Tired again, so not much today. I don't know if this link will work, but hopefully it will: it's a thread from the discussion board for MediaWhoresOnline that talks about how certain chain bookstores are apparently not carrying the new book Blinded By the Right by David Brock, an expose of his years as a conservative hatchet-man. Interesting. Looking forward to reading the book myself.
posted by Mad Anne Rackham at 1:35 AM

Alright, here's one of the most pathetic things I've ever seen: John Ashcroft singing a song he himself wrote in praise of America. Click here to see it, but don't say I didn't warn you--it's hideous! An unnamed lawyer at the Justice Department, when asked by the media why she opposed him encouraging his staff to sing the song with him, said, "Have you heard the song? It really sucks." Amen to that. You can read more about it here Thank God for the Guardian, and for Buzzflash as always.

posted by Mad Anne Rackham at 4:15 AM

A quick note today because I'm wiped. My sleep got all screwed up again, so I'm almost but not quite pulling an all-dayer (not an all-nighter because I'm nocturnal by nature and thus almost always up all night.)

I was thinking the other day about a concept you hear about from time to time, namely using a stationary bicycle to generate electricity. So I went searching on the web and wasn't able to find a mainstream producer of such a machine. They're not that efficient, but every little bit helps. What I think would be a good idea, though, would be for health clubs to hook generators up to their fleets of stationary bikes. Why not? Economics and aesthetics, but if there were a real paradigm shift, it could make a difference. People may laugh at me and these small differences, but they add up. I could rant voluminously about it, but I'm too tired. Later. Anyway, I broke down and just bought a "trainer," i.e., a device to convert my regular bike temporarily into a stationary bike. Once I get it set up and get motivated, I think it will be a really good thing. I used to ride the stationary bike all the time before it got screwed up, and it was great for me. So I'm hoping this is one of those moves that will lead to a real positive difference for me.

Actually have a few of those in motion (as it were) right now. We're getting a new computer desk and bookshelves, and I finally got the shredder hooked up (hi Ken Lay!) and thus took care of months worth of credit card offers that had piled up waiting to be shredded. It's funny how removing an obstacle can make such a huge difference at times. So here's hoping life continues to get less complicated. That's a lot to hope for and so, so important.

Told a friend in an email a minute ago that there are many little annoyances going on, such that it's like "Whack-a-Mole." Such an apt simile. It's like attrition--they just wear us down.
posted by Mad Anne Rackham at 6:14 PM