The slings and arrows...............observations.

"It's not the large things that send a man to the madhouse, "Charles Bukowski has written. "No, it's the continuing series of small tragedies . . . a shoelace that snaps, with no time left."

I was recently reading a synopsis of a book about Abraham Lincoln's melancholic tendencies and came across the preceding quote. Perfectly encapsulates how life wears us down.
God is in the details.
The Devil is in the details.
Don't sweat the petty stuff.
Pay attention to the details and the big things will take care of themselves.

"The notes, I can play. They are easy. But the spaces between the notes, ah, that's where the artistry resides." Artur Schnabel, pianist/composer.

It's the spaces between life's notes that frequently trip me up. On rare occasions, I handle them with great virtuosity and I cherish those times. But more often than not, I come up empty handed and fulfill the "stupid male" stereotype I hear touted at work all the time by my more harpy-ish female coworkers.
I'm in a rather black frame at the moment. Must..............ride...............bike...........MORE!
Peace, out,
Ankh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is not amused by The Onion, a newspaper that often spoofs the Bush administration, and has asked it to stop using the presidential seal on its Web site.
The seal was still on the Web site www.theonion.com on Tuesday at the spot where
President George W. Bush's weekly radio address is parodied.
With headlines like "Bush To Appoint Someone To Be In Charge Of Country" and "Bush Subconsciously Sizes Up Spain For Invasion," The Onion is popular with readers looking for a little laughter with their politics.
White House spokesman Trent Duffy said people who work in the executive mansion do have a sense of humor, but not when it comes to breaking regulations.
"When any official sign or seal is being used inappropriately the party is notified," Duffy said.
"You cannot pick and choose where to enforce that rule. It's important that the seal or any White House insignia not be used inappropriately," he said.
Duffy said while he does not personally read The Onion, he admitted knowing others in the White House who do. "Like everyone else, we like a good laugh."
Scott Dikkers, editor-in-chief of the satirical newspaper, said its lawyer disagrees with the White House assessment.
"I've been seeing the presidential seal used in comedy programs most of my life and to my knowledge none of them have been asked not to use it by the White House," Dikkers said.
"I would advise them to look for that other guy Osama (bin Laden) ... rather than comedians. I don't think we pose much of a threat," Dikkers said.

Hey all;
The last line says it all. I'm gonna be decidedly impolitic.......................FUCK 'EM IF THEY CAN'T TAKE A JOKE! When did the White House insignia become a sacred object? Can you say, First Amendment?!
Ankh

Winning Powerball Family in Seclusion

Sounds like the guy has his head screwed on straight. If my wife and I woulda won? mmmmm, it would really be hard not to go apeshit on buying a few bikes and electronic doo-dads. Other then that, I'd have fun making sure all my relatives were taken care of.

Wilma winds intensify to 175 mph as it becomes possibly worst storm ever

Newsday.com: Wilma winds intensify to 175 mph as it becomes possibly worst storm ever

Those who forget history........................

Nothing too coherent here, just some ruminations. A coworker's daughter(freshman-HS) interviewed me last evening concerning my memories of the Iran/Contra Affair. In preparation, I read a synopsis on http://wikipedia and followed links where my curiosity led. Oh, what a tangled web we weave.............................:^(
Then, later, I happened on a documentary about the Vietnam War. More specifically, the Nixon Vietnamization policy that resulted in incursions into Laos and Cambodia, the carpet bombing of Cambodia which indiscriminately killed hundreds of thousands of Cambodian civilians, our perverse support of the Khmer Rouge which allowed them to kill over a million more of their countrymen/women/children.
Emma Lazarus' words(http://thenewcolossus) at Liberty's feet are obscured by the blood spilt in our efforts to proselytize "democracy" to the world. In general, I am not proud to be an American.
Ankh

Sanctimonium co-opting U2's good name

Santorum's press secretary, Robert Traynham, said Thursday that the decision by the Senate's third-ranking Republican to hold a fundraiser during Sunday's Philadelphia show is based on his "deep respect and admiration for Bono and their work together over the last few years to fight the global spread of
HIV' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> HIV-AIDS
Hey Gen'lmen;
How galling it must be(as an artist) to have anyone, for any reason co-opt your artistic endeavor for political gain. But to have it be someone of Sanctimonium's ilk would make me want to vomit. The axiom, "politics make strange bedfellows" is particularly apropos here. If he hasn't actually said it, Sanctimonium surely believes HIV is god's(notice the lower case, because only a "small g" god would behave in such a manner) divine retribution against gays. The devil is in the details..........................and in the deals we make to effect change in the world around us.
Ankh