productiveLast night, as I mirrored the "red rain" entry over on my MySpace page, I was very annoyed to discover that there's no "Science" or "Science and Nature" category for entries. The categories are a dumb idea, but it's sad and symptomatic of the country's general disinterest in science that there are categories for "News and Politics" and "Life" and "Gossip" and the gods know what else, but nothing for science.
I did another 1,153 words on "pas-en-arrière " yesterday. I'm liking this piece a lot. It has a gentleness that's lacking from most of the vignettes. It's almost sweet. I finally realised how it should end yesterday, and it's a very soft-spoken ending. I'm curious how readers will respond to it. That was work yesterday, aside from getting #4 out. The new eBay auctions got off to a good start yesterday; my thanks to those who have already bid. Also, apologies if you've e-mailed in the last few days and I've not responded. I get in these moods where my generally anti-social nature spills over into my ability to answer e-mails. It's dopey, but true. I'll try to get through some of them in the next couple of days. I do appreciate e-mail, very much. Don't think that I don't.
Jerry Lewis turns 80 today.
Last night we continued our Oscarish movie binge with George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck, which I really, really liked. David Strathairn was superb. Mostly, I couldn't help thinking how much worse things are now, under Bush and the Patriot Act and this whole rogue Administration, than they ever were during the height of the McCarthy hearings. It's just that very few people seem to care. The paranoia is broadcasting on a lower frequency. Or a higher frequency. Maybe the dogs can hear it. The bogeyman of Middle-Eastern terrorists has supplanted the old bogeyman of Communism, and TPTB have more power over us than they've ever had before. After 9/11, America was more than happy to hand over their freedom to speak and think and act upon those thoughts, if only they could drive their SUVs and watch their widescreen televisions and shop at Wal-Mart without having to worry about further attacks. Consumerism has become the Great Teat, the Great Distraction. Even religion can't compete. But I am going on, aren't I? Yes, I am.
For what it's worth, to anyone who wasn't pleased with me for having no interest in seeing Brokeback Mountain, I find that I'm equally disinterested in Crash.
My thanks to David Kirkpatrick for sending me the paper from Nature describing the new Jurassic theropod, Juravenator, from the Solnhofen. What a marvelous little beast.
Okay. Time's up. I need to finish this vignette today. Tomorrow's St. Patrick's Day, and I intend to tie one on (in the parlance of our times).
