flog

I know my last two blog postings have sucked ass. This one won't be any better. You've been warned.

This is the year that beowulf is getting his shit together. I went pants shopping recently and had to venture into the 40" waist area (with my weight hovering between 270-280). On Jan 31, I also resumed smoking again. I usually eat 3 meals a day. Lunch around 11:30, dinner around 7:00 and whateverthefuck around midnight. I like eating because being hungry is unpleasant and a meal offers so much hope. I like smoking because it gets me high and is self-destructive. For some reason I get off on that: "yeah, I know I'm killing myself, but at least I'm the one doing it."

Self-destruction is a very romantic notion, but the reality is that by age 55 (when I'll finally have the free time and money to do what I want again) I'll end up dying from a heart attack or emphysema or both. So, I exert control over myself in the pursuit of moderation. I've cut out the midnight whateverthefuck meal for the past 2-3 weeks, which is fairly unpleasant, but if my bathroom scale is to be believed I'm hovering between 265-270 now. I have also quit smoking today again. Next on the agenda toward the good life of endorphic euphoria is regular exercise (code monkey has few opportunities for physical exertion within the normal routine of his day) and finally giving up coffee.

Big O and Dukes were talking about the topic curing "same-sex attraction" or homosexuality. Their argument (and most listeners who called in expressed the same opinion) was that homosexuality is natural and trying to cure it is as anachronistic and wrong-headed as trying to cure left-handedness or brown eyes. While the evidence that sexuality in general or homosexuality in particular is entirely determined by biology is suggestive, it is still incomplete. Besides I think this argument completely misses the point.

The point is this: in a free society adults have the liberty to do whatever the fuck the want as long as it harms no one else. Even if that flaming faggot chose his lifestyle just to be an obstinate pain in everyone's ass he should be free to pursue it without government interference (and ideally harassment by his fellows, but if freedom means anything it means being free to be an asshole).

I forgot to blog on Ada Lovelace Day as I had pledged to do, reinforcing what I already know to be true that I am unreliable wermin. Even if I had blogged on Ada Lovelace Day as I had pledged to do, I wouldn't have thought of anything to say, so here I am not saying anything the day after Ada Lovelace Day. I think the gist of what they were hoping for were heart-warming stories showing how girls are g33ks, too, but I could be wrong about that.

I think it's cool that the first computer programmer in the world was a women during the late Victorian era. I think that a large part of the subsequent computer revolution (which began in earnest in the 1930s) is probably the result at least indirectly of work she and Babbage did together. I think that there's a good chance that Babbage did not give her proper credit for her contributions, and I think everyone probably agrees that's not right, but I know that I don't really know anything about this topic. Ada Lovelace is a symbol to me more than a real person, partially because of my gross ignorance and partially because for a large part of history women's achievements weren't deemed worthy of recording.

There's a cool quote I would insert here, if I were at home and had access to the book, from "Dinosaur in the Haystack" by SJ Gould about how things that are lost to history are forever truly lost. He says it eloquently, but I think the idea itself is poignant enough that this paltry crumb will serve you readers.

For my own amusement/archivation and probably a repeat of a prior post but I smoked too much pot and forgot everything: Band "names", members, track listings for Desert Sessions Vol 1 thru 4.

Desert Sessions Volumes 1 & 2 - differs from subsequent Desert Sessions in that it was recorded solely by Josh Homme's band "The Acquitted Felons" (Josh Homme: vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass; John McBain: guitar, keyboards; Fred Drake: guitar, drums, keyboards; Dave Catching: guitar, bass, synthesizer, percussion; Ben Shepherd: bass; Brant Bjork: drums; Alfredo Hernández: drums; Pete Stahl: vocals)

Vol 1 - Instrumental Driving Music For Felons
1. "Preaching" * - 0:44
2. "Girl Boy Tom" * - 4:25
3. "Monkey in the Middle" - 2:47
4. "Girl Boy Tom" - 2:52
5. "Cowards Way Out" - 5:36
6. "Robotic Lunch" (Alternative Version) - 5:22
Vol 2 - Status: Ships Commander Butchered
7. "Johnny the Boy" - 4:32
8. "Screamin' Eagle" - 3:36
9. "Cake (Who Shit on the ?)" - 9:03
10. "Man's Ruin Preach" * - 0:50

Desert Sessions Volumes 3 & 4 - performed by Green Monarchs (Alfredo Hernández, Larry Lalli, Mario Lalli, Joshua Homme, Chris Goss, Nick Oliveri, Tony Tornay); Eagles of Death Metal (Jesse 'The Devil' Hughes, Loo Balls, Carlo Von Sexron, Craig Armstrong (bass player) and T. Fresh); earthlings? (Pete Stahl, Dave Catching, Fred Drake, and Musharitas)

Vol 3 - Set Coordinates for the White Dwarf!!!
1. "Nova" - Green Monarchs
2. "At the Helm Of Hell's Ships" - earthlings?
3. "Avon" - Green Monarchs
4. "Sugar Rush" - earthlings?
Vol 4 - Hard Walls and Little Trips
5. "The Gosso King of Crater Lake" - Eagles of Death Metal
6. "Monster in the Parasol" - Green Monarchs
7. "Jr. High Love" - Green Monarchs
8. "Eccentric Man" - Green Monarchs
9. "Hogleg" - Eagles of Death Metal
10. "You Keep on Talkin'" - Eagles of Death Metal

Green Monachs = Queens of the Stone Age + Fatso Jetson. Each Volume was released separately on 10" vinyl and released together (1 & 2, 3 & 4) on CD.