Damn, These Guys Are Good

Rachmaninov Had Big Hands


Mozart Bond


Check them out here.

Putting Cake To Shame

and making Gloria Gaynor proud.

Bonus points for anyone who can the song they reference in the long instrumental section. (Actually, I think there are two, but I can only put my finger on one.)

Fax Us Your E-Mail Address Now!

The Complete Gabe and Max's Internet Thing. ORDER NOW!

Ham-ster

I'm John McC**t And I Approve This Message

What a newsroom might look like if the media didn't handle McCain with cun—er, kid gloves...

A 360 Of Obama

Way cool panorama from Obama's Detroit rally. 

Wait…I Get It

Check out this attempt at wit from the adolescents who run the GOP in Texas. 

Thing is, I'll bet they think it's clever.

Yes He Can, Too

When I heard that Al Gore had finally endorsed Obama I thought, "Eh, now? Big deal." I didn't go out of my way to see the conference or rally or whatever in Detroit because I need a bit of a breather from the election and there's been no real news since Hillary almost, sorta, kinda, maybe conceded (she "suspended" her campaign). Still, I'm checking the usual blogs and came across a vid clip of Gore's introduction of Obama in Detroit. I have to say it's pretty damn good. Give it a watch.

Screw Hawaii…

…let's go to Siberia!

You're right, fuck that. But I do recommend reading  this fascinating article about that place you probably know only from playing Risk—the coldest city in the world—Yakutsk, Russia. Why anyone would choose to live there is beyond me, but I admit I would like to visit just to challenge my wussy-ass self. Now that we're safely in summer's embrace I can pass this article along without the worry of causing anyone psychic pain. 

Yakutsk: Journey to the coldest city on earth
Think our winter's been a bit grim? Try visiting Yakutsk – the Russian city where 'a bit nippy' means minus 50C, and a quick dash to the corner shop could end in frostbite. Shaun Walker enjoys a mini-break in deepest Siberia:

At minus 5C, the cold is quite refreshing and a light hat and scarf are all that's required to keep warm. At minus 20C, the moisture in your nostrils freezes, and the cold air starts making it difficult not to cough. At minus 35C, the air will cold enough to numb exposed skin quickly, making frostbite a constant hazard. And at minus 45C, even wearing glasses gets tricky: the metal sticks to your cheeks and will tear off chunks of flesh when you decide to remove them. I know this because I've just arrived in Yakutsk….

Like Being 80 Years Old

Can a night owl become a morning lark?

As a die-hard night person myself, I can attest to the strange allure of becoming a morning person. I love the softness of the morning light and the freshness of the day. The world feels brand new and full of possibility. I've tried numerous times to change my sleeping pattern only to fall back into my normal rhythm within a week or two. Yet there's something about the night that really resonates with me. I feel more creative, more alive, more at home at night than I do during the daytime.

Well, I'm not alone in my attempts at diurnal rehabilitation. After years of fantasizing about it (and despite the cheery smugness of most morning people she knows) this Slate writer attempts to change her habits—with the help of her doctor, melatonin supplements and yellow sunglasses—and finally become a morning person herself.

Choice cut:

At 6:30 on a weekday evening, I popped my first melatonin pill. Dr. Richardson had warned me that the pill might make me drowsy as soon as I took it, and sure enough, 15 minutes later my brain was shrouded in a thick fog. It felt like I had taken a teaspoon of Nyquil and I would now drift into a blissful, drugged sleep. Except that bedtime wasn't for another four hours.

The yellow glasses went on at 8 p.m. I looked like a cross between Bono and Henry Kissinger. At a get-together at a friend's house that evening, I wandered around in a sleepy, self-conscious haze. I went home at about 10 and picked up a novel to read in bed. A half-hour later, the book was slipping from my lifeless hands. So this is what being a morning person is like, I thought. It's like being 80 years old.

Cleanse…Or Torture?

Day seven of our detox cleanse and I'm hurting. Major headaches and all I want to do is sleep. Very little energy. This sucks. 

Week one went much easier than expected. I was surprised by how little I missed my normal foods and actually felt pretty good about what we were eating. It wasn't that much of a stretch really. Sure, we had to give up caffeine, refined sugars, salt, eggs, most grains, red and lunch meats, dairy and processed foods. But we could still eat chicken, veggies, fruits, beans, rice, oats, rice cereal, rice milk, and best of all, I could keep using agave syrup as sweetener. 

Now, having given up caffeine cold turkey before to ill effect, I knew better than to attempt it now. Instead I tapered off my caffeine intake by drinking green tea for a week. This has two benefits: 1) no screaming headaches and moroseness, and 2) way smaller sugar intake. 

So far, so good. 

Then came today. Today began the deep, intense part of the cleanse. From now through next Sunday, Annie and I are eating no breakfast except a rice powder protein drink, no more meat, and less of everything else. I could live without the meat, I guess, but the lack of cereal is a blow. I love eating cereal, it's a comfort food for me. 

Worse, I stopped drinking green tea yesterday. I didn't experience any headaches then, but had very little energy. I was incredibly sluggish. Today was worse, though, as I had persistent headaches and even less energy. I mean, I can't believe how tired I've been today. In addition to sleeping in and finding it near impossible to get out of bed, I've had two naps. As I write this I'm nearly falling asleep. It's 10:30 p.m.

These are all normal symptoms of a detox cleanse, of course, and I'll tough it out. But this sucks. 

The most remarkable thing I've noticed is just how much I rely on caffeine and sugar to just get through a day at what feels like a normal level. I guess I really am an addict. 

Turnabout Is Fair Play

Ah, it's good to be back. Good job, Bill!

FOX Ambushes Bill Moyers; Journalists Ambush FOX
At the National Conference for Media Reform 2008, a producer for FOX's The O'Reilly Factor, Porter Barry, ambushes PBS's Bill Moyers and peppers him with questions regarding his political affiliations and his "refusal" to appear on O'Reilly's show. Moyers disputes FOX's "facts" for the record and asks to interview someone at The O'Reilly Factor about Rupert Murdoch and the show's coverage during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. The journalist crowd then reacts, chasing down Barry and intentionally giving him a dose of FOX-style bullying reportage.

Checking In

Well, I'm back. Checking in with exhaustion, gratitude, joy, and relief. 

What a weekend! I'm still physically spent from it. I went into this past weekend with a great deal of fear. Fear of fucking up, fearing of looking stupid, fear of having to be responsible and accountable, fear of being bored in down times, fear of the discomfort of being out of my comfortable life. But I just leaned into it and pushed through. And I came out feeling proud, excited, grateful, happy, and, most of all, relieved.

Seeing the weekend from the other side was intense and instructive. Tons of effort and energy goes into making it all go smoothly for the new men. It was a blessing getting to work with such smart, powerful, caring, and cocky men in the service of helping other men deal with their (sometimes very substantial) shit. 

It was my third time going up to Wa-Ri-Ki and by far my favorite road trip. Will and I had a blast and I really loved getting to know him better. We didn't listen to music once (well, we tried once, but suffered from technical difficulties that I just wasn't interested in resolving), and I hardly noticed. I'd road trip with him again at the drop of a hat.

By all accounts my dear friends who's initial weekend it was had the heart-blowing experienced I'd hoped they would. I was honored to be a part of the deepest pieces for one of them. It was a deeply satisfying and pleasing thing to see both of them shining bright on Sat. night and Sun. morning. 

There is serious magic that happens on those weekends. It's awe-inducing. I am impressed beyond words at both the processes and the men who facilitate them. I'm just blown away. And grateful to be a part of it. And honored. And proud of myself. 

And it's damn good to be back!

Ciao

Well, looks like this will be my last post in a while. I'm heading up to Washougal, WA to help staff a weekend for the New Warriors. I'll be completely offline for four—four—mother fucking days! Yeesh. Enjoy the blogosphere without me. See you soon.

Awww...

Clinton's Comic Sidekick

I have to admit, this guy's grown on me this cycle. His whole jump-the-shark persona is strangely endearing.

Gl-Obama

Headlines from around the world.

Oh, Yeah…

There was another speech last night. McCain's. I thought it was god-awful. He's just a terrible orator. (And who's decision was it to use a bright green backdrop? It looked more like a golfing event.) 

Anyway, as I said, I thought it was a bad speech and poorly delivered. But then, I would, wouldn't I? He's the opponent of my preferred candidate. And I've thought many of Bushes speeches were atrocious only to see them lauded in the media. So I didn't exactly trust my opinion to be objective. 

But it turns out I was right. It was just a leaden, boring speech. How do I know? Even conservatives are bashing it. DKos has reax here. 

One example from the National Review:

McCain's speech was creaky, ungracious, and unnecessary. I never understand why politicians don't take the opportunity, when so easily presented, to simply be gracious and hold their fire. Watching McCain, I couldn't help but think of the astonishing contrast Barack's triumphant speech to a massive and adoring crowd will be. It was not a comparison McCain should have invited.

It would have been more statesmanlike ‹ precisely the profile McCain is attempting to craft ‹ to acknowledge this historic moment in American politics. A major party is on the cusp of selecting an African American to be their nominee for President of the United States. It's a tribute to America that we've come this far. It would have been magnanimous to leave it at that, and wait until tomorrow to declare with enthusiasm and relish, "It's on!"

Update: "We're just trying to lower expectations." TPM has a humorous video roundup of reviews:

Bonus: Notice Harold Ford (D-Tenn.) at the very end of the clip, praising the clip. What a knob. A prime example of what the moribund DLC has to offer the party. Sheesh.

The Guy Is So Damn Smart

The Field explains:

Associated Press has a cryptic one-sentence report out:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama taps three people to lead veep search, including Caroline Kennedy.

…
The signals sent with this move are multiple. They suggest a search for a running mate that is ideologically compatible, acceptable to the Kennedy wing of the party, that acknowledges the generational aspect of the change at hand, and, importantly, it brackets the disqualifying words uttered by one Veep aspirant late last month and looms as an ever-present reminder of vigilance regarding such unspeakable acts. Obama has picked someone in Caroline Kennedy who nobody is going to be able to push around. Nice.

The Clinton Is Dead, Long Live The Clinton

Reactions from across the blogosphere on Clinton's self-serving speech last night, courtesy of The Daily Dish. 

My fav: "Whoever said that after denial comes acceptance hadn’t met the Clintons." —Maureen Dowd.