Friday, May 27, 2005
dinner with james bond
so we had dinner with james bond last night. ok, well not exactly, but we were out to dinner at matteo's on westwood blvd. and timothy dalton was at the table next to us. he did have a very bond-like martini, but i wasn't able to hear if he said "shaken, not stirred" when ordering.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
true dat
"The most valuable function performed by the federal government is entertainment."
--Dave Barry
as someone whose entire professional career is dedicated to wrangling with the federal government, this incredibly apt observation brought a smile to my lips.
--Dave Barry
as someone whose entire professional career is dedicated to wrangling with the federal government, this incredibly apt observation brought a smile to my lips.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
concerts
saw erasure at the avalon on sunday night. 15 years ago, i was using the assistance of a sherpa to hike up to my seats at the very highest point of the forum so that i could stare down at two dots on the stage that, i was assured, were supposed to be vince & andy. on sunday, i got to stand about 10 feet away from the stage. this is a new theory that we're trying out. if you just stay interested in a band long enough, they will eventually become less popular and you can see them in a small club.
erasure were fabulous. vince looks exactly the same and continues to act rather put upon throughout the show for having to wear all the costumes. he did appear to be dressed as a nazi for part of the show, what was up with that? andy was, as ever, flamboyant. he looks absolutely great and has not lost any of the energy. hiv and two replacement hips have not slowed him down. he sounded fabulous as well. he seemed to be having trouble with some of the high notes, but the rest of the vocals were album quality. he came out and sang a version of "ave maria" that would have made the pope cry, if he weren't already crying from the fact that andy was wearing a black sequined elvis jumpsuit with no shirt and body glitter. it was fabulous! they do a great mix of songs, having recognized that no one wants to hear anything from the unbearably depressing "erasure" or disappointing "love boat" albums, they stuck to the hits and the good songs from the new album. "Stop," "O L'amour" and "Sometimes" were outstanding and had the crowd jumping. The crowd was really into it all night and most of them were really cool.
however, some were complete morons and i have a few comments: first, don't act out the songs. do you realize how fucking stupid you look when you put your hand in the air and do the numbers for the "one and one was two, two and two were four" line in "ship of fools"? pretty fucking stupid is exactly how you look. just stop it. and to the pushy trannies who decided that they absolutely had to be in front of us for the encore, all of your tranny coolness points went right out the window when you acted out "i bet your mad at me, i see your eyes so blue" by pointing at your tranfriend and then at your eyes when mouthing the words. you look like an awful karaoke parody. who are you, anthony fucking federov without the trach scar? as dennis miller said (once, when he was still funny), "ain't no dance floor wide enough." which brings me to another point about pushy people. this one goes to the two midget bitches who thought that it was appropriate to push up and squeeze in the space front of us right before the band came on. first, there wasn't enough space for any people in that spot let alone you and your fat asses. that area was something called "personal space" which means, i am standing more than 4 inches behind the person in front of me so that i don't have to be smashed up against them for the length of the concert. i did not stand there for the better part of two hours, suffering through the shit opening band with a 19 year old singer channeling marc almond like no one in the crowd has ever heard a soft cell album fighting to leave a hairsbreadth of space between me and the person in front of me so that you two over-the-hill wannabe skanks could barge right up at the last minute and stand so close that i have to hold my breath so as not to be spooning you. and here's a fashion tip, just throw that tube top out, honey, because its too small and it mashes your saggy tits into a completely unflattering shape that the rest of us will have trouble getting out of our minds for a long time to come.
erasure were fabulous. vince looks exactly the same and continues to act rather put upon throughout the show for having to wear all the costumes. he did appear to be dressed as a nazi for part of the show, what was up with that? andy was, as ever, flamboyant. he looks absolutely great and has not lost any of the energy. hiv and two replacement hips have not slowed him down. he sounded fabulous as well. he seemed to be having trouble with some of the high notes, but the rest of the vocals were album quality. he came out and sang a version of "ave maria" that would have made the pope cry, if he weren't already crying from the fact that andy was wearing a black sequined elvis jumpsuit with no shirt and body glitter. it was fabulous! they do a great mix of songs, having recognized that no one wants to hear anything from the unbearably depressing "erasure" or disappointing "love boat" albums, they stuck to the hits and the good songs from the new album. "Stop," "O L'amour" and "Sometimes" were outstanding and had the crowd jumping. The crowd was really into it all night and most of them were really cool.
however, some were complete morons and i have a few comments: first, don't act out the songs. do you realize how fucking stupid you look when you put your hand in the air and do the numbers for the "one and one was two, two and two were four" line in "ship of fools"? pretty fucking stupid is exactly how you look. just stop it. and to the pushy trannies who decided that they absolutely had to be in front of us for the encore, all of your tranny coolness points went right out the window when you acted out "i bet your mad at me, i see your eyes so blue" by pointing at your tranfriend and then at your eyes when mouthing the words. you look like an awful karaoke parody. who are you, anthony fucking federov without the trach scar? as dennis miller said (once, when he was still funny), "ain't no dance floor wide enough." which brings me to another point about pushy people. this one goes to the two midget bitches who thought that it was appropriate to push up and squeeze in the space front of us right before the band came on. first, there wasn't enough space for any people in that spot let alone you and your fat asses. that area was something called "personal space" which means, i am standing more than 4 inches behind the person in front of me so that i don't have to be smashed up against them for the length of the concert. i did not stand there for the better part of two hours, suffering through the shit opening band with a 19 year old singer channeling marc almond like no one in the crowd has ever heard a soft cell album fighting to leave a hairsbreadth of space between me and the person in front of me so that you two over-the-hill wannabe skanks could barge right up at the last minute and stand so close that i have to hold my breath so as not to be spooning you. and here's a fashion tip, just throw that tube top out, honey, because its too small and it mashes your saggy tits into a completely unflattering shape that the rest of us will have trouble getting out of our minds for a long time to come.
Friday, May 13, 2005
for the pimp who has everything...
forget gold teeth caps. forget spinning rims for your ride. you need gold teeth caps with spinning diamond wheels, playa.
http://www.triplexgoldteeth.com/spinning_teeth.htm
http://www.triplexgoldteeth.com/spinning_teeth.htm
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
ucla study
not sure what to do with this information...
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=6127
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=6127
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
humanism
this may be an understatement, i have recently felt very upset by the christian fundamentalist kick that this country is on. i am very offended by the religious right's attitude that i am not a worthy human being because i am not a christian. to be honest, i am not any religion. my family is catholic, but i had issues with that at about age 7 and they graciously let me abstain from further catholic activities. but that does not mean i am not a moral person. i feel that i can be a good, productive member of society and make the world a better place, even if i don't believe in god. i try to do right by the world, based on a foundation of respect for others. i support charities. i lend my services to pro bono causes. but i feel the religious right is winning the war of semantics by defining people like me as somehow wrong because we do not subscribe to their particular religious views. i stumbled across something online that may be the solution: humanism. i am not ashamed to admit that i have never heard of this before. it bears much more investigation.
Friday, April 29, 2005
the uscis is so stupid...
how stupid are they? let's take a survey over the past two days:
proposed new o/p visa regulations that state in the preamble that you can file an o/p visa petition up to 12 months in advance, but not earlier than 6 months. this is utter stupidity. to add to the utter stupidity, the actual text of the reg, published in the federal register at 70 fed. reg. 21983 (4/28/05), does not match what the preamble says. the actual proposed text of the reg states: "The petition may be filed up to one year, but not earlier than 6 months, before the actual need for the alien's services." they take months (if not years) revising these regs before they are published, you think someone, anyone, would have read that sentence and have said, "this doesn't make any f*!%ing sense!"
in a request for evidence, the ever intelligent adjudications staff at the csc tell me that someone is subject to special registration per 67 fed. reg. 70526, which states that citizens of certain countries who were in the U.S. on december 2, 2002, are subject to special call-in registration. the crack uscis adjudicator says the fr notice requires individuals who were here at that time had to registerd by a certain date or "at time of entry thereafter." they are wrong on two counts. first, port-of-entry registration is only for citizens of iran, iraq, libya & sudan (see 67 fed. reg. 57032). (needless to say, the individual is not a citizen of one of those ocuntries.) no other countries have been designated. second, the fr notice for call-in registration is only for call-in registration, not port-of-entry registration. they are two completely different concepts. the call-in registration, described in the fr notice they simply required you to present yourself by a certain date, notify immigration of any address changes and report when you departed. there is not one mention in that rule about registering upon subsequent entries nor is there any rule about subjecting individuals to port-of-entry registration. they are too stupid to be able to read and understand their own regulations.
proposed new o/p visa regulations that state in the preamble that you can file an o/p visa petition up to 12 months in advance, but not earlier than 6 months. this is utter stupidity. to add to the utter stupidity, the actual text of the reg, published in the federal register at 70 fed. reg. 21983 (4/28/05), does not match what the preamble says. the actual proposed text of the reg states: "The petition may be filed up to one year, but not earlier than 6 months, before the actual need for the alien's services." they take months (if not years) revising these regs before they are published, you think someone, anyone, would have read that sentence and have said, "this doesn't make any f*!%ing sense!"
in a request for evidence, the ever intelligent adjudications staff at the csc tell me that someone is subject to special registration per 67 fed. reg. 70526, which states that citizens of certain countries who were in the U.S. on december 2, 2002, are subject to special call-in registration. the crack uscis adjudicator says the fr notice requires individuals who were here at that time had to registerd by a certain date or "at time of entry thereafter." they are wrong on two counts. first, port-of-entry registration is only for citizens of iran, iraq, libya & sudan (see 67 fed. reg. 57032). (needless to say, the individual is not a citizen of one of those ocuntries.) no other countries have been designated. second, the fr notice for call-in registration is only for call-in registration, not port-of-entry registration. they are two completely different concepts. the call-in registration, described in the fr notice they simply required you to present yourself by a certain date, notify immigration of any address changes and report when you departed. there is not one mention in that rule about registering upon subsequent entries nor is there any rule about subjecting individuals to port-of-entry registration. they are too stupid to be able to read and understand their own regulations.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
darth vader's blog
ever wonder what darth vader would write in his diary? check out http://darthside.blogspot.com/ . read it soon because george lucas' lawyers will probably have this shut down by the end of the week.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
how rich are you?
find out at: http://www.globalrichlist.com/index.php. there's also a link on the sidebar.* this is a really innovative idea to drum up donations for a charity. if anything, it really made me stop and think about how fortunate i have been in my life.
* disclaimer (i am a lawyer, after all): i do not know anything about this organization, so if you feel the need to give, then i suggest you do the appropriate research first or simply give to a charity that you know is bona fide.
* disclaimer (i am a lawyer, after all): i do not know anything about this organization, so if you feel the need to give, then i suggest you do the appropriate research first or simply give to a charity that you know is bona fide.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
f'ed up lawyer
a blog i've been reading a lot recently...
http://philalawyer.blogspot.com/
it speaks to me as one of those disillusioned with their choice of profession.
http://philalawyer.blogspot.com/
it speaks to me as one of those disillusioned with their choice of profession.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
dmb
the new dmb album, stand up, comes out on may 10. no, i am not counting the days. ok, i lied. you know i am. check out some in studio interviews about the making of the album at http://www.dmbnewstudioalbum.com/. they look and sound great, so i am expecting great things from this album. another before these crowded streets maybe? we heard some great new songs during the summer 2004 tour (sugar will, joy ride hello again). here's hoping they make it to the album (remember the everyday debacle) and that the rest of the songs are of the same quality. 26 days!
Thursday, April 07, 2005
it's transubstantialicious, baby!
the college of cardinals has set the date for the conclave to select the new pope. have you filled out your brackets?
http://www.drewmarlowe.com/pictures/brackets.jpg
http://www.drewmarlowe.com/pictures/brackets.jpg
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
update
ok, by posting that last post, i seem to have re-activated something and resurrected the heretofore missing blog. the blog has arisen. all praise to the mighty blog!
ah suck
so due to some technical difficulties, i accidentally deleted my blog. for some reasons, i had two listings for maltese parakeet. one had postings, one did not. why two listings for the same blog? i thought. why don't i just delete the one with no postings? i thought. click. delete. blog with all the postings ... gone. as my old friend at the dorms, terry l. would say, ah suck.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
mitch
"I bought a donut, and the guy gave me a receipt for the donut. I don't need a receipt for a donut. I give you the money, you give me the donut. End of transaction. We don't need to bring ink and paper into it. I just cannot imagine a scenario where I would have to prove that I bought a donut. Some skeptical friend. 'Hey man, don't even act like I didn't get that donut. I got the documentation right here... Oh wait it's at home in the file. Under D.' "
r.i.p. mitch hedberg. you will be missed.
r.i.p. mitch hedberg. you will be missed.
Friday, April 01, 2005
buchy gets his salad tossed
well not really. but i bet that got your attention.
http://video.woodtv.com/
select the link for "pat buchanan doused with salad dressing"
don't know how long it will be up at that site, but its worth your time to go look for it.
this f'ing made my day.
http://video.woodtv.com/
select the link for "pat buchanan doused with salad dressing"
don't know how long it will be up at that site, but its worth your time to go look for it.
this f'ing made my day.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
hypocrisy in the white house
the president's statement about terri schiavo:
"I urge all those who honor Terri Schiavo to continue to work to build a culture of life, where all Americans are welcomed and valued and protected, especially those who live at the mercy of others," he said.
"The essence of civilization is that the strong have a duty to protect the weak. In cases where there are serious doubts and questions the presumption should be in the favor of life." *
* Offer not valid in all 50 states. Offer does not apply to Iraqis, death row prisoners in Texas, blacks, hispanics, gays, lesbians, democrats or anyone living in a blue state or a state where my brother is not governor.
"I urge all those who honor Terri Schiavo to continue to work to build a culture of life, where all Americans are welcomed and valued and protected, especially those who live at the mercy of others," he said.
"The essence of civilization is that the strong have a duty to protect the weak. In cases where there are serious doubts and questions the presumption should be in the favor of life." *
* Offer not valid in all 50 states. Offer does not apply to Iraqis, death row prisoners in Texas, blacks, hispanics, gays, lesbians, democrats or anyone living in a blue state or a state where my brother is not governor.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
free dogs
it really should be flattering. they bark and bark and bark at every little noise when one of us is not home. they know the pack is incomplete and are so excited that the missing one may come back. but it drives me frickin' nuts. anyone want two free dogs?
Monday, March 28, 2005
uscis at it again
posted this morning on the american immigration lawyers association (aila) website:
Still no word on when USCIS will start accepting petitions for the 20,000 H-1Bs. In the meantime, government sources confirm that the USCIS miscounted fy2005 H-1B allocations, such that at least 10,000 more than the 65,000 quota were allocated. Posted on AILA InfoNet at Doc. No. 05032860 (Mar. 28, 2005) .
wtf?! wtff!?! this agency is so beyond f'ed up. every day its something like this. are they going to take visas away now? am i going to get calls to turn my clients in because uscis gave them a visa they weren't supposed to get?
Still no word on when USCIS will start accepting petitions for the 20,000 H-1Bs. In the meantime, government sources confirm that the USCIS miscounted fy2005 H-1B allocations, such that at least 10,000 more than the 65,000 quota were allocated. Posted on AILA InfoNet at Doc. No. 05032860 (Mar. 28, 2005) .
wtf?! wtff!?! this agency is so beyond f'ed up. every day its something like this. are they going to take visas away now? am i going to get calls to turn my clients in because uscis gave them a visa they weren't supposed to get?
Saturday, March 26, 2005
podcasting
so, what is this podcasting thing? as we established in my first post, i am coming rather late to blogging, so i figure i am behind the curve on podcasting, as well. not as behind, though. so anyway, i'm reading one of my favorite blogs (http://randomreality.blogware.com/) a few months ago and i see this word podcast. don't know what that is, don't bother to look it up (yes, i am lazy). then, randomly, the next day, i read some other reference to podcasting. ok, this is something i need to know about, i think, as i google the term. i find ipodder (http://ipoddernet.sourceforge.net/) and am instantly hooked. so, what is it? basically, podcasts are radio shows that are produced by all manner of random individuals and posted on the internet so that you can download them and listen to them on your ipod. ipodder is an aggregator for podcasts, like all the content aggregators for blogs, news sites, etc., that will automatically check the sites you indicate for new podcasts and download them into your itunes for synching to your ipod.
so what do you listen to on podcasts? anything. literally anything. the content is so specific. they are radio shows that you would never hear on the radio because they are so not commercial. there are talk shows, music shows, comedy bits, food shows, sports talk shows, everything. there is so much content out there and some of it is crap, but some of it is great. i was having a hard time knowing where to start, but, lucky for me, literally minutes after i learn about podcasting, i read my wired magazine (yes, i get the old school paper version) and see this article (http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,66133,00.html) about adam curry (yes, the former mtv veejay), who is apparently the granddaddy of podcasting. he's involved with ipodder and has got a great podcast called daily source code, which you can get at http://www.dailysourcecode.com. there's almost always a fun mash-up to hear, a funny name-that-tune game called jan polet's hit test (http://www.janpolet.nl) and he runs promos for podcasts so you can find good content to add to your ipodder. like the roadhouse blues podcast, which i am jamming to right now. it's the best blues you've never heard. hit it up at http://www.codemode.typepad.com/roadhouse/ . other than adam, there are some other great sources for finding good podcasting content, including websites like podcast alley (http://podcastalley.com/), podcasting news (http://www.podcastingnews.com/), and podcast bunker (http://www.podcastbunker.com/).
so, there you have it. there are so many issues to talk about, like legal and copyright issues about content, the future of podcasting, how it could be made to be profitable and about a million others. this is my new favorite thing right now (which will probably fall by the wayside in a few days, we all know that i have the attention span of a gnat on meth). but, for now, i think its cool, so check out this podcasting thing...
so what do you listen to on podcasts? anything. literally anything. the content is so specific. they are radio shows that you would never hear on the radio because they are so not commercial. there are talk shows, music shows, comedy bits, food shows, sports talk shows, everything. there is so much content out there and some of it is crap, but some of it is great. i was having a hard time knowing where to start, but, lucky for me, literally minutes after i learn about podcasting, i read my wired magazine (yes, i get the old school paper version) and see this article (http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,66133,00.html) about adam curry (yes, the former mtv veejay), who is apparently the granddaddy of podcasting. he's involved with ipodder and has got a great podcast called daily source code, which you can get at http://www.dailysourcecode.com. there's almost always a fun mash-up to hear, a funny name-that-tune game called jan polet's hit test (http://www.janpolet.nl) and he runs promos for podcasts so you can find good content to add to your ipodder. like the roadhouse blues podcast, which i am jamming to right now. it's the best blues you've never heard. hit it up at http://www.codemode.typepad.com/roadhouse/ . other than adam, there are some other great sources for finding good podcasting content, including websites like podcast alley (http://podcastalley.com/), podcasting news (http://www.podcastingnews.com/), and podcast bunker (http://www.podcastbunker.com/).
so, there you have it. there are so many issues to talk about, like legal and copyright issues about content, the future of podcasting, how it could be made to be profitable and about a million others. this is my new favorite thing right now (which will probably fall by the wayside in a few days, we all know that i have the attention span of a gnat on meth). but, for now, i think its cool, so check out this podcasting thing...
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