Wait, what?

My TV just became obsolete.

Tide

We spent a fair bit of time walking around the rocks in Island Bay at low tide yesterday and today. The tide varies a lot and the rocks are pretty craggy, so there's tons of little tide pools. The kids like to wander about and look for little creatures in the pools. There were tons of fish, mostly little blennies but we also saw a crab

but he was petty shy and hard to get a decent pic of. There were zillions of these little blue starfish.

There were some bigger starfish.

No, bigger.

Unfortunately we forgot the camera today, because we found one little pool with some of the little starfish, some blennies, a shrimp and two sea anemones. Pretty cool.

Tramp

We took a wee tramp up to the Eastern Walk near Mount Vic today. There's a open spot that looks down over the Basin Reserve where someone put up a rope swing. It's pretty cool but you have to get up on the part that says "Don't let go".

If you want to get any real air.

I said real air.

I can't imagine where they get it.

Fantasy III

LT came up short, and I, am $800 richer. I believe I might use some of that to buy boots, gloves, flippers, a knife and a snorkel/mask, since I got a semi-dry wet suit for Christmas. Going to be doing some diving this summer, I might even borrow a gun from ES and do a little spearfishing.

Fantasy II

So I left 40+ points on the bench in fantasy football, like a dumbass. Luckily my opponent played a running back that was on the roster as "probable" and ended up being anthing but, and scored 0 points. I'm ahead 99.44 to 64.14. He's only got one player left. Unfortunately, it's LaDanian Tomlinson. The 'Bolts are playing Monday Night this week, so I have to wait until tomorrow to discover my fate. Dallas has already clinched homefield advantage, so the game means nothing to San Diego, which will hopefully result in LT not getting a lot of carries and Darren Sproles getting a lot of Carries. I've got Sproles on my bench so there should be quite a Karmic tug-of-war going on there. I've got my LT voodoo doll all ready to go. $800 .. $800 .. $800 .. $800 ..

Playing Soon

Read it. It's by the guy that wrote "A Simple Plan". I read it because Stephen King gave it props in a collumn in EW. I can't say that I liked it, but I don't know that I can say that I didn't like it. I think it was just too far fetched. It's certainly a page turner. It should translate pretty well to film, though. I'd say read before you see.

Moving, Again

So we're moving, again. Two weeks in company paid housing, two weeks in a self paid 2+1 apartment downtown. Nice location, but, come on, there's six of us, yikes. Now we're moving yet again. We're going to house sit for our friends CB and CT in Island Bay. It's not too close to work but the view is nice. C and C are out of town for a couple of weeks, so we'll be here until the 2nd at the latest and the 28th at the earliest. I really can not wait to start getting settled. This nomad shit is really starting to strain everyone's nerves.

Review: Enchanted

Took everyone out for ice cream and a movie to get the hell out of our (second) temporary apartment Saturday night. This was the overwhelming favorite over "Mr. Magorium and the Willy Wonka Ripoff", which surprised me. I Really liked this movie. The animation at the beginning was crap, about the quality of a low grade Saturday morning cartoon. Jesus Christ, this is what Disney has been reduced to? At least it was short. Amy Adams was brilliant, she had the Disney Princess thing down cold and was perfectly countered by the continually befuddled McDreamy. I thought Susan Sarandon was under utilized as the evil witch. It was a short movie so perhaps her perfomance was on the editing room floor? James Marsden was a bit over the top as the prince, but it seemed like direction, you can't really fault his performance. The story hit all the right fairy tale marks without beating you over the head with it. The songs were done by Alan Menkin, so of course, brilliant. Throw in good pacing, a plot twist that the younger viewers can grok and you have a rather successful little picture.

Four Stars.

Ukulele

The "Wellington Ukulele Orchestra" Came by work today to hawk their CDs, and to give a bit of an impromptu show. If you look very closely, you might recognize the guy second from the left, at least, you will if you watch "Flight of the Conchords" on HBO.

He's Back

Well, I wasn't sure when I accepted the offer, but it seems that PJ and New Line finally made nice and now PJ will executive produce not one, but two Hobbit movies. To the tune of forty million dollars, no less. The release date is 2010 for the first, so it's going to be pretty busy around here for the next 3 or 4 years. Assuming that we get the work. It should be a slam dunk, but you never know. I would really love to work on Smaug, since I didn't get to work on the Dragon in Beowulf.

Cthulu?

It's supposed to be this big secret, but everyone's pretty sure it's just a take on the H.P. Lovecraft classic "The Call of Cthulu". No, not the Metallica song. The story. Anyway, J.J. Abrams is about a sure bet as you will get in Hollywood, so it should be good.

Fantasy

I won my semi-final round in the fantasy football league that I joined this year. I guess a lot of people take it pretty seriously, because I paid $110 dollars to join. Twelve teams. Eight ... hundred ... dollar ... first ... prize, which, I am now one week away from winning. So cross your fingers that Carson Palmer, Larry Maroney, Reggie Wayne, Ernest Graham, Maurice Jones-Drew, Tony Gonzalez, Bernard Berrian, Kevin Curtis and the Indy Defense have carreer days next week, because I could really use $800.

Review: Hitman

Not a bad, movie. It's not a great movie either, but it's hard to pin down exactly why. I think it could've been a great movie, but it was just a little off the mark. Maybe casting? Olyphant, like most of the cast, was competent but not great. Olgs K. excelled in a role that required little more of her than to be very naked and very hot. The action wasn't too cartoony, which is what usually kills this kind of movie for me. I mean, shit got blown up and all, but they tried to maintain some semblence of reality (Shoot 'em up, I'm looking at you). The story wasn't full of holes, but wasn't great. All the little places where this movie missed just added up.

Three Stars

Blocks

There's a web site here, trademe.co.nz. There's pages and pages and pages of old school Land Rovers for sale on it. Cheap. Flatbed SWB's and soft top Series 2A's. Defender 90's and 110's. Some of them go all the way back to the late 50's. Most of them are farm registered only. No, they don't have "Farm Use" painted on the sides. Anyway, I thnk I see a Land Rover restoration in my future. Don't tell Mrs' STFU that I want to put a farm vehichle up on blocks in the driveway. I hadn't ever really considered a Land Rover before, I was always on the look out for an old ('68-'72 FJ) Land Cruiser, or a Willy's, at home, you just don't see old Rovers. I might have to change my mind. I still want a chopped, flat bed '32 Ford, and this Land Cruiser is about the coolest thing I've ever seen in my whole life.

Come on, you can't go wrong with camo!

$3500!, and only 870,000 klicks. It's a Land Cruiser, it'll run forever. If you can't see the potential there, you shouldn't be allowed to drive a car. OK, I love me some Land Cruisers, but the old ones aren't really available here. Might have to get me an old Rover to drag around the surfboards, dogs, kids, tents, etc.

Review: Bee Movie

I've had mixed feelings about this since Dreamworks started with the early promotions way back last year. I mean, Seinfeld's stand up is pretty good, but a kid's movie? To be fair, it is pretty funny, but it's really not for kids. The majority of the humor is geared towards adults. I mean, Larry King jokes? My kids liked it, but I think that they would've loved it had it been more accesaable. The work was competent, but not fantastic. I liked the story, the message wasn't to heavy handed, but the whole thing got a little bizarre at the end. Hey, I was entertained.

Three Stars.

Movie Reviews

I've realized that I've gotten a bit behind on my movie reviews. With the move I haven't really seen too many movies in the last couple of months. I'm going to try to catch up on the things I've seen recently.

Car

We finally found a car. Sorry M, it's another Toyota. Number five, I think. And Land Cruiser #2.

Garden

Since it's close to where we were staying, we took the cable trolley

up to the

Wellington Botanical Gardens

It was nice to get out of the apartment for a bit. They have the coolest
carved tree that you will see all day.

Iran NIE

UPDATE

   Just a couple quick notes. We've decided on a house, it's not perfect but it's good enough. Hopefully after a year the housing market will be a little more resonable and we can look for something to buy. There's not much of a view, but it's big, and it's very close to work. I'll put up a picture when we move in, which won't be until the 29th. Our free housing runs out on the 11th so you can see that this is a problem.

   It turns out that the vet in Valencia screwed up a bunch of the paperwork, and had we sent the dogs with the paperwork that we had, they could have been sent back, or even destroyed. So the delay is just as well. The new vet knew right away that the current paperwork was FUBAR.

   Almost done with my first week of work, pretty slow so far. I've been looking through lots of documentation and asking a lot of questions, getting up to speed. People keep asking me what I want to do, which is nice. I've got something simple for on the side until I get something to sink my teeth into.

UPDATE

We've moved into temporary housing in Wellington. Internet access is $200/GB. Ouch. Turned off auto-load of images in Firefox. Got an e-mail from NZ biosecurity, and because of what amounts to a technicality, they threw out all the work to import one of my dogs. Everything. I have to start over, completely, from the beginning. Start over. And now I have to do it from eight thousand miles away. And the process takes six months, so instead of them coming in the first week of January they wont be able to come until the first week on July, IF THEY DON'T FUCK ME, AGAIN. Well, one dog could come, but they would probably not do too well if they were separated. I already miss them. I'm alternating between terribly sad and terribly pissed off at the stupidness of it all. Looked at two houses today one decent, one not. Looking at three tomorrow. Stopped by Weta this morning and saw GW, SN, JL, ES and a bunch of old timers. It's pretty weird to be back.

Boarding

Boarding, keep fingers crossed.

Dinner at Tom Bradley

Oh joy, overpriced airport food at the LAX international terminal. What a view.

At LAX

On the ground at LAX.

At Dulles

On the ground at Dulles. Of course our next gate is on the other side of the airport.

First Leg

Just boarded in Huntsville, flight leaves at 8:10.

Long

So, I got my itinerary today. We leave Huntsville, Alabama at about 10am on the 26th and we get into Wellington at about 10 am on the 28th. No, it's not a 48 hour flight but I'll save you the brain cycles, it's about a 30 hour trip. There is a 2 hour layover at Dulles and a 5 hour layover at LAX, but still, it's going to be an unpleasant experience. I got a portable DVD player with a spare external batter, so it should be good for about 4 movies on battery, and I've got my trusty Powerbook (thanks KTH, if you're reading this) but we have sooo much stuff. Camera bags and backpacks and purses and iPods and my laptop and a the DVD player and cell phones and books and pillows and blankets. Oi vey!. I got the import application for the dogs finally sent off today so I can relax a little, but not much. I'll be much happier when the permit
shows up at the transport company. It's terribly frustrating to be off work for 6 weeks and be more stressed out than I ever was at work this year.

Denied!

As I posted previously, I tried to get an environment personalized California license plate for my motorcycle. "IMPCHGW" was what I wanted it to say. As you can see, Mrs. Linda DiBernardo seems to think this is offensive to good taste and decency. I've got a big Fuck You for Linda DiBernardo. You know what's offensive? All the god, jesus and religious license plates that I see.

UPDATE

So I've been a little busy. I've quit my job at Imageworks and taken a job at Weta. Since Weta isn't in Los Angeles, this requires moving to New Zealand. So I'm moving, and selling my house, and selling my cars and applying for visas.

My beloved Indians choked away a Sure World Series win by letting the dreaded BoSox come back from 3-1 to win in 7 games. Why do all my baseball memories have to be painful?

Minority

Suck it New York

CC Sabathia and the tribe put an ass-whooping on the Yankees last night. Oh yeah. CC didn't dominate, but he pitched his way out of a couple big jams, and got the ball to the stellar Indians bullpen.

We Believe.

Minority

David Sirota writes a really good article on The Tyranny Of The Minority and why Washington DC is a writeoff.

 

http://www.creators.com/opinion/david-sirota.html

 

creators.com doesn't seem to have a direct link to this article, dumbasses, so I'm duplicating it here.

 

Wondering why Congress rarely passes anything the public wants? Then grab Thomas Geoghegan's 1999 memoir, "The Secret Lives of Citizens."

The book shows that, like the Da Vinci Code, the answers to such important questions are often out in the open, encrypted only by our inability to step back and see them. And when you crack this particular mystery about Congress, you learn not only why Washington is paralyzed, but also where to look for domestic progress, and how stopping bills — rather than passing them — is probably the only way to end the Iraq war right now.

As Geoghegan notes, in the 100-member Senate, just 41 "no" votes kills most legislation with a filibuster. You might think that if 41 percent of our representatives oppose a bill, maybe it should die. After all, civics class taught us that the Senate is supposed to protect the voice of a significant minority.

But here is what civics class didn't teach: With each state getting two senators regardless of population, 41 percent of the Senate often represents not a significant minority, but an infinitesimal one.

Using Census figures, Geoghegan discovers that the 11 percent of Americans living in the least populated states have enough Senate votes — 41 — to sustain a filibuster. Yes, 89 percent of the population may support a policy, but 11 percent of the population has the senators to block that policy's enactment. When you go further than Geoghegan and consider the election-focused mindset of politicians, you see the situation is even more absurd.

Lawmakers trying to keep their jobs only need support from a majority of those who turn out to vote. In those 21 least populated states with filibuster power, that majority is typically about 7 million voters, based on turnout data. That's just 3 percent of America's total voting-age population wielding enough Senate representation to stop almost anything.

To see how this works, consider what followed a July CBS News/New York Times poll that found 69 percent of Americans support Congress either enacting a timetable for troop withdrawals from Iraq or defunding the war completely. When the Senate voted on timetable legislation that month, 47 senators voted "no" — enough to filibuster.

Should we be surprised that a policy supported by more than two thirds of America drew opposition from almost half of the Senate? No, not when we consider the math.

Those 47 senators understand they don't answer to mainstream public opinion.
They rely on merely 16 percent of the nation's total voting-age population to get elected and re-elected — a miniscule segment of America comprising the hard-core Republican base.

Obviously, small-state senators would block Constitutional amendments making our government more democratic. So why bother to know these numbers? Because they tell us how and where we can achieve progress.

In the Karl Rove age of base politics, this Senate setup means that most domestic reforms will not come from D.C., no matter which party controls Congress or the presidency. Change will come instead from the arenas that are more democratic and have no filibuster: state legislatures.

This isn't wishful thinking. As energy, universal health care and consumer protection initiatives face Senate filibusters, legislatures are acting. For instance, California already passed one of the planet's most far-reaching clean energy mandates and may soon enact a universal health care plan. North Carolina passed predatory lending laws that are setting national standards. Such examples could fill a phone book.

Of course, foreign policies like the Iraq War are federal issues and legislating those policies must involve the Senate. But the filibuster hardly means the campaign to end the war is pointless — it just means it requires a new strategy making the Senate's drawbacks the campaign's strength.

Specifically, Senate Democrats whine about not having 60 votes to pass Iraq-related legislation. They pretend they are innocent bystanders with no means to act, and some anti-war groups give the charade credence by echoing these excuses. Yet, if properly pressured, those Democrats might be able to muster 41 votes to stop war funding bills.

It is all about comprehending power. Geoghegan's book exposes the mechanics permitting a tyranny of the tiny minority — one that makes most of us feel disenfranchised. But the numbers also explain which arenas will likely deliver results, and which will not; where we should expend resources pushing for change, and where we should not; and what strategies are appropriate, and what strategies are not.

The question is, will we heed the lesson?

Writer and political analyst David Sirota is the bestselling author of "Hostile Takeover: How Big Money and Corruption Conquered Our Government & How We Take It Back." His daily blog can be found at www.workingassetsblog.com/sirota. To find out more about David Sirota and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Suck

My hatred for ticketmaster burns with the fire of a thousand suns. Van Halen, Staples Center, November 20th. Tickets went on sale at 10:00 this morning. I had my firefox on the event page, auto refreshing every 5 seconds. 10:00, pow page comes up to buy, 2 tix best available. My wait time? Only 2 minutes. Sweet! I should be gold. The ticker changes from 2 minute wait to 1 minute, 1 minute, 1 minute. "Sorry there's been a problem with your submission". Argh. 2 tix best available ... again. Wait time? 10 minutes. Fuck. "Sorry no tickets match your request"

 

 

FUCK YOU TICKETMASTER

30 Minutes

That's how long it should take you watching Paul Gilbert to become a better guitar player.

Plus you should listen to Satch talk about modes.

Last

ET turned me on to this thing. Last.fm? Like pandora except their player doesn't clobber the Linux box that I use at work. I'm going to check it out and report back once I get my headphones working again that is. Grrrr. They has a widget!

Review: 3:10 to Yuma

Wow, two movies in one week. We're on a roll here in Hollywoodland. I've been wanting to see this since I started seeing the trailers. Hmmmm, what can I say about this movie. Fantastic acting? Check. Fantastic Story? Check. Great directing? Check. Great cinematography? Check. Great ending? Check. Yeah, this movie was fucking fantastic. Easily the best movie I've seen this year. I really think that you'll be seeing a few Oscars go to this movie.

Five Stars.

Review: Shoot 'Em up

This was great, precisely because it was so over the top. Paul Giamatti is great as the hit man. How can you go wrong when someone cuts a baby's umbilical cord with a shot from a 9mm in the first five minutes of a movie? The body count is pretty staggering, but it's all Tres Cartoon. Good mindless fun.

Three Stars.

Close? Yes.

This was so worth it. Although, since I was there, the tribe lost. In the 10th. Garko hit a solo shot, off K-Rod, in the top of the ninth to tie it. It was pretty quiet in the stadium, except for me going apeshit behind home plate. It was awesome. There were fireworks after the game, which was nice. Going again Sunday with the whole gang although we won't be sitting in section 114. Upper deck baby.

In the shade.

Yeah?

Oh fuck yeah.

Update

So I got my crown fixed. Fucking $350. It's also like five hours later and I'm still numb. I swear, she nuked my face. I was doing pretty good. She was poking around the exposed tooth. She put some chemical on it that stains blue when it comes in contact with any organic matter. They want to make sure the tooth is totally clean when they put the new crown on. Anyway, she was in there scraping around, and it was all good, then she rinsed it off ... I think that it hurt worse than the time that I broke my leg. I thought my head was going to explode. So, she numbed me up pretty good. It's nine o'clock and it's just now worn about all the way off.

End

Review: Superbad

It's been a while since I've managed to get to the movie theater. I did, however, manage to get out last night with Mrs. STFU&GBTW and TS and SS to see 'Superbad'. It was sort of like a 'Weird Science' for the new millenium. It was consistently humorous, but only occasionally doubled over laughing funny.

Three Stars

Crown

Uhhh, yeah. I liked this a whole lot better when it was in my mouth, where it's supposed to be. On the way to my dentist (who happens to be the best dentist in the universe) this afternoon.

Roland

I'm not sure what I think about this. I really like Lost and all, but "Green Mile" is a phenomenal movie. Everything I hear about "The Mist" is good. How can he not let Darabont take first crack at "The Dark Tower"?

JJ Abrahms to Direct "The Dark Tower"

Really?

Beo

This is why I'm so busy.

Uhhh, Yeah.

I'm a little busy at work. Sorry. I stop being busy October 5th.

Two

Two days. Off. In a row. It's been so fucking long since I've actually had a whole weekend off I can hardly remember what it's like. Saw Potter (again) with the kids. Had time to buy a new pair of shoes. Got a haircut. Played 18 holes at Lost Canyon in Simi with DA, JP and KE. God I'm a horrible golfer. I hit par on 4 holes and still shot a 108 (54/54). I think at least 10 strokes of that is penalties from drops. It's nice to get out with The Boys and get some fresh air. Yeah, it killed the whole day, but I'm not going to the beach two or three times a week.

Fan

I am the worst fan in the history of baseball. If I want my team to lose, all I have to do is actually show up at the stadium to see the game. The Dodgers are torrid right now. I think they've won 8 of 10 coming into tonight's game with the Mets. I mean, the Mets are good, but, man, the Dodgers are hot. Whoops, take that back because I'm going to the game. And it was actually a pretty decent game, up until some nameless LA reliever threw a bad pitch that David Wright promptly deposited in the left field bleachers, making a 4-1 loss out of a 1-1 game. It never fails, if I go to the game, my team loses.

Supply and Demand

So I'm in the middle of re-reading Neuromancer. I figured that I go through the whole trilogy, it's been quite a while since I've read those books. All I have are the paperbacks and, since I'm a book snob and like to have hardcovers, I thought that I'd see about upgrading my copies. So, of course, I hit amazon where I find that not only can I get a new reprint of Neuromancer for about $17, but that Gibson also has a new book coming out in about 3 weeks. Yay! Two for one. Nice. So next I look for Count Zero. Hmmm, paperback only on Amazon. I check the resellers for hardbacks and there are maybe 7 or 8.

And the cheapest one is $63 ... used ... in fair condition. Couple collectable ones. $75 and $120. Jesus Christ. Distraught but not deterred, I checked for Mona Lisa Overdrive.

Sigh ... $40 to $100.

Then, a revelation ... Ebay! Got a nice 1st ed. of Mona Lisa Overdrive for a paltry $18 + s/h. OK, I'm on a roll, 7 come 11 daddy needs a copy of Count Zero ...

2 copies ... $75 and $150 ... damnit.

So, supply and demand strikes again. I curse and shake my fist at the free market. Damn you free market economy!

Walt

"We have been too often disappointed by the optimism of the American leaders ... to have faith any longer in the silver linings they find in the darkest clouds."

"To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion . . . it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could."

Who said that? How about Walter Cronkite, February 27, 1968.

Review: Harry Potter V

WIP

Vote for Edwards

Resign

Keith Olbermann is the only real newscaster in America Today.

Python

Review: Transformers

Hated the movie. I went to see a Michael Bay movie. I went to see giant transforming robots battling each other in downtown Los Angeles. I went to see slo-mo. I went to see things blowing the fuck up. I did not go to see a story. Instead of trying to mask the lack of story with things that explode, which, and I'm going to be honest, I like things blowing up in my action movies, it seemed like they tried way to hard to make it a 'real' movie only they forgot what makes a 'real' movie is a 'real' story. It stinks of Spielberg. It was far too restrained. OK, hated is strong language, let's just say, I am disappointed. There is a chance that it had something to do with the fact that the theater was totally full. I'm used to seeing movies during the week, during school. Read as "In an empty theater" and the stupid yappy bitch in front of me who would not cease her chatting. I don't like confrontation, and if you can get me to tell you in a normal voice to "Shut The Fuck Up" in a sold out movie. Then you, sir, are an asshole.

Three Stars, and it's only getting that because the VFX rocked.

In other news the race for the Visual Effects Oscar is over. PotC3, Potter and all you other people can just pack it up and go home. You lose. Thanks for playing.

Review: Ratatouille

What can you say about the guys at Pixar that hasn't already been said. This movie was smart, funny, well directed, well paced, gorgeous and above all supremely entertaining. Brad Bird might just be the finest director working today. Pixar hits another one out of the park. I love how there was zero hype for the voice talent, and there were some very recognizable names in there. Janeane Garofalo, Peter O'Toole, Will Arnet, Ian Holm, John Ratzenberger (how could Pixar not put John Ratzenberger in this movie?). I loved, loved, loved this movie.

Five Stars

Review: Die Hard IV

Saw this opening night with Mrs. STFU and TS. Great flick. If you liked Die Hard you'll like this movie. I mean, the whole Jet thing was a little over the top, but for the most part they stayed away from making him a super hero. Plenty of inside jokes/self referential stuff to keep the franchise fans happy. The Mac Guy was a pretty decent sidekick.

Four out of Five Stars

No, No, No

Do not vote for Clinton. Do not vote for Obama.

From: The American Prospect

"Last week, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton showed that despite efforts to build support with progressives suspicious of their close ties to corporate America, when it comes to real decisions and real votes, big business will often come first. This was reaffirmed when the two senators voted for an amendment to the energy bill offered by Montana Democrat Jon Tester that would have provided $200 million in grants and $10 billion in taxpayer loans for projects to turn regular old solid, black coal into new, shiny liquid coal to power cars and trucks. The coal companies love the idea, because replacing even 10 percent of gasoline with liquid coal would spur a 43 percent increase in coal mining, according to environmental groups."

Obama and Clinton are fronts for Big Business, just like the Republicans

Analyze

I'm running Google Analytics on this blog. I was curious to see what and where my traffic, if any, was coming from. I just got a visit from a search request of "my wife and I having sex". That's so awesome.

Modulate

Speaking of bikes, I got one of these in the mail today, and put it on as soon as I got home. It's pretty cool. I have to drill a hole in the fairing to mount the light sensor but I discovered that I don't have any metric drill bits, so it's a good excuse to hit Home Depo and buy some tools. It flashes about 4 time a second. Supposed to make you a lot more visible.

Help

So, I'm riding home from work today, coming up the Mulholland pass, I'm lane splitting and I can see that I'm coming up behind a guy on a cruiser. For the most part, the guys on the cruisers don't lane split very fast. Some do, but then, people do stupid things. Anyway, I'm coming up behind this guy on a Harley, and I see that his license plate is hanging by one bolt. Just swinging back and forth like a debutante on a porch swing. Just as we're cresting the pass and heading back down into The Valley, there's a break in the traffic and he pulls over to the left to let me by. Instead of zipping right by, I pulled up next to him and tried to get him to understand that he was going to lose his license plate. Now, you have to understand, Harleys are fucking expensive and most of the people in Los Angeles who can afford to ride a twenty thousand dollar cruiser are Doctors and Lawyers and Executives. Posers, in other words. This guy looked at me with palpable distaste. I'm on a 600rr in full gear, boots, gloves, full helmet, jacket and pants. I'm screaming "You're about to lose your plate" and he's just nodding and saying "blah, blah, whatever". I'm pointing at the back of his bike and what do I see? His license plate actually fell off. Oh well, good luck getting pulled over asshole.

Review: 1408

So, full disclosure, I am huge Stephen King fan. Huge. Positively gigantic. So I'm going in to this movie with pretty high expectations. I really like the short story. Well, I really liked the movie too. I don't usually jump in my seat at a scary movie, but this got me to jump two, mabye three, times. Mrs. STFU, on the other hand, was jumping in her seat like a kangaroo on acid. It's a great psychological thriller. John Cusack is great, and considering he's essentially the only person in the movie, that's good. It's not the kind of film that you can watch more than one time, but it's worth seeing on the big screen.

I rate it 4 out of 5.

Run

Just signed up for "mapmyrun.com" so I could see how far I go when I go rollerblading. Here's my rollerblading route. I also have a 3 mile loop that I do when I run. They have a cool embeddable Java/Google Map script, as you should be able to see below.

Took ar jorbs!

The bottom line is that the middle class is losing a war that most of them don't even know that they're fighting. Gay marriage, Ira[n,q], welfare reform, immigration (although that is a significant problem, which I will get around to commenting on eventually) all those things serve one purpose. Divide and conquer. Average Joe is so worked up about his invisible sky buddy being mad that Brad and Mike down the street are fucking each other in the ass that he fails to realize that everything he thinks America stands for is being dismantled. It's all about distracting people's attention from the destruction of the middle class. Damn it, it's Friday and now I'm all worked up. Do yourselves a favor and DON'T vote or support Obama or Clinton. Give your vote to Edwards or Kunicich or Richardson. Someone who's not "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss".

'Bots

cantwaitcantwaitcantwaitcantwaitcantwait

Review

Keeping track of the movies I've seen aside, I just had my yearly review. One, I rock. Two, I got totally, totally, surprised by a $*,*** 'merit' bonus that was accompanied by a "We know you're busting your ass, thanks". Fucking A. Now if we can just get the ****** footage for ****-*** done by tomorrow......

Review: Ocean's Thirteen

Saw this last night at Edward's Cinema. It was entertaining, for the most part and although it was still a bit forced it was far superior to that piece of shit Ocean's Twelve. Too much trying to 'top' the other movies and not enough story. Thirteen was just on the wrong side of believability where Ocean's Eleven was just on the right side. I can buy that they could get away with hitting the vault in Eleven. Thirteen bordered on them being superheros. Still, though, it was entertaining. Great performances from Affleck and Caan, the little Chinese guy is great, Clooney and Pitt are great together. It was just a weak story.

Three stars

Shoot

This is looking to be a pretty goddamn good summer for action flicks.

Sex

AWESOME column from The Globe and Mail

www.theglobeandmail.com

Sex, or he's your ex

SARAH HAMPSON

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

June 7, 2007 at 12:00 AM EDT

The penis rules.

Excuse me for being so bold, but I wanted to let readers know this is not a column about and for women only. Sure, many women feel that divorce is a particularly female rite of passage. You don't see men writing books about their personal journey following marital breakdown, do you?

But not discussing what men feel about marriage and divorce is like not discussing what's involved in the erection (sorry) of a stable building.

And a man's need for sex is what is often misunderstood. So, on the important subject of the horizontal relationship in marriage, here's what I've learned.

The penis rules. Or should, anyway. “If men don't feel respected or loved, if they don't feel like a man, if they have to walk around on eggshells when it comes to their sex drive, if their horniness is treated like an inconsiderate act of selfishness – like typical male behaviour – then they will reassert themselves with another woman,” says a man I will call Mr. Multiply Divorced.

People who make coitus their career understand this. Ask Lou Paget, sex therapist and best-selling author of books about orgasms and helpful tips on giving blow jobs, among other bedroom matters. “There's no other time in a man's life when he is more connected to his masculine self than when he is making love or having sex with the woman or partner of his choice,” she explains.

“And men know this. … It's a huge part of the male psyche that he be acknowledged for what his efforts are, and he will go elsewhere to get it if his partner doesn't give it to him. He will get it through sports. He will get it through work by the accumulation of money. I can't tell you how many men I know who are massively successful but who have crappy marriages. Or they will get it from another woman.”

It's children that change the sexual energy of a marriage. I remember an acquaintance of mine complaining about her husband's expectation of sex. She had two young sons at the time, and she was a wonderful hands-on and attentive mother. There were lunches to be made, laundry to finish, dinner to make, homework to help with, errands to run, and just before she passed out from exhaustion, a husband to do. And she did, because if nothing else, she is highly responsible. (And still married, by the way.) The whole yummy-mummy trend is really a statement of denial, if you ask me. Most young mothers will tell you that after having their bodies taken over by pregnancy, and then the demands of breastfeeding and constant monitoring of a baby, what they would really like at night is to be left alone for a bit, untouched. They've overdosed on closeness for the time being.

But husbands still want their wives to view them as the primary relationship. Another man I know – okay, we can call him Mr. Former Boyfriend – told me that in his marriage of 20 years and three children, his ex-wife, who gave up work to devote herself to the care of their offspring, denied him sex so often he had to beg for it. And when she relented, he felt it was out of pity or obligation.

Such a dynamic is common and emasculating, notes Esther Perel, a New York-based couples therapist and the best-selling author of Mating in Captivity: Reconciling the Erotic & the Domestic, published last year.

“It's not healthy for men to feel pathetic about their urges and shame about their desire. It's not just their masculinity they are expressing through sex but also their lesser masculine qualities, their tenderness, their vulnerability, their desire to give pleasure and receive it,” she explains.

“This expression through the body is often the primary language that men use to say these things. It's easy for the women to just brush it off, and say, ‘All he wants is sex.' What they should be asking is, ‘Why am I never interested? What happened to my own desires?' “ Ms. Perel's prescription for good marital sex is what she calls “more air.” Too much intimacy, having to know everything your partner did and share every activity he or she enjoys, kills lust, she believes. “The paradox is that the pursuit of passion involves excitement, mystery, unpredictability. But the pursuit of intimacy involves wanting to be known completely and expecting predictability. And yet we want both.”

The trick, she says, is allowing “a modicum of freedom in a relationship. Don't ask the other person to give up freedom so you can feel more secure.”

Many men, not being the greatest communicators, resort to anger when they're not getting the intimacy they crave. They will say lack of sex makes them feel “they were sold a bill of goods,” as one guy explains, since “women are much more sexually aggressive and suggestive during the courting stage, and inexperienced men can be fooled by that.

“I've come to believe firmly that people need to be honest with themselves [and their partners] about their libidos,” he continues. “If they have big ones, they should seek out partners with a matching appetite.” (Yes, that's Mr. Multiply Divorced talking.) He has a point, but married life can be stressful, what with mortgages, kids and work-life juggling; and stress, for women, is a sex-killer. For men, on the other hand, a romp in bed is stress therapy. “For us, it can be like golf or watching television,” admits a source from the world of men.

Of course, for women, talking is like golf. (Confused yet?) “Women want to emotionally share and talk about their day,” the man continues.

Still married to his wife of 21 years, with whom he has two children, he should be called Mr. Highly Evolved. But he didn't get there on his own. All that wisdom about how women and men think differently comes from years of couples therapy.

“For men, it's like Chinese water torture to be talking about something endlessly,” he says. “Guys think, ‘Just fix it.' So when the wife says she wants to be asked how she is, the man goes, ‘What? We've got to have an hour and a half discussion about emotional connection before you feel like having sex? What happened to sex on the kitchen floor?' “ Mr. Highly Evolved was preparing for divorce, he confesses. “Part of the equation for me to stay in my marriage was that I care about my boys, and ultimately, I realized that if I want to live in a relationship, whether it's with my wife or someone else, I have to do this work. And as long as my wife is interested in doing it, too, which she was, then it's worth it.”

On a final note, let's return to Ms. Paget, who, 51 and once married and divorced, now enjoys a live-out boyfriend and a live-in 20-pound cat called Mr. Freddie. I could hear him meowing for her attention in the background of her Los Angeles home.

“Men marry for two reasons,” she states. “They're proud to be with that woman socially. Look,” she adds in best-girlfriend whisper, “we both know women who have sex with men who aren't seen with them publicly. The second reason men marry is sexual compatibility.”

Which brings me to a final bit of good advice. Be a lady in public and a whore in the bedroom. And help him understand that before talking dirty, the whore sometimes needs to have a cuddly chat about her day.

Wow

I finally got everything from Newegg, so I put my computer back together this weekend. New motherboard, graphics card, power supply, CPU and RAM. I lost about a month's or so worth of pictures because I've been sloppy with backups, but I only had to spend about 5 minutes on the phone with Microsoft after XP started bitching about how the computer hardware had 'significantly changed'. Yeah, no kidding. But Windows came right back up, installed a ton of drivers and so far it seems like it's good to go. I'm still a bit leery of driver issues since I didn't reinstall XP, but I'm pretty impressed. Nice work Microsoft.

Compatible

So my stuff shows up from Newegg, I put the CPU and fan on the Mobo, Put the GPU on, I go to put the memory in ... oops. I forgot to check if my new Mobo was compatible with the memory that I already have. Of course it's not. Back to Newegg. Should get 2x1Gb DDR2-800 via UPS today. At the rate I'm going, getting XP to cooperate is probably going to want to make me kill myself.

Visit

IF YOU'RE READING THIS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE COMMENTS. THEY ARE WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED. THANK YOU, COME AGAIN.

My Mom

The liberal hippie protest marcher ... Awesome

Crash

So my computer bit the dust on Friday. I'm pretty sure that the motherboard is bad. I thought "I'll just buy a new one and swap it out and I'll be good to go". Well, I was wrong. I had a socket 475 processor and I was using a AGP graphics card. There are approximately 0 motherboards available in that configuration. So, now I not only need a new motherboard, but a new CPU and a new graphics card. At least I could get all of it for about $500. I got a 2 GHz duo proc so the CPU is a pretty big upgrade and the GPU is a decent upgrade. Getting windows to think that it's still the same computer is going to be a real hassle.

Of course, I sat down to watch TV last night and the TV wouldn't come on. I came pretty close to completely freaking out. The 'change lamp' light wasn't on. It just wouldn't power up. I just turned it off and walked away. Came back later, checked the cables, turned it on and it decided to work. Only so many things can break at once without me losing it.

Impatient

I can not wait to see Transformers. That movie kicks your favorite action movie in the nuts.

Betrayal

Because he always says it much better than I ever could.

Hero

“I’m on the edge, I’m not liking this. A lot of people have bought into the notion that you have to fund the troops. Funding the troops means more troops are going to die.”

-- Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.)

Awesome

Wal Mart Sucks

Here's why.

Falwell

GOOD FUCKING RIDDANCE. HELL JUST GOT A LITTLE BIT FULLER.

Chuckwagon

Charles Barkley might be the smartest man alive.

An interview with Charles Barkley.
Beyond Basketball: Race, Class, and Politics
by Isaac Chotiner

Charles Barkley's round face and massive body may be ubiquitous on television, but, in person, the former All-Star power forward is even more physically imposing. At the Atlanta studio that anchors TNT's NBA playoff coverage, Barkley greets me warmly with a strong handshake. Throughout the day, he greets guests in his green room--staffers, a reporter's father--by teasing them affectionately. When a young man, the son of a former TNT employee, enters and informs Barkley about his straight-A grades, Barkley tells him that he can have, as promised, $100 from his money clip. "But don't be taking my ones," Barkley says. "I need those for the strip club." Barkley replicates his on-air banter off-air with whomever is around. He teases those who work under him about their weight or laziness or dating habits, and they tease him right back. But, since his humor isn't rooted in anger or hostility, he is extremely likeable.

And, yet, those who have followed Barkley's path from NBA great to commercial pitchman to star of the best sports show on television know that he is also outspoken on issues of race, class, and politics. In a wide-ranging interview with TNR, he made noises about running for governor of Alabama and weighed in on a range of issues, including Obama v. Hillary, his problem with Al Sharpton and Don Imus, and the Duke lacrosse case. Here are some excerpts:

CHARLES BARKLEY: Illegal immigration to me is the easiest thing in the world to fix.

TNR: How so?

CB: All they have to do is penalize the people they work for. You should get penalized. It's all poor people who argue over illegal immigration. They want poor people to--I call it divide and conquer. That's all they do is divide and conquer.

TNR: The rich people are trying to divide the poor people?

CB: Yes, they got all the money, they got all the power. Whether it's that, or they divide you racially on certain things. They divide you racially, economically, and on things like that. It just splits the vote, and the rich people still end up on top at the end of the day. They control everything.

TNR: So is that what interests you primarily--economic issues?

CB: America is divided by economics strictly. You know, people always talk about race, and we have racial problems in this country. Of course we do. But the real issue is the rich against the poor. We've got to get poor white people and poor black people and Mexicans to realize they are all in the same boat. If you in one of those three groups and you are poor, you are going to be in a bad neighborhood, you are going to go to a bad school, and you are going to have strikes against you. You can't commit crimes in good neighborhoods. They will get your ass. Their kids go to private school, or they go to school in a good economic area. But the poor people, they are all in the same boat but they divide you based on race or stuff like that. A lot of these politicians say things like "We've got to stop all these illegal immigrants." I am like, "That is so easy to stop." They are not working for other immigrants.

TNR: Has your perspective on these issues changed in the last few years?

CB: Yes, when I realized that rich people will always be rich and the poor people are like crabs in a barrel. They are going to fight with each other, but they are really in the same boat. They want you to argue about gay marriage. They want you to argue about the war in Iraq. There is not a single person in this country in good conscience who can say the war in Iraq is going well. But then when you see someone criticize it ... some other guy from the other party says he is badmouthing the troops. And I am like, "No he's not." We are able to disagree, and saying that the war in Iraq is not going well is not treason. Some of these guys want to try people for treason. The war in Iraq is not going well.

TNR: When did you stop considering yourself a Republican?

CB: I never was a Republican. I said this when I was playing. I was doing some interview talking about politics, and my grandmother was there, and the reporter said, "Are we Republicans or are we Democrats?" My grandmother said that Republicans were only for rich people, and I said, "Well, I'm rich."

TNR: Didn't you say you wanted to run for governor of Alabama as a Republican?

CB: No. If I run, I would run as an independent more than anything. But I am not sure you can win as an independent because there is so much money at stake in politics. My only goal in life is to help poor people. The problem I have is, in America, people just believe anything they read or see on television, and some of those things are slanted. If you watch Fox, it's slanted--and I mean really slanted. Sometimes I think the people just don't have any common sense. A lot of them don't.

TNR: Are there any politicians now that you like? I have heard you have Barack Obama in your cell phone. Is that true?

CB: Barack is a good friend of mine. John Edwards is a good friend of mine. I supported John last time because John got my attention last time. He said that we had to address the issues, the disparity between the rich and the poor. And I called him and talked to him and said, "You aren't going to be talking no bullshit against gay people." America has got to address the differences between rich and poor. That is the number-one problem we have in this country--economics. And John got my attention, and I am going to meet with him again; I like him. Barack is a friend. I've got to make sure where his head is and make sure he is not just trying to get elected. This is going to be a very interesting election because we are going to find out who is sexist and who is racist. Because I don't think a woman can win, because I think America is sexist. I am not sure Barack can win, because I do think we have a racial divide in this country.

TNR: You said you wanted to figure out whether Obama was in it for the right reasons. Do you have concerns that he is not?

CB: No, I think he is, but you cannot say stuff to get elected. You have to say, "This is what I want to do." You can't say, "Well, I am going to say this and do that." It has backfired on John McCain. You know, like last time I liked John McCain. I didn't like Republicans but I liked McCain. He was kind of a maverick. He was trying to do some good stuff. And then you see when he lost, he's flip-flopping now. He's just kind of saying everything just to get elected. And now which McCain is it? And I don't think he can get that momentum back. I would love to see Barack do well, because I think he is a good guy, but I want to know what his platform is.

TNR: What do you think about Hillary?

CB: I like her, but I want to know what her platform is. She has obviously screwed up on the war thing. But I want to know what they feel on certain things. I am not going to vote for Barack just because he is black. I ain't going to vote for Hillary just because she is a woman. I want to know what they stand for and what they will do.

TNR: In some quarters Barack has been criticized for not being black enough.

CB: Well, that's because black people are fucked up. One of the reasons that black people are not going to be successful is because of other black people. We tell black kids that if they make good grades, they are acting white. If they speak well, we tell them that they are acting white. We have a lot of demons in our own closet--in our own family--that we have to address. But first of all, we want black men to be intelligent and articulate and things like that. That's not acting white. That's the way it should be. ... We become our own worst enemy with random black-on-black crime, teen pregnancy, single-parent homes. You know we cannot be blaming white America for our ills. Does racism exist? Of course it does. But, at some point, I have to make sure I am educated. I don't have ten kids and no job. I am not killing other black people. At some point, you have to grow up.

TNR: Are you seriously considering running [for governor of Alabama, where he is from]? You bought property [to comply with the residency requirement]?

CB: You have to live there for seven years. I would have run in 2010, to be honest with you. But they have the loophole in the constitution.

TNR: In terms of more cultural issues, gay marriage you are totally OK with?

CB: eah, I am. I am not going to judge other people. Only God can do that.

TNR: Looking back on the Don Imus thing--

CB: What he said was atrocious. He should have got suspended, and not fired.

TNR: Why not?

CB: I don't think you can fire everyone for everything they say, first and foremost. It was wrong, it was hideous, as a man who got a daughter, as a black man who got a daughter. But I thought he should have gotten suspended, and that's it. I would have been content with that.

TNR: Do you think that people are too--

CB: I am telling to tell you why I said that. I knew the repercussions. This is not going to work out well for black people. This is going to turn around. They are going to start blaming us for using the word. We have this new war going around in our community about rap music. And I said, I was telling a friend of mine, I am not sure where I stand on this rap music thing. We have to address it. But I know what happened with Don Imus wasn't our fault.

TNR: In terms of this rap thing, you were famous for saying that you didn't want to be a role model. Do you think that rappers who might be role models to kids have a responsibility to--have you changed your opinion on this subject at all?

CB: We are really struggling in the black community because all our kids want to play sports or be rappers. And they don't even think about being doctors or lawyers or engineers or teachers or firemen or policemen. That is what I tried to do. And everyone is figuring this shit out now. I figured it out when I made that commercial back then. Our kids are getting washed. They are confused. When I go to speak at these schools, 99 percent of these kids want to play sports. They aren't gonna play sports. And that's when I went to Nike about making that commercial. Now as far as the rap thing, I am not sure how I feel about that. ... I used to say it is just music. Don't these people have any common sense? But now I am starting to think, maybe they don't have common sense.

TNR: About the Duke case--

CB: It was racism. Racism works both ways. The black people are racist. The guy was an idiot--Nifong. But those people assume the white guys were guilty and the black girl was telling the truth. That is reverse racism. Those people were full of shiat down there. You have got to be really fair when you talk about race. You can't allow black people to be racist.

TNR: Obviously everyone feels badly for these kids. But you hear people say, look, there are black people in America who are wrongly accused every day.

CB: But two wrongs don't make a right. That don't justify it. You have to look at things individually.

TNR: But does it say something about society--

CB: That we are a racist society.

TNR: That we were so concerned about this case, upper-middle-class white kids?

CB: That is because of the economic thing. That is economics. Those kids were upper-echelon kids. But this is what I was saying about class. ... It is interesting to me, being a black guy married to a white woman, how she comes home and black women who know she is married to me give her a hard time. Or my daughter has gotten shiat. And some of the sisters give me shiat.

A BARKLEY AIDE: Aren't you worried about whether you will be accused of class warfare--

CB: That is what rich people want you to think. If you are rich, you are always going to be rich. It is the poor people I have to bring together. Look, I have nothing against rich people. I am rich--blessed, fortunate, lucky. I want to bring my fame and notoriety to bring attention to these problems.

TNR: You mentioned Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson earlier. What are your opinions of them?

CB: I know them both, but they are race-baiters who have double standards for white racism and black racism.

Fast

There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them - but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one. That is why they are dangerous.

Everybody has fast motorcycles these days. Some people go 150 miles an hour on two-lane blacktop roads, but not often. There are too many oncoming trucks and too many radar cops and too many stupid animals in the way. You have to be a little crazy to ride these super-torque high-speed crotch rockets anywhere except a racetrack - and even there, they will scare the whimpering shit out of you... There is, after all, not a pig's eye worth of difference between going head-on into a Peterbilt or sideways into the bleachers. On some days you get what you want, and on others, you get what you need.
When Cycle World called me to ask if I would road-test the new Harley Road King, I got uppity and said I'd rather have a Ducati superbike. It seemed like a chic decision at the time, and my friends on the superbike circuit got very excited. "Hot damn," they said. "We will take it to the track and blow the bastards away."

"Balls," I said. "Never mind the track. The track is for punks. We are Road People. We are Cafe Racers."

-------

There is a fundamental difference, however, between the old Vincents and the new breed of superbikes. If you rode the Black Shadow at top speed for any length of time, you would almost certainly die. That is why there are not many life members of the Vincent Black Shadow Society. The Vincent was like a bullet that went straight; the Ducati is like the magic bullet in Dallas that went sideways and hit JFK and the Governor of Texas at the same time.

It was impossible. But so was my terrifying sideways leap across the railroad tracks on the 900sp. The bike did it easily with the grace of a fleeing tomcat. The landing was so easy I remember thinking, goddamnit, if I had screwed it on a little more I could have gone a lot farther.

Maybe this is the new Cafe Racer macho. My bike is so much faster than yours that I dare you to ride it, you lame little turd. Do you have the balls to ride this BOTTOMLESS PIT OF TORQUE?

That is the attitude of the new-age superbike freak, and I am one of them. On some days they are about the most fun you can have with your clothes on. The Vincent just killed you a lot faster than a superbike will. A fool couldn't ride the Vincent Black Shadow more than once, but a fool can ride a Ducati 900 many times, and it will always be a bloodcurdling kind of fun. That is the Curse of Speed which has plagued me all my life. I am a slave to it. On my tombstone they will carve, "IT NEVER GOT FAST ENOUGH FOR ME."

-- Hunter S. Thompson

Tribe

Went to see the Indians and the Angels at The Big A. Got pretty good seats for the whole STFU&GBTW gang. Three rows off the field halfway between 3rd and the foul pole. The Tribe lost, of course, which they always seem to do when I'm there. Of course Cliff Lee pitched a 3 hit complete game shutout the night before. 3 - 2. Tribe loaded 'em up in the 5th but couldn't close the deal. Wasted a pretty decent outing by Byrd.

Plate

I just bought this license plate for my motorcycle. Hopefully it won't get rejected. I don't think that is should because 'MPEACHW' and 'IMPCH W' were already taken.

Where?

So, I'm watching SportsCenter last night, and they're doing a montage of different sports people and whatnot wearing Virgina Tech hats during a baseball game, VT on the hood of their stock car, a first baseman writing the Hokie's logo in the dirt at first base, blah, blah, blah ... you know what? It pisses me off. Every day I read the news there's a story about 30 people that have been killed in Iraq by a suicide bomber. Every Day. Sometimes twice a day. Where, I ask you, is The fucking outrage? Iraq has a 'Virginia Tech' ... every day.

Worth

When is the money not worth it? I'll be here, at work, tomorrow ... again. I'm almost done with the look dev on ****** but there's a whole shitload of work left to do for the trailer. Man, I want off overtime.

Soon

I guess I spoke too soon. I'm barely 200 yards from my house on the way to work this morning. I must've driven through some water or oil. Stop at a light, right turn, accelerate out of the turn ... zing, I lose traction and the back tire of my bike decides that it's had enough of this shit and damn it, it's going to lead the way for a while and slides out to the left. Way, way out. I eased off of the throttle, and held on as tight as I could ... BAM! ... back end grabs and she tried really, really hard to throw me off on the high side. I came within about a tenth of a second of bailing out. Got wacked ... hard ... right above the boot on my right shin by the footpeg when the back end grabbed traction. I stayed relatively calm, but I could've done a little better. I think that I'm Getting a new back tire this weekend. :)