and B's this semester. All my teachers seem like they know what they're doing (although it's still pretty difficult to understand my philosophy teacher, because she's from Croatia and has only been in the U.S. for about six years - her english, it's not the best I've ever heard, which makes it even more difficult to understand the already complex and abstract ideas we're discussing in class). I think it's safe to say that I'm going to enjoy the "Media Writing" class the best. Just seems that the teacher and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to a lot of topics.

Not much else going on, really. Just classes. I might try and head down to Joslyn this evening. They're beginning a series of films, art house-type stuff, tonight, in anticipation of the opening, later this year, of a two-screen art house theatre downtown. Tonight's film is The Lady Eve. It's a pretty sweet project, and I sort of know some people involved, so I'm thinking that might be a cool place for a job once it opens.

And simply because I feel the need to foist my politics on the world, I leave you with this, an absolutely brilliant column laying out the precise moral, ethical, and legal reasons why George W. Bush deserves to be impeached. It is factual and decidedly non-partisan, merely stating the truth about Bush and his corrupt administration.

It's certainly comforting to know that my politics are shared by so many, espcially those able to more eloquently state the case than I. In fact, according to just about every recent poll, the majority of Americans feel this way. I just hope they remember when the November elections roll around.

1/12/2006

About time

Well, well, well, look who finally updated his blog.

1/07/2006

Poor Deception

There is a covert intelligence agency in Israel known as the Mossad. It's kind of like if the FBI and CIA were mixed in a blender, its singular goal being the safety and security of the state of Israel. The Israeli government officially denies its existence. No one knows who works for this agency, or what operations they're responsible for. Despite this, the Mossad is probably the worst-kept secret in the world of spies and spooks. Everyone knows it exists. Beyond that, however, is where the mystery lies.

In the late Eighties, a former Mossad agent named Victor Ostrovsky contacted a Canadian journalist claiming he had an important story to tell, a tale of intrigue and deception, of half-truths and outright lies. Ostrovsky wanted to blow the lid off the secret organization he used to work for, to lay bare its inner workings, and to, perhaps, shame Israel into reforming its harsh, arrogant ways.

By Way of Deception is partially Ostrovsky's story, how he was recruited to become a Mossad agent, his training, and his first "official" mission, which quickly went south, though not for lack of trying, and partially an (disgruntled) insider's view of Mossad operations and questionable practices.

Ostrovsky's first (and last) job, apparently, was to signal Mossad when a certain aircraft took off from Cyprus, a plane supposedly carrying nine key PLO officials. Once in flight, the Israeli air force would force the plane to land in Israel, capturing some important enemies. It would have been quite a coup, had it worked.

While on the ground in Cyprus, however, Ostrovsky learned that the PLO knew they were being watched and were not going to be on the plane at all. He attempted to contact his superiors in Tel Aviv, to have them call off the operation, but he wasn't believed. He was told to do his job, so he did, and Israel forced a plane carrying Syrian and Lebanese government officials to land near Haifa. It was quite an international incident, a huge embarrassment for Israel.

Had the Mossad heeded Ostrovsky's warning, he probably would still be working for them, but instead of admitting that they should have listened to him, Ostrovsky was scapegoated by his own government. Internally, Ostrovsky was blamed for the screw-up, even though he tried to prevent it, and was essentially blacklisted within the agency.

Furious, Ostrovsky quit. He settled his family in Canada and contacted a journalist whom he felt he could trust. This book is the result.

While there are many fascinating insights into the world of the Mossad (and spies in general), from recruiting and training to how actual operations were carried out, I cannot help but feel that it must all be taken with a grain of salt. After all, the only reason Ostrovsky felt the need to blow the whistle, so to speak, was because he was betrayed by his government. Right away, Ostrovsky has a grudge against his former employers. One cannot help but think that, despite his supposed good intentions, there was malice in his heart when he chose to tell this tale.

The truth of Ostrovsky's story can never be verified. As with all stories, there is more than one side to this tale, however, since Israel denies the very existence of the Mossad, they certainly will not be forthcoming with details, and you'd be hard-pressed, I imagine, to find someone to corroborate Ostrovsky's version of events.

This is not to say that Ostrovsky lied in his accounts. No one can know that for certain, of course, but keep in mind that he is a (former) spy. It's not like spies don't fabricate stories and lives for a living or anything. It's what they're trained for, after all.

1/05/2006

Jon Stewart to Host Oscars

Such awesome news, I had to put it on the main page:

Beverly Hills, CA — Jon Stewart has been set to host the 78th Academy Awards telecast, producer Gil Cates announced today. This will be Stewart's first stint as Oscar host.

...

"As a performer, I’m truly honored to be hosting the show," said Stewart. "Although, as an avid watcher of the Oscars, I can’t help but be a little disappointed with the choice. It appears to be another sad attempt to smoke out Billy Crystal."


Link

Vote for Chion!!!

Around this time last year, I posted a plea for people to vote for my friend, Chion Wolf, so that she would be able to perform at SnowSlam, a local (for her) music festival in Connecticut, and it's that time of year again.

She's really, really good (click on the link and hear for yourself if you don't believe me), and would totally appreciate your vote.

One slight hitch is that she was accidentaly left off the ballot this year, so if you're gonna be cool enough to cast a vote (and we all know how cool you are), you need to use the write-in form at the bottom of the page. Just write "Chion Wolf" under "band:" and "contact:," and her email is chionwolf@hotmail.com.

Click here to cast your vote. Consider it your mitzvah for the year. Many thanks.

Voting ends on January 15th.

1/04/2006

This 'n That; A Miscellany

This philosophy class I'm taking is starting to get interesting. More people seem to be talking and throwing out their points of view, which helps make the time go by quicker.

The books I bought yesterday, for my (two) UNO classes, cost $206. A parking permit cost an additional $36. The student ID card was free. Hopefully I won't lose it and have to pay the $5 fee for a replacement.

Jack Abramoff, and anyone who has done business with him, are disgusting human beings who all deserve to rot in prison. Politicians are supposed to be working for the people, not for themselves. The last thing Washington needs is more old, rich, white men scheming to become even richer.

I believe USC will win tonight's Rose Bowl by double digits over Texas, and that Vince Young will remain a Longhorn for another year, win the Heisman and national championship next year, and then turn pro.

It's a sad thing that happened in that West Virginia mine, for numerous reasons, but the one thing that keeps running through my head is that this is yet another example of why we need reusable, alternative energy sources, so that we don't need to send people miles underground to mine for coal.

Apparently the Winter Olympics are next month. Does anyone care?

Wiretapping American citizens without warrants is illegal, regardless of why it was done. It is an impeachable offense. I believe President Bush will leave office in shame, if not handcuffs, before his term is up.

I don't know how to relax. I'm not certain if I ever knew. Even lying in bed, trying to sleep, my mind races and my body tenses, and it kind of sucks.

1/03/2006

And...I'm sick

This always seems to happen when school starts. Sore throat, coughing up blech, feeling like crap. I made it through classes yesterday without having to talk too much, which was nice, but I have a paper to write today and it's difficult to concentrate when you're hacking up gunk every few minutes. This sucks. I think all this is because it's been so warm lately, compared to just a couple weeks ago. It's supposed to be fifty degrees today, which is, you know, slightly above normal for this time of year.

I need to go to UNO and buy books for those classes, which begin next week. Need to get a parking pass and a school ID, too. I didn't even want to get out of bed this morning.

Fuck.

So there's been all this coverage on MSNBC about that mine explosion in West Virginia, and the thirteen trapped (probably dead, in my opinion) miners, and I can't help thinking that this really isn't a news story of national importance. I feel bad for the miners and their families, sure, but there's nothing I can do. It doesn't affect me. It doesn't affect the nation. There is news of greater importance to the country than trapped miners in West Virginia.

News like this (which I fuckin' love. I can't wait to hear the names that come out of this story) and this, news that affects us as a country.

That's too much to ask, I suppose. Nothing spells r-a-t-i-n-g-s like death and tragedy.

1/01/2006

New Year's Rockin' Eve

I would say that Becky's party last night was a success. There was much rejoicing and merryment, drinking and laughing. As always, it was nice to have (most of) the band back together, so to speak.

I didn't drink all that much, just a few shot glasses worth of cognac and a glass of champagne at midnight. I haven't had much of a taste for alcohol lately, though the cognac was quite tasty.

I did take a few pictures with my phone, which you can see here. Jennie seemed to have a good time until she passed out...I mean, fell asleep.

Got home around four this morning. For once, I wasn't the last one to leave. I just couldn't sit through The Dark Crystal after watching Spaceballs and Weird Science for the first time in god knows how long. Two old school Eighties flicks were enough for me.

Hope everyone had fun, wherever you were, whatever you were doin'. Here's lookin' forward to a great 2006.