Post Quota

I'll spare you my theory on blogs and their dependance on links to other blogs commenting on articles in print but I dig what RiverRapids sez about Style's Backpage.

But I'll take what they said a step further. I can't remember the last time I read past the first paragraph of anything they've ever printed. Some of the most boring prose throughout the land.

Don't Call It a Comeback

You were just starting to get used to us and then we went away. Why? A plethora of reasons, really. Reasons that can only be explained through a....

Top Ten List of Reasons We Haven't Been Blogging:


10) Afraid one of my posts would take down a network news anchor.

9) Could give a shit about a ballpark downtown.

8) Thought the election was over.

7) My family was close to discovering that I am the Drizzle...er, The Smith Level Devil.

6) Stomach Flu.

5) Work is killing me.

4) Blogging won't get you laid.

3)This is one of many things I've started doing and lost interest in. Won't happen again. Promise.

2)

1)Oh what do you know? It did happen again.

Why I haven't Been Posting.

Snow.

Not panicked or anything.

I saw it coming a week ago. Just been in line at Ukrops ever since.

Art...or Why I Like Art That Looks Like People

I could have been a cop.

I could be the patrolman out on the beat making decisions that alter lives. Life or death decisions. Decisions that once made do have an effect on whether one is alive or dead.

Living or that state of being where you are not so living (think: Mechanicsville, but not breathing.)

But could I have made a decision about life or art? That, my friends, is a decision that you just can't teach. Every cop just has to have it or he doesn't.

From The R-TD:

Andy Coppola's show was a hit in Italy and Germany. In Richmond, it was a bust.
Coppola is a performance artist who makes himself into "living sculpture" by adorning his body with paint and clay or by wearing costumes.

He launched his latest "performance piece" Feb. 5 by donning a hallucinogenically colorful, head-to-toe outfit made of powermesh (normally used for swimsuit lining) and walking from his South Richmond home to Art6, the downtown gallery sponsoring Coppola's performance as part of its "Orlando Furioso" show.

Coppola was walking down the Second Street exit off the Lee Bridge about 1 p.m. when he heard an amplified voice ordering him to stop and show his hands.


And the best ones will push the limits. Cops that is. My uncle was a cop. And he went all the way to the commissioner until he got them to admit that maybe Duchamp was right after all- an upsidedown urinal may just have something to say about the world we live in.

I just hate to think about how Bush and his Halliburton crew have sent all of our young men and women into harm's way without even a post-structionalist approach to acrylic applied to canvas.

I Hate The Aughts

NYT has a fun read about the 80s nostalgia running rampant (i blame deregulation- weren't we fine with 5o's nostalgia?) and the anti-80's feeling that has resulted.

I agree with this guy:

In Baltimore, for example, Benn Ray, the co-owner of an independent bookstore, Atomic Books, has started up a regular "I Hate the 80's" party to mock the trend.

"The 80's nostalgia was starting to roll in, and I was like, 'Wait a minute! Did you people actually listen to the same decade I did? You had eight years of Reagan. There was cocaine everywhere. There were yuppies. We were oppressed by this whole notion of baby boomers trying to cash out."

The music industry really pushed some crap on us back then. But like Mike Watt once said, it takes a lot of fertilizer to make a flower grow. Alternative music meant the scene that existed outside of the mainstream. That simple. It was easy to identify who were the cool bands, you just had to know where to look. I believe 1984 was one of the the best years ever for records: The Replacements' Let it Be, The Minutemen Double Nickels on the Dime and Husker Du's Zen Arcade all came out.

Right here would also be a good time to tie in the state of music now and the fact that former Husker Bob Mould has a blog now but in the anti-spirit of that decade I won't be so obvious.

I Still Get Around

But I couldn't blog lately. 3 reasons: band, baby and broadband. The first 2, eh I know we all got lives but the broadband- not a good time for Comcast to let me down. I have been trying to convince my wife we should hold on to the cable internet and ditch cable TV instead (apparently those are the only 2 things I have to chose from to control costs). But our internet access has been in and out over the last month and it's hard to justify 50 some-odd bucks a month for an unreliable service. But I can't go back to dial-up and DSL isn't available where I am. Yeah I could blog from work but I know better. Unlike these idiots.

But I have been reading blogs from work. Norman makes a good catch over at the trash heap. Good in that it's not Ross McCrazy. Now that guy-how many times have I read him and just thought "WTF?" But Bart, now he's usually reliable. I'm disappointed. Hurt. Still, I don't think I can tire of what one man and a search engine can do. It's so much more to accomplish that in a blog than in a letter tothe editor.

Brandon enlisted in the Marine Corps. I guess people get really drunk on Thursdays now too.

Sic Semper Tyrannis must know how to hold its liquor. It's still doing a remarkable job following every piece of legislation no matter how silly and they sure have been silly this year. The anti-smoking measure failed and that's good I suppose. But it failed to get the attention I thought it would. Richmond.com has a piece on Strawberry Street Cafe That reminds me how my old roommate used to do internet dating ..a lot..and take every date to the Strawberry Street Cafe. He'd be there 4 or 5 times a week with a different girl every night. We lived on the corner of that block and I think he did that so he wouldn't have to drive anywhere. He kept this really great parking space and never went everywhere. Worked from home. I guess cause he really liked that spot.

Meryl is Jewish. I just found this out.

Glenn has posted 514 times since my last post. And i can't even argue quality over quanity.


The Gaskets have played 2 gigs. One of them was with MC Chris better known by some as MC Pee Pants. In my decade plus of shows at Twisters/Nanci Raygun I have honestly never seen a line to get in that big before. It stretched all the way around Harrison St to Edo's Squid.

I still don't know who I am voting for and of course...some of you still owe me beer money.

Safe at What Speed?

When the posted limit is 65 mph, how much over that can you comfortably go? My old boss said a state trooper stated up to 10mph over the limit is safe from getting you pulled over for speeding. I doubt that, but what is ok?

Here's news (via the T-D) for southside commuters:

"The Virginia Department of Transportation is raising the speed limit to 60 mph on Chippenham between about a half mile south of Midlothian Turnpike and Route 895, the Pocahontas Parkway."

I don't travel that way much anymore but it always felt hard to stay at 55mph before on that stretch of road. Though the ever-present speed traps helped.
One other thing: These type of stories affect are daily lives much more than we speak about. Marriage license specialty plates will get more attention but really, how many more people's lives are changed from this. Yeah these stories seem small and mundane, but after my stint covering planning commissions I know this is where it's at.

We're The Gayest State in The Union

My father has a saying when he inquires of someone's character. Give a man all the praise and accolades in the world but what it boils down to is this: "Would you have a beer with the guy?" Doesn't matter whether he drinks. Is he a regular guy?

By trying to not appear gay, Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, is showing he is the gayest legislator on the planet.

"With more than 1,100 bills still awaiting action by next Tuesday, the House of Delegates today endorsed a measure for the state to issue special license plates for supporters of traditional marriage."

'Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, who sponsored the measure, pointed out that the plate would "send a message to the people of Virginia that we're not ashamed of traditional marriage."'

Lingamfelter- please stop telling people you represent Virginia.

Guys I'd Go Gay For

The usually reliable Andrew Sullivan will no longer be reliable. He's taking an extended break, blogging whenever he feels like it (oh and where did he get that idea?)
He says it's just time and it isn't anything I have said (he was looking in my direction so I just assumed)
I'll still be checking his site for the next couple of months out of habit. I believe when we do see his work next it'll be fresher.

" A little distance from the blogosphere might be helpful in that as well."


I just can't help but think of the last 50 times I've heard that from someone I've loved, it didn't help me at all.

Making Hit Records, Baby

To your right of this post and a little down, are the links (who's there and why another day). One of them www.richmondrootsrevival.com gets a mentioned in the weekly Sound Off column in richmond.com. Apparently there's a new writer doing it too- Katherine Houstoun. Don't know what happened to Kate Bredimus.

One alert reader wants to know why Schnitzel's identity is revealed. I'm not going to get into the whole "putting our boys into harm's way" argument but I think it's fair to say that that's the risk you take when doing the "rock and roll" music. Besides, I think other people play with him.

Update: Apparently the Schnitzel album is called "Southbound Freight". ...just throwing that out there.

Iraq honey, and I'm sorry

Obviously, this site was not your one-stop source for Iraqi election news. We were too busy reading other people's sites to write for our own.


...And we're fighting with our wife. Can't get to the computer much. But this is one of our favorite quotes from this weekend (not including the "Why did you bring that whore into my house?!?"...hey we said it kept us from blogging so you knew it got ugly)

'"The first exit polls are in from Saba al-Boor, and they show Edwin Edwards leading," said Sgt. 1st Class Damon Hebert, 31, from Erath, La, referring to the state's legendary, four-term governor who is serving a 10-year term for corruption.'

Sometimes I Blog for The Wrong Reasons

Like with this Jack Shafer piece on blogging. I think I'm half-doing it just to see if he links to me at the end of the article. But then I get into far less trouble when I examine my own motives.

But I also agree. Somewhat. Blogging has done great things so far. I wouldn't say it has shifted power away from the MSM to regular folks. That would assume a zero sum game. At the risk of speaking in cliches, it has put power and information into the hands of those who didn't know what they could do with it before. There are enough guesses right now on where this will lead that somebody is bound to be right. I don't think this means they have >insert word that means have knowledge of where things are headed before they happen<. It's all speculation, and although it's useful, it's not essential to figure it all out now.


And yes, it has given rise to a new class of snobbiness.

"The premature triumphalism of some bloggers indicates that they haven't paid attention to how Webified journalists have become. They also ignore media history."

Have you posted a story a few days late? The self-imposed sense of being dated is suffocating. But that will play itself out.

"I hadn't witnessed such public expressions of high self-esteem since the last time I attended a journalism awards ceremony."

Well who goes to these conferences anyway? (Wonkette: The upside is that this conference takes place on a weekend, so there's a good chance that everyone will be bombed by noon. Oh wait, it's Harvard.) The same people who voluntarily attend any conference. A bunch of weenies, that's who.

"But we owe it to this prodigious new communications form not to demand too much too soon."


I don't think so. Readers of the Belmont Club already know how high the bar has been raised. Plus, can a MSM journalist do this.....LINK TO KITTIES!!!!!!

A player's got to play I don't care if that sounds lame.

Hey, look at this, 2 music posts right in a row:

Just received an email from the Gaskets that they'll be playing some shows coming up.

"The Gaskets are back in action... at least for the time being. Ross is
back from hanging out with the family in Arkansas, but he might go back
for a while so see the Gaskets while you can, you might not have
another
chance for a few months... who knows? We don't.

The point is, the Gaskets are playing two shows in the near future. In
Richmond, on Tuesday Feb 1st the Gaskets will be playing with the
legendary mc chris. He is a fantastic rapper best known for his
depiction of MC Pee Pants on Aqua Teen Hunger Force and his work as
Hesh
on Sea Lab 2021. He is one funny man."

First of all, MC Pee Pants. Damn.

Second of all, are The Gaskets broken up? Just be a man and say either way. "He might go back for a while." What the hell? At least there's one decent group left in Richmond. At least we have Schnitzel.

Thus Always To Tyrants

...is one of the best albums of the last 10 years.

And the man who made that record, Scott Miller, is coming around here this Friday at Ashland Coffee and Tea. If you don't know him, then I can't recommend his stuff enough. If you don't like him, then I don't like you...sorry, I just feel real strongly about this, ok?

He has a newer Cd out called Upside Downside that's good, too. But Thus Always To Tyrants, his first record after leaving the legendary V-Roys, earned him a "Cease and Desist" letter from the Commonwealth for its cover. Oh and here's an obligatory Glenn link about him.

This could be you! 

V-E-T-S Vets Vets Vets!!!!

Sic Semper Tyrannis links to an MSNBC piece on veterans benefits. George Allen is proposing raising the death gratuity from $12,000 to perhaps $100,000. (a little background here)

Senator Allen isn't the only legislator in Va thinking about this either.

The Daily Press reports:

'The number of claims agents available to help veterans file for federal benefits would nearly double under state legislation proposed Monday.

Del. M. Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights, said the measure is necessary because of long delays veterans experience in getting their claims processed. The state has 16 claims agents for its population of 786,000 veterans.'

We're going to have to reckon with this issue sooner than we think, particularly here in Virginia. I wonder how, in the long run, regular citizens react to the effects combat can have on those reentering regular civilian life. The explosive anger I've personally witnessed of some returning soldiers is startling. There's going to be a struggle ahead.

On another note, perhaps we'll see a resurgence of Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. Ah, those memories of baked ziti dinners at Pop Warner awards banquets are priceless.

Get Off The Bus

I mentioned before some of the comments made about Tim Kaine's integrity. They were coming in regards to his support of the Million Mom March.

I'll leave alone the debate about whether the merits of such activism and the whole anti-gun agenda. What's troubling is the suggestion Kaine did something unseemly here.

The whole Paygo program was ripe for abuse and Richmond City Council did not disappoint. But when Tim Kaine threw his support behind the March he was up front about where he was getting the funds from Paygo. It would not be unreasonable for a councilman to assume it would be an appropriate use of the funds.

When objections were raised he listened to the complaints and payed from his own pocket. Now this isn't to say this is a shining example of Tim Kaine's nobility but it is disingenuous to lump Kaine's actions with the fraud committed by other members of the council.

The reason I like Tim Kaine (though I'm still an undecided voter) is because of his work on city council. I admire the job he did as mayor. Remember, he took the position after Sa'ad El Amin duped the 6th District with paranoid lies and half-truths about the then expected mayor-to-be-James Banks. Kaine was patient among a host of impatient rabble-rousers and conspiracy buffs. Just plain crazy people, really. Kaine managed to reign in the circus faction and make it work with honest and capable public servants like John Conrad and Joe Brooks (God bless him). He demonstrated leadership and good common sense in a time and place where I thought it was hopeless. I was struck by how he did not alienate people and yet still managed to lead. That's something easily said but is difficult to practice. "If he could do succeed here," I thought at the time, "Then this guy deserves to be governor."

But then, I'm one of those people persuaded by the last person I talk to and there's a lot of time between now and the election.

You're Not The Same

There's a saying among bankers that no one ever calls you to tell you what a great job you've been doing. So maybe I should have called before. Because First Market Bank (the Ukrops bank)just changed their website. Major overhaul. And it's lousy. There was nothing wrong with what it once was. Before, it would state your balance after each deposit and withdrawl. I don't know what it's doing now. I hate it.

The Dogs That Don't Bark, Don't Hunt

"I am shocked, shocked! to read that the governor's race has become...gasp! rancorous."
One Man's Trash


Exactly. The Times Dispatch explores the notion that the race is getting mean.


'This prompted a rebuke from the normally friendly editorial page of The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, which described Kaine's attack as "over the top" and headlined the editorial "Kaine Should Muzzle His Attack Dogs."

The Richmond Times-Dispatch editorialized Friday that both candidates' reputations for being "bright, friendly, decent, and honest" are being put "to a stern test."'

Granted, Kaine's recent attacks on Kilgore resigning from the AG post were silly and cringe-inducing, I am reassured by the "rancor" from both sides. It means both sides want it, both expect it and it's not predetermined. We'll have more calls from editorials declaring that the tone is damaging to the voting public. I don't think it is. We can handle it and so far they have concerned issues and policies and not personal details or family life. Think of the case of the dog who didn't bark. An absence of rancor would imply it's all fixed. Being a troubled paranoid myself, I take comfort in the mess.

But I am taken aback on some recent attacks on Kaine's integrity. More on that later.

Not Where are They Going

...but rather where did they come from?

One underreported story is the removal of textiles from low rent countries. Here's a good link to brush up on this subject (via Glenn).

And it looks like we all should because this story will keep coming around and around. The Times Dispatch picks up late on a story of a textile mill closing.

'WestPoint Stevens, one of the nation's largest makers of bed and bath textiles, said the closings and layoffs "are directly related to the removal of textile quotas from low-wage countries."'

and

'The closing of the Drakes Branch plant means the loss of about 450 jobs and the largest employer in the rural Southside county (population 12,700).'



That's hard news. If it happened in Richmond it would hurt too but have no where near the same effect. Small towns can never recover from that sort of thing. I should know, I came from one of them.


Which is gonna make me sound kind of cold but I have a hard sympathizing. These jobs used to be up North but came South because it was easier to exploit low wage labor. This is from WestPoint Stevens website:

'His [founder Lafayette Lanier] vision would be vindicated, as the following years would see a "mill explosion" in which most of the domestic cotton manufacturing would move South (both J.P. Stevens and Pepperell would later build their own facilities in Alabama and Georgia).'

And now they're moving overseas. Just remember, those jobs didn't originate here. They came from somewhere else.

Slap Happy, Punch Drunk

Why can't kids just play with guns anymore? (via BoingBoing)

Letter of The Day

Alert reader Chris takes his best shot:

"Your post on the tobacco issue reflects the epitome of ambivalence.

The horribleness of people who try to addict you to their death product

vs.

"hey..I'm a grown up. Its 2005. I get to decide if I can smoke in a bar"

He then goes on to complain about making prostitution legal again (Chris, when was it ever?) but it was getting beyond our subject. But he does make an interesting point: perhaps the pro-smoking crowd can enlist others who frequent nightclubs to weigh in. Say, like Gov. Mark Warner. Does he like, smoke ever when he's at the club? Cause if he does he might know some people who are influential. Oh and Sen. George Allen. He dips tobacco all day long. I'm sure he'd be on our side. Together people, we can stand up to the Lung Association. The forces of good have been triumphing too long. And if we got Bush a second term, well then surely evil can succeed somewhere else as well. So lets ban together.

update: If you must smoke do it here. That would be cool. It would also would be cool if we exported oxygen to Titan. Stuff blowing up should definietly still be part of NASA's mission.