tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61530832011-04-21T22:00:54.852-07:00Gloriously inconsistent.vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comBlogger851100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1127324431504697022005-09-21T10:15:00.000-07:002005-09-21T10:40:31.526-07:00

So this used to be my place to whine and bitch about my life. Waaa, we don't have health insurance, waaa, my wife and I aren't getting along, waaa, my job sucks. Now, we do have health insurance and my wife, E, and I are getting along nicely, and even my job is alright. Hell, they're sending me to New York for a week. Lesser men, when faced with this bland contentment, would give up, quit

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1087337585574497382004-06-15T15:12:00.000-07:002004-06-15T15:13:05.573-07:00

Happy birthday Nick. One year on the planet and already, you���re the best dancer in the family.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1085182948661829462004-05-21T16:36:00.000-07:002004-05-21T16:42:28.660-07:00

I've decided to re-engage the Trout as things have stabilzed quite a bit onthe homefront since I abandoned this place. We are doing incredibly well, financially, for the first time in two years, and I can't believe how much that contributes to our mental well-being. Our relationship is back on track, or at least it isn't in danger of derailment. However, I am noticing how different we are. More

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076519866809288022004-05-21T14:49:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:49:09.463-07:00

Courtesy of 1115.org comes the Center for American Progress who put together this point by point analysis of Bush's Meet the Press appearance on Sunday. I don't mean to get all political on you, but I am ready to do almost anything to get the current assmuch out of office.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076518199320534382004-05-21T14:48:00.004-07:002004-05-21T14:48:55.766-07:00

I don't know who billmon of The Whiskey Bar really is, or how he can write so copiously and thoughtfully on a daily basis while maintaining a job. His post today is great and reminded me of how fucking off the charts brilliant the movie Being There is. I think it's in the top 3 for me, #1 being Dr. Strangelove, so I guess I have some sort of affinity for Peter Sellers. Incidentally, Dr.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076456052450469212004-05-21T14:48:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:48:43.276-07:00

Went out on Saturday night with E. My parents watched the kids overnight for the first time in over 2 years. We ate at an overpriced Italian place that turned out to be quite average, although the d茅cor was nice. Conversation with E went from trivial to serious very quickly, as we had been building up to this point for months. We talked about ���our relationship��� and how we basically don���t

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076455008295873512004-05-21T14:48:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:48:31.673-07:00

In a conference call today, the term "viral marketing" was brought up. The Marketing department (aside from myself) was not familiar with this term. I would be saddened by this if not for the fact that I gained major brownie points for defining this rather aging trend to the meeting attendees, including the Marketing Supervisor. I work in Sacramento, which is not exactly Bumfuck, Egypt. But

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076450601213277562004-05-21T14:48:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:48:21.430-07:00

People like Paul Ford make me feel like a mental midget.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076436760741602172004-05-21T14:48:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:48:09.796-07:00

I would move here in a second. Terry Hall is the mayor and Missy is the sheriff. You hear Prince's "Pussy Control" when you're on hold with the DMV. Pretty Girls Makes Graves owns all the bodegas. Sunset starts at 2 PM and lasts until 2 AM. Condoms, coffee and vodka are free. Ghostface Killah tends bar at The Rusty Toothpick. He makes a wicked Horse's Neck and will drive you home in his

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076354755710262302004-05-21T14:47:00.004-07:002004-05-21T14:47:59.220-07:00

OK, why are you here when you could be here? Eeksy Peeksy has been on my list for awhile, but I feel the need to give him a more prominent plug. Me? I haven't had anything interesting to say for about 13 days, now.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076024127196041932004-05-21T14:47:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:47:48.110-07:00

This is too damn cool, a catalogue of files from Paul O'Neil's days in the Bush administration. Thanks to Wonkette for that link. And you should all be reading her stuff on a daily basis.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076014621954462452004-05-21T14:47:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:47:36.906-07:00

Oh Jesus, I am attempting to bury my head and avoid the raging argument two of my co-workers are in the middle of right now. They���ve already tried to drag me into it, but I pleaded ignorance to things like server connections, XML feeds, and the existence of computers in general. It has devolved into personal attacks and sarcasm. Christ, they should just get married, already. Help me.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075938230822515992004-05-21T14:47:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:47:25.166-07:00

No way! Kerry in Doonesbury, circa 1971.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075936878121346712004-05-21T14:47:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:47:14.173-07:00

Check out this cool little trick you can do at your desk. I'm a drummer at it even works on me. Damn you, neural wiring!

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075933841133615122004-05-21T14:46:00.004-07:002004-05-21T14:47:03.090-07:00

Have you ever engaged in a pre-emptive fashion strike? Or even more obsessively catalogued, a ���pre-emptive, pre-ironic fashion strike���? That is, you can see a fashion trend coming down the pike and/or that fad from 7 years ago is just about to blossom into blissful ironic ripeness, so you take a chance and start sporting the gear before the tides have come in. I have done this. And I am

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075830466518103522004-05-21T14:46:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:46:49.646-07:00

At the risk of this blog becoming yet another link-happy respository of ephemera, I give you this. Sort of like the guestmap featured at right (which very few people choose to use, by the way. Of course, very few people actually visit the Trout), but cooler.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075761047490790322004-05-21T14:46:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:46:37.756-07:00

First off, I make no apologies for the title of this post. Somebody had to do it, and it may as well have been me. Second off, I will leave commenting on Janet Jackson's right boobie to an expert, namely, billmon at Whiskey Bar. Seriously, go there, the guy is a serious writer and I agree totally with him on this topic. Third off, you're damn right I Tivo'd the whole thing and rewound it

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075500331495577932004-05-21T14:46:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:46:26.770-07:00

I'm thinking of becoming a freelance spam writer. -----Original Message----- From: bob [mailto:bob@yobob.com] Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 11:49 AM To: ���Jim��� Subject: RE: That question you had Are you tired of having your email account clogged with unwanted spam? Do you want to regain control of your online life? Shouldn���t you be able to download midget porn without worrying about

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075484365086070932004-05-21T14:46:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:46:12.293-07:00

FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!! OK, here's the deal: E and I haven't had 24 hours without the kids in 3 years. Three. Years. So tonight, the kids were going to stay with my parents overnight and we were going to go out to eat and a see a movie and stay up all night and sleep in tomorrow. Well, the kids starting throwing up late last night. I hate to sound selfish, but I

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075411156977232862004-05-21T14:45:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:45:58.450-07:00

Oh man, I could spend all day here.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075399074572281722004-05-21T14:41:00.004-07:002004-05-21T14:41:52.666-07:00

I freakin' love Radiohead and I say this with some trepidation, because they are so good and their goodness has been so chronicled that to say you like Radiohead almost sounds lazy. I really should be trying harder, I know. But yeah, I said it and this guy says it much better than I could. Some of the other stuff on his site veers sharply into pretention, but his song-by-song dissection of

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075331334338313822004-05-21T14:41:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:41:41.790-07:00

Youthful antics are generational, in nature, and possibly progressing at an exponential rate. To whit: My dad and his best friend from high school were reminiscing one night over a few drinks about the things they pulled back in the day. They consisted of such impossibly wholesome and endearing pranks like sneaking "cans of beer" on to the bus during senior trip, going barefoot at graduation,

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075320359887180712004-05-21T14:41:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:41:29.490-07:00

Upcoming Morrissey song titles culled from the ring of impossibly cool and accomplished people found within the slower.net links page: Life Is A Series Of People Saying Goodbye Teenage Dad On His Estate I Have Forgiven Jesus Come Back To Camden How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?Gotta hand to him, he's hilarious. Here is the link.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075245433902412222004-05-21T14:41:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:41:18.623-07:00

Heard back from possible job. New status: impossible job. Read: Thanks for coming in to speak with me regarding the writer position we were interviewing for. It was extremely difficult choosing one person out of all I spoke with, and while we have chosen another candidate for our immediate opening, I hope we can call on you in the future as we do expect to expand the department again. I need

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075241143289467482004-05-21T14:41:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:41:06.460-07:00

Being a normal type person, I���ve done a lot of stupid shit in my life, the usual stupid shit involving alcohol, drugs, sex, music, driving, etc. Blogcloggers that I promise never to dissect out of a misguided assumption that a) they are worth dissecting and b) I have half the talent to make them interesting (see Eurotrash, who absolutely crushes every other blogger with her wit, for that). No,

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075232213336616852004-05-21T14:40:00.004-07:002004-05-21T14:40:55.110-07:00

All I wanted was to check out some music. Man, the guy can write. This will make you laugh very hard.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075225828384467312004-05-21T14:40:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:40:43.260-07:00

As the 2 of you who actually come here to read have already figured out, my blog is dull, and not intentionally so like this blog. However, I rock I on other blogs��� comments, so I think from now on, Rising Like A Trout will be comprised of an insane number of links directing you towards the torrent of pithy remarks that I spray like so much semen all over other people���s blogs. Sorry for the

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1075161634215100282004-05-21T14:40:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:40:32.276-07:00

Interview went as well as any I've had. The guy said he would contact me either way sometime today. It's 4:00 and still no word. I sent the obligatory follow up email. Went on a ranting rampage in unsuspecting blogs' comment spots. Spent hours arguing with a geriatric right-winger with no debating skills. Oh, I've sunk low, my friends. My work is done here. I'm going home.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1074886657034956422004-05-21T14:40:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:40:22.260-07:00

In 2 1/2 hours, I have an interview with a software company to be their documentation guy. I cannot overstate the importance of landing this gig. As there are no atheists in foxholes (I cannot verify this as I have never been knee deep in "the shit" with Charlie on my ass), so too there seem to be no atheists amongst the soon-to-be-interviewed. In light of this, I offer up this prayer to Blastula

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1074729733497081392004-05-21T14:40:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:40:08.290-07:00

Seriously fucking good writing to be found here, but she���s English, so she���s got a head start. And this guy is hilarious. And I���m getting sucked into this whole NYC blog vortex because man, the writing is better than most anything you���ll come across, free or not. I know, I���m way behind the curve and gushing about these things is gay. But remember: I am a parent and have forgone any

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1074724999200886242004-05-21T14:39:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:39:55.930-07:00

Wow. I mentioned this 91-year-old blogger a few weeks back. This is his newest post about facing life without his wife of 62 years. I would say the obligatory ���I hope to be as sharp as he is at that age, etc.��� but that would be assuming that I had been at least as sharp as he is at some point in my life. This guy is a seriously good writer.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1074624247960922392004-05-21T14:39:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:39:41.486-07:00

Finally saw Return of the King last night with my son. After the movie, I asked him what he thought of it and he said, ���The battle scenes were really cool, but the last 30 minutes were a bunch of hugging.��� I haven���t read a better review of the movie than that. Job situation: I���m spending this week pimping up my portfolio to look like I actually know what I���m doing. I���m utilizing the

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1074280577510386152004-05-21T14:39:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:39:28.436-07:00

Just got an email from possible job not 2 minutes ago. Wants to schedule an interview. Show me some of that online love and cross you virtual fingers for me.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1074275040766352252004-05-21T14:39:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:39:16.206-07:00

Well hooray for me, I didn���t get the job! Yep, in two weeks when this contract is up, I am shit out of luck. Actually, I did get a response from a software company about a full time tech writer position, which would be fucking sweet. The guy asked for some writing samples, which I duly sent in a PDF file I pimped up with links and graphics and shit, yo. That was on Wednesday, and since I follow

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1074212124992168192004-05-21T14:38:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:38:56.333-07:00

The Pixies. Reunited. And it feels so good. At the Coachella Festival. Must go. Favorite band. Thank you to this presumably English blogger for the down low.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1074021791764358172004-05-21T14:38:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:38:29.923-07:00

As I mentioned in a very early (and special) episode of Rising Like A Trout, my dream job would be to create funny (read: stupid) t-shirt designs all the live-long day. This is my latest: If you are from the Bay Area, then I apologize for the milk currently spewing forth from your nostrils. I know, I���m a genius and you must have this shirt like, now. If you are not from the Bay Area, or you

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1073955258485912762004-05-21T14:38:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:38:17.030-07:00

My tiny, hamster-powered brain is completely devoid of all thought, so instead, I bring you the fact that today is the birthday of both Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh. I just know there is some comedy to be mined here, but as I said: brain���hamster-powered���can���t���think���

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1073665343883615612004-05-21T14:38:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:38:05.486-07:00

Part I: The Pros and Cons of Telecommuting These are halcyon days for the empire of work, in its colonization of everyday life. It is an almost perverse reversal of the compartmentalization of American lives that has gone on for 100 years. Whereas in the previous century we had succeeded in fracturing our daily lives into the mutually exclusive realms of WORK and HOME (with the subsequent halving

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1073598163552072322004-05-21T14:37:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:37:51.536-07:00

Are you a writer who can face the blank page whether you are ���inspired��� or not? Do you have discipline, a routine? Are you sometimes pleasantly surprised at what pops out of your keyboard because you had thought you had nothing to say that day, but you were wrong? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, keep it to yourself, please. On a related note, what is the purpose of

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1073518517705070312004-05-21T14:37:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:37:39.783-07:00

Check out A Gathering of Fools, a very thoughtful blog about atheism, among other things. I will most likely go into my views on religion sometime in the future when it strikes me. For now, I guess you could call me an agnostic in that I don���t profess to have any special knowledge as to what the hell is going on. Because of this, I was about to launch into my assertion that Atheism = Just

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1073496444406205162004-05-21T14:37:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:37:29.363-07:00

One of Adam's posts over at A Violently Executed Blog got me a thinkin' about modern technology and the pros and cons, but especially the cons, of technological advances. Now, I'm all for making life a little more convenient and that's what "progress" is all about. But as things become more efficient, they also become more complex. This fact doesn't have any tangible effect on our lives until

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1073061725858704682004-05-21T14:36:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:36:49.630-07:00

We spent New Year's Eve in a way famliar to parents all across the land: we stayed at home. The two little kids were in bed by nine, the oldest got to stay up with us to ring in the new year. At midnight, we popped some champagne and sparkling cider, stepped out onto our front porch, fired off a few shotgun blasts party streamers, and went to bed about 10 minutes later. Highlight of the evening:

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1072902931649028812004-05-21T14:36:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:36:37.796-07:00

Grocery store cashiers have probably the most locally visible job, so that when one is spotted doing something other than ringing up your cough syrup, you get that sudden rush of recognizing someone you have admired from afar. They are local celebrities. This could very well be a condition specific to me, but I just had to get it out there. These pressing issues need to be discussed! Let's see,

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1072812851241919582004-05-21T14:36:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:36:23.470-07:00

I'm sure I'm way behind the curve on this one (as with so many other matters of coolness and culture) but my recent addiction to blogs has become more specific; namely, Iranian/Iraqi blogs. Sure, I'd heard the news about Raed's blog back when we (the US) started dropping bombs on Baghdad. But I had never read any until this week. Now, I can't fucking stop! Fascinating tidbits of daily life such

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-107272584813904032004-05-21T14:36:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:36:12.063-07:00

Our youngest son is 6 months old and he is just beginning to play with our middle son, age (full fucking on!) 2 years. Watching them play together is probably the most joyful thing I���ve ever experienced. Non-parents cannot understand this and any of them who began reading this post most likely logged off with a quickness. I don���t blame them. The joys of parenthood (as well as the frustrations

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1072294325978542222004-05-21T14:35:00.004-07:002004-05-21T14:36:00.570-07:00

A post from Earthbound Discoball (I guess he���s some sort of blogstar, much to his chagrin) got me a thinkin��� about music. My tastes in music are catholic in that I like a little of everything. I subscribe to this quote from Flea: ���There are two kinds of music: soulful and unsoulful.��� And its corollary, attributed to countless people: ���There are only two kinds of music: good music

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1072195754524202172004-05-21T14:35:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:35:46.546-07:00

I've been thinking about the differences between what would commonly be described as "conservatives" and "liberals". (I should say that you could lump me in with the liberals for most issues.) Anyway, what it comes down to for me is process. What us bleeding-hearts are concerned about is process, and the process must have "meaning" or it's not worth doing. The result is almost incosequential.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1072123075844211562004-05-21T14:35:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:35:35.053-07:00

It���s only been two weeks and the powers that be have demanded a re-design. Besides, I read an HTML book over the weekend. Henceforth, you (meaning me) will be spending inordinate amounts of time at Rising Like A Trout. Championship of Sexy, while much loved, has been retired. The jersey is on display in the arena. In five years, Championship of Sexy will be eligible for the Hall of Fame. Please

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1071618054977768462004-05-21T14:35:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:35:20.133-07:00

So yeah, I'm link-happy today. This is hilarious. This is the best commentary on the capture of Saddam I have yet seen. Another one for the t-shirt gallery at bottom right over yonder ------>.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1071520681492735122004-05-21T14:35:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:35:08.216-07:00

We put up our Christmas tree last night, and damn, it looks good. Depsite my previous ranting on the subject of "the holidays", I do love this time of year. I love the hunkering down aspect of Christmas, when it's ass-cold outside and my family is snug and warm on the couch and the fire is blazing. I love all the visceral Catholic imagery, Joseph and Mary craahing at the manger for the night. (

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1071162871336988962004-05-21T14:34:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:34:55.146-07:00

Gee, I was a barrel of fun yesterday, wasn���t I? This got me out of my deep funk. He is my new favorite photographer. This morning while commuting to work, I drank half of my coffee. About 10 minutes later, I thought I had finished it, but picked up the mug anyway to drain the last few drops of precious caffeine into my system, only to discover I had plenty left. I love it when that happens. It

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1071081911666508062004-05-21T14:34:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:34:38.856-07:00

The holidays suck ass. We���re spending over 500 bucks on presents when we most likely will not have enough money for next month���s mortgage payment. What the fuck is that about!? Is that what the holidays represent, stretching your financial limits to the absolute breaking point? I don���t mind buying gifts for the kids, I would buy them Christmas gifts before I���d pay for almost anything. But

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1070984691062021912004-05-21T14:34:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:34:21.270-07:00

Hey, remember way back in my first post when I pondered whether there were other parents out in Blogstown, USA? Oh, those were the days, weren't they? Anyway, I found one and have been wasting time at work reading her tales of parenting and coolness and the usually atagonistic relationship between the two. Do I relate? Yes, very. Should you go immediately to her site? Absolutely. Does it count

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1070907423238249772004-05-21T14:34:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:34:10.803-07:00

I would be a happy man if I could spend my days thinking up t-shirt designs. My two current favorites: "I am speaking phonetically." and this.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1070641443038699592004-05-21T14:33:00.004-07:002004-05-21T14:34:00.856-07:00

I still don't know what to call this thing, so I'm changing the title on a daily basis until one sticks. Candidates so far: Championship of Sexy - I really like this one, because it implies that, like, I'm a champ and I'm dead sexy. El Kabong's Controlled Blasting - I was in Safeway getting my morning donut and the guy in front of me at the cashier line was wearing a jacket with "Dave's

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1070563236817130502004-05-21T14:33:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:33:49.983-07:00

Online Mad-Libs represent the pinnacle of computer technology. Fifty years of innovation has come to fruition. There is no reason to go any further. Well done, people. My entries in italics. (Check out the totally unexpected bald/Picard synchronicity. Eerie!) One day, on the bridge of the flaky ship known as the Enterprise, Captain Picard was startled by the sudden appearance of a apple aboard

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1070472307656750802004-05-21T14:33:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:33:37.416-07:00

Guess what!? I���m a big dork and here is my proof. I fully admit to being totally rapt during the entire run of this Alternate Reality Game (ARG). I even coined a term for the players of ARGs; ARGonauts, of course. Isn���t that the geekiest thing you���ve ever heard of? Anyway, I find it fascinating and you should check out this and also this, if you���re interested in the history and culture of

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1070389054414594262004-05-21T14:33:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:33:24.570-07:00

I am a technical writer for a credit union, and Holy Jesus, can it get boring. Sometimes as I���m typing away about marketing procedures or whatever, my mind begins to rebel against the soul-crushing monotony. This is a typical result: ���Once the list has been compiled, it is forwarded to the Webmaster for insertion into Accucast. Depending on the campaign, e-mails are scheduled to be sent at a

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1070306888261024102004-05-21T14:33:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:33:09.396-07:00

I wonder, are there any other parents out in blogville? You see, blogging takes time and parents barely have enough time to keep up personal hygiene. In fact, I cold use a good scrubbing myself. Any volunteers?

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1070296039546884442004-05-21T14:32:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:32:55.760-07:00

I write for a living all frickin' day long, so why would I want to start a blog? Perhaps describing procedures and networks is not what I had in mind.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076536608276772972004-05-21T14:21:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:49:58.666-07:00

Just recently saw Lost in Translation and have been obsessed with the flick. I wouldn't bother mentioning it if I couldn't make a nice, smooth segueway into this site, and this photo in particular. Aussie photographer living in Tokyo. Good stuff. I found that site after reading Rambling Rhodes, where he mentioned a cool little meme that I will replicate here: Think of 5 blogs you think people

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076536763275212582004-05-21T14:21:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:21:17.976-07:00

I can't decide whether this picture or this one is the coolest thing I've seen all week. Go here and decide for yourself.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076540856424680142004-05-21T14:21:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:21:09.846-07:00

This is one of those quotes that applies to everyone and everyone alone. Ya know? Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal. - Albert Camus Courtesy of No Starting Point.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1076634597569689832004-05-21T14:20:00.005-07:002004-05-21T14:21:00.496-07:00

When I am nervous, my brain acts like a flat stone on water, skipping from one thought to another. This causes problems when I am working, and these problems are exacerbated when the reason I am nervous happens to be work related. This is just a long way of saying that my future is up in the fucking air like a prom dates legs. My financial future. My emotional future. Everything. My life has

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1077051129811720752004-05-21T14:20:00.004-07:002004-05-21T14:20:50.936-07:00

My place of work is not a bastion of liberalism, by any means. To illustrate this, I will recount for you a moment from today's lunchroom that happened not 30 minutes ago. We were watching the local news and a story about the gay marriages San Francisco is performing came on. We all watched it in silence, until a woman I work with said: "Last night we were watching the 11 o'clock news and they

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1077305536929124082004-05-21T14:20:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:20:38.723-07:00

This one is hard to narrow down, but if pressed, I would say either cliff diving while frying quite hard on acid, or snorting coke and smoking weed while driving to LA. That second one is worth examining further. When I was 18, I inherited a fucking sweet 1964 Dodge Coronet from a great uncle I had never met. It had 34,000 original miles. (The car, not my great uncle.) It was white with red

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1077310416042363282004-05-21T14:20:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:20:28.100-07:00

Lost in Translation was a fantastic movie for a lot of reasons, but this bit of dialogue was particularly poignant. Bob: It gets a whole lot more complicated when you have kids. Charlotte: It's scary. Bob: The most terrifying day of your life is the day the first one is born. Charlotte: Nobody ever tells you that. Bob: Your life, as you know it ... is gone. Never to return. But they

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1077735768951734182004-05-21T14:20:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:20:20.083-07:00

I'm not going to go on about gay marriage or any other infuriating policy blunders that Bush is either proposing or enacted. If you want some food for thought, check out Adam's highly literate and reasonable writing on the matters at hand. I will suggest that you take billmon's advice over at The Whiskey Bar and use Bush's website against him. And read The Whiskey Bar every day, for Christ's

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1077916579455436642004-05-21T14:20:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:20:09.950-07:00

That is all.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1078184210298850422004-05-21T14:19:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:20:00.410-07:00

Online Pravda. In "English." The movie star is certain that the best way for a woman to remain young is to have regular sex with a beloved man.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1078267913816573072004-05-21T14:19:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:19:49.196-07:00

Big time, most likely. We're in debt, near broke, I've been a flake with the bill paying because it crushes my spirit. Now, my marriage is most likely over. Down. Bottom. Black hole. Why was I so stupid? Why couldn't I just get shit done? It wasn't malicious or on purpose. FUck. It can't be over because of the kids, I will endure anything for them, I can't be separated from them, her mom is in

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1078273678568198012004-05-21T14:19:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:19:38.276-07:00

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1078357879725564912004-05-21T14:18:00.004-07:002004-05-21T14:18:47.503-07:00

Brilliant discussion going on over there about progressives sucking it up and voting for Kerry. Here is the original post from billmon and be sure to check out the comments section, which is filled with truly insightful stuff, including this: Dammit Billmon, were you sitting by me when I was making the same point at the bar last night? My friend is a "well, the machine is broke and there's

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1078361339160539412004-05-21T14:18:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:18:37.666-07:00

That may or may not be true; however, it was of interest to someone who ended up on my site after. I love search terms.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1078426402342271582004-05-21T14:18:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:18:27.053-07:00

This is too cool. A Belgian performance artist dresses up like a bag lady and pushes a shopping cart filled with TV monitors. She carries an antennae disguised as a suop can that picks up the signals of surveillance cameras in the vicinity and the signals are displayed on the monitors in her cart. Fucking sweet! I am totally against these cameras as I think we should be able to walk the streets

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1078772308714726182004-05-21T14:18:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:18:17.240-07:00

This is very near the coolest thing I've seen on the internet. This guy wants you to know, in the words of Flava Fav, exactly what TIME it is.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1078790259501158672004-05-21T14:18:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:18:04.240-07:00

Terry Eagleton Fundamentalism means sticking strictly to the script, which in turn means being deeply fearful of the improvised, ambiguous or indeterminate...Since writing is meaning that can be handled by anybody, any time, it is always profane and promiscuous. Meaning that has been written down is bound to be unhygienic...Fundamentalism is the paranoid condition of those who do not see that

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1078791046788817292004-05-21T14:17:00.003-07:002004-05-21T14:17:55.220-07:00

At the Gay Bar!

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1078955243119493222004-05-21T14:17:00.002-07:002004-05-21T14:17:44.496-07:00

Remember how I bitched and moaned and then freaked the fuck out about jobs and money? Remember? Well, in the course of 24 hours, the Trout household most likely has tripled its daily allowance of money. I say most likely, because things aren't official yet and I don't want to jinx myself. Carry on.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1079021679667274522004-05-21T14:17:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:17:31.203-07:00

Not really, I just like to either say or type that phrase at least once a week. Speaking of politics, however, billmon at The Whiskey Bar has yet another astounding post, this time on free trade vs. protectionism or "economic isolationism, as Bush now calls it. As usual, billmon examines every angle. I learned more about this issue from today's post than from anywhere else.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1079034971915763192004-05-21T14:17:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:17:15.620-07:00

Yeah I know, how 2000 of me to link to McSweeney's, but damn, this is funny.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1079050739701502772004-05-21T14:16:00.002-07:002004-06-15T15:15:11.043-07:00

If that doesn't describe growing up, I don't know what does. Go here, this guy is amazing.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1079113653563680782004-05-21T14:16:00.001-07:002004-05-21T14:16:36.613-07:00

Excellent question. Apparently, I should be able to answer it as some poor soul out there was directed here by the winds of Google. If I has things like talent and wit, I would devise a clever post pretending to be an advice columnist answering the questions of my unknown readers. But I have neither of those qualities, so there you go.

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1079134215239848842004-05-21T14:16:00.000-07:002004-05-21T14:16:23.750-07:00

I know exactly what I want done at my funeral, which I hope is many, many years away. The fact that I have the ceremony for my death already planned amuses and maddens E, as I have trouble planning for most things in life. For those interested, here are my instructions, should you find me dead on the side of the road: I don't need to take up real estate when I'm dead, and anyway, they don't make

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6153083.post-1079367105116595752001-05-18T17:11:00.000-07:002004-03-15T08:21:51.670-08:00

vargasohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17235708545451376956noreply@blogger.com