Matt Sweet

Fridays are the days for surveys. But first, note the picture to your right. Yes, that's Jesus playing basketball. This is great for all kinds of Jesus Jokes, as you can well imagine. I will be tasteful for a change, and not post them here. OK, well... just one: "<sing>He's got the whole world... in his hands...</sing> Oh wait. That's a basketball. Our bad."

The Friday Five is particularly lame today, so I did this one instead:

What makes you laugh?:	Almost anything. I laugh pretty easy.
Who is your hero?:	I don't know... people are pretty fallible. (Hey, at least I didnt' answer, "Jesus," or "My Dad.")
Who would you want to be tied to for 24 hours?:	Vin Diesel. (Again, I didn't answer "Jesus" or "My Dad".)
How many pairs of shoes do you own?:	Umm...seven, I think. Maybe a couple more.
Seriously... Where does the other sock end up?:	The dark side of the moon. (That's what my mother always told me.)
Who do you blame for your mood today?:	My cat, who kept me up during the night and is thus responsible for tired, grumpy Matt.
If the Internet were sex... I would:	be addicted.
Have you ever seen a dead body?:	Well, there was that guy I shot in Reno, just to watch him die. Oh wait, that was Johnny Cash.
What is something scientists need to invent?:	Motor oil that never needs changing.
What should we do with stupid people?:	Keep them out of the fast lane, or the self-checkout line at the supermarket. If those can't be accomplished, I say we blast them into space.
Have you ever broken a bone?:	Not yet. But the day isn't over.
Do you watch local news? Why?:	Never, because local news is insipid. ("Something in your house may be harmful to you and your children! Find out what it is! Tune in at 11:00!" Turns out, it's water.)
What happens after you die?:	You hang around for a while, then you go and reincarnate. I'm going to be rich and thin in my next life. Get out of that body, Paris Hilton!
How big is your bed? Big enough?:	Queen size, and it's plenty big enough for two grown men and two cats.
How long do you think you will live?:	I will live to 100, because I'm stubborn and cantankerous

Random Thought Provokers brought to you by BZOINK!

Here's some news:

What everyone is talking about:James E. McGreevey, the Governor of New Jersey, resigned because he is having a same-sex affair. I am sending him one of my business cards--he's going to need therapy.

That Man makes a stunning declaration, stating "I understand if you own something, you have a stake in the nation's future." And if you don't own much, you are merely a cog in the wheel of big business! Get out the way!

A new report confirms what we already knew: To benefit seriously from Bush's tax cuts, you have to earn at least $1.2 million a year.

Not much going on... but have I mentioned my new camera phone yet? I took the picture at the right last Sunday, when Jay and I took a walk around our neighborhood. I love toys.

Elsewhere:

Question: Are there antidepressants in our water? Answer: Not enough.

Phish says goodbye, and Vermonters react to having their town's population explode. At one point Kathy LeBlanc asks a resident of Vermont: "Will you be glad when this weekend's over and all of the people from out of town are gone?" (Well, you know what they say about out-of-town guests and Fish...)

A collection of hand-written signs. Pretty neat.

Today is the Day of Sloth. I know Jay has planned something for me to do, but I can't remember what it is. So I'm pleading temporary ignorance, and I'm going to sit on my ass, eat ribs, and watch TV. Ha! Take that!

Things to see and do:

People dance and invoke the Goddess. Cool.

Tension rises in New York as the NYPD and the NYFD use the publicity of the RNC to try and improve their contracts. Using the emotional pull of 9-11 to try and advance your agenda? Dick Cheney shed a single tear...

Bordeaux is hurting. Perhaps this sort of thing could be the reason why?

And finally, to each his own.

Three things that make me happy:

1) The way my Haitian co-worker says, "Oh Jesus," when she's frustrated. It sounds like she's saying, "O-chee-zuss." I love that.

2) The way my cat looked on the bed this morning, all curled up on the pillow. I know... I'm a big ol' fag.

3) Getting a postcard form a friend who is visiting the Spam Museum in Minnesota.

News:

Fay Wray, the actress from King Kong, died at 96. Let's all give a shout out. (Bad joke...)

Unpaid internships are creating a class stratification in education, since only students from upper-income families can afford to support them. Blah blah blah.

The effectiveness of psychotherapy is questioned, once again. You see, insurance companies hate paying for therapy, so they will do whatever they can to discredit it. One insurance company croney is quoted as saying: "The idea is to make you, the therapist, accountable for outcomes." As a therapist, I will accept responsiblity for 50% of the outcome. The other 50% is the responsibility of the client.

A second post in one day is rare for me. But two things came up that I had to mention:

1. The agency I work for is moving me from way in the back of the office to way in the front, next to the senior administration. No, I didn't do anything wrong. This is a mixed blessing, because it means I get a big, cushy office instead of the tiny little cubby I have now. The downside is that I'm next to the senior administration. Gack.

2. Defective Yeti suggests a money-making idea to the Catholic Church. ROTFLOMGITIPM ("Rolling on the Floor Laughing Oh My God I Think I Peed Myself.")

Weekend round-up:

Saturday: I worked in the morning and got my hair cut in the afternoon. In the evening, Jay and I went to a party at the house of some friends. Said party was filled with young, hot boys, since our friend is an advisor for a fraternity at Central Michigan University. One hottie told the story of how he and his boyfriend were checked out at the gym by an older man: "It was, like, so gross! He was looking at everything! I mean, everything! So we totally snubbed him." I lack sympathy for this hottie's plight. I figure, if you're young and hot, you should take your gawking like a man.

Sunday: Jay and I celebrated 6 years together--our Iron Anniversary. We had lunch and did some shopping at the Ferndale Art Fair, which was in the park across the street from our house. Fun fun fun.

Oh, and I got a new cell phone this weekend. A wicked cool picture phone, that I have been playing with incessantly. I love technology.

Doings:

Churches endorse Bush, which isn't suprising. What is suprising is that we still don't tax churches that do this kind of crap.

An interesting article about the Olympic games.

The American Bar Association may decide that it's important to have impartial judges after all. Good for them.

Happy Monday!

The picture to the right is from Miss Betty Bowers' Gift Shop. There are lots of fun things there.

Now, for today's quiz.

1. What was the first concert you ever attended? How old were you? Where was it?
My first concert would probably be the Detroit Symphony. My parents were big into taking me to "cultural stuff" when I was young--we went to a concert or the art museum or something like that at least once a month. My first non-parent-related concert was (don't laugh) Petra and DC Talk. And that was with my church youth group. I know... I'm so lame.

2. What was the most recent concert you attended? Where and when?
Again, that would be classical. I think it would be chamber music of some kind... I rember hearing a Violin-Cello-Piano trio a couple of months ago. I was with Jay and my mom.

3. Have you ever seen your favorite artist/band in concert? Did the show live up to your expectations or were you disappointed?
I have more than one favorite artist, but I will say yes for this question. I saw the Indigo Girls two years ago, and they rocked. I saw Tori Amos in highschool, and that rocked; and I saw Cheryl Crow about 6 years ago, and I think she was stoned. I've seen Yo Yo Mah three times, and Joshua Bell once. So I'm pretty happy.

4. Ever been to a concert where you were pleasantly surprised at the performance? Ever been to a concert where you were totally disappointed? Name 'em!
Surprised: Tori Amos and Pancho Sanchez
Disappointed: Cheryl Crow and Branford Marsalis. (Although, to be fair, I was more disappointed when I was talking to Branford at the reception after the concert than I was listening to him at the concert itself. Branford is, IMHO, King Asshole.)

5. Name five bands that would headline your own personal festival. (Along the lines of Oz Fest or Lollapalooza)
1. Leonard Cohen
2. Bob Dylan
3. John Mayer
4. Melissa Etheridge
5. Traci Chapman

Doings:

In a rare moment of authenticity, That Man said: ``They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.'' Indeed you don't, my friend. Read about it here.

Concrete proof that anti-abortion activists are liars. I wonder if that's the message they intended to send?

Here is an article about the link between prison and HIV. Since I work with HIV+ ex-prisoners, this interested me a great deal.

Last night Jay and I set up our new bed. You can see a picture of the one we bought here. Except, we bought it in natural oak, instead of the dark color in this picture. Anyway, it looks good with the dark red-brown walls and the white trim. The rest of the house is kind of traditional-meets-Art Modern. The bedroom is the most modern and dramatic room in the house.

We also bought a new matress, which will be delivered tomorrow. And then Jay and I will no longer be sleeping on a straw mat in the middle of the spare bedroom! Yay! We've big boys! With a big boy bed!

Stuff:

Here is a link to Chrisafer's blog (Blah Blah Black Sheep) in which he discussed Ayn Rand. One of Jay's co-workers (Josh--find him at Sequential Rationality) has a thing for Rand, and we've been discussing her for a few weeks now. Until Josh, I hadn't heard her name mentioned since I was an undergraduate, but like the stench of rotting human flesh, once you've been exposed to Rand, you never forget it.

Break Dancing makes a comeback. "Even though none of us are old enough to remember the first President Bush, we really enjoyed watching 'I love the 80s' on VH1! Get out your Jordache jeans and come see us!" (OK, so I made that up.)

Bruce Springsteen weighs in on the Presidential campaign. This is where I make a lame comment about him being "The Boss."

Here is a dicussion board where people are debating whether or not Barack Obama is the Anti-Christ. This is just so bizarre I don't really have anything to say about it.

Go forth.

Today is Wednesday, which is my Day of Sloth. (That being the day were I work only 8 hours, instead of the usual 10 or 12.) Jason, in his never-ending quest to fill my life up with chores and tasks, has decided that this evening we will venture out in search of a new mattress. We are currently sleeping on a pallet of straw, and Jay has been repeatedly stating he is tired of waking up with a backache. Fine by me.

Big Doings:

Send a conservative a fruitcake! My favorite product is The Imus: "The Imus is a dried up old fruit revived by soaking for prolonged periods in liquor." Mmmm... that's good satire!

Nicholas Kristof presents some new scholarship on Islam that might lead to less fundamentalism. Quote Kristof:"Muslim fundamentalists regard the Koran - every word of it - as God's own language, and they have violently attacked freethinking scholars as heretics. So Muslim intellectuals have been intimidated, and Islam has often been transmitted by narrow-minded extremists." You don't say?

Score one for hatred as Missouri passes a Constitutional Ammendment to ban same-sex marriage. Weak-minded fundies are already trumpeting a victory.

I took yesterday off and stayed home most of the day. That's exciting, isn't it?

I have nothing to say, so I'll move on:

News:

The great state of Utah proves that, while generations of inbreeding may make you stupid, it will also get the attention of the scientific community.

Iran begins to recognize transgender people. Hmmm... this looks bad for Texas, which is in danger now of falling behind Iran (for God's sake--Iran) in terms of this issue. I say we send That Man back to Texas to look into this.

This is a link to another person's blog, who got a hateful message in response to his anti-Bush bumperstickers. The reason I link to this is that the message states that Democrats are "pro-homo, anti-sun... and pro-hell." Anti-sun? WTF?

Here is a New York Times article about Buprenorphine, which is a new drug with promise for treating addictions.