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Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:44:22 GMT - Betrayed! (by a beagle)In June of 2007, some friends had a dog they couldn’t keep anymore. Beagles weren’t meant to live in townhouses, and my place offered a lot for him. Plus it meant he didn’t go to the pound. He’s a sweet dog, and he’s dumb as a sack of hammers. He’s picky about going outside in the rain or cold, he sometimes decides the carpet is easier to pee on than the grass, and he really doesn’t like to share his food. For the last year and a half, I have fed, sheltered, and loved him. And for the most part, he has loved me. Sure, we’ve had to occasionally re-establish dominance (typical for the breed), but in general, He’s been mine, and I’m his. Until SHE moved in. Since Ursula moved in, it has become more and more obvious that I’m just the caretaker, and she’s his human. His great goal in life is to sleep at her feet when she’s working in the studio. He crys the great beagle cry when she won’t let him in. He sleep at her feet of the bed, and GOD FORBID actually listens to her sometimes. Yesterday cemented it. We pull into the driveway. I open the door so that the dogs can get out. I gett greeted by Brandon, the boarder collie. And Gir, the animal whom I have sheltered and fed and loved? He CRIES, he WHINES, and he runs over to Ursula and PEES WITh JOY that she’s home. Jumping and whimpering and all kinds of loving HER, and ignoring ME. The ingrate. On the other hand, now SHE’S stuck with him…..
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:34:54 GMT - And so we return from the Northlands“Isn’t it great to be back home, Home is where I wanna be…” - Simon & Garfunkle, “Keep the Customer Satisfied” The trip up was uneventful, but the trip home? Not so much. After a long delay on the ground in Houghton, MI so they could de-ice the plane, we ended up stuck in Minneapolis, MN (MSP) last night, with a 6:30am flight home this morning. Now, had it been me alone, past experience has shown that I’d have gotten the finger and “tough shit, there’s a bench in the corner, see you in the morning.” Instead, they gave us food vouchers, a hotel room in a swank place, and got our luggage on the same re-route as we took. Add to that the “luck of the Ursula” : she calls her best friend who lives up there, and the three of us ended up at Blackbird in downtown Minneapolis - owned by old friends of hers - instead of the hotel bar or just passing out in our room. Good food, Good people, Good conversation, and it’s the best layover/missed flight ever. If you happen to be in MSP, go to Blackbird. The appetizers are swank, the Walleye Po’Boy is delicious, and the desserts out of this world. Sadly, we were too tired to stop by her publisher’s fondue party after dinner. (Next time we’re in the area, guys, I promise - and with better planning!) Waking up at 4:30 Central sucked, but we snoozed most of the way to Detroit, got to our plane out in plenty of time, and had a whole row to ourselves on the flight to RDU. And now we’re home, showered, napped, pizza’ed, and just laying about watching TV.
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:18:36 GMT - Whoa, it’s snowing
 I am currently in Upper Peninsula Michigan, visiting Ursula’s Mom and Step-dad. I’ll be talking more about the anxiety and whatnot of “meeting the parents” in my next IntrepidMedia article. So you’ll have to wait for that. Today, I’m going to talk about snow. In the south, snow is an EVENT. It’s not something that happens with any regularity, it’s more something that is inflicted on us - we enjoy it as it falls, we rush to the store for bread, eggs, milk, and beer at the merest mention that snow will fall (and there is a collective embarrassment and bitching about this), and we’re disappointed when the snow doesn’t fall. Kids dream of snow days - and so do grown ups, even if we don’t get them. Up here, snow is a way of life. It’s snowed every day we’ve been up here, including a blustery and windy band of snow that we, in our foolishness, attempted to walk two blocks in on Monday.
 And it’s BEAUTIFUL. Heartrendingly, majestically beautiful. It is the kind of snow you see on TV or in post cards. As we were driving up to Copper Harbor yesterday, Ursula commented that “I’d love to paint this, but it’s so CLICHE” and it is and yet it’s the kind of winter wonderland you think of when the Christmas Carols are on. Until you open the car door or step outside.
 Ah yes, I forgot that with the snow comes the cold. The bitter, bitter bite of cold that seeps into your toes and under your hat as the wind finds every leak in your clothing, and the ice collects in the soles of your shoes. My mustache actually started to freeze up while we were out looking at Lake Superior yesterday. This is a sensation I will not forget. But I think I could, if I wanted to, live up here. I’m not sure. It certainly feels like home. Sadly, we return to NC today. I will miss looking out of an upstairs window into a white landscape with snowflakes dancing and whirling in the wind. I will miss the warmth of good food, good family, and good times. I will not miss the biting wind and angry chill. We’re leaving before I start to get homesick. And before I start to hate the white, pure, sparkling snow.
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:39:51 GMT - Intrepid Column back up!My December column for Intrepid Media is back up Here Read, Comment, and most of all Enjoy!
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Wed, 24 Dec 2008 02:03:17 GMT - Yes, one man CAN make a differencePosing as a Bidder, Utah Student Disrupts Government Auction of 150,000 Acres of Wilderness for Oil & Gas Drilling A Utah Student disrupts the Bush administration’s fire sale of Utah public lands. Notice, also, that the first story below barely mentions the manner in which the lands went up for auction in the first place. Tim DeChristopher Throws Utah Oil And Gas Drilling Leases Auction Into Chaos
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:59:50 GMT - You guys are awesomeThe publisher over on Intrepid Media wanted to hold my article until Wednesday. I think you guys hit the server too hard or something. Anyway, we’ll re-post the link when it goes up live.
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Sat, 20 Dec 2008 20:24:27 GMT - oh dear god, it’s time to buy presentsMy December column for Intrepid Media is up Here Read, Comment, and most of all Enjoy! Now the other dilemma - do I post the heavy articles, the ones that didn’t quite work, and etc here, or do I flush them into the eternal bit-bucket?
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:48:08 GMT - Sunday Morning Coming DownI’m sure I’ve used that title before, but what the hell, right? Today is a a lazy Sunday, and I should be writing or being productive or something, but I’m not. This past week was the usual busy with the kids and the cats and work. And then, on Saturday the dreaded maintenance weekend at work. Up at 4am, in the car before 5, at work until about 1:45pm. The kids were shopping with Mom and Dad, so I hoped over to the NC Web Comics Coffee Clatch Meeting with Ursula - since it was across the street from my datacenter. That’s always an interesting time, since the creators are all…creative, and seeing them interact is always an interesting experience. Then it was off to Mom and Dad’s for dinner, home with the boys, and maybe time to sleep? No such luck - my body was all kinds of “sorry, you’ll be up until your usual time, SUCKER.” But we did revisit the land of the purple (black in the original comic) Smurf, caught some of the Superman Animated Series Marathon on Toon Disney, and generally snuggled until I passed out. Although living with Ursula does mean, at 11pm when she has an idea, it MUST BE SKETCHED. She has mentioned that it’s odd when I bring the laptop to bed, so I can’t say anything about a sketchbook. You have to get stuff on paper/on record any way you’re comfortable. Today we’ve had brunch (8-egg omelet with Rosemary, Tyme, and Smoked Cheddar) received and AWESOME bookcase from Jason and done some de-cluttering and hanging of art. My kind of day off.
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:24:57 GMT - Have you joined the CBLDF yet? Here’s why you should :“Freedom to write, freedom to read, freedom to own material that you believe is worth defending means you’re going to have to stand up for stuff you don’t believe is worth defending, even stuff you find actively distasteful, because laws are big blunt instruments that do not differentiate between what you like and what you don’t, because prosecutors are humans and bear grudges and fight for re-election, because one person’s obscenity is another person’s art. Because if you don’t stand up for the stuff you don’t like, when they come for the stuff you do like, you’ve already lost. The CBLDF will defend your First Amendment right as an adult to make lines on paper, to draw, to write, to sell, to publish, and now, to own comics. And that’s what makes the kind of work you don’t like, or don’t read, or work that you do not feel has artistic worth or redeeming features worth defending. It’s because the same laws cover the stuff you like and the stuff you find icky, wherever your icky line happens to be: the law is a big blunt instrument that makes no fine distinctions, and because you only realise how wonderful absolute freedom of speech is the day you lose it.” — Neil Gaiman, 12/01/08 Read the Whole Article
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:10:25 GMT - New intrepid Media article onlineA Guide to the Stages of Intimacy, Part I : Our Bodies, Ourselves Read, comment, critique. Tell me I’m a genius, tell me I’m a hack, tell me where to go, but first just go read it! *grin*
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:45:24 GMT - Planning 2009Well, 2008 is almost at an end, and it’s time to start thinking about 2009. While I have yet to update Ursula’s Website with this information, here is the list of Conventions I know we’ll be at this year (so far) : WTHCon 2009, Greensboro NC There are a couple more we’re talking about and/or waiting to hear about, but that’s the list as it stands to date. If she gets invited to anything else, or we decided there’s something we just can’t pass up, you’ll hear about it soon enough. And hey, I don’t say it enough, but thanks to all Ursula’s fans and readers. Without you guys and gals, she wouldn’t be able to do these things. You make all the work worthwhile, and we are thankful for the opportunities to meet you, and are glad you enjoy her work.
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:31:30 GMT - ArghIs it just me, or is LJ Talk fubar? |
Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:12:40 GMT - Meeting Ahmed FadaamI like supporting my local NPR station (WUNC) since Ursula and I listen to them a lot. This fall, they offered the chance to have dinner with an artist and to receive a copy of his latest work. And this was an offer I couldn’t pass up. Ahmed Fadaam isn’t just any artist. if you’ve listened to The Story on NPR, you may have heard of Ahmed. He is an Iraqi citizen, who helped and became friends with host Dick Gordon while he was in Iraq. His diaries paint a picture of Iraq you don’t see in any other news media. He left Iraq after a death threat and after seeing his wife and children safely to Damascus, Syria. Currently, he is teaching at UNC Chapel Hill, and for the first time since early in the war, he is sculpting again. Ahmed is an amazing man. He is soft spoken, funny, and serious, all at once. He and I shared a cigarette[1] break during the reception - “The sinners” he called our little fellowship of addiction - and I got to see a little of what an amazing person he is. It was selfish to have him all to myself for that brief period, but it was worth it. “The end bit is the sweetest” he said. My response was “I often think it is the first one in the morning that is the sweetest.” “Ah, that is the first breath…The dizziness from that first cigarette.” Sadly, we were interrupted, as it was time for the keynote from Dick Gordon and Fadaam.  Ahmed Fadaam's "Grieving Woman" Of the piece itself - “The Grieving Woman” - he said : What struck me about Ahmed, though, was how - and I hesitate to use the word - heroic he is. Here he is presenting his first work in nearly five years. For most artists, this would be nothing too special. But seeing the back story, knowing he is separated from his family, having survived death threats and worse, and still being able to create. Seeing the hope (again, an overused word) in him, the hope that he can return to Bagdad and help rebuild his town and his country in peace. Seeing how he cares for his family, and the sadness as he speaks of the recent violence in Syria. A quiet kind of hero, who is still excited that a comic company - DC Comics, home of Superman and Batman comics that he read growing up in Iraq - would be interested in publishing his stories, and philosophize over a cigarette - about the cigarette. The best kind of hero. After all was said and done (including a discussion with Ursula about his upcoming graphic novel with DC Comics), those of us who attended were given our copies of the sculpture, which he graciously signed on the base, and wandered back to our lives. Changed a little for the better, I hope. I know I was. [1] Yes, I know. But as with all of us “I have quit a hundred times” was Ahmed’s response. It is typical of us and our sins, is it not?
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:47:48 GMT - I have said this elsewhere already, but…Obama is president-elect, and I have hope for my country. For my future. For the future of my kids. Yes, we Can. Yes, we Will.
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:33:20 GMT - A reminder of why I vote - and why I voted the way I did“We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. And they will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks and months to come. We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. “For when we have faced down impossible odds, when we’ve been told we’re not ready or that we shouldn’t try or that we can’t, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. “It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation: Yes, we can. It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail towards freedom through the darkest of nights: Yes, we can. It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness: Yes, we can. It was the call of workers who organized, women who reached for the ballot, a president who chose the moon as our new frontier, and a king who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the promised land: Yes, we can, to justice and equality. “Yes, we can, to opportunity and prosperity. Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can repair this world. Yes, we can.” – Barack Obama, January 8th, 2008
Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:47:02 GMT - Zombie StompAfter what was a reasonably productive day at work, and catching up on some chores, it was time to play some Dead Space on the 360. I’m not that far into the game yet, but so far it’s very cool. And reasonably creepy. If I was alone at home, I’d have most of the lights on after playing this for a while. It’s LOTS of fun. I’m almost too fond of just beating and stomping the zombies to death instead of shooting them - and in many cases, I have to beat them down, since ammo is scarce. The zero-G section I’ve played in so far was LOTS of fun, although expented play in zero-G could be nausea inducing. I can’t wait for more. Again, lots of fun. In other news, I also got in my Utilikilt today. I like it. Expect to see it out and about, since my test-run of it tonight finds it reasonably comfortable- and when I’ve got it on, for some reason Ursula can’t seem to keep her hands off of me. I call that a win, don’t you? Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:57:57 GMT - Something old, something newYes, I know the title is a reference to weddings, but that is not what this post is about.
I’m trying something new - wordpress on sonney.com cross-posting to livejournal. I’ve been feeling the need to blog more lately, but didn’t have the bandwidth. And sonney.com needed some love, so here ya go. Comment here or there - your choice. But hopefully this will get me to keep both places updated now. Originally published at sonney.com. You can comment here or there. |
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:26:31 GMT - Video of the hour |
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:22:40 GMT - More ass-hatteryFrom Mike Morgan's Blog : |
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:16:02 GMT - Damn rightFrom Democracy Now! : |
Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:37:37 GMT - Market regulation - a necessary evilWhy? It prevents the kind of me we (the U.S.) are in now. Read the article linked after the quote from same.... |
Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:46:11 GMT - PolarBearThanks to![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} mckenzee for the image. Spread it around. |
Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:15:53 GMT - interesting co-incidenceI notice a lot of people I know are moving this month. Is there something in the air? |
Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:59:44 GMT - SoulJourn Living Earth Music Fest - Tomorrow!As I've mentioned multiple times, tomorrow (Sat, Sept. 20) is the 2008 SoulJourn Living Earth Music Fest. We've got some great bands, the money goes to a great cause, and it's going to be a good time for all. |
Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:27:24 GMT - If you have to ask...This is today's most recent amusing exchange with |
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