All this madness, all this rage, all this flaming death of our civilization and our hopes, has been brought about because a set of official gentlemen, living luxurious lives, mostly stupid, and all without imagination or heart, have chosen that it should occur rather than that any one of them should suffer some infinitesimal rebuff to his country’s pride.
— Bertrand Russell, philosopher
on WWI
Category Archives: stories
what goes around
Back in the late spring of ’05, when my Tasha first started getting sick, the vet thought at first that it was an infection that made her throw up. Lab tests soon proved that it was CRF, but for a short time there, Tasha was taking a most hateful and disgusting antibiotic. I had the hardest time getting her to take it. Nothing I could find to hide it in would work, because the pills were so foul tasting, and she could smell it coming when I opened the bottle. Poor baby. A few times, I just had to hold her and pill her by hand….
A couple of days ago, I saw a doctor who prescibed some medication for my gallbladder (expensive? oh yeah) and a cocktail of antibiotics for related issues. So a few minutes ago, I went in the kitchen to take my medicine like a good boy. When one of the pills hit my tongue, I wasn’t quite ready with the water. Talk about an awful taste. I looked down at the bottle — I thought it sounded familiar when the doctor mentioned it — it’s the same damnable stuff. Flagyl. The same stuff Tasha wouldn’t take.
It’s a wheel, my friends. Karma, I mean.
The wheel is turning
and you can’t slow down
You can’t let go
and you can’t hold on
You can’t go back
and you can’t stand still
If the thunder don’t get you
then the lightning will
unbearable pity
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.
-Bertrand Russell
ever feel stupid?
Trust me, this will make you feel like a frakin’ genius.
LONDON – A 22-year-old man suffered internal injuries after lighting a small firecracker he had inserted into his …
It’s short, and you won’t get the full explosive impact unless you read it all. The last sentence ties it all together.
liars
People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt.-Otto von Bismarck, statesman (1815-1898)
quote for the day
In the wake of today’s eschatologically relieving sideshow, I found myself checking the bookshelves at Mom & Dad’s house this afternoon, needing something to read while taking a little break. I pulled down In the Days of the Comet by H.G. Wells, and found this epigraph, from Hellas by Shelley.
The World’s Great Age begins anew,
The Golden Years return,
The Earth doth like a Snake renew
Her Winter Skin outworn:
Heaven smiles, and Faith and Empires gleam
Like Wrecks of a Dissolving Dream.
Wait, read it again, OK? Then read the last couplet again. Wow.
the results are in
First, you need to know that the ultrasound machine does not, it turns out, play The Dead. Guess that would just be too ironic.
They didn’t find any actual stones in my gallbladder, which is good. But I got sludge. In my gallbladder . Seems this is the stuff that turns into gallstones. Playdoh that’s still in the can.
So I don’t need surgery, at least not now. Wait and see. What will be. Que sera sera. Doc says I should consult with a specialist — just in case, I guess — and I’ll think about that.
Gotta really really watch what I eat. No fatty foods.
Doctor says there’s no medicine for this. But I did some googling and found a drug that’s used to prevent gallstones in people who are obese and losing tons of weight. Sounds like the stuff I need, doesn’t it?
Anyhoo, the fat lady ain’t sung yet, so to speak, so we’ll see.
This post didn’t turn out to be about what you thought, did it?
who is this guy?
Bush is still speaking, saying that the Democrats’ spirit is such that they want to protect America, that Democrats are going to stay the course in Iraq, support the troops, etc. This can’t be the same guy who said the opposite about the Democrats during the election. He said our side was going to leave America unprotected from Terror, cut & run from Iraq and didn’t care about the troops. I think the networks need more cameras in these press conferences, so we can see all of Bush’s faces.
it’s true – Rumsfeld’s packing
President Bush is on TV, confirming that Rumseld is looking for boxes in the Petagon supply closet. Shouldn’t be hard; they order boxes roughly 3 feet x 3 feet by 6 feet, in bulk.
o joyous day
MSNBC is reporting that Rumsfeld is going down. Fantastic! What a fine day.
whoa nellie
What a nail biter, huh? Right on the edge of my seat, am I. My team has taken back the house from the Philistines, but the senate is in a dead heat, 49 to 49. So if those go to the Dems, woo hoo! Even if they don’t, at least the balance of arrogance has definitely shifted.
And by the way, that flatulent little sound you heard tonight was the noxious effluvium of neocon thought, wafting our the back door.
ballot recommendations
This blog stops at nothing to help you avoid homework. After all, it’s the eve of the election but also a pretty good night for TV.
Don’t mention it.
Metaphor 