Where the days are short and the nights are long

Posted on 2 November 2008 by scooterbird

look-sunsetI’m going to shut up about politics for a bit and allow myself a bit of introspection.  Here’s a note to self: Self, when you get your act more together than it already is, you want to head out to the Left Coast.  I am thinking the Coast Starlight would make for a wonderful trip, possibly even starting in San Diego instead of Los Angeles and just heading all the way up to Seattle, and then through VIA Rail to Vancouver.  (Heck, I could visit after a preliminary trip to Ocean City, and complete an unusual goal, should I choose to.)  Every time I get on the Series of Tubes, I find more amazing people all living on the other side of the continent, right next to that other beautiful ocean. Continue reading →

Filed under: encoded posts, various musings | Tagged: , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

It’s punishment of some kind

Posted on 9 April 2008 by scooterbird

If I’m going to watch auto racing at all, I watch Formula 1 in preference to NASCAR. The former is actual racing, which involves turning in both directions and manuevering in and out of traffic on roads meant for real cars; the latter is lining up in a row and turning left for an hour or so, punctuated by someone crashing into a wall, probably from sheer monotony. The real reason that Americans do not watch F1 is of course it’s “European” – a word meaning “not American” to most American slobs.  Sure, some of the best drivers are from Brazil or Canada or, in the case of the fantastically named Scott Speed, the U.S., but I don’t care, it’s jest not raht, Bubba.

More Americans, however, may pay attention to F1 now given the Führer – er, sorry, furor – over the recent doings of Max Mosley, the chief muckety-muck of Grand Prix auto racing. Seems that last week, Mosley was videoed in the company of what News of the World described as prostitutes, getting (or giving – the article’s unclear) a BDSM session; the reported price was the equivalent of US$5000. (Client #9, call your office.)

The particularly fun part, for the tabloids and everyone else, was the possible Nazi overtones of the whole session: counting the strokes of the lash in German, shouting orders in German-accented English à la Colonel Klink (“She needs more of ze punishment!“), some prisoner-and-captor role play, including a “check for lice” and a reading of a list of personal effects. It gets better: Mosley’s father was Sir Oswald Mosley – yes, as in the guy behind the British Union of Fascists during WWII. The N.Y. Times has the story here, and here‘s some video (appropriate warnings here). Continue reading →

Filed under: encoded posts, politics, various musings | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

The problems with illness

Posted on 14 February 2008 by scooterbird

V’ir cebterffrq gb gur cbvag abj jvgu guvf pbyq, be syh, be jungrire gur uryy vg vf, gung V ab ybatre frrz gb or fcvxvat n srire…ohg gung’f n jnlf njnl sebz orvat “jryy”, naq vg’f rkgerzryl sehfgengvat jura lbhe zvaq vf ernql sbe lbh gb or orggre orsber lbhe npghny obql vf (juvpu V fhfcrpg unf fbzrguvat gb qb jvgu zl ntr nf jryy). N srj zbeavatf ntb, va gur zvqfg bs nabgure avtug bs bss-naq-ba srire, fbzr ybhfl, oebapuvny pbhtuvat svgf, naq bgure guvatf gung pbzr jvgu orvat fvpx, V ernyvmrq jung gur jbefg cneg bs guvf jubyr guvat vf…naq vg pnzr gb zr, cebonoyl nf n erfhyg bs gur srire zber guna nalguvat ryfr, guebhtu n erpbyyrpgvba bs bar bs zl snibevgr, yrg’f fnl, abgbevbhf zbivrf.

Gurer’f n fprar va N Pybpxjbex Benatr jurer bhe “ureb” Nyrk, cynlrq ol Znypbyz ZpQbjryy, unf haqretbar n avtugznevfu, Fxvaare-glcr nibvqnapr grpuavdhr va juvpu ur’f orra frafvgvmrq gb frk, ivbyrapr, naq gurve pbzovangvba. (ZpQbjryy nyfb cynlrq Pnyvthyn va gur svyz bs gur fnzr anzr, juvpu erdhverq guvatf yvxr ba-pnzren encrf bs obgu frkrf naq fvzvyneyl shpxrq-hc orunivbe, fb…jryy, ln tbggn jbaqre nobhg gung thl.) Naljnl, gur grpuavdhr vf grfgrq ol univat n jbzna fgrc hc gb Nyrk naq gnxr bss ure fuveg, erirnyvat n ybiryl cnve bs oernfgvfrf. (Gur phgnjnl ybbx gb gur fxrcgvpny cevfba bssvpvny ng gung cbvag vf nzhfvat.) Nyrk, yvxr nal obl jvgu n jbexvat zrgnobyvfz, tbrf sbe n avpr teno, jura, jvgu uvf unaqf sebmra na vapu be fb njnl, ur rzvgf n tnjqnjshy jergpurq fpernz bs cnva, anhfrn…fbzr unhagvat, vaqrfpevonoyr, tvoorevat srne be gbegher gung pnhfrf uvz gb qbhoyr-hc naq erqhprf uvz gb n dhvirevat, hanoyr gb shapgvba zrff.

Zl zvaq ng gur gvzr jnf guvaxvat bs qbvat fhpu gb zl ybiryl jvsr, naq npghnyyl zbivat nebhaq va orq, orvat njnxr naq njner rabhtu gb qb fb, pnhfrq n ernpgvba va zl obql juvpu, juvyr vg jnfa’g dhvgr nf frirer, znqr zr erpnyy gung fprar naq flzcnguvmr qrrcyl sbe zl irel orfg qebbtvr, bu zl oehiiref…

Filed under: encoded posts | Tagged: , , | 9 Comments »

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