Melissa went home today. She was visiting me here in Rochester for a week. It was sad, there was crying. I don't like it when she cries, it makes me sad. I don't think the weather should be allowed to be this nice on a day such as this. Oh well.
I replaced my aviator sunglasses. These new ones aren't quite as dark and are slightly different shaped, but I like the new shape more, I think. These aren't going to any parties without my permission. I'm taking them with me whereever I go. Hopefully they will last for a while, I don't really want to replace them. I think I need to oil the hinges, they stick and squeak. Like a mouse covered in glue.

The other day I had my notebook out and was doodling when the phrase "Fashion in the Face of Danger" popped into my noggin. It turns out, however, its not entirely original. Damn!

I can still claim that "Hungry for the Capitalist Cow" is originally mine, though now in the public domain...

2001: A Space Odyssey
The movie is brilliant, but I'm not really gonna talk about the movie itself.
The makers of the film honestly believed that the space program would be at a comparable to that shown in the movie. They had every reason to, as well. Production designers met with many different engineering firms and designing companies and they incorporated many different thoughts into the designs. Kubrik and Clarke also felt it would influence the space program's future. In a way, it probably did, although in a manner that was less than permanent. This is saddening. Its a great, big universe and we are all really not ('cept you, taft). There is more beyond our planet than can even be dreamt of.
I saw a speech given by Arthur C. Clarke. After his bit he had a Q&A session. Someone asked about any aliens smart enough to make contact with us being smart enough to know what risks such contact may bring. Clarke fielded the question by agreeing with the man. Saying that a species with enough intelligence to greet us would be aware of such risks. As he says this a man in the audience starts smoking a cigarette. This has been your daily serving of Irony.
Also, the MGM lion is pretty weak. The poor fellow looks like he's got some pretty heavy drugs running though his system.

Hmm, February 14th. Its Valentines Day. Makes me wish I were home to see my Melissa.
So, I've gone through three pairs of sunglasses since I've arrived here at R.I.T. My first pair was this sweet pair of aviators. They were awesome, I loved them. Unfortunately, they were broken in a freak accident involving a halloween party, feet and a surprising lack of alcoholic beverages. I can't seem to find a pair like them, either. This, my dear reader, this makes me truly sad. That the world should have a Krister Bradford Andrew Rollins without aviators is a true crime.
The second pair were huge and calico. I got them for five bucks in a convenience store. It was around Christmastime, I think, when the sun is glaringly painful for most of the time it is out. Its at just the right angle where it is always in your eyes. So, I bought some sunglasses and wore them until I discovered that they were missing one of the ear pieces. I thought it had fallen into my girlfriend's large purse, but they weren't there. Assuming it lost I carried on merrily, but I found the piece the other day in my car. Oh well.
The last pair were sportier. I was looking for more aviators and, lacking those, went with a pair really reflective ones. They were OK, not as cool as the aviators. I still wore them a lot and was happy with them. On my way to the car one day the earpiece snapped. Not on a joint or anything like with the other two pairs. Weird.
I haven't replaced them yet. I've decided that i have been fated to constantly squinting unfashionably while outside, unless I can find another pair of aviators...
Here's something bizarre, I think the same ear piece fell off on all three pairs. The right one. Once its luck, twice its a coincidence, three times its a conspiracy.

I just spilled some milk, now I think I'm gonna cry. Why? Oh why did this milk have to be wasted? What is the reasoning behind it? Without that much needed calcium my growing bones are apt to become brittle and weak. What are the odds of osteoporosis in men? They just got fractionally higher for me. In all fairness, I didn't spill all that much milk. But some got on my pants. It was traumatic.

I bought a column of Starbursts today. It reminded me of one evening when I was sitting at this video store where I used to work, K&K Video (I didn't include a link because they are Fascists). I had a big bag of Starbursts and was eating them in my usual manner, that is all of one flavor at a time. My coworker, an older unpleasant woman noticed my pattern and said:
That's a strange way of eating them, usually I take one of each kind and eat them.
I stared at her for a minute and went back to my Starbursts.

Gooseflesh
1. Seeing Citizen Toxie at ?The Movies?, a small independent theater back home, with Lloyd Kaufman in attendance. He introduced the movie and afterward there was a question and answer session. We stayed so late that my car was locked in a parking garage. William Lustig was there, too.
2. Coke in 12 ounce cans
3. Nine Inch Nails? album The Downward Spiral
4. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut
5. Building a Theramin from a two dollar kit with my dad.
6. Big dinners with my family.
7. Falling asleep with Melissa
8. New Zealand
9. Sweden
10. Samurai Cat Goes to Hell by Mark Rogers
11. Eating in Philadelphia at a Mexican Restaurant called "Mexican Food." Apart from the food and company being excellent, three Latinos came up to our table and sang us a song. They also sang with some men of some spanish-speaking descent for quite some time.

Take a Break
Stay Awake
For Safety's Sake
Signs such as this dot the highway throughout some state we travel through, Mass. I think. Its a funny sign. I like interpreting it like this, "Take a break from sleeping while your driving, for safety's sake!" In which case, the sign has some a major shortcoming: Most visual stimuli, unless in the form of bright lights, will not rouse your average dozer. Another thing I noticed about the highway, there are a lot less rumble strips along the left side of it (the highway). I think this is because they expect the head-on collision to wake you.

Know what pisses me off the most about spam? When it comes in when you are already checking your mail. Its an annoying pain in the ass. I've already deleted 12 other spam messages, and a new one comes in. Its like the hydra.

What if Jesus had had a stunt double? That would have been cool. Ron, Jesus' Stand-in. I can see Jesus abusing this right. He'll take all the good bits, Ron gets the crappy stuff.

Angry Roman: Let's whip 'im! Then we'll stab him and give him a crown of thorns! Why not crucify 'im while we're at it!?

Jesus: Alright, Ron, you can take this.

Ron: But...I...you...you're God's son! No one will listen to Your Message if Ron, Jesus' Stunt Double dies for their sins.

Jesus: Ron, the Son of God just told you to take the punishment. No one said anything about death. Now, Get up on that stick, there's a lad.

Ron: So, this won't kill me?

Jesus: Uh...No! You're the stunt double for Jesus! God is almost your father. You think he'd let you die for this?

Ron: OK...but if I croak I'm coming after you in the afterlife.

Jesus: Sure you will. Hey, while you're nailed down. NOT TOUCHING YOU!!! NOT TOUCHING YOU!!!! (wiggles hands in Ron's face)

Ron: Cut that out! Quit it! Aren't you supposed to be a moral standard for humanity?

Jesus: Meh, you only live once.

And then, when the babes came around or gifts came his way, Jesus would step back in.

Ron: Ouch, who would have thought Immaculate Conception would be so painful. (God snickers)

Jesus: Yeah, thanks for that one buddy. Oh hey, who are these three wise guys?

Three Wise Men: We come bearing gifts for our new Messiah.

Ron: Thanks fellahs, I-

Jesus: Step aside, Ron, this looks like a job for the Real Thing. Thank you very much Wise Men. I accept your gifts with...eww, what's this? Frankincense? Loganberry? Here you go Ron, you can have the faulty prize.

Ron: Thanks...dick.

Jesus: What was that? Don't make me call God's wrath upon you.

Ron: Sorry, Jesus, sorry. God, no need to get pissy.