Hello, 2k2
Four days into the new year already. It always amazes me,
how New Year's Day really feels like it's a full year later
than December 31—as if we collectively turned a corner.
For the first few days, you can't help but remeber it's a
new year, then there are those days where you start to slip.
I started to write a date today, and found myself writing
"12/..." instead of "1/..." Some time
in the next few days, I expect to write the year as "01",
perhaps more than once, until I finally get it in my bones
that this is a new year; with its own dates, and its own events.
I like writing the dates of the first few days of the new
year: 1/2, 1/3, 1/4... Reminds me of grade school, and learning
fractions. March 4 is another day that brings back old memories.
And 4/4 reminds me of music lessons.
It's hard not to turn another milestone without referencing
September 11. There's a certain poetry in the fact that Christmas
and New Year's Day fell on Tuesdays this year, with New Years
falling precisely 16 weeks after one of the greatest man-made
disasters ever. There a kind of temporal geometry that forms
perfect little crystals out of the spaces between events.
New York got a new Mayor, sworn in for the seemingly umpteenth
time. He hit the pavement running, demonstrating a brand new
style:
- Emphasizing that City Hall has to be run in a nonpartizan
fashion
- Opening up the grounds in front of City Hall—even
allowing protestors on the steps again
- Circulating publicity photos showing the Mayor ensconsed
in his open-plan office space
- Immediately calling for cost cuts around the city, and
shrugging off the suggestion of new ballparks for the Mets
and Yankees
Mr Bloomburg actually seems to be off to a good start. Considering
that he seems to be a change agent, he's got an uphill battle
ahead of him.
Check out Bloomberg
plots collision course with city's heroes [from
Independent.co.uk - sometimes the outsiders have a little
less tunnel vision]
Meanwhile, India and Pakistan are starting to scare me. It
seems they've taken a lesson in ultimatum and grandstanding
from our very own president. Wouldn't it be weird, if this
administration went down in history as starting the chain
reaction that led to World War III?
I was a bit grossed-out this morning, hearing Pat Buchanan
on the Today Show, stumping for his new book . It seems that
"The Death of America" promotes a kind of separatist
agorophobic hype about how "they" are out-breeding
America. His solution is to lock out the immigrants, delete
the naysayers, get a big arsenal together, and get to work
in the bedroom. His interview was a jingoistic tour de
force. Never mind the thinly-veiled racism in his message.
I was impressed that Matt Lauer actually hit him with some
hard questions. Pat seemed a bit agitated by the end, but
then James
Carville always gets worked up in an interview, too.
I went looking for material about Pat's book, and came across
this
page. While you read the page, think "WWF Smack-Down"...
:::
Little kid jokes
I heard these from two kids (ages 4 and 8) riding the bus
with their mother last night.
Why
did the chickien cross the road?
Why
do cows give milk?
:::
This just in: Guardian.co.uk has published a piece on the
7
Wonders of the Web, and Blogger made the list! Too cool.
